BETHMANN-HOLLWEG 11 BETONY from Bethlehem Church, where he preached; (2) to an order of monks, es- tablished, according to Matthew Paris, in 1257, with a monastery at Cambridge; (3) to an order founded in Guatemala about 1655 by Fray Pedro, a Francis- can tertiary, a native of Teneriffe. It spread to Mexico, Peru, and the Canary Islands. An order of nuns founded in 1667 bore the same name. BETHMANN - HOLLWEG, THEO- BALD THEODORE FRIEDBICH AL- FRED VON, German statesman ; born in Hohenfinow, Brandenburg, Nov. 29, 1856. He received his education at the Univer- THEOBALD VON BETHMANN-HOLLWEG sities of Strassburg, Leipsic, Berlin, and Bonn. At the last named, he formed an in- timate friendship with Wilhelm, the fu- ture German Emperor, who was a fellow- student. After holding a number of minor offices, he became Prussian Minister of the Interior in 1905, and his adminis- tration was signalized by a number of social reforms. He became Chancellor of the German Empire in 1909, and held the office for eight years, three of which were among the most important years of the world's history. How far he was concerned in the instigation of the World War has not been definitely determined, but his general character as a scholar, a philosopher, and a lover of peace would appear to negative the thought that he wantonly precipitated the struggle. It seems more probable that he was not able to stand out against the powerful military clique who at the time guided the destinies of the Empire. Once the war was on, however, he bent all his energies toward its successful prosecu- tion. Two episodes stand out strongly in his career. One was the celebrated interview with the English Ambassador, Sir W. E. Goschen, in which he depre- cated the thought of England going to war for a mere "scrap of paper" — a fateful phrase that many times returned to plague its inventor and the nation of which he was the official mouthpiece. It was inconceivable, the Chancellor de- clared, "that just for a word — neutral- ity — a word which in war time had so often been disregarded — just for a scrap of paper, Great Britain was going to make war on a kindred nation." Another startling piece of frankness was his statement before the Reichstag Aug. 4, 1914: "We are now in a state of neces- sity, and necessity knows no law. Our troops have occupied Luxemburg and perhaps have ah-eady entered Belgian territory. Gentlemen, this is a breach of international law. The wrong — I speak openly — the wrong we thereby commit, we will try to make good as soon as our military aims have been attained." For a long time he stood against the policy of submarine ruthless warfare, but after it had been determined on, he backed it with all the power of his office. This, however, did not preserve him from the hostility of the militarists, who thought his conduct of the war was too "spineless" and he was compelled to resign July 14, 1917. He died in 1921. See Germany and World War. BETHSAIDA (beth-si'da), a village on the W. shore of the Lake of Galilee, the birthplace of Peter and Andrew and Philip. Its site has been identified with a heap of grass-grown ruins. At the N. E. extremity of the lake was another Bethsaida, a village, near which the 5,000 were fed. Philip the Tetrarch raised it to the dignity of a town, and renamed it Julias, in honor of the Em- peror Augustus' daughter. BETONY, a genus of plants belong- ing to the order laininacefe (labiates). Betonicu officinalis, or wood betony, grows in shady places. It is called by Bentham and others stachys betmiica. When fresh it has an intoxicating effect; the dried leaves excite sneezing. The roots are bitter and very nauseous, and the plant is used to dye wool a fine, dark yellow.
