Show QUAINT ISLE OF OP MAN KA and Customs cis of Land That Made Hall Rall Caine a Key New York Commercial Advertiser The news that lIr ir Hall Caine has been elected a key by an over overwhelming whelming majority brings to mind the curious anomaly existing in the Isle of Man This little island bland which meas mess measures measures ures urea only thirty three miles by twelve is a remarkable survival of feudal I days in the very center of the British isles Isle Situated In the middle of the Irish channel nearly ne equidistant from England Ireland Illand and Scotland the Isle of Man has a separate exist existence existence existence ence lad and is itself a It little kingdom whose who e ruler is the ruler of Great Brit Britain Britain ain am When the ordinary Englishman is asked what this isle is 1 famous for forI I he will invariably answer its cats I which have bave no tails taUs As Aa a matter of fact there is an Indigenous breed of cats without tails and this unfortunate unfortunate u nate circumstance has caused eau ed the little I Island Inland to be bf regarded in a humorous light which its history and Its traditions tione HI Ill deserve I The isle tale in the first t period of history was the stronghold of the Druids and ad when the Britons were driven into the west we t of England it formed part art of the J kingdom Early K in I the tite tenth century It was seized seised by the Vikings and in 1266 passed pas by sale from Nor Norway NorI Norway I way to Scotland for the sum of marks In 1331 it was wu seized by the English and Erl Eirl Salisbury was granted complete royal rights over his tiny domain Soon S oon after it was sold to Sir William le Ie whose e deed of purchase states that he bought of ot William Montacute Earl of Salisbury the t Isle of Man with the title of ot king and the right of or being crowned with a crown of gold This owner like Ii many I nobles of his tune time soon coon after came to the scaffold and en the island passed successively to the th Earl of ot Northum Northumberland Northumberland berland borland and Sir John lahn de Stanley the I latter of whom passed Pas it down to a along along along long line of descendants For exactly I years the history of the Stanleys was bound up with the Isle of Man till tillIt tillIt tillit It passed to the Duke of oC Athol In 1765 the British parliament obtained pro proprietary proprietary proprietary rights and In 1828 1 obtained complete possession for tor the sum of a large huge sum when we con consider sider skier the small territory purchased The govern nt t of the Island land J was I up till 1800 1 more or less lea of anoli an oli oligarchy garchy There are three estat estate the th governor the council and the hou ho houe e of keys or parliament which together constitute what is la known as the Court of dt The council consists of the bishop of or and Man the attorney general the receiver general the two deem store or chef cht f justices made familiar to the public by Mr Hall Han Caines writing the clerk elerk of the rolls water bailiff archdeacon and two vicars gen general generaL general eral There are keys and up to 1811 1800 they held office by a unique method of or filling up vacancies by the of others In 1866 1306 when wh n the second reform agitation was sweeping through Great Britain this was changed Hitherto on the death of a key two nominations i were made ma e of whom the governor se so selected one for the filling of the va vacant vacant Vacant cant poet Henceforward the house of keys consented to become representative tive and ancl they are now elected for the period of seven years Mr lr Hall Caines election by a sweeping majority on ona ona n na a more or less socialistic platform shows that the doctrines of reform hold wide sway in iii the little island l and when a popular novelist becomes a politician outsiders may look Jook for an interesting denouement Not the least interesting in ting feature of or orthe I the Isle of Man is the ct act that It has hils its Ita own bishop the bishop of pf f appear to be the strong broad deep I statesmen of ot the kind that have built the empire up t tn ta its present post position position tion The conservative party is 18 In the th saddle over ov r there wit wt with 1 a powerful ma majority majority and that thai party parry politically II ever since the days of ot Lord Ird has bas always appealed aJ aled to t the jingo ele element element element ment of the people The liberal party p seems to have gone all to pieces since Mr death U t is at present I divided against itself a portion po tion of it being strongly imperialistic rI in its Us tendency while a few tew of those old followers of the grand old man who may be raid aid to have learned their politics at his knee are seemingly at attempting attempting tempting to awake without success the national conscience in hr relation to the present South African situation This sixtieth birthday of the king which is the first one he has hu celebrated since ascending the throne does d not find his country In tn a very happy nappy con condition condition Not only from a military standpoint has Great Britain shown signs a of or but every day we hear more and met moi of her losing inS her commercial al pre No Noone one who takes a passing Interest n t as u a spectator of British affairs can help being struck by these the conditions much as a a friend of that country may dislike to ac acknowledge know knowledge ledge it A Mr fr Gladstone or perhaps better still at this juncture a Lord Beaconsfield might ml ht be able to tG pilot th British ship of state on its course but King Edward ap appears appears appears pears to b be unfortunately situated situa ted in having haing ro to such strong men at his command at this time The health of th uil lul i J rumo tHY rry is bad the health of the natio is visibly J by present s sj sJ is j J i |