Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-12-29


Thousand Years OF Homo nuie.
tcop,rirht. isqe. BY Edgar l.. wakcman.l
rot,gt.As. Isle Of Man. Nov. 10 Dear
u,,ie I.le OF Man" Elldn Fdnnin Veg
Yecn. Is the fond title by Its natives OF one
q, Inc most dimlnutvc and interesting
leland countries TO be found In the civil
lEed world.
II is a sturdy little bit of sea grit land,
net in the turbulent Irish Sea almost equi-
distant from England, Ireland aud Scot
land, forever witlistanding the ilcrccst OF
ocean currents and the widest Of ocean
storms. The hardy little nation inhabit-
ing IL has ~ ccaselcssly bid defiance to the
,nnclstroms of conflicting Interests OF men
nsd governments seeking IT, thrall, and
10 this day II comprises practically the only
felk on British soil who enjoy the full ben
,a,s OF self government
Briefly told. the little Manx nation has
had three periods Of histcry--a period OF
Celtic rule. one Of Morse supremacy and Of
British dominion. In the Tenth century
the Vikings came. They had just over
como Iceland and established their Morse
kingdom there. When they found the
.dear little Isle Of Man" they made short
work Of taking complete possession The
women were dark haired, fair skinned aud
blue eyed. The Vikings were freckled aud
bcnched ~ to hair and eyes. The Manx
nation Of today sptang from the union OF
these handsome Celtic women and these
huge. frccklod men.
The latter were led by one orry. lie IL
called King Orry now. Whether he was
sea rover or the son OF Danish or Norwe-
CLAN monarch does not matter. But he
became King Of Man and the Isles. He
was great without the title. lie gave the
Manxmcn their first Constitution. IL was
quite like that which had just been given
TO Iceland IL was n good one, too, and the
proof OF II Is that with little change IL has
existed to this day.
King orry divided the island into six
ship Ghlres They are tho Manx "shcad-
ingsr or representative divisions Of tho
present time. Each shedding elected four
men by popular vote to n lawmnklng
house called the House Of Keys. probably
from the Morse Kciec. orchoscn men. They
were the peoples delegates, just as they
are today. Then King Orry gave tho
Church shRrc In the government, but
prevented It's supremacy. He established
u Tynwald Court, where Church and State
rat together. Two law men, called deem
stcrss-one for the north and one for the
touth-werc appointed. These were equiv
alent to the Icclnndic speakers OF the
law" These remain unchanged Orry
then had built, after the manner Of the
lava law rock Of Thingvcllir, an artificial
Mount Of Laws. TIE House Of Keys sent
up laws 10 the Tynwald Court, or the lat
ter sent them down. Assent In Joint ses-
slon and the Kings sanction concluded
the making " law. But laws were never
operative until the King, the Court and the
= T.. a
lin and promulgated them by reading
them nrst in the language In which they
were written, and second In the language Of
The people.
Every essential feature Of this patrl-
nrchal and representative government cs.
iablishod early In the Tenth century exists
In It's original simplicity today. The Manx
nre the only Morse nation left that can
show 50 close and strong binding 10 the
days OF the Sngas through nn unchanged
governing System. And the folk OF this
little island are the only people acknowl-
edging complete British dominion who AFRO
IN no way intcrfrrcd with from Westmln.
stcr, and who enjoy the actual practical
blessings Of Home Rule.
Ireland battling for similar privilege Of
tclf government; Scotland FESTIVE under
conditions, well enough in their day OF
making. which now prevent her dealing
with pressing church aud economic ques.
tions; Wales constantly almost in revolt
over her burden Of tlthes, aud Wesleyan
Cornwall glowering over her lost prestige
aud uncongenial relation to nm order OF
things out Of all sympathy with nino-
tenths OF her people, can almost from their
shores look upon the misty mountain
heights % this self governed Utopia.
A hraNa md blaadx ltatnpt. haa th., tt,st.
island had from King Orry's time down to
its unrcserved cession by It's then rcignng
duke to the Crown. for consideration OF
Ril0000 In 1925. The system OF govern
ment IL interesting from It's simplicity.
Electors must have property qunllhca.
ton In the sheadings OF eio occupancy or
As ownership. In towns voters must pos
sess ~ occupancy or ownership quail
Nention, and this sum gives all women I'M
married, widows or spinsters, the same
vested right, n right which. although vex.
Ing to woman suiiragists, is rarely cxer-
rised
Tho island is divided Into ten electoral
districts, comprising King Orry's original
ak sheadlngs Of Glnnfaba, Middle, Ru.
then, Ayre, Gard and Michael, each OF
which returns three representatives, the
city OF Douglas with three. and the towns
OF Ramsey, Peel aud Castletown. the an
Client capital OF Man, with one each. These
twentytour representatives constitute the
House OF Keys, corresponding to our House
Of Representatives at Washington.
There IL nm upper House called the Coun-
ell, whose powers nrc similar TO those OF
our Senate. 1t Is composed OF the lord
bishop Of the diocese (''Sodor and MANY,
who has q seat but no vote In the British
House OF Peers; the attorney general, the
receiver general, tho two deemsters or
Judges whose offices. almost relic OF
Drnldisu, are precisely ns constituted by
the Morse King Orry; the clerk OF the Rolls.
the water bnilili, the arolidencon and vicar
general, over which the lieutenant gov.
ernor Crown appointment, presides.
The deemsters or judges. who have au.
thoHty to determine all causes, subject 70
appeal TO the government staff, are still re-
quired 20 take tho same curious oath rs
when the ancient Breast Laws" those
not reduced to writing until lil7 and oral
ly handed down from one deomster to his
successor, prevailed. They swear "by this
book, and by tho holy contents thereof
md by the wonderful works that God hath
miraculously wrought IN heaven above
mud In the earth beneath In Six days and
seven nights without request OF
favor or friendship, love or gain, consan.
guinity or affinity, envy or malice, 10 exc
cute the law Of this isle justly betwixt
our sovereign lord Tor LADY,, the king Tor
queen), and his Tor herr subjects within
IL IL .