Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1883-04-21
VILLAGE Laws 500 Years Ago.


cruel and merciless, and the gaJlows
and the pillory, never far from any
mans door, were seldom allowed to
remain long out of use. The CHASTITY
frequency of the punishment by death
tended to make people savage and
bloodthirsty. 1t tended, too, to make
men absolutely reckless Of consequent
ces when once their passions were
aroused. GAS well lie hung for a sheep
as a lamb" was saying that had a
grim truth in it. When violent ruff
fan knew that if he robbed his host in
the night he would be sure to be hung
for it, and if he killed him he could be
no more than hung, he had nothing to
gain by letting him live. and nothing
to lose if he cut his throat. Where
another knew that by tampering with
the coin of the realm he was sure to
go to the gallows for it, he might as
well make a good fight before he was
taken, and murder any one who stood
in the way of his escape. Hanging
went or at a pace which we cannot
conceive, for in those days the criminal
law of the land was not, as it is now.
strangely.devised machinery for pro-
tecting the wrong-doer, but it was an
awful and tremendous power for Stay
ing all who were dangerous to the per-
sons or the property Of the conmu-
nifty. TO hurry man TO dca-h with
his sins and crimes fresh upon him, To
slaughter men wholesale fof a is thai:
could not be regarded rs enormously
wicked. shocked sucn rs had learned
that The Gospel taught such virtues as
mercy and long suffering and gave men
hopes OF forgiveness and rep; ntan c.
The church set its II against the afro
cicus mangling and branding and
hanging that was being dealt out
blindly, hastily and Unfortunately to
every kind of t.ansgres6or; and mas
much as the chur ;h law and the law of
the land 600 yelrs ago were often in
conflict, the church law acted to a great
extent as a check upon the shocking
ferocity Il the criminal code. And
this is ho- the check was exercised:
4 man who was cleric was only half
amena1le to the law OF the land. He
was = citizen of the realm and sub
'tct OF The king, but he was more; he
owed n. .egiar &c 10 the church, and
claimed the chinch's protection also.
ccordingly. when ,ver Q cleric got in
trouble, and there WAS only zoo good
cause to believe th.lt if ne were
brought to his trial he W, uld ha e a
short shrift and no favor. sc.nt justice
AID IT, inevitable 3allcNys within
invent, -four hours at tle longest. he
proelaimet himself Il cleric. and de-
mandtd the protest. T. # the church,
and was forthwith handed over to the
custody of the or mary Or bi hop. he
process was clumsy one, and Led. OF
course, to great buses, but it had a
good side. As = natural and q liable
consequence of sue, privilege ac-
corded to a class there war very
strong inducement to become men,
Der of that class, I'd. as the church
made it easy for any fai ly educated
man to be admitted at an, rate ~ the
lower orders of the ministry, any one
who preferred a professions: career, or
desired to give himself mp to a life of
study enrolled himself am~-g the
clerics, and was henceforth ieckoned
as belonging to the clergy. The country
swarmed with these clerics. Onl.r q
small proportion of them ever became
ministers Of religion; they were law
yers, or even lawyers clerks; they were
secretaries some few were quacks
with nostrums; and these were all lust
as much cl( RIGS as the chaDlainS who
occupied pretty much the same pos;-
ton as our curates do now-clergy-
men, strictly so called, who were on the
lookout for employment, and who
earned very precarious livelihood-or
the rectors and Wears, who were on the
benefited clergy, and who were the par
sons of parishes occupying almost ex-
actly the same position that they do at
this moment, and who were almost ex-
actly in the same position as they are
now.--Ninetee11th Century.