SHEFTCHEN'KO, TARAS CRTC ORTEVITCH . The greatest poet of Little Russia. He was born in serfdom in the Government of Kiev. He was, upon his own urgent request, ap prenticed to a house decorator, whom he accom panied to Saint Petersburg in 1833. Some young writers took a great interest in him and helped him in his struggle for an education. lie became the pupil and comrade of Bryuloff at the Acad emy of Design, from which he graduated in 1843. In IS10 be published a collection of poems under the title of Kohzar. Xikita Hayday and Ilay damaki followed in Russian. In 1S43-47 lie wrote Naymitehka ("The Hired Girl"), Nevolnik ("Prisoner"), Ivan Hass, etc., Mille11 Made him famous. Tn 1846 he became instructor in drawing at the University of Kiev, but a year later was arrested for political reasons and sent to Oren burg as a private soldier. Pardoned after ten years, he teas permitted to settle in the capital in 1858. He always used the vocabulary of his people, without the literary artificialities so com mon among his colleagues, and his poems, even more than those of Kolstoff (q.v.), are all ar tistic embodiment of popular songs. llis com plete works were published at Prague in 1876, in two volumes, with numerous biographical notices, one being contributed by Turgenieff. Consult: Obrist, T. G. (Czernowitz, 18i0); Westminster Review, July, 1880.
SHE (or SHIN) HWANG-TI, shefhwang' tly (n.c. 259-210). The name by which Prince Ching (or Cheng), the putative son of Chwang Siang Wang, ruler of the feudal State of Ts'in, is known in Chinese history. In B.C.
246, when only thirteen, he succeeded to the throne of Ts'in, then all but paramount, and mained for several years under the tutelage of a wily adventurer named Lii Puh-wei, regarded by Chinese critics and historians as his father. Under leis advice the subjugation of the feudal princes, who still remained faithful to the House of Chow, was continued with vigor, and suc ceeded so well tha,t in B.C. 221, the 26th year of his reign, the ruler declared himself the sole master of China. assuming the title Shill Hwang-ti, or `First Emperor.' with whom everything should begin and from whom everything should date. The feudal system was abolished, the whole country as it existed then was divided into 36 provinces. and Hien-yang. near the present Si ngan-fu, in Shensi, became his capital. He or dained, under penalty of branding and four years' service on the Great Wall. that all books except those on agriculture, medicine, and divination should be delivered up to be burned. Four hundred and sixty scholars, who protested, were buried alive. The Emperor constructed roads and canals, erected many fine buildings, and, to protect the country from the inron is of the Huns and other barbarians, he constructed the Chinese Wall (q.v.).