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HOBSON'S CHOICE

878

HOLLAND

from here. Its principal manufactures are iron castings, chemicals, wall-paper, leather, silk, caskets and leadpencils. It also has brickyards and carries on shipbuilding and repairing. The Stevens Institute of Technology, located here, is one of the best in the United States. Hoboken has excellent public and parish schools, an academy (the Sacred Heart), many fine churches, hospitals etc. It has ferry connection with New York, and electric lines run between Hoboken and several cities and towns of New Jersey. The city has the service of three railroads. Population 70,324.

Hob'son's Choice is a phrase which owes its origin to a man named Tobias Hobson, who was the first person in England who kept a livery-stable. He owned 40 horses, and politely offered his customers their choice, but always managed to give the traveler the horse nearest the door. Hob-son's choice thus means an apparent choice only. The story is told in The Spectator.

Hochkirch (heck'kirch), a village in Saxony, memorable on account of a battle between the Germans under Frederick II and the Austrians under Marshal Daun, on Oct. 14, 1758, during the Seven Years' War. Frederick lost 9,000 men and 101 cannon, and the Austrians lost 6,000 men.

Hog. See SWINE.

Ho'garth, William, a celebrated painter, engraver and pictorial satirist, was born at London on Nov. 10, 1697; served an apprenticeship to a silversmith; and studied art at Sir James Thornhill's school in James Street. About 1720 he set up for himself, first being employed in engraving coats of arms, crests etc. and in designing plates for booksellers. He made the illustrations for Gray's edition of Butler's Hudibras. He secretly married the daughter of Sir James Thornhill in 1729, and in 1730 began the painting of his satires, among them being Harlot's Progress, A Midnight Modern Conversation, A Rake's Progress, The Distressed Poet and his masterpiece, the famous Marriage a la Mode. He died at London on Oct. 26, 1764.

Hohenlinden (ho-en-Un'den), a small village in upper Bavaria, famous on account of the battle between the French and Austrians on Dec. 3, 1800. The Austrians lost 17,000 men and 74 guns, and the French loss was 5,000 men.

Hoh'enlo'he, Prince Clodwig Karl Vic-tor, German chancellor and prime minister of Prussia, was born on March 31, 1819, was educated at Gottingen, and in 1845 Became a member of the Bavarian parliament. After serving as ambassador of the kingdom at the papal, Italian and Greek courts, he entered the house of peers in 1870, and after the close of the Franco-German War he was a member of the first imperial parliament. Three years later he was made ambassador to France, and was a member of the congress of Berlin in i8|8. He. en-

tered the reichstag the same year. In 1885 he was made governor of Alsace-Lorraine, retaining that post until 1894, when he was made chancellor of the German empire and Prussian prime minister. He resigned in October, 1900, and died in 1901.

Hohenzollern (ho' en-tsol-lern) House of, the family of the present emperor of Germany, was founded by Count Thassilo in the beginning of the 9th century, and has continued in an unbroken chain to the present day to rule over Brandenburg, furnishing the kings of Prussia since 1701 and the emperors of Germany since 1871. Hohenzollern is now a province of the empire, encircled by Baden and Wurttemberg; area 441 square miles and population 68,282.

Holbein (hol'bln}, Hans* the younger, one of the most celebrated of painters, was born at Augsburg, Germany, in 1497; and died in 1543. His father, Hans Holbein the elder, also was a well-known painter. The best of his early works was the altar-piece for the monastery of St. Catherine, painted in 1515-16. About this time Holbein went to Basel, and four years later made it his home. In 1522 was painted his Madonna and Child, one of the best of this master's pictures. In 1526 or 1527 he visited England, met Sir Thomas More, and began his great series of portraits of the leading Englishmen of the day. Among the most notable of these are Archbishop War-ham and The Family of Sir Thomas More. Three years later he was again in Basel, painting on the walls of the council-hall Rehoboam, Samuel and Saul and Hezekiah, In 1532 he again visted London, and among his pictures of this period is the famous group, The Ambassadors. He became royal painter to Henry VIII, and painted portraits of the king, Jane Seymour and others of the court. Holbein is at his highest in his portraits. Here his power of expression, truth and richness of color rank him with the greatest masters. See R. N. Wornum's Life and Works of Holbein.

Hol'land, The Netherlands, is a kingdom lying west of Prussia and on the southern shores of the North Sea. Its dimensions are 195 miles long and no miles broad, covering an area o. 12,648 square miles. It is divided into eleven provinces, with a total population of 5,898,429, which makes it a very densely settled country. The land is covered with a network of canals, used for irrigation and transportation; yet, the land being in the main much below the level of these artificial streams and of the sea, all are bordered by high dikes or embankments, serving the double purpose of preventing overflows and, being broad and smooth on the top, of carriage-roads and footpaths. During the winter months these canals, being icebound, are used by skaters. Large windmills are used to pump out any extra, water, an4 these mills, with their