Wisbech
Wisbech, A Municipal Borough, Market Town, And Port In Isle Of Ely, England, On The L.n.e.r. It Lies In The Flat Fen Country, On The East Bank Of The River Nene, 11 M. From Its Outlet On The Wash. Pop. (1930 12,005. The Church Of St. Peter And St. Paul ...
Wisconsin Rapids
Wisconsin Rapids, A City Near The Centre Of Wisconsin, U.s.a., On The Wisconsin River; The County Seat Of Wood County. It Is Served By The Chicago And North Western, The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul And Pacific, The Green Bay And Western And The Soo Line Railways. Pop. (1920) 7,243 (86% ...
Wisconsin
Wisconsin, Popularly Called The "badger State," Is One Of The North-central States Of The United States. It Is Bounded North By Lake Superior And The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, East By Lake Michigan, South By Illinois And West By Iowa And Minnesota. The Greater Part Of The Western Boundary Is ...
Wisdom Literature
Wisdom Literature. The Extant Writings Of The Jewish Sages Are Contained In The Books Of Job, Proverbs, Ben Sira, Tobit, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom Of Solomon, Fourth Maccabees, To Which May Be Added The First Chapter Of Pirke Aboth (q.v.), Certain Of The Elephantine Papyri And Isolated Sections (e.g., The Parable Of ...
Wismar
Wismar, A Seaport Town Of Germany. In The Land Of Meck Lenburg, At The Southern End Of The Bay Of Wismar, One Of The Best Harbours On The Baltic, 20 M. By Rail N. Of Schwerin. Pop. (1933) 27,456. Wismar Is Said To Have Received Civic Rights In 1229, And ...
Wissembourg Or Weissenburg
Wissembourg Or Weissenburg, A Town Of France, Capital Of An Arrondissement In The Department Of Bas-rhin, On The Lauter, At The Foot Of The Eastern Slope Of The Vosges Mts., 42 M. N.e. Of Strasbourg By The Railway Basle-strasbourg-mannheim. Pop. (1930) Wissembourg Grew Up Round A Benedictine Abbey Which Was ...
Wistaria
Wistaria, A Genus Of Climbing Shrubs Of The Family Le Guminosae, Inhabiting China, Japan And Eastern North America. The Garden Wistarias Are Mostly Tv. Chinensis, Of China, And W. Floribunda, Of Japan. Their Violet-blue Flowers, Borne In Long Racemes Are Very Effective Floral Decorations Against A House-wall Or On Trellis-work. ...
Witan Or Witenagemot
Witan Or Witenagemot, The Council Of The Anglo Saxon Kings. It Was In No Sense A Popular Assembly, And Its Corn Position Was Determined By The King's Pleasure. He Would Natur Ally Wish To Consult His Greater Nobles And His Bishops, And Such Men Are Normally Found In Attendance At ...
Witch Hazel
Witch-hazel, The Common Name For A North American Shrub, Hamamelis Virginica (family Hamamelidaceae), Native To Low Woods From Nova Scotia To Minnesota And South To Florida And Texas. It Grows From So To 25 Ft. High, With Smooth, Wavy-toothed Leaves, Somewhat Unequal-sided At The Base. The Showy Bright-yellow Flowers, Borne ...
Witchcraft
Witchcraft. The Actual Meaning Of This Word Appears To Be The Art Or Craft Of The Wise, As The Word "witch" Is Allied With "wit," To Know. From About The 15th Century The Word Has Been Almost Exclusively Applied To Workers Of Magic, Whether Male Or Female. Magicians And Sorcerers ...
Witches Brooms
Witches' Brooms, The Name, In Botany, By Which Peculiar Broom-like Outgrowths Found On The Branches Of A Num Ber Of Trees Are Known. They Consist Of A Closely Set Mass Of Short Branching Twigs Formed At One Place On A Branch As A Result Of The Irritating Action Of An ...
Witherite
Witherite, A Mineral Consisting Of Barium Carbonate Crystallizing In The Orthorhombic System, And Named After W. Withering, Who In 1784 Recognized It To Be Chemically Distinct From Barytes. The Crystals Are Invariably Twinned To Gether In Groups Of Three, Giving Rise To Pseudo-hexagonal Forms Somewhat Resembling Bipyramidal Crystals Of Quartz; ...
Witness
Witness, In Law, A Person Who Is Able From His Knowledge Or Experience To Make Statements Relevant To Matters Of Fact In Dispute In A Court Of Justice. The Relevancy And Probative Effect Of The Statements Which He Makes Belong To The Law Of Evidence (q.v.). In The Present Article ...
Witney
Witney, A Market Town In The Banbury Parliamentary Division Of Oxfordshire, England, On The River Windrush, A Tribu Tary Of The Thames, 751 M. W.n.w. Of London On A Branch Of The G.w. Railway. Pop. Of Urban District (1931) 3,409. Witney Is The Seat Of An Old-established Industry In Blanket-making, ...
Witowt Or Witold 1350 1430
Witowt Or Witold (1350-1430), Grand-duke Of Lithuania, Son Of Kiejstut, Prince Of Samogitia, First Appears Prominently In 1382, When The Teutonic Order Set Him Up As A Candidate For The Throne Of Lithuania In Opposition To His Cousin Jagiello (see Wladislaus), Who Had Treacherously Murdered Witowt's Father And Seized His ...
Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach, The Name Of An Important German Family, Taken From The Castle Of Wittelsbach, Which Formerly Stood Near Aichach On The Paar In Bavaria. In 1124, Otto V., Count Of Scheyern (d. 1155), Removed The Residence Of His Family To Wittelsbach, And Called Himself By This Name. His Descendants Bore ...
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, A Town In The Prussian Province Of Saxony, Situated On The Elbe, 59 M. By Rail South-west Of Berlin, On The Main Line To Halle And At The Junction Of Railways To Falkenberg, Torgau And Rosslau. Pop. (1933) 24,480. And Melanchthon. The Parish Church, In Which Luther Often Preached, ...
Witu Or Vitu
Witu Or Vitu, A Sultanate Of East Africa Included In The Tanaland Province Of Kenya Colony. It Extends Along The Coast From The Town Of Kipini At The Mouth Of The Ozi River (2° 3o' S.) To The Northern Limit Of Manda Bay (2° S.) ; Area 1,200 Sq.m. The ...
Wiveliscombe
Wiveliscombe (wiv'els-kum), A Market Town In The Western Parliamentary Division Of Somerset, England, 91 M. W. Of Taunton By The G.w.r. Pop. (1931) 1,262. Traces Of A Large Roman Camp May Still Be Seen To The South East Of Wiveliscombe (wellescombe, Wilscombe, Wiviscombe), Which Is Near The Line Of A ...
Wladislaus I
Wladislaus I. King Of Poland, Called Lokietek, Or "span-long," From His Diminutive Stature, Was The Re-creator Of The Polish Realm, Which At The End Of The 13th Century Had Split Up Into 14 Independent Principalities, And Become An Easy Prey To Her Neighbours, Bohemia, Lithuania And The Teutonic Order. In ...
Wladislaus Iii
Wladislaus Iii. King Of Poland And Hungary, The Eldest Son Of Wladislaus Ii., Jagiello, By His Fourth Wife, Sophia Of Vyazma, Was Born At Cracow, Oct. 31, 1424, Succeeding To The Throne In His Tenth Year. He Had A Turbulent Minority; But Poland Was Wisely Controlled By Zbigniew Olesnicki, While ...
Wladislaus Iv 1595 1648
Wladislaus Iv. (1595-1648), King Of Poland, Son Of Sigismund Iii., King Of Poland, And Anne Of Austria, Succeeded His Father On The Throne In 1632. He Had Already Served With Distinction Under Zolkiewski In The Muscovite Campaigns Of 1610-12, And Under Chodkiewicz In 1617-18; And His First Official Act Was ...
Wladislaus
Wladislaus (wladislaw), The Name Of Four Kings Of Poland And Two Polish Kings Of Hungary'. 'in Hungarian History The Polish Wladislaus (mag. Ulasz16) Is Distinguished From The Hungarian Ladislaus (laszlo). They Are Reckoned Separately For Purposes Of Numbering. Besides The Wladislaus Kings Of Poland, There Were Three Earlier Dukes Of ...
Wloclawek
Wloclawek, A Town Of Poland In The Province Of War Saw. Pop. (1931) 56,277. Situated On The Left Bank Of The Vistula, About 10o M. Below Warsaw, 25 M. Below Plock, And 25 M. Above Torun, Wloclawek Has Always Been An Important City, Being The Capital Of The District Of ...
Woad
Woad, A Herbaceous Plant, Known Botanically As Isatis Tinctoria (family Cruciferae), Which Occurs Sporadically In Eng Land In Fields, On Banks And Chalk-pits. The Erect Branched Stem, I To 3 Ft. In Height, Bears Sessile Leaves And Terminal Clusters Of Small Yellow Flowers; The Brown Pendulous Pods Are In. Long. ...
Woburn
Woburn, A City Of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, U.s.a., '0 M. N.n.w. Of Boston; Served By The Boston And Maine Railroad. Pop. (1920) Foreign-born White) ; 193o Federal Census 19,434. The City Has An Area Of 12.6 Sq.m., And Embraces Several Villages. Its Manufacturing Industries, Con Centrated In A Small Territory, ...
Wochua
Wochua, A Pygmy People Of Africa, Living In The Forests Of The Mabode District, South Of The Welle. They Were Discovered (188o-1883) By Dr. W. Junker, Who Described Them As "well Proportioned, Though The Oval-shaped Head Seemed Somewhat Too Large For The Size Of The Body." Some Are Of Light ...
Woden
Woden, A Deity Of The Anglo-saxons, The Name Being The Anglo-saxon Counterpart Of The Scandinavian Odin (q.v.). In German He Was Wodan Or Wuotan. Information Is Lacking As To How Far The Character And Adventures Attributed To Odin Were Known To Other Teutonic Peoples. Clearly, However, The God Was Credited ...
Woking
Woking, A Market Town In The Farnham Parliamentary Division Of Surrey, England, 24 M. S.w. Of London By The S. Railway. Pop. Of Urban District (1891) 9,786; (1931) 29,927. The Modern Town, Which Is Growing Rapidly, Has Sprung Up Near The Site Of An Older Town. The River Wey And ...
Wolfdietrich
Wolfdietrich, German Hero Of Romance. The Tale Of Wolfdietrich Is Connected With The Merovingian Princes, Theo Doric And Theodebert, Son And Grandson Of Clovis; But In The Middle High German Poems Of Ortnit And Wolfdietrich In The Heldenbuch (q.v.) Wolfdietrich Is The Son Of Hugdietrich, Em Peror Of Constantinople. Repudiated ...
Wolfenbuttel
Wolfenbuttel, A Town Of Germany, In The Land Of Brunswick, Situated On Both Banks Of The Oker, 7 M. S. Of Bruns Wick On The Railway To Harzburg. Pop. (1933) 19,612. The Library Is Rich In Bibles And Books Of The Early Reformation Period, And Contains Some Fragments Of The ...
Wolff
Wolff (less Correctly Wolf), Christian German Philosopher And Mathematician, The Son Of A Tanner, Was Born At Breslau On Jan. 24, 1679. At The University Of Jena He Studied First Mathematics And Physics, To Which He Soon Added Philosophy. In 1703 He Qualified As Privatdozent In The University Of Leipzig, ...
Wolfram Von Eschenbach
Wolfram Von Eschenbach, The Most Important And Individual Poet Of Mediaeval Germany, Flourished During The End Of The 12th And Beginning Of The 13th Century. He Was One Of The Brilliant Group Of Minnesingers Whom The Landgrave Herr Mann Of Thuringia Gathered Round Him At The Historic Castle Of The ...
Wolframite Or Wolfram
Wolframite Or Wolfram, A Mineral Consisting Of An Isomorphous Mixture In Varying Proportions Of The Tungstates Of Iron And Manganese, And Mnw0,. Varieties With Dom Inant Iron Are Often Called Ferberite, With Dominant Manganese, Habnerite, But Since Iron And Manganese Have Nearly The Same Atomic Weight The Percentage Of Tungsten ...
Wolgast
Wolgast, A Seaport Town In The Prussian Province Of Pom Erania, Situated On The River Peene, Which Separates It From The Island Of Usedom, 3o M. By Rail E. Of Greifswald. Pop. (1933) 7,633. Wolgast Became A Town In 1247, And After Being The Resi Dence Of The Duke Of ...
Wollastonite
Wollastonite, A Rock-forming Mineral Consisting Of Calcium Metasilicate, Crystallizing In The Monoclinic System And Belonging To The Pyroxene (q.v.) Group. It Differs, However, From Other Members Of This Group In Having Cleavages, Not Parallel To The Prism-faces, But In Two Directions Perpendicular To The Plane Of Symmetry. Crystals Are Usually ...
Wollin
Wollin, An Island Of Germany, In The Prussian Province Of Pomerania, The More Easterly Of The Islands At The Mouth Of The Oder Which Separate The Stettinisches Haff From The Baltic Sea. It Is Divided From The Mainland On The East By The Dievenow Channel, And From Usedom On The ...
Wollongong
Wollongong, An Important Town And Seaport Of New South Wales, Australia. Pop. 11,402. It Lies In, And Is Typical Of, The Illawarra District Which Extends South Of Sydney From Near Clifton To The Shoalhaven River (c. 48 Miles). Tectonic And Ero Sional Processes Have Produced A Narrow Strip (2-12 Miles ...
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton, Market Town ; Municipal, County And Parliamentary Borough, Staffordshire, England, 125m. N.w. Of London, On The L.m.s. And G.w. Railways. Pop. (1931) 133,190. It Lies At The North-western Edge Of The Group Of Great Manufac Turing Towns Extending South-east To Birmingham, But There Are Residential Suburbs To The West, ...
Wolverton
Wolverton, A Town In The Buckingham Parliamentary Division Of Buckinghamshire, England, Near The River Ouse, 521 M. N.w. By N. Of London By The L.m.s. Railway. Pop. (19311 12,870. Its Modern Growth And Importance Are The Result Of The Establishment Of Carriage Works By The Railway Company. ...
Wombat
Wombat, The Typical Representative Of The Marsupial Family Phascolomyidae (see Marsupialia). All The Teeth Are Of Con Tinuous Growth, Having Persistent Pulps. The Incisors Are Large And Chisel-like, Much As In Rodents. The Body Is Broad And De Pressed, The Neck Short, The Head Large And Flat, The Eyes Small, ...
Wombwell
Wombwell, An Urban District In The West Riding Of Yorkshire, England, 4 M. S.e. Of Barnsley On The L.m.s. And L.n.e. Railways. Pop. (1931) 18,365. The Population Is Em Ployed Chiefly In The Extensive Collieries. ...
Womens Colleges
Women's Colleges The History Of The Women's College In America May Be Said To Fall Into Three Periods, Each Of The First Two Covering 4o Years, The Third From 1915 On. The First Period, Roughly Estimated From 1835 To 1875, Was The Age Of Beginnings. The Institutions Of This Period ...
Womens Suffrage
Women's Suffrage. The Women's Suffrage Move Ment Dates, For All Practical Purposes From The Middle Of The 19th Century. The Systems Of Government Of The Ancient World Were All Based Upon The Theory That Women Could Take No Part In Polit Ical Matters, Except When They Became Reigning Queens. The ...
Wonosobo
Wonosobo, A Town In Central Java, Residency Kedu, The "capital" Of Java's Beautiful Highland District Known As The Dieng Plateau, Is 7,00o F T. High And Surrounded By Mountains. Wonosobo Is 3,400 F T. High And Is Connected By Steam Tramway With The Main Railways Of Java. Pop. (193o) 8,723. ...
Wood Alcohol Or
Wood Alcohol Or Wood Naphtha Is A Colourless, Vola Tile, Inflammable Liquid, Technically Known As Methyl Alcohol (ch3oh). It Is Unfit For Human Consumption But Is Used Largely In Industry (see Alcohol In Industry). It Is Soluble In Water, Ether And Alcohol And Its Boiling Point Is 66.78° C. It ...
Wood Carving
Wood-carving, The Process Whereby Wood Is Orna Mented With Design By Means Of Sharp Cutting Tools Held In The Hand. The Term Includes Anything From Sculpture In The Round Up To Hand-worked Mouldings To Help To Compose The Tracery Of Screens, Etc. (for Technique, See Sculpture Technique, Wood Carving.) (x.) ...
Wood Green
Wood Green, An Urban District In The Wood Green Par Liamentary Division Of Middlesex, England, Suburban To London, 7 M. N. Of St. Paul's Cathedral, On The L.n.e. Railway. Pop. (1931) 54.190. The Name Covers A Popu Lous Residential District Lying North Of Hornsey And West Of Tottenham. ...
Wood Louse
Wood-louse, A Name Commonly Applied To Certain Terrestrial Isopoda (crustacea) (q.v.), Found In Damp Places, Under Stones Or Dead Leaves, Or Among De Caying Wood. They Form The Tribe Oniscoi Dea And Are Distinguished From All Other Isopoda By Living On Land And Breathing Air, And By The Small Size ...
Wood Working Machinery
Wood-working Machinery Includes The Various Classes Of Tools For Performing The Operations On Timber, From The Rough Log To The Finished Product, This Group Of Machine-tools Differs From Those For Metal-working In Two Important Particulars. The Speeds Of Cutting The Material Are Relatively Much Greater, And The Methods Of Holding ...
Wood
Wood. In All Classes Of Plants, Including For Instance Ferns, More Highly Organized Than Mosses, Wood Occurs In All Members Of The Plant And Is Continuous From The Finest Rootlets Up The Root And Stem, Into The Leaves And Flowers Or The Equivalents Of These. Wood Performs Two Functions In ...
Woodbine
Woodbine, A Plant Name, Applied In England To The Honey Suckle (q.v.) And In America To The Virginia Creeper (q.v.). ...
Woodbridge
Woodbridge, A Market Town In Suffolk, England; 79 M. N.e. By E. From London By The L.n.e.r. Pop. (1931) 4,734. Woodbridge Abbey Occupies The Site Of An Augustinian Founda Tion Of The 12th Century. There Is A Large Agricultural Trade. ...
Woodchuck
Woodchuck (marmota Monax), A North American Rodent, Called Also Ground-hog Or American Marmot, Found From Nova. Scotia To British Columbia And Alaska And In The United States From North Dakota South To Oklahoma And Eastward To The Atlantic. It Is Usually About 20 In. Long, Brownish Or Reddish Grey In ...
Woodcock
Woodcock, A Bird In High Favour With The Sportsman And The Epicure. It Has A Long Bill, Large Eyes, And A Mottled Plum Age Of Black, Browns, Greys, Buff, And White, The Latter Confined To The Tip Of The Lower Side Of The Tail Quills. There Is Much Variation In ...
Woodcraft
Woodcraft, The Knowledge Of Forest Conditions Which Enables One To Enjoy And To Supply Oneself With The Crude Com Forts Of Life In The Wilderness. It Includes A Sufficient Knowledge Of Mechanics To Enable One To Manufacture Tools And Weapons ; To Make Stone Axes ; To Dress And Prepare ...
Woodcuts And Wood Engraving
Woodcuts And Wood-engraving. The Woodcut Is Used As A Direct Expression Of Artists Who Themselves Cut And Print The Block. During The Greater Part Of Its History The Medium Has Been Used Quite Differently. It Has Been A Reproduc Tive Process; A Craft Rather Than An Art. Craftsmen Have Cut ...
Woodford
Woodford, An Urban District In The Epping Parliamentary Division Of Essex, England, 9 M. N.e. From Liverpool Street Sta Tion, London, By A Branch Of The London And North Eastern Railway. Pop. Its Proximity To The Southern Outskirts Of Epping Forest Has Brought It Into Favour Both With Residents And ...
Woodruff
Woodruff (asperula Odorata), A Small Herb Of The Mad Der Family (rubiaceae), Found Widely Throughout Europe And Northern Asia, Native To Great Britain, And Sparingly Naturalized In The Eastern United States. It Has An Erect Stem, About 8 In. High, Bearing Lance-shaped Leaves Mostly In Whorls Of 8, And Small ...
Woodstock
Woodstock, A Town And Port Of Entry Of Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, 8o M. S.w. Of Toronto By Rail, On Cedar Creek, The Thames River And The Canadian National And Canadian Pacific Railways. Pop. (1931) 11,395. It Is One Of The Best Agri Culture Sections Of The Province And Has ...
Woodstock_2
Woodstock, A Town And Municipal Borough In Oxford Shire, England, 8 M. N.w. Of Oxford And The Terminus Of A Branch Of The G.w. Railway. Pop. (1931) 1,484. The River Glyme Divides The Town Into New And Old Woodstock. The Church Of St. Mary Magdalene, In New Woodstock, Is Norman ...
Woollen Manufacture
Woollen Manufacture. The Processes Described In The Article Wool, Are Common To English, Cross-bred And Botany Wools, Whether Intended For Woollen Or For Worsted Yarns. From This Point, Hpwever, Differentiation Starts. Wool May Be Manipu Lated With The Idea Of Converting It Into Felt (q.v.), "woollen" Fabrics Or "worsted" Fabrics. ...
Woolsack
Woolsack, A Sack Stuffed With Wool And Covered With Red Cloth Upon Which The Lord Chancellor Sits In The House Of Lords. Originally There Were Four Woolsacks In The Parliament Chamber, Upon Which Were Seated The Judges, Barons Of The Exchequer, Serjeants-at-law And Masters In Chancery. The Upper Most Woolsack ...
Woolwich
Woolwich, A Metropolitan Borough Of London, England. Pop. (1931) 146,944. Area, 8,282 Acres. It Lies Mainly North Of The River Thames. The Most Populous Part Is Situated Between Shooter's Hill Road And The River, The Site Falling From An Elevation Of 418 Ft. To The River Level. To The East ...
Wool
Wool. Animal Fibres Are Usually Spoken Of As Hair, With The Exception Of The Coat Of The Sheep Which Is Usually Termed Wool. Before The Researches Of Professor Cossar Ewart (edinburgh) Wool Was Looked Upon As A Modified Form Of Hair. Now It Is Usual To Look Upon Wool As ...
Wooster
Wooster, A City Of Ohio, U.s.a., The County Seat Of Wayne County; On The Lincoln Highway. Population (1920) 8,204 Native White) ; 1930 By Federal Census, 10,742. It Is The Seat Of The College Of Wooster (presbyterian; 1866), Occupying A Beautiful Site Of Ioo Ac. On A Hill 'j O° ...
Wootton Bassett
Wootton Bassett, A Market Town In Wiltshire, Eng Land. Pop. (1920 2,1i 2. It Is The Junction Of The Railway Between London And The Severn Tunnel With The Main Line Of The Great Western. Wootton Bassett Received Its First Charter From Henry Vi., And Returned Members To Parliament From 1446-1447 ...
Worcester
Worcester, Town Of South Africa, Near The Hex River Mountains, Is The Centre Of A Fruit Growing Area. The Annual Rainfall Is Under 12 In., But Irrigation Is Obtained From The Hex River. It Is Also Intended To Irrigate 8,000 Ac. From The Breede River. Much Wine And Brandy Is ...
Worcestershire
Worcestershire, A Midland County Of England. Area (excluding Water), 455,214 Acres. It Covers A Portion Of The Rich Valleys Of The Severn And Avon With Their Tributaries, The Stour And The Teme. The Avon Valley, Known As The Vale Of Evesham, Lies On The Lias Clays, And Provides An Excellent ...