FEBEIFUGE 110 EDEBALIST 52.5 per cent carbon, 7.2 hydrogen, 17.9 nitrogen, and 22.4 oxygen and sulphur. Feathers owe their permanent color to peculiar pigments, of which the red, green, lilac, and yellow are soluble in alcohol and ether. Black feathers con- tain a pigment insoluble in alcohol and ether, but soluble in ammonia. FEBRIFUGE, a medicine tending to cure, or alleviate fever. As fevers are cured by several classes of medicines, the list of febrifuges would be very nu- merous, embracing articles from the min- eral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, and comprehending tonics, stimulants, emetics, diaphoretics, purgatives and diuretics. FEBRUARY, the name of the second month of the year. It contains in ordi- nary years, 28 days, and in bissextilis, or leap year, 29. By the calendar of Julius Cassar, February had 29 days except in bissextile, or leap year, when it had 30. But Augustus took a day from it, and added it to his own month, August, that it might not have a less number of days than July, dedicated to Julius Caesar. Previously August had been called Sextilis, and consisted of 30 days only. FECHTER, CHARLES ALBERT, a French actor; born in London, England, Oct. 23, 1824; made his first public ap- pearance in 1840 at the Salle Moliere, in Paris, after which he went to Florence, Italy, with a dramatic company as lead- ing juvenile. Subsequentlv he appeared as Seide in Voltaire's "Mahomet," in 1844; as Valere in Moliere's great comedy; and as Armand Duval in "La Dame aux Camelias." In 1860 he went to London, where he presented "The Corsican Brothers," "Don Cesar de Bazan," and "Hamlet." In 1870 he came to the United States and played to orowded houses, especially in "The Count of Monte Cristo." He died in Quaker- town, Pa., Aug. 4, 1879. FEDERACY. See FEDERAL STATES. FEDERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN AMERI- CA, a body which grew out of attempts to unite the general activities of the several Protestant denominations. Pre- vious work in avoiding duplication of effort had been accomplished by the Evangelical Alliance, the National Fed- eration of Churches, and the Christian Workers. In 1905 a commission from 30 denominations met in New York City and drew up the Constitution for the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America. This was an organization founded by the churches themselves and was not a voluntary or individual asso- ciation as its predecessors in this field had been. Its purpose is to unite the churches for service and it has no power nor intention to unite them in theology or to interfere in any way with the com- plete independence of each denomination. It meets every four years, the first meet- ing being held in Philadelphia in 1908. One of its most important commissions is that on "Church and Social Service" which has reported with a statement of the attitude of the Christian Churches on the labor problem. It advocated collective bargaining, reasonable hours of labor and aligned the Churches definitely with the forces of social progress. Among the other commissions of the Council are those on Foreign Missions, Home Mi"=^- sions. Religious Education, Peace and Arbitration, and the Church and Country Life. Investigations are held by these commissions and a large amount of sta- tistical data is at hand which affords a scientific as well as a religious basis for the discussions. FEDERALS, the name given to those who during the Civil War in the United States fought to maintain the Union of the Federated States, in opposition to the Confederates. FEDERAL STATES, states united by a federation or treaty which, binding them sufficiently for mutual defense and the settlement of questions bearing on the welfare of the whole, yet leaves each state free within certain limits to govern itself. Switzerland and the United States are examples of this political con- stitution. Such a union or confederation is sometimes known as a federacy. The term federation indicates centralization in government while confederation is used where state sovereignty is stronger. FEDERALIST, the name of an early political party in the United States. After the acknowledgment of the inde- pendence of the 13 colonies by the mother country, the first task that confronted the successful revolutionists was the erection of a government and the formu- lation of a constitution. When the delib- erative body on whom devolved this duty met, it was discovered that there were various sentiments entertained by its members, these differences of opinion aligning themselves on opposite sides of the great question of organic union. One faction favored the erection of a nation with more or less absence of independ- ence of its constituent members, while the other urged a federation of sovereign states, each one of which should retain its autonomy, and not be amenable to the general government any further than it by actual cession gave that government authority. Those favoring a strong or na-
