The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-09-21
VIRGIKIA JUSTICH
AND PRAYIkG JURIES

The Virginia brand of Jury. judge
and justice is one on which, fortu-
nately, no copyright or patent runs.
but which is exceedingly rare, never
theIess 1t is a brand which might
well be copied in every court and
community in the land, for IL is as
nearly ideal as could reasonably he
expected of the rank and file of faIli-
bic humanity. The very atmosphere
OF the whole trail in Chesterfield
Courthouse has had a strange reas-
surfing moral tang that has been
exhilarating to all lovers of justice
who have seen so many travesties
upon it and who hope for better
things.
There has been a brooding spell
upon the scene that has been referred
10 many times by the news writer's
who went there from the big cities
a spell that made the courthouse a
Shrine in the woods, a very temple of
Justice, where all the world-old dis
tinctions Of wealth and social position
melted away before the inexorable
gaze or clear-eyed. aIl-seeing Justice.
From jury whose memb bers sang
piously In the intervals between ses-
sions of court and who prayed fer
vently before celebrating upon the
rate OF the prisoner at the bar, only
verdict which would embody the
fundamental principles of human ius-
mistaken; it might not be in exact
accordance with the facts; a grievous
wrong might be inflicted upon the ac-
cuSed. But as nearly as finite and
erring human vision can pierce the
secret of human hearts and interpret
the law as laid down by the court
and the facts as brought out by the
evidence, the verdict returned under
such circumstances may we'll be re-
garded as ideal.
humbly In prayer for divine guidance
not pharisaically or to be seen of
men, but with an OVerpowering sense
OF the tremendous responsibility of
their relation to the prisoner, to So
ciety and to themselves, is one that
is wonderfully touching and wonder
tully instructive. 1t is a spectacle
that carries one back three centuries
along the Road to Yesterday. He can
almost fancy a little band Of Old
NolFs ndheads-strangely out of
place in the home of the cavaliers of
the South. New England would seem
a more fitting geographical setting for
such a scene. 1t may be taken for
granted that those praying jurors are
not inherently any better or wiser
than the average American jury. The
higher critics will. of course sneer
at the sight OF jurors on their knees
and prove that if there was ever n
spiritual circuit" between the throne
Of grace and a jury room il was
broken long ago.
In truth. ii is a phenomenon. One
can hardly imagine a Jackson coun-
ty jury. for instance, taking part in
such spectacle-at least one who has
seen jury service. Other juries are
not made up of "roughnecks" or
bribe takers or rascals. They are
made up of average, everyday citi-
zens anxious to do equal and exact
justice between man and man for the
most part, even though some juries
have brought in amazing verdicts and
have confessed to having been infiu-
enced by astounding reasons for such
verdicts.
But when all is said, there is some
thing In human nature that instinct
lively responds to the appeal involved
IN the spectacle Of a praying jury, a
God-fearing jury, such as American
temples of justice need quite as ur-
gently as a revision of the code of
practice or new laws or more honest
practitioners. Mr.. Lincoln answered
the complaint that General Grant was
drinking too much whiskey by eX-
pressing the hope that other Union
generals would drink some OF the same
kind. Analogously. if praying jurors
VIII bring in Verdicts according to
the light they receive from whatsoever
source, according to their consciences
according to the dictates OF their in
most souls, with vision cleared by
communion with the Infinite-why.
let's have more praying juries. that's
all. If praying juries will bring in
verdicts as they see the facts. wholly
disregarding individuals. weighing
prisoners in the scales OF inViolable
justice and outraged law and not ac-
cording to the specious standards of
the world, then more such juries are
needed. II praying will enable juries
TO make up their minds In this spirit
OF humble reliance on divine counsel
and not because the prisoner is q
rich man or poor man, a member
or this order or that order or none;
not because the plaintiff or defend
ant is a corporation or a member OF
this or that political party or because
the counsel are friends OF theirs or
enemies-if praying will lead juries
TO cast aside all these artificial dis
tinctions and unworthy passions and
prejudices and render a verdict that
squares with reason and justice and
a clear conscience, then a little more
confidence can be placed in such q
jury than in the average kind.-Kan-
sas City Star.