PERJURY OR THE MICROBE

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2466, 2 April 1909, Page 2

PERJURY OR THE MICROBE

A solemn warning has been given by Mr. H. Eyre Kenny, S.M., to all people who think that kissing a bacilliladen Bible is a necessary risk to take in making a declaration about speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. “The man,” said the magistrate, “who Affirms, instead of swearing on the Bible, is a very sensible man. Kissing the book is a very dangerous practice.” That doctrine is as old as it is healthy and true, and it is good to see it getting such frank support from a stipendiary magistrate. Has anybody in New Zealand ever seen the Chief Health Officer kiss the much-lip-ped and much thumbed page of a Bible? He knows too well how many myriads of microbes may be playing hide and seek on a square inch of a soiled page. He is an affirmer and a consistent and persistent advocate of affirmation. For health reasons the Bible-kissing clinching of an undertaking to tell the truth should have been ruled out of court long ago, but perhaps the reason for its detention is authorities’ fancy that some types of person believe that if they do not “kiss the Book” they do not perjure themselves by uttering lies. The official notion seems to be that the foundation of British rectitude may crumble away if the cement of the Bible kiss is no longer used. Some people may still imagine that if they manage to kiss a thumb instead of the printed page the ecording angel will be less busy wit a the pencil against them, but really the old time awe that long, long ago came upon men who set their lips to tlie Bible has passed away, and has been succeeded by another—the common prosaic awe of the militant microbe. _ Ino court Idas has run its course ; it is as much out of date as- the. stuffy wig. A country’s Legislature tries as much as possible to prevent a citizen, from endangering the health of himself and liis friends by contact with persons afflicted with infectious diseases, but the authorities here almost encourage people to take dangerous risks -with insanitary copies of the Bible. : Weifington “Post.” ; " ' ; •