Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 08.djvu/504

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SINGER 440 SIOUX CITY is high, yet the climate, in spite of Singa- Sore being situated little more than 1° r. of the equator, is uniform and agree- able, the nights being particularly cool and refreshing. The thermometer ranges between 67° and 94° F. and has a mean of about 82°. The rainfall varies from 65.6 to 92.2 inches in the year. There was a former town on the site of the present city, which was founded by Malay con- verts to Hinduism from Java or Sumatra, apparently in the 12th century; but it had wholly disappeared when Sir S. Raf- fles laid the foundations of the existing Singapore (i. e., "Lion City"). It was made the capital of the Straits Settle- ments (q. v.) in 1830, superseding Pe- nang. SINGER, ISIDORE, an American Jewish editor and author, born at Weiss- kirchen, Moravia, in 1859. He was edu- cated in the universities of Vienna and Berlin, and for a time edited and pub- lished a newspaper in Vienna. He served as secretary and librarian of the French Ambassador at Vienna and afterward was an employee in the French Foreign Office. After editing papers in France and Italy, he came, in 1895, to New York, where he engaged upon his life work, the "Jewish Encyclopedia," which was published in 12 volumes, in 1905. He was managing edi- tor of the "International Insurance En- cyclopedia," in 1909, and of the "German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries," completed in 20 volumes, in 1914. He was the author and editor of many works and was considered to be one of the most learned men of his time. SINGLE STANDARD, a phrase used in the discussion of Bimetallism (q. v.), to indicate a single standard of value; that is gold alone or silver alone. Double standard means the concurrent use of both metals as standards. SINGLE TAX, the principle held by Henry George (q. v.) and his followers, that the value which the growth and im- provement of the community attaches to land should be taken for the use of the community, so that no tax need be levied on the product of labor, but all public revenues for national, state, county, and municipal purposes could be raised by a single tax on land values, irrespective of improvement. The originator urged the adoption of his theory on two grounds, "governmental expediency" and "social justice." Mr. George stated his theories in "Prog- ress and Poverty," a book that appeared in 1879. SINGLETON, ESTHER, an American author, born at Baltimore, Md. She was educated at Baltimore. Her works in- clude: "Turrets, Towers and Temples," "Great Pictures," "Wonders of Nature," "Romantic Castles and Palaces," "Fa- mous Paintings," "Historic Buildings," "Famous Women," "Golden Rod Fairy Book," "A Guide to Modern Opera," "Fur- niture of Our Forefathers," "The Story of the White House," "A Guide to Great Cities," "History of American Music," "The Orchestra and Its Instruments." SINGMASTER, ELSIE (Mrs. Harold Lewars), an American author, born at Schuylkill Haven, Pa., in 1879. She was educated at Radcliffe College. Besides contributing short stories to many promi- nent magazines, she wrote: "When Sarah Saved the Day" (1909); "When Sarah Went to School" (1910) ; "Gettysburg- Stories of the Red Harvest and the After- math" (1913); "Katy Gaumer" (1914); "Emmeline" (1916) ; "The Long Journey" (1917) ; "Life of Martin Luther" (1917) ; "History of Lutheran Missions" (1917). SINIGAGLIA, or SENIGALLIA, a seaport on the Adriatic coast of Italy; 16 miles N. W. of Ancona; was down to 1869 celebrated for its annual fair, July 20 to Aug. 8. It was founded by the Seno- nian Gauls, and colonized by the Romans 289 B. c. There are here a cathedral (1787) and a palace of the dukes of Ur- bino. Pius IX. was born here. SINOPE (Turkish, Sinub), a town of Asiatic Turkey; on a rocky tongue pro- jecting into the Black Sea; 220 miles W. by N. of Trebizond. It has two harbors, one presenting the finest anchorage along the N. coast of Asiatic Turkey. The town is surrounded by ancient Byzantine walls, and has a ruined castle built under Byzan- tine influence. The bay was the scene of a naval engagement on Nov. 30, 1853, when a Turkish squadron was destroyed by the Russian fleet. The ancient city of Sinope was founded by a colony of Mile- sian Greeks, and for several years shared with Byzantium the supremacy of the Euxine. It was made by Pharnaces the capital of the kingdom of Pontus in 183 B. c. The great Mithridates, who was born within its walls, raised it to a lofty pitch of splendor. But in 70 B. c. it capit- ulated to Lucullus, and in 45 B. c. was made a Roman colony. After belonging successively to the empire of Trebizond (from 1204) and the Seljuks, it was con- quered by the Turks in 1461. Sinope was the birthplace of Diogenes the cynic. Pop. about 9,000. SIOUX CITY, a city and county-seat of Woodbury co., la.; on the Missouri river, and on the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, the Illinois Central, the Chicago and Northwestern, the Great Northern,