COUNTY 



1613 



COURTS 



part of the clergy, from the most eminent to 

 the humblest, but little was accomplished 

 until the Council of Trent was called, which 

 continued, with interruptions, from 1545 to 1563 

 (see TRENT, COUNCIL OF). This council clearly 

 outlined and emphatically reaffirmed Roman 

 Catholic doctrine, and measures were adopted 

 to correct the prevalent objectionable abuses. 



To the Jesuits, zealous, self-sacrificing teach- 

 ers of Roman Catholicism, is due much of the 

 work accomplished during this period in estab- 

 lishing Roman Catholic missions and in edu- 

 cation. Other movements to check the growth 

 of Protestantism were accompanied necessarily 

 by violence. Bohemia was retained after the 

 Thirty Years' War, which was the result of the 

 attempt to repress Protestantism in Germany, 

 and which ended with the Peace of Westphalia 

 in 1648 (see THIRTY YEARS' WAR). In Spain 

 and Italy, where Protestantism had only a 

 feeble existence, the movement led to the 

 Inquisition. In England all outward efforts to 

 effect a return to Roman Catholicism were 

 abandoned after untiring, heroic endeavor. See 

 REFORMATION, THE. G.W.M. 



COUNTY, koun' ti, a political subdivision of 

 a state or province having legally-defined 

 boundaries designated by the legislature, and 

 possessing certain privileges of independent 

 government within itself. To carry on the 

 principle of local government the county is 

 further subdivided into townships, and the 

 townships into school districts , etc. The 

 county seat is usually the chief center of busi- 

 ness and political interest, as here are the 

 county offices in which the records are kept 

 and in which sessions of the county or circuit 

 court are held at least twice a year. No divi- 

 sion of a county may be made without the 

 consent of the majority of the voters; neither 

 can two counties be joined without the major- 

 ity vote of all the citizens affected. Only 

 matters which pertain directly to the residents 

 of the county are proper subjects on which 

 county authorities may legislate absolutely. 



County officials are chosen usually for terms 

 of two years each; these are the sheriff, clerk, 

 treasurer, prosecuting attorney or state's attor- 

 ney, register of deeds, or recorder, judge of 

 probate, surveyor, superintendent of schools, 

 circuit court commissioner and coroner. The 

 sheriff and treasurer under most state consti- 

 tutions are eligible only for two successive 

 terms, and the same is sometimes true of the 

 county superintendent of schools; the other 

 officers may continue in office as long as they 



are able to secure reelection. The amount of 

 salary paid an officer is left to be determined 

 by the board of supervisors or the county 

 commissioners. A.E.R. 



COURT-MARTIAL, kohrt ' mar shal, a naval 

 or military court convened for the purpose 

 of trying distinctly naval and military offenses. 

 The United States army is governed by rules 

 and regulations derived from the British army, 

 and the courts are similar. Commissioned offi- 

 cers may be tried only before general 

 courts-martial; commissioned officers compose 

 the jury. Regimental courts-martial deal with 

 affairs of one particular regiment, and the jury 

 is chosen from among the members of that 

 regiment. Garrison courts-martial similarly 

 deal with garrison affairs. A summary court- 

 martial may be convened by authority of a 

 general officer, to consist of only one officer, 

 who tries cases arising in active service. The 

 decision of such a court must be upheld or 

 disapproved by the authority appointing him; 

 there is no appeal except to the President of 

 the United States, who is commander-in-chief 

 of the army and navy. Naval courts are sim- 

 ilar in principle, dealing only with offenses 

 committed by naval men. 



If the offense for which a man is tried by 

 court-martial is also an offense against the 

 law of the country, the offender is handed over 

 to the civil authorities to suffer the penalty 

 for his misdeeds. The plural form of the word 

 is courts-martial. 



COURT-PLASTER, thin silk treated with 

 benzoin and varnished on one side with a glue 

 made of isinglass and glycerine. Black, flesh- 

 colored and white silk is used in its manufac- 

 ture, and it is moistened and applied to the 

 skin to protect slight cuts and abrasions from 

 dirt and germs. Its name comes from an an- 

 cient custom of court ladies, who wore specks 

 of black plaster on the face to set off the deli- 

 cacy of the complexion. These were cut in 

 various shapes hearts, stars, half-moons, etc. 



COURTS, kohrts, the tribunals established 

 by a government to exercise its judicial func- 

 tions. Courts exist for the interpretation and 

 enforcement of law and for the preservation 

 of the rights of society and of individuals. 

 Not only do they fix penalties for violations 

 of the law, but the highest courts interpret the 

 laws passed by legislative bodies and deter- 

 mine whether or not they conform to the basic 

 law and should be allowed to remain upon 

 the statute books. The decision of the high- 

 est court in determining the constitutionality 



