The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-09-20
WHEN IS A. MAN Il?
Some Illustration OF The Popular Fall.
acies on the Question OF Dates.
NOT TWENTY.FlRST BIRTHDAY.

a man often hears that law is
applied common sense" SAID
Prof. John Wurtz, of the Ya,e
Law School, "and while it is true
that law principles originated in
common sense, the law itself as
the combined experience of many
men uninterested IN Law Will
agree, is applied common sense.
"Then, there arc many rules
OF law, which undoubtedly have a
common seLse origin; but, condl.
tions having changed, history
falls to disclose it's origin Yet
these very rules must be retain
ed IN order not to shake person
al and property rights. There
fore no man can depend on his
own uuinstructed common sense
10 know the law.
''ro drive tins statement home,
| have frequently put to an in.
coming law class the question,
When does an infant become of
age? The answer is always un.
animous "When he is 2l years
old
''The next question appears RI.
dlcu Gus to some, and makes them
laugh, while others set their al.
legged common ser Sc at work, and
never with correct result. when
is man 2l years old p
"One student says ON his
twenty-frst birthday but, Of
course, he does not mean it, for
he is about year out of the way.
Another ventures 'On the twen-
ty'hrst anniversary of his birth
This sounds better, but even If
correct, Is not specific enough.
When he has completed his TWEEN
ty-frst anniversary AT the be
ginning Of that day; 'On the
twenty-tirst anniversary, at the
precise hour of his birth, are 9th
er answers.
"And'then | surprise the guess
ers by saying that they are all
wrong.
Gin computing tune it Is a gen
eral rule that the law disregards
part of day. In applying this
rule suppose a man was born just
one minute before midnight on
January 2, 1880.
CAT midnight he had lived but
one minute, yet the day on which
he was born was ended, and the
law considered lin one day old.
So, in computing the 2l years
which man must live IN order
to reach his majority, we do not
begin with the moment of birth,
but with the commencement of
the day of his birth.
"Now, since we must start with
the first moment of January ,,
$50, thus uan did not become u
years old until the close of Janu
airy l, 1901. automatically
speaking, tins is true,
"Twenty-one years IN that
sense requires that the last mo.
ment of January |, 1901, should
have arrived IN order to make the
man of age and, obviously, be was
of age at that point of time. But
here again the rule is applied.
"As the man was of age on the
last moment of January 1, the
law disregardlng the entire part
of the day Intervening between
the first moment and the last,
and consequently, he became in
law 2l years old on the first mo.
ment of January |, 1901, the day
preceding the twenty.drst ami
versary of his birthday.
'rhis rule is part of what is
known as the common law, and
is applied IN this country in all
States where the common law of
England has been adopted and
remains unchanged 10y Statute.
A man mPy vote or make a valid
will on the day preceding the
twenty y-frst anniversary OF his
birthday, although the right in
the one case and the capacity IN
the other is glven only to persons
who have reached the age of 2l
years, -
--'------------------------
Edward Bender, who had been
spending sometime with HIS par