Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/366

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DEMAND AND SUPPLY 314 DEMETRIUS factious oi'ator; a party leader; a teacher of sedition. — In its original ac- ceptation, this word ^ was considered an honorable designation; but it is now almost invariably used in a bad sense. DEMAND AND SUPPLY, in political economy, demand has reference to the quantity of goods asked for in the market, and supply has reference to the quantity of goods offered. The laws of demand and supply may be thus stated: when the demand exceeds the supply, competition grows stronger among the buyers, and prices rise, and when the demand falls short of the supply, com- petition grows stronger among the sell- ers, and prices fall; or thus, falling prices tend to lessen the supply and in- crease the demand, while rising prices tend to increase the supply and lessen the demand. A rise in prices tends to encourage production, while a fall in prices tends to discourage it. Conversely, consumption is promoted by falling and lessened by rising prices. DEMAREST, WILLIAM HENRY STEELE, an American educator, born in Hudson, N. Y., in 1863. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1883 and from the New Brunswick Theological Semi- nary in 1888. He was ordained minister to the Reform Church of America in the same year. After serving as pastor in several churches in New York, he be- came professor of church history at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in 1901. In 1906 he was chosen president of Rutgers College. DEMAVEND (dem-a-vend') , a vol- canic mountain of Persia, and the highest peak of the Elbruz chain, 45 miles S. of the Caspian Sea, and about 40 miles N. E. of Teheran. Its height is about 19,400 feet, and it bears evidence of having been active during the latest geological (if not within the historic) period. DEMBEA, or TSANA, a lake of Abys- sinia, in a province of the same name in the W. part of that country. It is of irregular form, about 140 miles in cir- cumference, has an elevation of 6,100 feet above the sea, and forms the reser- voir of the Blue Nile. DEMEMBRE, or DISMEMBERED, a heraldic term to signify that the members of an animal are cut from its body. DEMENTIA, in common parlance, and even in legal language, a word synony- mous with insanity. Medically it is ap- plied to those cases of unsound mind which are characterized by a total loss of the faculty of thought, or by such an imbecility of intellect that the ideas are extremely incoherent. DEMERARA, (dem-e-ra'ra) , or DEM- ARARA (dem-a-ra'ra) , a division of British Guiana, which derives its name from the river Demarara or Demerara. It extends about 100 miles along the coast, lying on the E. of Essequibo, and on the W. of Berbice. The soil is very fertile, producing abundant crops of sugar, coffee, cotton, rice. Chief town, Georgetown. Pop. of province about 125,000. The river, after a course of about 120 miles, flows into the Atlantic DEMESNE, or DOMAIN (de-man'), in law, a manor-house and the land adjacent or near, which a lord keeps in his own hands or immediate occupation, for the use of his family, as distinguished from his tenemental lands, distributed among his tenants. See Domain, Public. DEMETRIUS I., a king of Syria, sur- ndmed Soter, son of Seleucus Philopater, born 185 B. c. He was sent as hostage to Rome by his father, on whose death Antiochus Epiphanes, and after him his son, Antiochus Eupator, usurped the throne of Syria. The Roman Senate denied him assistance, but the Syrians recognized him for their lawful prince, and he obtained the throne, 162 B. c. He then declared war against the Jews, and in this war Judas Maccabseus lost his life. A confederacy of the neighboring kings was formed against Demetrius, who was slain about 150 B. C. DEMETRIUS II., called Nicator (conqueror), was the son of the pre- ceding. Ptolemy Philometer, King of Egypt, placed him on the throne of his fal;hcr, after expelling the usurper, Alexander Balas, 146 B. c. He married Cleopatra, the wife of the same Alex- ander, and daughter of Ptolemy. He was siibsequently taken prisoner by the King of Parthia, who gave him his daughter in marriage, which so incensed Cleopatra; that she married Antiochus Sidetes, htr brother-in-law. Sidetes, however, fell in battle, and Demetrius recovered his throne; but he did not re- tain it long, for he was once more ex- pelled by Alexander Zebina, and was killed by the Governor of Tyre, 126 B. C. DEMETRIUS, surnamed Poliorcetes, King of Macedonia, was the son of Antig- onus. At the age of 22 his father in- trusted him with an army against Ptol- emy, by whom he was deifcated near Gaza. But he soon repaired the loss, and with a fleet of 150 ships sailed to Athens, which he delivered from Demetrius Pha- lereus. He next took part in the war against Ptolemy, whose fleet he de- stroyed. In 305 B. C. Demetrius under- took the siege of Rhodes, but after per- severing for a year was compelled to