268 INFANTE IXFANTRY father's authority must be strictly proved, un- less in case of extreme youth, or perhaps of absolute necessity ; 5, where the child has been cruelly driven away by the father, he carries with him the father's credit for necessaries ; 6, in all these rules, "necessaries" mean strict necessaries ; and if the child is able to earn or provide them in part, this must be taken into consideration. Where a child has an indepen- dent property of his own, courts now go, in general, very far in requiring this to be made the fund for his support, before the father is called upon. Whether the mother is under the same liability as the father may not perhaps be certain ; but we consider the decided weight of authority as qualifying the mother's liability importantly, even where its existence is ad- mitted. The father thus liable for the child is entitled to its custody (unless for special rea- sons), and is also entitled to all the child's earn- ings ; but he may agree with his minor child to relinquish his right, and thereafter to have no responsibility for his support. Such agree- ments are common in the United States ; but if a stranger supplied a minor child, at a dis- tance from home, with strict necessaries, to save his life or health, even with knowledge of this bargain, we are not disposed to believe that it would bar his claim against the father. If a child is of full age, the obligation to sup- port him is so entirely gone, that even if a fa- ther, after necessaries are supplied to an adult child without his request, promises to pay for them, he cannot be held on this promise, be- cause there is no legal consideration for it. It may be added that if an infant, while under his father's care, and actually supported by him, makes a contract even for necessaries, and gives Ms own promise to pay for them, the infant is not liable on this contract or promise, because, as it is said, this would interfere with the fa- ther's right to judge what is necessary for him. Perhaps a better reason is, that in such a case these things are not necessary in any proper sense of the word, for the very reason that the child derives a sufficient support from the care of the father. A father is never liable for the wilful tort of an infant child ; nor has he a right, merely as father, to bring an action in his own name for an injury to his child, unless in some way, as by the necessary expense or otherwise, he is himself injured. Neither can he give a valid release for an injury to his child. INFANTE (Lat. infant, infant), a title given in Spain and Portugal to the royal princes, the eldest of whom, the heir apparent to the crown, is alone called el principe, the prince. The feminine form of the word, infanta, is applied to the royal princesses. The term infante oc- curs in documents of the 10th century. INFANTE, Jose Dlignel, a Chilian statesman, born in Santiago in 1778, died April 9, 1844. He was one of the earliest leaders of the revo- lution of 1810, which ended in the indepen- dence of Chili; contributed to organize the junta gubernativa in the same year, and the first congress, which assembled on July 4, 1811 ; and was a member of the new junta of 1813. In 1818 he became minister of finance under O'Higgins, against whom on Jan. 2, 1823, ho delivered a noted speech. O'Higgins shortly afterward resigned, and the country was then governed by a junta, of which Infante was the first member, until the election of President Freire, by whom Infante was called to organize a senate. During the first session of that body, his bill for the abolition of slavery was enacted,. June 24, 1823. Freire being absent in 1825, the government was reposed in a dictatorial council with Infante at its head. He advo- cated the formation of Chili as a federal re- public, and founded a newspaper, the Valdi- viano Federal, which he published from Jan. 1, 1827, till near his death. In 1831 he was appointed member of the congress of pleni- potentiaries, and in 1843 chief judge of the supreme court of justice, and member of the faculty of law of the university of Chili. He was influential in establishing primary schools, and has been called the " father of his country." INFANTRY, the foot soldiers of an army. The term is comparatively modern, having been first used by the Spaniards in the wars with the Moors, to designate the body guard of a royal prince or infante. It was gradually extended to the entire body of foot soldiers, and final- ly adopted throughout Europe. (See ARMY.) The infantry, from its powers of endurance, its capabilities for battle on all kinds of ground, and its independence of those casualties by which other arms may be completely para- lyzed, is, and with few exceptions always has been, considered the first arm in importance. All other branches are subsidiary to it, and are employed for special purposes to supplement its final effects ; and the fate of nations in war at the present day is decided by the discipline and efficiency of their infantry. The service of skirmishing and light infantry operations, as they were formerly called, which now de- volve upon all infantry alike, demand great in- dividual address, intelligence, and well devel- oped physical power. It is generally conceded that against infantry operating with the mod- ern breech-loading weapons, and with the im- proved system of tactics and defence, cavalry is powerless, except when operating dismount- ed and armed with breech-loading magazine rifles, or mounted to complete a victory al- ready won, and to charge the disorganized and flying ranks. (See CAVALRY.) Artillery is of the utmost importance to cooperate with in- fantry, in opening engagements and in demor- alizing the enemy with persistent shelling until the infantry is within firing distance. (See ARTILLERY.) The relative number of field guns varies with the ground and the special objects to be secured ; from three to five guns to 1,000 men is the number adopted in most army or- ganizations of the present day. The lessons taught by history applicable to infantry of the present day are few and simple, but seem to
