PERLO
697
PERPETUAL
additional motive for care when they are to be distin-
guished with the solemnity of an oath. According to
the common doctrine as to co-operation in another's
sin, it would be a grievous offense to require a person
to take an oath when we know he is going to perjure
himself. This teaching, however, does not apply to
cases in which justice or necessity demand that a state-
ment be sworn to. Hence, for instance, a trial judge
may insist that evidence be presented under oath even
though it be clear that much or all of the testimony is
false. Perjury, according to the divisions in vogue in
Canon Law, belongs to the category of crimes called
mixed. These may fall under the cognizance of either
the ecclesiastical or civil court, according as they are
reputed to work damage either to the spiritual or civil
commonwealth. No canonical penalty is incurred by
one guilty of perjury, at least directly. When, how-
ever, a person has been convicted of it before a com-
petent tribunal and sentence imposed, he is esteemed
infamous {infamia juris) and therefore irregular.
Taunton, The Law of the Church (London, 1906); Slater. Manual of Moral Theology (New York, 1908); Ballerini, Opus Theotogicum Morale (Prato, 1899V
Joseph F. Delant Perlo, Philip. See Keni.\, Vicariate Apostolic
OF.
Permaneder, Franz Michael, canonist, b. at Traunstein, Bavaria, 12 Aug., 1794; d. at Ratisbon, 10 Oct., 1862. He studied theology and jurisprudence at Landshut and in 1818 was ordained to the priesthood at Ratisbon. He was appointed in 1834 professor of church history and canon law at the "Lyceum" of Freising, and in 1847 joined the theological faculty of the University of Munich. He was contributor to the first edition of the "Kirchenlexicon", and also wrote: "Handbuch des gemeingultigen kathohschen Kirch- enrechts mit steter Rucksicht auf Deutschland" (Landshut, 1840); "Die kirchliche Baulast" (Mu- nich, 1853); "Bibliotheca patristica" (incomplete; Landshut, 1841-44); a continuation of the "Annales almae hterarum universitatis Ingolstadii" (Munich, 1859).
ScHULTE, Gcschichte der Quell, u. Lit, des Kan, Rechts, III (Stuttgart, 1880), i, 356-57.
N. A. Weber.
Pemter, Joseph Maria, scientist, b. at Neumark, Tyrol, 15 March, 1848; d. at Arco, 20 Dec, 1908. He entered the Society of Jesus after graduation from the Gymnasia at Bozen and Meran. For a time he acted as professor of physics at Kalocsa and Kalksburg. In 1877 he was obliged to leave the order, on account of an ailment in his head. He then studied physics at the University of Vienna and received the doctor's degree. After entering the Central Institute as volunteer in October, 1878, Pemter became assistant in 1880, and adjunct in 1884; in 1885 he also began to act as a pri- vatdozent at the university. In 1890 he was called to the University of Innsbruck in the capacity of extraor- dinary professor, and in 1893 was appointed ordi- nary professor of cosmic physics. At Innsbruck he began a number of works including papers on the conditions of wind, humidity, radiation, and meteor- ological optics. In his most important work "Atmos- pherische Optik", he collected all published treatises and also supplied original papers necessary to com- plete certain subjects. Unfortunately he died be- fore he had finished this valuable publication. His German translation of Abercromby's work, "The weather", is also noteworthy.
In 1897 Pemter became professor at the University of Vienna, and director of the Central Meteorological Institute. He reorganized the institute and extended it considerably, increasing the staff from fifteen to thirty-one. He made it possible for the institute to take part in balloon ascents for scientific purposes. A laboratory, a printing office, a reading room, etc.,
were added, also a bureau for seismic observations.
Instruments for recording earth tremors were set up, and the institute supervised the network of stations for the study of earthquakes, its name being changed to "Zentralanstalt ftir Meteorologie und Geodyna- mik". He introduced various improvements in prac- tical weather forecasting, such as the free delivery of forecasts in the summer to all telegraph stations. During his directorate were introduced the experi- ments on so-called "weather-shooting", as a preven- tion of the dangers due to hail. These experiments created considerable excitement in the agricultural circles of Austria and Italy. Pernter examined the matter carefully and fearlessly, and came to a con- clusion that proved to be the deathblow of this practice.
He was kind towards his subordinates and inter- ested in their welfare. It will take some time before a full appreciation is had of all that he accomplished for the institute. The most important of his numerous political papers is " Voraussetzungslose Forschung, freie Wissenschaft und Katholizismus", published during the Mommsen agitation. In this essay he sought to prove the possibility of combining strict re- hgious faith with exact research. Pernter was also one of the founders of the "Leo-Gesellschaft" in Vienna and of the branch at Innsbruck. These socie- ties have suffered a great loss, because he took an ac- tive part as long as he could in all their work and prop- aganda. During the last years of his life he was a victim to sclerosis of the arteries, which especially affected his heart. He suffered very much through weakness of the heart, difficulty of breathing, and oc- casional fainting spells. He was also depressed by the sickness and death of his beloved young daughter and of his wife. These numerous blows combined to hasten his end.
Wilhelm Trabert.
Perpetua, Saint. See Felicitas and Perpettja, Saints.
Perpetual Adoration. See Adoration, Perpet- ual.
Perpetual Adoration, Religious of (Belgium), a congregation with simple vows, founded at Brussels, 1857, by Annade Meeus, daughter of Count Ferdinand de Meeus, for whose head a price was offered by the insurgents during the Revolution of 1830. In 1843 Mile de Meeus, then twenty years of age, at the re- quest of the rector visited the sacristy of the church near their chateau and other churches. Impressed by the miserable state of the vestments and all that per- tained to the altar, she found the inspiration of her life's work. Considering the poverty and neglect of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and desiring to make reparation to Him, she conceived the idea of an association with the object of reviving faith in the Real Presence: by adoration, night and day; persons undertaking to make monthly an hour of adoration, and give yearly an offering for the benefit of poor churches; by working to enhance the dignity of Divine worship by providing the necessaries for the becoming celebration of the sacred mysteries. The Association of Perpetual Adoration and Work for Poor Churches was organized in 1848 under the direction of Rev. Jean Bapti.ste Boone, S.J., "the apostle of Bru.ssels". The necessity was .soon felt that a rcligicius body should be its centre and support, one which would be wholly de- voted to the propagation of the knowledge, love, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
As no community existed which made this work its special vocation, the project of a new religious insti- tute was formed and realized when Mile de Meeus, di- rected by Father Boone, founded the Religious of the Perpetual Adoration. The constitutions were defin- itively approved by Pius IX (March, 1872). The re- ligious must not only be adorers but also missionaries
