The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-16
EXPERIMENTING vERMIN.
How vermin were Tried and Condemned
in the Middle Ages.
[Chicago Times.1

| According to the continental papers
| rats, mice, and smaller vermin have ap-
4 peared in Bohemia in such mum bers,
and caused so great damage to growing
| crops as to excite most serious alarm.
Artisans are making traps in which to
| catch them. Chemists are at work pre-
pairing poisons for the destroyers, while
the priests are exhorting the people to
| lead godly lives and pay their church
| debts, to the end that the pests may
stop their havoc. A writer in a London
paper commenting on the presence OF
| these vermin, calls to mind the means
that were adopted two or three hun
dred years ago for the purpose OF de-
stroying them. Then the world was
governed by priests instead Of polite.
ians, and the Pope was often appealed
to with view Of having an end put to
the ravages of animals and insects.
Sometimes the different classes Of YER
min were communicated. At other
times the priests set forth different ways
| for exercising insects and animals in
| furious to crops and the labor of man.
The records Of many old towns in
France, Spain, italy and Germany
show the remarkable means adopted to
stop the depredations of vermin. It
appears to have been conceded that all
| birds. wild animals and insects had GER
tain rights that people were in honor
| bound to respect, and OF which they
could not be deprived without good
cause shown to some competent tribu-
nal. Animals that could be caught and
| imprisoned were tried In secular court.
| The ecclesiastical courts, however, had
sole Jurisdiction over ants, flies, fieas,
caterpillars and other insects, as we'll as
reptiles and very small animals. The
records of the village OF Noisy, in
France, show that in the year 1914
| farmer was gored by bull. Charles,
Compile de Valois, hearing OF the affair,
ordered the beast to be imprisoned to
await trial. After hearing of the case
the officers Of the law condemned the
bull to be executed. The legal proceed
ings, however, did not terminate here.
The case was reported to Parliam ent,
which decided that while the decision
was just, the proceeding were illegal, as
the Compile de Valois had no jurisdic-
ton In the case. All animals that in
iured men shared the same punishment
as men who committed like offenses. In
1866 a pig was burned at the stake near
Paris for devouriDg young child. In
1408 a pig was publicly executed for go
ing into house and killing child in
the cradle. Arecord Of the proceedings
in the case Is still preserved, including
an account Of the execution and the ex-
penses attending it. In Germany VaTi-
Gus kinds Of poultry were tried for
crimes by the secular courts, as they
we're capable OF arrest and imprison-
ment.
During the fifteenth century Cardinal
| Huyonet was very severe on insects
He solemnly communicated all the
slugs that infested his district. Blue
bottle flies were also anathe matized in
a public manner from the pulpit in the
great cathedral, and all local curates
were eDjoined 'to repeat the curse until
it proved effectual." The Bishop OF
| Laon cursed all the field mice and
caterpillars that infested his bishopric
The pious monks at st. Francis, in the
south of Portugal, were more kindly
disposed toward troublesome insects.
| They did not condemn them without
a careful consideration Of each case. A
| colony of ants invaded their monastery
| and did all sorts Of mischief. They stole
the grain the monks had planted, ate
the provisions in the pantry, and threat
ened to undermine the walls Of the
building they occupied for holy pur-
| poses. A court was organized to try
| the cause, and learned counsel were APP
pointed for both sides. The advocate
| for the monks made out strong case.
| He showed that he and his brothers
were voluntary mendicants, who had
sacrificed all worldly comforts for the
glory Of God and the salvation OF a
wicked world. Ants had invaded their
home, eaten up the plain food they had
burroWed under the foundation Of their
| home. II the ants were to remain the
monks would die of starvation or be
crushed by falling walls. In either
case immortality would increase and
souls be lost. The advocate brought
forward testimony to prove that the
founder Of their order was most bitterly
| opposed to ants on account OF their
| violent habits and their disregard for
the rights of property. He therefore
asked that the ants be destroyed as
enemies Of religion or at least be ban
ished from the monastery.
The counsel for the ants made an able
| defense. He said that Providence had
created them for some good purpose,
| had endowed them with life and mental
ity. and provided them with organs for
securing food. Though small and in
significant, they had been pointed out
by the sacred writer as examples for
men to follow. In all times they had
taught man many useful lessons in in
dustry, cleanliness and forethought.
Ants like monks lived in communities,
| were governed by superioTs, worked for
a common end, and held their goods in
common. They were evidently religious,
inasmuch as they buried their dead. AS
to the colony Of ants under considera-
ton it was evident that their ancestors
were the original possessors Of the
premises, while the monks were, in
point of fact, nothing but intruders.
The Judge carefully weighed the argu
ments in the case and decided that the
ants had committed no crime for which
they should be punished. He ruled
that the monks must provide suitable
field for the ants at a distance from the
monastery 30 that each community
without injury TO the other.
AL history cannot be learned from
the record Of the reigns Of kings or the
accounts of battles lost and won. The
i above accounts furnish curious exam