Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/516

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CHESTER 452 CHESTERFIELD been much disputed ; this much may now be considered as certain, that, under the Sanskrit name of Chuturanga, a game, essentially the same as modern Chess, was played in Hindustan nearly 5,000 years ago. From Hindustan, Chess spread into Persia and thence into Arabia. The Arabs, it would appear, in the 8th century, introduced the game into Spain and the rest of western Europe; and in England Chess-play seems to have been known prior to the Norman Conquest. Into Constantinople, and probably some other cities of eastern Europe, the game may have been im- ported from Persia at a period earlier than its Moorish conveyance into Spain. CHESTER, an ancient and episcopal city, municipal and parliamentary bor- ough, the capital of Cheshire, England, on the Dee, 16 miles S. E. of Liverpool. The two main streets cross each other at right angles, and were cut out of the rock by the Romans 4 to 10 feet below the level of the houses. The houses in these streets were curiously arranged; the front parts of their second stories, as far back as 16 feet, form a continuous paved promenade or covered gallery, open in front, where there are pillars and steps up from the street below, with private houses above, inferior shops and warehouses below, and the chief shops of the town within. St. John's Church, now partially in ruins, is supposed to have been founded by Ethel- red in 698. There are a famous cathedral and many other ancient buildings, mak- ing Chester one of the most picturesque towns in England. Modern improvements, however, have been made in every re- spect. The chief trade of the town is in cheese. There are numerous indus- trial establishments and good railroad connections. The title Earl of Chester was bestowed by Henry III. on his eldest son and has since then been held by each Prince of Wales. Pop. about 40,000. CHESTER, city and port of entiy of Delaware co., Pa. ; on the Delaware river, and the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio, the Philadelphia and Reading, and the Southern Traction Co. railroads, 15 miles S. of Philadelphia. The favor- able location and excellent shipping facil- ities of the city have given it a diversity of industries, Chester is the local trade center of a very prosperous agricultural and manu- facturing district. It is the site of the Roach ship yards, where several vessels of the United States navy have been built. According to the Federal census of 1914 Chester had 153 manufactories, employing 7,127 hands. The principal industries were ship-building, foundry and machine-shop work, and the manu- facture of cotton, locomotives, paper, cigars, silk, woolen and worsted goods. In 1919 there were 4 National banks. Chester is connected with Media, Darby, and other surrounding towns by elec^^^ric railways. It is the seat of the Pennsylvania Military College and Cro- zl%r Theological Seminary, and Swarth- m^re College is near by. The notable buildings are the United States Govern- ment Building, including the postoffice; the City Hall, erected in 1724, of great historic interest; Chester and Homceo- pathic Hospitals, and the Public Library. Chester was settled by the Swedes in 1643, under the name of Upland, and is the oldest town in the State. It was in- corporated in 1866. Pop. (1910) 38,537; (1920) 58,030. CHESTER, GEORGE RANDOLPH, an American author; born in Ohio, in 1869. He left home at an early age, worked as reporter on the Detroit "News" and Cincinnati "Enquirer," but later gave himself entirely to the writing of books and stories for the magazines. His reputation as a writer is based chiefly on his "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford" stories, concerned with the swindling adventures of a confidence man. He has also written "Early Bird" (1910) ; "Five Thousand an Hour (1911) ; etc., and (in collaboration with his wife, Lillian Chester) "The Ball of Fire" (1914); "Runaway June"; and "The Enemy" (1915). CHESTERFIELD, a borough and market town of Derbyshire, England. It is at the junction of the Hipper and Rother rivers. There are important manufactures of cotton, silk, machinery, and earthenware. In the neighborhood are important deposits of coal, clay, slate, and lead. A canal connects Chesterfield with the Trent river. It is also on the main line of the Midland railway. It contains an ancient grammar school, a technical school, and a public library. Pop. about 45,000. CHESTERFIELD, PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, 4th Earl of, an Eng- lish statesman and litterateur; born in London, Sept. 22, 1694. After studying in his youth with a zeal of which he afterward thought proper to be ashamed, he learned on the Continent of Europe his polished smoothness of manners, his love of gaming, and his loose code of morality. He entered public life in 1715, and took an active part in the petty in- trigues and party squabbles which make up the parliamentary and court history of the reign of George II. His diplo- matic skill was made useful in two for- eign embassies; and his lord-lieutenancy