Page:On the Desert - Recent Events in Egypt.djvu/155

 great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's." He recognized no distinctions; all were alike to Him. The judge was to know no difference. He was not to be biased even by sympathy for the poor: "Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause." "Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor." Magistrates were not allowed to accept a gift, for fear of bribery: "Thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous."

To make the administration of justice august and venerable, the higher magistracy was committed to old men, whose white hairs and silver beards gave dignity to the judicial tribunal. They were called the elders of the congregation. After the Israelites reached Canaan, and were settled in towns and cities, this council of the ancients always sat at the gate of the city, which was the place of public resort. Here they received the homage of the people as they went forth to work in the fields, or returned at evening to lodge within the walls. When they appeared abroad, they rode on white asses, as the mollahs, or men of the law, in Persia, do to this day, and the heads of families returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca. The authority of these magistrates was sacred. No one might rebel against their decisions, nor even speak of them with disrespect: "Thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people."

In vindicating the wisdom of such a "Department of Justice," it is not necessary to limit our comparison to Oriental states; we may extend it to all states, ancient and modern, the most powerful and the most civilized. Where can we find a machinery of law that is more perfect? The