Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/80

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56
CHAMBERS
CHAPIN


the author of " The Bible Tested " (New York, 1878): "Native Churches and Foreign Missionary Societies " (Madras. 1879) ; " Winding up a Horse, or Christian Giving"; and "Break Cocoanuts over the Wheels, or All Pull for Christ " (1885) ; besides contributions to periodicals.

CHAMBERS, Robert William, author, b. in Brooklyn, N. Y., 26 May, 1865. He was educated at the Brooklyn polytechnic school and in Paris, where he studied art under Lefebvre, Cornion, Col- lin, and Benjamin Constant. In 1891 he exhibited in the Champs de Mars salon. On his return to this country he illustrated for " Life," " Vogue," " Truth," and other papers, but since 1894 he has devotedhiraself chiefly to literature. Mr. Chambers has published " In the Quarter" (New York, 1894) ; " The King in Yellow" (1894) ; "The Red Republic " <1895) ; " A King and a Pew Dukes " (1895) ; " The Maker of Moons " (1896) : " With the Band," a col- lection of verse (1897) ; " Lorraine " (1897) : " The Mystery of Choice" (1897); and "The Haunts of Men " (1898). His play " Meg Merrilies " was acted at Daly's theatre. New York, in 1897.

CHANLER, William Astor, congressman, b. in Newport, R. I., 11 .June, 1867. He is a great- grandson of William B. Astor, and was graduated at Harvard in 1888. On leaving the university he set out on an African exploring expedition, being absent about a year, and in 1892, accompanied by Lieut. Von Hohnel, an Austrian scientist, he de- parted on a second African expedition, which oc- cupied two years. In recognition of his services in the cause of geography he was made an honor- ary member of the Royal geographical society of Vienna and a member of the British royal geo- graphical society. He served through the war with Spain, being on the staff with Gen. Wheeler, with the rank of captain, and taking part in the siege •of Santiago. In 1898 he was elected a member of congress from New York city. He is the author of "Through Jungle and Desert" (New York, 1896), being an account of his travels in unexplored re- gions of eastern Africa.

CHAPELLE, Placide Louis, R. C. archbishop, b. in the diocese of Mente, Prance, 28 Aug., 1842. Coming to America with an uncle who was a missionary in Hayti in 1859, he also devoted him- self to the priesthood and entered St. Mary's seminary, Baltimore, where he completed a full course of studies before the canonical age for or- dination, and consequently occupied two years in teaching at St. Charles's college. He was or- dained a priest in 1865, and labored on the mis- sion at Rockville, Md., and neighboring stations, receiving while there the degree of doctor in the- ology from St. Mary's seminary. After five years of missionary work he accompanied Archbishop Spalding to "the Vatican council. He was made assistant pastor of St. John's church, Baltimore, in 1870, afterward its pastor, and subsequently pastor of St. Joseph's. On the death of Rev. Francis X. Boyle, of St. Matthew's church, at Washington, he was appointed pastor in 1882. He was made president of the theological confer- ences of the clergy held every three months at Baltimore, in recognition of his eminence as a theologian, and in 1885 succeeded Bishop O'.Sul- livan as president of the conferences held in Washington. He was selected by Bishop Keane to deliver an important course of lectures at the Catholic university at Washington on " The Writ- ings and Influence of the Blathers of the Church," was a member of the board convened by Cai-dinal Oibbons to prepare the decrees for the third plenary council, and secretary of one of the most important committees of the council. In 1891 he was appointed coadjutor bishop to Archbishop Salpointe, of Santa Fe. with the right of succession, under the title of bishop of Arabissus, and was consecrated by Cardinal Gibbons in the Baltimore cathedral. He was promoted to the archi- episcopal rank, with the title of archbishop of Sebaste, in JIay. 1893, and on the resignation of Archbishop Salpointe he became archbishop of Santa Fe in January, 1894. In November, 1897, he was appointed archbishop of New Orleans, and in July, 1899, selected as one of three prelates to carry out Americanization of the Catholic church in our new possessions and Cuba.

CHAPIN. William, educator, b. in Phila<lel- phia. Pa., 17 0ct., 1802; d. there, 20 Sept., 1888. He was educated in Philadelphia, became an en- graver and map publisher, and removed to New York, where he kept a map-store in Wall street for many years. In 1837 he became interested in the education of the blind, for whom he estab- lished a Bible class in New York city. He was afterward appointed to organize the Ohio institu- tion for the blind, which he conducted in 1840-'6, and also visited similar institutions in Europe, publishing, on his return, an extended account of their condition and methods. In 1846-'9 he was principal of a school for girls, and from 1849 until his death he was at the head of the " Pennsylvania institution for instruction of the blind." He early advocated the establishment of supplementary institutions for the care of the blind after their education was completed, and through his personal efforts during 1852-"8 the Pennsylvania industrial home for blind men. the Industrial home for blind women, and the Penn- sylvania retreat for blind-mutes and the aged and infirm were erected. He was an officer and manager in each, and was also a founder and until the time of his death president of the Phila- delphia city institute, which was established to furnish without charge night schools, books, and lectures to youths of both sexes. Mr. Chai)in was in early life associate editor of the Norristown " Herald." He contributed frequently to the press, and prepared encyclopaedias, dictionaries, and other books in raised letters for the blind. He was also an excellent amateur artist in water- colors. — His son, John Basselt. physician, b. in New York city, 4 Dec, 1829, was graduated at Williams in 1850. and received his medical degree at Jefferson medical college in 1853. He was resi- dent physician of the New York hospital, afterward ap|iointed assistant physician to the New York lu- natic asylum. Utica. in 1854. and in 1862. in a public communication, recommended a change in plans of asylum construction that would provide for the various classes and conditions of the insane and for their segregation in detached blocks in place of their "congregation." These views were afterward applied in the erection of the Willard asylum for the insane on Seneca lake, of which Dr. Chapin was the first superintendent and physician. These changes from previous plans were not at first fa- vorably received, but as time and their actual ap- plication have shown their practicability they have been accepted as an advance. After serving there from 1869 till 1884, lie was appointed physician- in-chief to the Pennsylvania hospital for the insane in Philadelphia, which post he still holds, lie has lectured on insanity at Jefferson medical college, which gave him the degree of LL. D. : has con- tributed annual reports on the insane ; papers for the medical press, and written a "Compendium of Insanity " for physicians and students.