Mystery
Mystery. It Is Necessary To Differentiate Mystery, Gr. From Its Homophone, Properly Written Mistery, Late Lat. Ministerium, A Trade Or Craft ; Hence Mystery Plays (see Drama), Those Performed By Trade-gilds. We Must Also Set Aside The Hellenistic Meaning, Common In Modern Languages, Of "secret," "puzzling Occurrence." Properly, Then, A ...
Myth And Ritual
Myth And Ritual. The Fundamental Association Of Myth With Ritual Emerges Clearly In The View Of Robertson Smith, That In All Antique Religions Mythology Takes The Place Of Dogma. He Thought That Mythology Was No Essential Part Of Ancient Reli Gion For It Had No Sacred Sanction And No Binding ...
Myxoedema
Myxoedema, The Medical Term For A Constitutional Dis Ease (see Metabolic Diseases) Due To The Degeneration Of The Thyroid Gland, And Occurring In Adults ; Cretinism Is Essentially The Same Condition Appearing In Early Childhood. There Are Two Forms, Myxoedema Proper And Operative Myxoedema (cachexia Strumipriva). (i) Myxoedema Has Been ...
Nabataeans
Nabataeans, A People Of Ancient Arabia, Whose Settle Ments Gave The Name Of Nabatene To The Border-land Between Syria And Arabia From The Euphrates To The Red Sea. The His Tory Of The Nabataeans Cannot Be Carried Back Beyond 312 B.c., At Which Date They Were Attacked Without Success By ...
Nabis
Nabis, Tyrant Of Sparta, Seized The Throne After Sparta's Heavy Defeat By The Achaean League In 207 B.c. He Seems To Have Put Into Practice The "four Points" Of The Revolutionary Pro Gramme Of The Day, Abolition Of Debt, Division Of Land, Confisca Tion Of Personal Property And Liberation Of ...
Naga Hills
Naga Hills, A District Of British India In The Surma Val Ley And Hill Districts Division Of Assam. It Forms Part Of The Mountainous Borderland Lying Between The Brahmaputra Valley And Upper Burma. Area, 4,293 Sq.m., Pop. (1931) The Whole Country Forms A Wild Expanse Of Forest, Mountain And Stream: ...
Nagpur
Nagpur, A City, District And Division Of British India In The Central Provinces, Of Which It Is The Capital. The Old Capital Of The Bhonsla Dynasty Has Expanded Out Of All Recognition Be Tween 1852, When It Came Under British Rule, And The Present Day. Its Population, 84,000 In 1872, ...
Nahum
Nahum (hebrew For "rich In Comfort [is God]"), An Old Testament Prophet. Of The Prophet Himself, All That Is Known Is The Statement Of The Title That He Was An Alkoshite. But The Locality Denoted By The Designation Is Quite Uncertain. The Original Heading Of Nahum's Prophecy Is Contained In ...
Nail Manufacture
Nail Manufacture. Iron Nails Were Commonly In Use During The Roman Occupation Of Britain, Large Numbers Having Been Found In Places Where They Were Wrought By The Romans. There Is A Striking Similarity Between The Forged Roman Nail (fig.') And The Type Of Nail Which Is Manufactured At The Present ...
Nairnshire
Nairnshire, A North-eastern County Of Scotland, Bounded West And South By Inverness-shire, East By Elginshire And North By The Moray Firth. It Has An Area Of 104,252 Ac. And A Coast Line Of 9 M., And Is The Fourth Smallest County In Scotland. The Seaboard, Which Is Skirted By Sandbanks ...
Nairobi
Nairobi, The Capital Of Kenya Colony, British East Africa, 33o M. By Railway From Mombasa. It Is Built On The Athi Plains, At The Foot Of The Kikuyu Hills And Is 5,452 Ft. Above Sea Level. It Commands Magnificent Views Of Kilimanjaro And Mt. Kenya. Pop. (1935) Estimated At 50,000, ...
Nakhichevan
Nakhichevan, An Autonomous Republic Of Russian Transcaucasia Created In 1921, And Linked Administratively With The Azerbaijan S.s.r., From Which It Is, However, Separated By A Strip Of Armenian Territory. It Is Bordered On The South And South-west By Persia And On The North And East By The Armenian. S.s.r. Area ...
Nakhichevan_2
Nakhichevan, A Russian Town, The Administrative Centre Of The Nakhichevan S.s.r. In 39° 14' N., 24' E., On The Kish Chai River And At The Terminus Of A Short Line Linking It With The Railway That Runs North Of The Araxes River And Which Is Being Prolonged To Baku (1928). ...
Name
Name. The Distinguishing Appellation By Which A Person, Place, Thing Or Class Of Persons Or Things Is Known. (o.eng. Nama; The Word Is Common To All-indo-european Languages.) (a). Savage And Barbarian.—to The Savage, And In A Lessen Ing But Still Considerable Degree, To The Barbarian And The Civ Ilized Man ...
Namur
Namur (flemish, Narnen), A Town Of Belgium, Capital Of The Province Of Namur. Pop. (1930) The Town Lies On The Left Bank At The Junction Of The Rivers Sambre And Meuse, While The Rocky Promontory Forming The Fork Between Them Is Crowned With The Old Citadel, Which Occupies The Site ...
Nancy
Nancy, A Town Of North-eastern France, The Capital For Merly Of The Province Of Lorraine, And Now Of The Department Of Meurthe-et-moselle, 219 M. E. Of Paris On The Railway To Stras Bourg. Pop. (1931) 112,255. At The Close Of The I 1 Th Century Odelric Of Nancy, Brother Of ...
Nandi
Nandi, An East African Tribe Of Mixed Nilotic, Bantu And Hamitic Origin. With Them Are More Or Less Closely Allied The Lumbwa (correctly Kipsikis), Buret (or Puret) And Sotik (soot) Tribes, As Well As The Elgonyi (properly Kony) Of Mount Elgon. They Have Also Affinities With The Masai. The Nandi-lumbwa ...
Nanking
Nanking ("the Southern Capital"), The Name By Which Kiang-ning, The Chief City In The Province Of Kiangsu, China, Has Been Known For Several Centuries. Pop. About The City Is Nearly Equidistant Between Canton And Peking, On The South Bank Of The Yangtze Kiang 235 M. From The Sea. It Dates ...
Nanning
Nanning, A Treaty Port In The Province Of Kwangsi, South China (22° 48' N., And Io8° 15' E.), And Recently Created Capital Of The Province, Is Situated About 3o Miles Below The Junction Of The Two Branches (tso-kiang And Yu-kiang) Of The South (main) Stream Of The West River, And ...
Nantes
Nantes, A City Of Western France, Capital Of The Department Of Loire-inferieure, On The Loire, 3 5 M. Above Its Mouth, At The Junction Of The Orleans, Ouest-etat And State Railways, 55 M. W.s.w. Of Angers By Rail. In Population (1931, 169,164), Nantes Is The First City Of Brittany. The ...
Nantucket
Nantucket, An Island 28m. S. Of Cape Cod Off The South East Coast Of Massachusetts, Was For More Than A Century A Prin Cipal Seat Of The Whaling Industry. In 1830 The Town Of Nantucket Ranked Of Ter Boston And Salem As The Third Commercial City Of The State; In ...
Nantwich
Nantwich, A Market Town And Urban District In The Crewe Parliamentary Division, Cheshire, England, 16r M. N.w. Of Lon Don, On The L.m.s. And G.w. Railways. Pop. (1931) 7,132. It Lies On The River Weaver, In The Upper Part Of Its Flat, Open Valley. The Church Of St. Mary And ...
Naphthalene
Naphthalene, A Hydrocarbon, C,,1-1, Formed When Many Organic Compounds, E.g., Acetylene, Ethylene, Acetic Acid, Ether Or Camphor, Are Passed As Vapours Through A Red-hot Tube. This Accounts For Its Presence In Certain Fractions Of The Coal-tar Dis Tillate (see Coal-tar), Where It Was Originally Observed In 1819 By Garden And ...
Naphthalene Derivatives
Naphthalene Derivatives Homologues.--the Methyl, Ethyl And Other Alkyl Derivatives Of Naphthalene Used To Be Of Little Importance, But They Are Now Being Investigated As Low-temperature Lubricating Oils. A-methyl Naphthalene Is A Liquid Which Boils At C F3-methylnaphtha Lene Is A Solid, Melting At 32° C. Both Are Present In Coal-tar, ...
Naples
Naples (ital. Napoli, And Lat. Neapolis), Formerly The Capi Tal Of The Kingdom Of The Two Sicilies, And Since 1860 The Chief Town Of The Province Which Bears Its Name. It Was The Largest City In The Country In 1901, Containing 547,503 Inhabitants, But Has Now Been Outstripped By Milan. ...
Napoleon I 1769 1821
Napoleon I. (1769-1821), Emperor Of The French. Napoleon Bonaparte Was Born At Ajaccio On Aug. 15, 1769, The Year Following The Reunion Of Corsica With France. His Father, Charles Buonaparte—it Was Not Until After 1796 That The Spelling Bonaparte Was Adopted—came Of A Good Family Which Had Been Established In ...
Napoleon Iii Charles Louis
Napoleon Iii. [charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte] (1808-1873), Emperor Of The French, Was Born On April 20, 1808, In Paris At 8 Rue Cerutti (now Rue Laffitte), And Not At The Tuileries, As The Official Historians State. He Was The Third Son Of Louis Bonaparte (see Bonaparte), Brother Of Napoleon I., ...
Napoleonite
Napoleonite, Also Called Corsite, Because The Stone Is Found In Corsica, Is A Variety Of Diorite Characterized By Orbicular Structure. The Grey Matrix Of The Rock Has The Normal Appear Ance Of A Diorite, But Contains Many Rounded Lumps 1 Or 2in. In Diam., Which Show Concentric Zones Of Light ...
Narbada
Narbada, A River Of India. It Is Traditionally Regarded As The Boundary Between Hindustan Proper And The Deccan. It Rises On The Summit Of Amarkantak Hill In Rewa State, And For The First 200 M. Of Its Course Winds Among The Mandla Hills, Which Form The Head Of The Satpura ...
Narbonne
Narbonne, A City Of France, Capital Of An Arrondissement In The Department Of Aude, In A Vine-growing Plain 5 M. From The Mediterranean, 37 M. E. Of Carcassonne. Pop. (1931) 26,585. Narbonne Was The Capital Of The Volcae Tectosages. There The Romans In 118 B.c. Founded Their First Colony In ...
Narcissus
Narcissus, A Genus Of Bulbous Plants Belonging To The Family Amaryllidaceae, Natives Of Central Europe, And The Medi Terranean Region; One Species N. Tazetta, Extends Through Asia To Japan. From Some Of These, By Cultivation And Hybridization, Have Arisen The Very Numerous Modern Varieties. The Plants Have Long Narrow Leaves ...
Narcotics
Narcotics, A General Term For Substances Which In Healthy Animals Produce Lethargy Or Stupor, That May Pass Into Uncon Sciousness With Complete Paralysis, And End In Death. Certain Substances Of This Class Are Used In Medicine For The Relief Of Pain (anodynes), Whilst Another Group Produce Profound Sleep (hypnotics). In ...
Narwhal
Narwhal, A Cetacean (monodon Monoceros), Character Ized By The Presence In The Male Of A Long Horn-like Tusk. In The Adult Of Both Sexes There Are Only Two Teeth, Both In The Upper Jaw, Which Lie Horizontally Side By Side, And In The Female Remain Throughout Life Concealed In Cavities ...
Naseby
Naseby, A Village Of Northamptonshire, England, 7m. S.s.w. Of Market Harborough, Famous As The Scene Of The Battle Of June 14, 1645, Which Decided The Issue Of The First Civil War (see Great Rebellion). The Army Of King Charles I. Was Less Than 10,000 Strong, While The "new Model" Army ...
Nashe
Nashe (or Nash), Thomas (1567-1601), English Poet, Playwright And Pamphleteer, Was Born At Lowestoft In 1567. His Father Belonged To A Herefordshire Family, And Is Vaguely De Scribed As A "minister." Nashe Spent 6 Years, 1582-1588, At St. John's College, Cambridge, Taking His B.a. Degree In 1586. On Leaving The ...
Nashville
Nashville, The Capital City Of Tennessee, U.s.a., A Port Of Entry, And The County Seat Of Davidson County; On The Cum Berland River In The North-central Part Of The State. It Is On Fed Eral Highways 31, 41 And 7o, Has A Municipal Airport; And Is Served By The Louisville ...
Nasik
Nasik, A Town And District Of British India, In The Central Division Of Bombay. The Town Is On The Godavari River, Connected By A Tramway (6 M.) With Nasik Road Railway Station, 207 M. N.e. Of Bombay. Pop. (1931) 48,703. It Is A Very Holy Place Of Hindu Pilgrimage, Being ...
Nassau
Nassau, A Territory Of Germany, Now Forming The Bulk Of The Government District Of Wiesbaden, In The Prussian Province Of Hesse-nassau, But Until 1866 An Independent And Sovereign Duchy Of Germany. It Consists Of A Territory, 1,830 Sq.m. In Area, Divided Into Two Nearly Equal Parts By The River Lahn ...
Natal
Natal, A Province Of The Union Of South Africa, Is Bounded By The Indian Ocean, By The Umtamvuna And Umzimkulu Rivers, Which Divide It From The Griqualand East Division Of Cape Colony, By The Drakensberg, Which Separates It From Basutoland, The Orange Free State, And Part Of The Transvaal, And ...
Natchez
Natchez, A City Of Mississippi, U.s.a., On The Mississippi River, Near The Southern Boundary Of The State; County Seat Of Adams County. It Is On Federal Highway 6r, And Is Served By The Illinois Central, The Mississippi Central And The Missouri Pacific Railways, Ferries To Vidalia, La., River Steamers And ...
National Anthems
National Anthems. In Europe The Chief National Anthems Are : The United Kingdom, "god Save The King" (see Below) ; France, "the Marseillaise" (q.v.) By Rouget De Lisle; Germany, Formerly "heil Dir Im Siegeskranz," Words By Balthazar Gerhard Schumacher, Music Of "god Save The King"; But Since The Revolution, "lied ...
National Biscuit Company
National Biscuit Company, A United States Biscuit Manufacturing Company, Was Incorporated On Feb. 3, 1898, Under The Laws Of New Jersey With A Charter Valid For 99 Years. This Company Was The Result Of The Merger Of The New York Biscuit Company, American Biscuit And Manufacturing Company And The United ...
National Confederation Of Employers
National Confederation Of Employers' Organizations. This Institution Is The Employers' Cen Tral Organization In Great Britain For Dealing With General Labour Questions On Behalf Of Employers As A Whole. Its Constitution Covers All Questions Arising Out Of Industrial Relations, But It Does Not Deal With Commercial Questions. Prior To The ...
National Council Of Evangelical
National Council Of Evangelical Free Churches, A Voluntary Association Of British Nonconformist Churches For Co-operation In Religious, Social And Civil Work. It Was The Outcome Of A Unifying Tendency Displayed During The Latter Part Of The 19th Century About 1890 The Proposal That There Should Be A Nonconformist Church Congress ...
National Debt
National Debt Comprises The Financial Obligations Of A National Government As Distinct From The Financial Obligations Of Individuals Or Business Enterprises Within The Nation. It Is Also To Be Distinguished From The Financial Obligations Of Other Gov Ernmental Units Than The National Government Itself. Although There Are A Great Variety ...
National Dividend
National Dividend. National Income Has Been De Fined As "the Aggregate Money Expression Of Those Goods Pro Duced, And Services Performed, By The Inhabitants Of A Country, Which Are, As A Fact, Generally Exchanged For Money." The Terms National Income And National Dividend Are Convertible, Only The Latter Is More ...
National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society, An American Scientific Society Founded In Washington In 1888, "for The Increase And Diffusion Of Geographic Knowledge." Its Membership In 1929 Was 1,200,000, Of Whom 77,00o Resided In 88 Other Countries. In The Field Of Research It Has Sent Expeditions To Many Parts Of The World, Some ...
National Guard
National Guard (united States), That Part Of The Militia Which Is Organized And Trained As Land Troops (a) Subject To The Jurisdiction Of The Governors Of The Various States And Territories For Use In Local Emergencies And (b) When In The Serv Ice Of The United States, A Part Of ...
National Insurance Health
National Insurance: Health. Any Satisfactory Scheme Of National Health Insurance Should Have Two Main Objects, (i) To Secure For The Insured Any Medical Attendance That He May Require At Any Time, And (2) To Compensate Him By Money Pay Ments For The Loss Of Wages When Compelled To Cease Work ...