Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/81

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ETNA 65 mountain proper from the surrounding plain; and the whole mass seems formed of a series of superimposed mountains, the terminal volcano being surrounded by a number of cones, all of volcanic ori- gin, and nearly 100 of which are of con- siderable size. The eruptions of Etna have been nu- merous, and many of them destructive. That of 1169 overwhelmed Catania and buried 15,000 persons in the ruins. In 1669 the lava spread over the country for 40 days, and 10,000 persons are es- timated to have perished. In 1693 there was an earthquake during the eruption, when 60,000 lives were lost. Among more recent eruptions are those of 1852, 1865, 1874, 1879, 1886, 1892, 1909, and 1911. ETNA, a borough in Pennsylvania, in Allegheny co. It is opposite Pittsburgh and on the Baltimore and Ohio and the Pennsylvania railroads. It is an im- portant industrial center and has manu- factures of furnaces, steel mills, pipe works, and other manufactures. Pop. (1910) 5,830; (1920) 6,341. ETON COLLEGE, the largest and most famous of the old public schools of Eng- land. Founded by Henry VI. in 1440, who connected it with his foundation of King's College, Cambridge. This rela- tionship in a modified form still obtains at the present time. Having but a small endowment at its foundation, the college has since become very wealthy by nu- merous benefactions, and the rise of property values. The college consists of a provost and ten fellows, a headmaster of the school, and seventy scholars. The main body of students, however, are the thousand scholars in attendance on the school. Old limitations with refer- ence to qualifications for entrance have been discarded, and the school admits all boys who are British subjects, within certain ages, and with definite scholastic attainments. Until 1860 the course of study was exclusively classical; since that time other subjects have been added. Many of the buildings erected in the 15th century are still used, but as they were unable to accommodate the number of students who entered in the succeeding years, they have been enlarged and new structures erected. A splendid range of buildings was opened in 1908 by King Edward VII. Many of the ancient customs have been retained by the modern school. The chief celebration of the school occurs on June 4th, King George III. birthday, on which occasion a procession of boats on the Thames takes place. Eton holds a high place in the sport of rowing, many of its graduates becoming the stars of the crew at Cambridge. ETRUKIA ETRURIA, the name anciently given to that part of Italy which corresponded partly with the modern Tuscany, and was bounded by the Mediterranean, the Apennines, the river Magra, and the Tiber. The name of Tusci or Etrusci was used by the Romans to designate the race of people anciently inhabiting it, but the name by which they called them- selves was Rasena. These Rasena en- tered Italy at a very early period from the N. Etruria proper was in a flourish- ing condition before the foundation of Rome 753 B. c. It was known very early as a confederation of 12 great cities, each of which formed a republic of itself. Among the chief were Veil, Clusium, Vol- sinnii, Arretium, Cortona, Falerii, and Fassulae. The chiefs of these republics were styled lucumones, and united the offices of priest and general. They were elected for life. After a long struggle with Rome the Etruscan power was com- pletely broken by the Romans in a series of victories, from the fall of Veil in 396 B. C. to the battle at the Vadimonian Lake (283 B. c). The Etruscans had attained a high state of civilization. They carried on a flourishing commerce, and at one time were powerful at sea. They were less warlike than most of the nations around them, and had the custom of hiring mer- cenaries for their armies. Of the Etrus- can language little is known, though more than 3,000 inscriptions have been preserved. It was written in characters essentially the same as the ancient Greek. The Etruscans were specially distin- guished by their religious institutions and ceremonies. Their gods were of two orders, the first nameless, mysterious deities, exercising a controlling influence in the background on the lower order of gods, who manage the affairs of the world. At the head of these is a deity resembling the Roman Jupiter (in Etrus- can Tinia). But it is characteristic of the Etruscan religion that there is also a Vejovis or evil Jupiter. The Etruscan name of Venus was Turan, of Vulcan Sethlaus, of Bacchus Phuphlans, of Mer- cury Turms. Etruscan art was in the main bor- rowed from Greece. For articles in terra cotta, a material which they used mainly for ornamental tiles, sarcophagi, and statues, the Etruscans were especially celebrated. In the manufacture of pot- tery, they had made great advances; but the most of the painted vases popularly known as Etruscan are undoubtedly pro- ductions of Greek workmen. The skiTl of the Etruscans in works of metal is at- tested by ancient writers, and also by numerous extant specimens, such as necklaces, ear-rings, bracelets, etc. The