GRAND OLD MAN. 126 GRAND RAPIDS. GRAND OLD MAN. A popular name for William Ewart Gladstone (q.v.). GRAND PENSIONARY. In the days of the Dutch Republic, the State Secretarj- for tiie Prov- ince of Holland. Until the time of Olden Bame- veldt (q.v.), the Grand Pensionarj' was also Advocate-General for the same province. He had no vote in the Assembly of the States, and could only bring forward subjects for discussion. He, however, collected the votes, wrote the de- crees, read the letters addressed to the States, conducted negotiations with foreign ambassadors and ministers, and took charge of the revenues of the province, of its rights and privileges, and whatever else pertained to its welfare. He was a perpetual member of the States-General of the United Netherlands, and thus, as first magistrate of Holland, the most important of the United Provinces, he acquired immense influence over all the Netherlands, and might be considered Premier of the Dutch Parliament. The Grand Pensionary held his office for five years, but was in most cases reelected. The office was abolished in 1795. after the conquest of the Netherlands by the French. GRAND-PIERRE, griijj'py.^r'. Je.
Henri
( 1799-1874) . A French Protestant pulpit orator. He was born at Neuchatel, Switzerland, was educated there and at Tiibingen, became pastor of the French Church at Basel (1823), and was an intimate friend of Vinet. In 1827 he went to Paris, became president and professor of languages in the theological seminary, and was soon recognized as one of the most eloquent of pulpit orators. His last twenty years were passed as pastor of I'Oratoire, the greatest of the Prot- estant churches in the French capital. After the death of Adolphe Monod ( 1856) , he was leader of the orthodox branch of the Reformed Church. Louis Philippe granted him letters of naturaliza- tion, and Louis Napoleon made him a member of the Legion of Honor. He visited the United States twice, and in 1850 published A Parisian Pastor's Glance at Atnerica (Eng. trans. Boston, 1854). He died in Paris, 1874. His sermons on The Doctrines of the Christian Religion appeared in London (1844). GRAND PRE, graN pra. A village in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Can., on the Basin of Minas, 15 miles from Windsor, reached by the •Windsor and Annapolis Railroad (Map: Nova Scotia, E 4). Population, in 1900. 874. It is notable as the central scene in Longfellow's Evangeline. GRAND PRIX DE PARIS, graN pre de pa're' (Fr., great prize of Paris). The most im- portant event in the French racing calendar. It corresponds to the English Derby in point of in- terest and monetary value. The race is run about the middle of June each year, and takes place on the famous raee-course at Longchamp, near Paris. X'nder the Empire the prize was paid for by the city of Paris: but since 1871 two railroads have paid 25.000 francs each, the city of Paris 50,000, and the sum total of the prize in other ways brought up to a total value of 250,000 francs. The race marks the begin- ning of the summer season in the fashionable world, after which the regular migration to the seaside or country' takes place. GRAND PRIX DE ROME. See Prix de Rome. GRAND RAPIDS. A city and the county- seat of Kent County, Mich., 30 miles from Lake Michigan, and 60 miles west by north of the State capital, Lansing; on the Grand River, at tlie head of steam navigation, and on the ilichi- gan Central, the Lake Shore and Michigan South- ern, the Pere Marquette, the Grand Rapids and Indiana, the Grand Trunk, and several other railroads (Map: Michigan, H 6). It was settled in 1833, on the site of an abandoned Indian vil- lage, and was chartered as a city in 1850. Grand Rapids is the seat of Roman Catholic and Prot- estant Episcopal bishoprics. It has a number of charitable institutions, among them the Butter- worth Hospital, Union Benevolent Association Home and Hospital, Women's Home and Hospital, City Home for the Treatment of Contagious Diseases, Saint Mark's Hospital, Emerson Home, Home for the Aged, Holland Union Benevolent Association Home, and Saint John's Orphan Asylum. Here are also the State Masonic Home and the State Soldiers' Home, and, among other prominent structures, the Young Men's Christian Association Building, the city hall, the County and Federal buildings, Masonic Temple, Pythian Temple, and Elk Hall. The city has also a pub- lic library and several public parks. Grand Rapids is the centre of .a region inter- e.sted largely in agriculture and fruit-growing, has extensive gypsum-quarries in the vicinity, and is an important commercial eitj', with a large trade in pine and hard-wood lumber, and in manufactured products. The manufacturing in- dustry is facilitated by the water-power furnished by the Grand River, which enters Lake Michigan 40 miles below, and at Grand Rapids it falls about 18 feet, forming the rapids from which the city derives its name. Among the more impor- tant manufactures are furniture, lumber prod- ucts, school seats, flour, carpet-sweepers, calcined plaster, foundry and machine-shop products, car- riages and wagons, and agricultural implements. The government is vested in a mayor, chosen biennially, a imicameral municipal council, and subordinate administrative boards — police, fire, public works, health, poor, and assessors — ap- pointed by the executive. The highway com- missioners, city attorney, building inspector, and plumbing inspector are elected by the council; and the city clerk, treasurer, comptroller, and marshal are chosen by popular election. The annual income and expenditures of the city, in- cluding the State and county tax, amount to about $2,290,000 and .$1,710,000 respectively, the principal items of expense being $55,000 for the operation of waterworks, $85,000 for the police department, $120,000 for the fire department, and $260,000 for schools. Population, in 1850, 2686; in 1870, 16.507; in 1890, 60,278: in 1900, 87,565; including 23,900 persons of foreign birth and 600 of negro descent. GRAND RAPIDS. A city and the county- seat of Wood County, Wis., near the centre of the State: on the Wisconsin River, and on the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul, the Wiscon- sin Central, the Chicago and Northwestern, and other railroads (Map: Wisconsin, D 4). A fine bridge across the river connects the city proper with Centralia, formerly an independent munici- pality, but since 1900 included within the limits of Grand Rapids. There is a public library. The city controls large lumber interests, and has
