Conscience and Beard

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 10, 7 March 1907, Page 23

Conscience and Beard

We take the following from a morning contemporary :— ' The, method pursued by accused persons when challenging juries in the Supreme Court is often mystifying. A Maori, whci explained to the judge at Auckland last week that all the jurymen were the same to him, nevertheless challenged every individual with a -beard.' History sometimes repeats itself in unexpected places. The notorious ' Jeffreys — ' the lianging judge ' — once objected to the testimony cf a witness because the latter had a long beard. 'If your conscience is like your beard,' said Jeffreys, in effect, 'it is a swinging one.' 'My lord,' retorted the witness(who was a co/untryman), 'if you measure consciences by 'beards, you have no conscience.' There seems to be a sort of mental affinity between the •hanging judge and the jury-challenging Maori.. .