SOLDIERS' HOMES 487 SOLITAIRE and became register of copyrights in 1897. He took an active part in the effort to secure international copyright and at- tended the various international copyright congresses, being the official delegate of the United States to the congresses at Paris, Berlin, and Luxembourg. Besides having contributed to many American and foreign journals, he wrote: "Annual Reports Copyright Business" (1897-98, 1916-19) ; "Copyright Enactments, 1883- 1906" (1906); "Copyright in England" (1902) ; "Copyright in Canada and New- foundland" (1903) ; "Report on Copy- right Legislation" (1904) ; "Foreign Copyright Laws" (1904) ; "Copyright in Congress — Bibliography and Chronologi- cal Record" (1905) ; "Memorandum Draft of a Bill to Amend and Consolidate the Acts Respecting Copyright" (1905-6) ; "International Copyright Union — Report on the Berlin Conference of 1908"; "Re- port on Copyright Relations with South American Republics" (1915). SOLDIERS' HOMES, institutions pro- vided by National and State governments for the care of sick and disabled soldiers and sailors. The National Home for Dis- abled Volunteer Soldiers has branches at Dayton, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wis.; To- gus, Me.; Hampton, Va.; Leavenworth, Kan.; Santa Monica, Cal. ; Marion, Ind. ; Danville, 111.; Johnson City, Tenn. ; and Hot Springs, S. Dak. The aggregate number of inmates in 1919 was about 25,000. The chief requirements for ad- mission are: (1) An honorable discharge from the United States service. (2) Dis- ability which prevents the applicant from earning his living by labor. (3) A soldier or sailor must forward with his applica- tion for admission his discharge paper, and when he is a pensioner, his pension certificate, and if he has been a member of a State Home, his discharge from that Home, before his application will be con- sidered. Those who have been members of the State Homes must have been dis- charged from those Homes at least six months before they can be admitted to a branch of the National Home, except by a vote of the Board of Managers. Appli- cants are requested to conform strictly to the above requirements. SOLENT, that part of the British Channel separating the N. W. shore of the Isle of Wight from the mainland of Hampshire, and extending between the Needles and West Cowes. It has a width varying from 2 to 5 miles, and affords a safe and well-sheltered roadstead. SOLEURE, or SOLOTHURN, a canton in the N. of Switzerland; bounded on the W. and S. by Berne, and on the N. and E. by Basel and Aargau; area, 302 square miles; pop. (1920) 130,230, mostly Roman Catholics and speakers of German. The greater portion of the canton is fertile and well cultivated, especially in the val- ley of the Aar. But it also embraces outlying ranges of the Alpine and Jura systems. Besides grain, the principal products are fruit, timber, cherry brandy, cheese; cotton, paper, iron, hose, watches, clocks, etc. The canton consists of the territories acquired by the town of So- leure. Soleure, or Solothurn, the capital of the canton, is situated on both sides of the Aar, 18 miles N. N. E. of Berne. The most notable building is the cathedral of St. Ursus, built in 1762-1763 on the site of an older church (1050), with a cupola and facade of Corinthian columns. There are also a curious old clock tower, an arsenal with a museum of ancient tro- phies of war, and collections of antiqui- ties. The principal objects of industry are cotton, watches, clocks, and cement. Pop. (1920) 12,970. Soleure (Salodurum) was a place of some consequence in Ro- man times, was made a free city of the empire (1218), joined the Swiss Con- federation in 1481, and in 1828 was cho- sen the bishop's see for the diocese of Basel. Close by are the baths of Weis- senstein, with a celebrated "whey cure" that is very much frequented. SOLFERINO, a village and commune of Italy, in the province and 18 miles N. W. of Mantua. In 1796 the Austrians were here defeated by the French prior to the siege of Mantua ; it was here also, June 24, 1859, that a battle was fought between the French and Sardinians on the one side and the Austrians on the other, resulting in the defeat of the lat- ter and the subsequent treaty of Villa- franca. SOLINGEN, a town of Prussia; 13 miles E. of Diisseldorf and not far from the river Wupper. Ever since the 12th or 13th century it has been famous for its steel and iron ware, especially for sword blades, helmets, cuirasses, knives, scissors, surgical instruments, etc., which, before the World War, were exported to all parts of the world. Solingen has also iron foundries, cigar factories, etc. Pop. about 50,000. SOLITAIRE, a game played by one person on a board indented with 33 or 37 hemispherical hollows, with an equal number of balls. One ball is removed from the board, and the empty hollow thus left enables pieces to be captured singly as in draughts. The object of the player is to take all the pieces except one without moving diagonally or over more than two spaces at a time. The game
