84 



IN FANT INFANTR \'. 



wrong, every one knows that this is merely a political 

 fiction. But the genuine supporters of divine right 

 believe in a somewhat more real political infallibility 

 ..f kings. 



INFANT, in law. By the English, and generally 

 by the American, and so by the French law, persons 

 come to majority at the age of twenty-one years, 

 until which time they are called in law infants, and 

 are under guardianship or tutelage. Infants cannot, 

 in ireneral, bind themselves by contracts, as they are 

 supposed not to have sufficient discretion for this 

 purpose. But this is their privilege, and their 

 contracts are accordingly held in general not to be 

 void, but only voidable at their election; and they 

 may fleet to avoid their contracts during their 

 minority, but they cannot confirm them so as to be 

 bound by them, until their majority. Infants may 

 possess property, but it must be under the manage- 

 ment ana control of a guardian. They have not the 

 right of citizens as to voting, and discharging other 

 political functions. But in regard to crimes and 

 punishments, and trespasses and private wrongs, 

 their conduct is regulated by the same laws as that 

 of the other members of the community, in case of 

 their being of sufficient age and discretion to under- 

 stand their duties and obligations. And for this 

 purpose no general limit can be assigned, as some 

 children are much more intelligent than others of the 

 same age; and it will again depend, in some degree, 

 upon the nature of the offence committed, or the 

 wrong done, whether a child of any given age can 

 be considered legally guilty of it, since some offences 

 and wrongs can be more easily understood to be 

 such than others. The law, in general, has a tender 

 regard to youth, and does not permit them to be con- 

 victed and punished for offences and trespasses, unless 

 it appears clearly that they have sufficient knowledge 

 and discretion to distinguish them to be such. 



There are exceptions to the incapacities of minors 

 as to contracting, and these exceptions are made for 

 their benefit. Thus an infant not sufficiently fur- 

 nished with necessary clothes, food, or instruction, by 

 his parent or guardian, and iiot being under the imme- 

 diate superintendence of the parent or guardian, may 

 make a valid contract, in respect to those subjects, 

 and such contract may be enforced against him. 

 Another exception to the general incapacity of 

 infants to contract, relates to the contract of mar- 

 riage, which, by the law of England and the United 

 States of America, may be made by a male at the 

 age of fourteen, and by a female at that of twelve. 

 1 Tie French code fixes the age for making a valid 

 marriage contract, in the case of the male, at eigh- 

 teen, and in that of the female at fifteen. And as 

 the law gives validity to the principal contract, the 

 prevalent doctrine, though subject to some doubt as 

 to the extent of its application, is, that all contracts 

 collateral and incidental to that of marriage, such as 

 making marriage settlements by the husband, and 

 accepting them instead of dower by the wife, are 

 equally binding on both of the parties, being of age 

 to contract marriage, and, accordingly, not subject 

 to be revoked either before or after coming to the 

 age of majority. If, however, one party be under 

 the age at which a contract of marriage may be 

 made, he or she may, on arriving at such an age, 

 either ratify or annul any such contract previously 

 made. The jurisdiction in respect to infants is gene- 

 rally vested in either probate or orphans' courts. 

 These courts appoint guardians to take charge of the 

 property of infants, and, in case of the decease of the 

 father, to take charge of their persons ; but, during the 

 life of the father, he has the guardianship and control 

 of the persons of his sons until they are twenty-one 

 years of age, and of his daughters until they are either 



eighteen or twenty-one. At a certain age, however, 

 that is, twelve or fourteen, the child, in case of the 

 decease of the father, may choose his own guardian, 

 who, being approved by the proper judge, is appointed 

 accordingly. See Infante. 



INFANT SCHOOLS. See Schools. 



INFANTE, or INFANT (a word derived from 

 the Latin, signifying child) ; the title given, parti- 

 cularly in Spain and Portugal, to the princes of the 

 royal house, the eldest being also called el principe. 

 The princesses at these courts are called infanta, the. 

 eldest also la princesa. 



INFANTRY.* If cavalry (q. v.) are to be called 

 iarme du moment, the great work of the battle is to 

 be performed by the infantry, which composes the 

 greatest part of an army, and is, in point of charac- 

 ter, the most important part, because it can be used 

 every where in mountains, on plains, in woods, on 

 rivers, and at sea, in the redoubt, in the breach, in 

 cities, and fields, and, depending only on itself, has a 

 great advantage over the two other classes of troops, 

 who, depending, in a great measure, for their ef- 

 ficiency on the strength and the will of brutes, are 

 far less fitted to endure deprivation, and a noxious 

 climate, to contend with the snows of Russia, or the 

 deserts of Egypt. The infantry are pre-eminently 

 the moral power of armies; and on no class of troops 

 has a general, who knows how to act on his soldiers, 

 such influence. Foot soldiers were armed, in old 

 times, with a spear, sometimes with a sword, arrows, 

 lance, and sling; at present, with a gun and bayonet, 

 which is generally accompanied with a sword. Some- 

 times, but rarely, they are armed with pikes. Some 

 foot soldiers, in most armies, have rifles, generally so 

 constructed that the rifleman may put his short sword 

 on the rifle, to be used as a bayonet, though this has 

 proved of no great service. The sword given to 

 foot soldiers, in almost all armies, is of but little 

 advantage, and is generally intended principally for 

 ornament, to complete the soldierlike look, rather 

 than to be used in fighting. It serves, however, for 

 cutting branches, to be used in cooking and building 

 huts; but swords might be given to foot soldiers, 

 similar to the sailors' cutlasses, which would answer 

 all these purposes, and also the chief end to fight. 

 (See Cutlass.') They ought always to have a suf- 

 ficient guard for the hand. The foot soldier has no 

 defensive covering, or very little. The greatest is 

 his mantle, rolled up, and worn on one shoulder by 

 the Prussian and Russian troops. The helmet or 

 cap protects the head, and epaulettes (q. v.) are 

 sometimes used to protect the shoulders. The thick 

 cue, with wire in it, has sometimes been considered 

 a defence to the neck. Infantry is divided into 

 light infantry and that of the line. The latter forms 

 the great mass, which is intended to fight in line, to 

 decide attacks by the bayonet, to make assaults, and 

 is itself again divided into grenadiers (q. v.) and 

 musketeers. The light infantry is particularly 

 intended to serve in the outposts, to act as sharp- 

 shooters, to make bold expeditions, and harass and 

 disquiet the enemy. It includes the riflemen. The 

 light infantry form from the thirtieth to the sixtieth 

 part of an army. The character of military opera- 

 tions, however, has changed of late so much, that, 



* Though the word is immediately derived from the 

 Italian infanteria unAfanteria, it is primarily of German 

 origin. We find still, in the dialect of Lower Saxony, 

 Pant and Vent, signifying a young, unmarried man, and, 

 in a more extended meaning, a servant, a soldier on foot. 

 The Icelandic font, Italian fante, Danish fiant, Swedish 

 fante, have the same meaning with the Low-Saxon Vent, 

 and are, no doubt, connected with the Latin infans. With 

 the prefixed sibilant, this root became, in Anglo-Saxon , 

 su'ein, in English swain, in Danish suend (a youth em- 

 ployed in country service, a young lover). 



