The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-01-09


politics, was recognized procedure in
Irish law. Albanian, it is said, tasted
for eight years. When his mother
came to him, she found him in ter
rible and pitiable state. Change my
torture" said Albanian. His mother
brought him to another place. 1t ap-
pears it was the heavenly and not the
earthly powers whose favor he was
notifying himself for; it was an an
gel who came to him at last. The an
gel asked him to rise out of his place
of torture. Il will not" said the
Saint, until the women of the West
ern world are freed by me-" Then the
messenger said, "Omnia quae in Dom
inc rogabis, propter laborem tuum
habebis.''
But the earthly powers were not so
easily moved. ut shall not be in my
time, if it is done," cried the King
Loingsech Bregban, speaking for the
conservatives of all time. "An evil
time when a mans sleep shall be muir
dered for women, that women should
live, men should be slain. Put the
deaf and dumb one to the sword
| (Adamnan had become deaf and dumb
through the rigor of his fasting), who
asserts anything but that women
] should be in everlasting bondage to
the brink of DOOM" Seven kings sup
ported Loingsech, but by the power of
! God, Albanian overcame them. There
after his Law was accepted, and the
securities for it's fulfillment were the
sun and the moon and all the other
elements of God, Peter, Paul, Andrew,
and all the other Apostles, together
with the Irish saints. Those who VIC
lated the law drew on themselves the
maledictions of these great powers;
Albanian also inserted in the daily
service a condemnation of those who
violated the spirit of the Law.
Whatever their position might have
been before, after Adamnan's time the
women of Ireland had an unquestioned
status. Sir Henry Maine notes that
in several points the ancient law of
Ireland-the Brehon Law-comes
close to the most advanced legal i'm
provements of our day. One of these
points was the position of women.
"The law" he says, regulated the
natural rights of the parties, showing
an especial care for the interests of
the woman; even to the extent of rec.
ompensing her to the value of her do
nestle services, in case of divorce,
during her residence in the common
dwelling" In ancient Ireland a woman
might hold property apart from her
husband, and might make contracts in
regard to it. The Brehon Law admit.
ted that, under certain circumstances,
a married woman might be in posi-
ton of legal equality with her hus.
band; while under other circum-
stances she might be in a position
legally superior to him. This was re.
lated to the matter of property. Broad.
ly speaking, If woman brought prop.
erty equal in amount to that possessed
by her husband, she was his equal;
II she brought more she was his sl-
perior. A woman who had property
was not deprived of her rights over it
by her marriage. If her husband was
supported by the income from his
wife's property, she was legally the
person in authority. The law permit.
ted a married woman to take proceed.
ings in defense of her separate prop
erty. Furthermore If a husband gave
evidence against his wife, she was
entitled to give evidence against him.
In these points the Brehon Law was
distinctly on higher level than the
English Law of Victorian times. But
whether it was raised to that level
through St. Adamnan's influence, Irish
historical records have left us no
means of knowing. The writer of the
tenth-century treatise was convinced
that he had lifted women out of their
servile state. According to Cain
Adamnain, those who drew women
into battle were severely punished.
II man slew a woman he was con-
demned to twofold punishment:
"His right hand and his left foot
shall be cut off before his death, then
he shall die, and his kindred shall pay
seven full 'cumals.'" II woman was
slain by part of an army, every fifth
man up to the three hundredth was
condemned to the same penalty, and if
the band was less than three hundred,
it was divided into three parts, "the
first part of them shall be put to
death by lot, hand and foot having
first been taken off, the second shall
pay fourteen full 'cumals,' and the
third part shall be cast into exile"
Even for insult the penalty was heavy.
IF 1t be by making a gentlewoman