Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/369

* CONSCRIPTION. 313 CONSERVATOR OF THE PEACE. 1813, which in a more exacting form was made universal throughout the German Empire in 1S87. Cuntiiicntal I'jUrcijjean nalimis jiciierally liave now adopted it in one I'orni or another, in Eng- land, the Ballot Act of 18G0 provides that all males over 3 feet 2 inches in height, and be- tween the ages of eighteen and tliirty, be called upon to serve in the militia; but it is kept from enforcement by an aiiiiual army act passed for that purpose. During the Civil 'ar Presi- dent Lincoln several times recruited the armies of the North by levying drafts of men. CONSCRIT DE 1813, kuN'skre' de me Iwe SJIN traz, Le. An historical novel by Erckmaun- Chatrian (1804). The liero, Joseph Bertha, is a poor young man who relies on his physical dis- abilities to save him from military service, but who is forced to join the ranks. His story sets forth the author's solution of the problem of harmonizing patriotism with the hatred of war. CONSECRATION (Lat. coiiKecratio, from consccrcirc, to hallow, from com-, together -(- sacrare, to consecrate, from saccr, holy). The act of solemnly dedicating a person or thing to the service of God. It is one of the most widely spread of all religious ceremonies of the ancient world, having been practiced in Chaldea, Egv'pt, India. Judea, Greece, Rome, Britain, and other countries. In the Old Testament we read of the consecration or dedication of the first-born, both man and beast, to the Lord, also the dedication of the Levites, of the tabernacle and altar, of fields, houses, walls, etc. The custom of con- secrating the places of public worship developed in the Christian Church as soon as persecution ceased, when, according to Eusebius, "the sight was afl'orded so eagerly desired and prayed for by all — the festivals of dedications and conse- crations of the newh' erected houses of prayer throughout the cities." Eusebius also describes the consecration of the church built at Jerusalem by Constantine in a.d. 3.35. The practice of con- secrating religious edifices has continued in the Oriental, Roman, and Anglican churches. The fcrms, as found in the sacramentaries of Gelasius and Saint Gregory, were at the first very simple, but they were gradually developed imtil, in the Roman Catholic Church, the office of consecration became a long and impressive ceremony. It in- cludes the placing in the altars of relics of the saints, the purification of the place with specially prepared holy water (called Gregorian Water because the formula for its benediction is first found in the sacramentary of Saint Gregory), and the anointing of the church in twelve speci- fied places with holy oil. The anniversary of this ceremony is kept as a festival of the first class. A church may not be consecrated until it is entirely free from debt; when the conse- cration is delayed, it is opened with a simple form of benediction. The ceremonies in the Eastern churches are as elaborate and not dis- similar. In the Church of England each bishop is left to his own discretion as to the fonn to be adopted, but that most generally used is the form sent down by the bishops to the Lower House of Convocation in 1712. The American prayer- book provides a simple form of prnyer. which retains the old ceremony of the bishop knocking for entrance at the door of the church. For the consecration of bishops, see Bishop; Orders, Holy; for that of the eucharistic elements, see .Mass; Lord's Supper. CONSEC'UTIVES (Fr. consicutif, Sp., Port., It. anistciiluo. from Lat. consequi, to follow, from com-, together + sequi, CJk. iweaffai., hepes- tliai, Lith. scl.ti, Skt. sac, to follow, Goth. saihwan, Icel. sy(i, AS. seon, OHG. sehan, Ger. sehcn, Engl. see). In music, the progressions of parallel fifths or octaves, which, according to the strict rules of harmony, are forbidden. CONSENT (OF. consente, from consenter, to ctjusenl, from Lat. consentire, to agree, from com-, together + seH^Jre, to think). In law, the free will and assent of the mind of a competent person to some act or obligation ail'eeting his legal rights or relations. The law prescribes under what conditions it is binding, and when it is void or voidable. Thus, apparent consent obtained b}- fraud or coercion, or from an infant, or from an insane, intoxicated, or otherwise legally incompetent person, is deprived of all legal effect if such person chooses to avoid it. It is an essential element of contract, and is of the greatest importance in certain eases in the law of crimes and torts, where the essence of the crime or wrong is that it was against the will of the person injured. One may legally consent to the inlliction of a limited amount of bodily harm if there is no malice involved, as in friendly boxing or in football; but one cannot consent to the infliction of death or anything which will amoTuit to a breach of the peace. See AoE; Contract; Crime; Tort. CONSEN'TES DI'I (Lat. consented, of uncer- tain etymology and meaning, probably from com-, together -|- *sens, being, pres. p. of esse, to be, ef. Skt. saiit, being, from as, to be; less probably for coiisevtiens, consentire, to agree). The twelve chief Roman deities: Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Nep- tune, ilercury, Vulcan, Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres. Diana, and Venus. CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, Pri.nciple OF. See ."IkcIIAXICS ; ExKRfiETI'.'S. CONSERVATION OF MATTER. See Mat- ter, sectifai Properl ies of Malfer. CONSERVATIVE. See Whig; Tory; ana Political Parties, (Iheat Britain. CONSERVATIVE CLUB, The. A Tory club founded in London in 1840. Its club-house is in Saint James Street. CON'SERVA'TOR OF THE PEACE. In the law of England, an ancient office of great dignity and authority. It existed at common law as an incident of certain tenures of lands held immediately of the King; or the King might appoint one to be his warden or the consci"vator of his peace: and before the institution of jus- tices of the peace certain officers were so ap- pointed. Now the only official conservators of the peace are certain officers who hold this power annexed to the offices which they hold. The sovereign, by virtue of his office, is the principal conservator of the peace in British realms. Sev- eral high officers of the Crown, the Chancellor or Lord Keeper, the Lord High Steward, the Lord Marshal, and the Lord High Constable, when there are such officers, all the justices of the Queen's Bench, the Master of the Rolls, are conservators of the peace throughout the whole kingdom, and may commit breakers of the peace or bind them in cognizances anvwhere. Other