Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/20

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HERZL
4
HESSE

extended full sovereignty over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Powers were forced to acquiesce in the repudiation of the Berlin treaty, Serbia protesting. With the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire following the European War of 1914-1918, Herzegovina, by the Peace Treaty of 1919, becomes a province of Jugoslavia.

HERZL, THEODOR, founder of the Zionist movement, born in Budapest in 1860. He studied law, engaged in literary work and was literary editor of the Vienna "Neue Freie Presse." In 1896 he published "Der Judenstaat," which advocated the establishment of a self-governing Jewish state in Palestine. He soon became the leader of the Zionist movement which was heartily supported throughout the world. Until his death in 1904 he devoted his time and energy in furthering this movement which became a reality in 1920.

HESHBON, a celebrated city of the Amorites, 20 miles E. of the mouth of the Jordan (Josh. ix:10; xiii:17). Its ruins are now called Hesban, and cover the sides of a hill 7 miles N. of Medeba.

HESIOD (hē'si-od), one of the earliest Greek poets; born in Ascra, Boeotia, and usually supposed to have lived in the 8th century B. C. A family dispute drove him from Ascra, and he settled at Orchomenos. The works attributed to him are the poems entitled, "Works and Days," "Theogony," "Shield of Hercules," and the lost "Catalogue of Women." "Theogony" is an attempt to present a systematic view of the origin and powers of the gods, and of the order of nature. It is of great importance for the history of the religion of the Greeks.

HESPERETIC ACID, in chemistry, C10H10O4, obtained by the action of alkalis on hesperidin. It melts at 225°. Fused with caustic potash, it is decomposed into acetic and protocatechuic acids, hydrogen being liberated.

HESPERETIN (-per'e-tin) , in chemistry, C6H5O2 C10H9O3. It is obtained along with glucose by the action of dilute acids on hesperidin. It is recrystallized from ether; the crystals are white, and melt at 223°. Hesperetin is really insoluble in alcohol. Heated to 100° with caustic potash, it yields hesperetic acid and phloro-glucin.

HESPERIA (-pe'ri-iä), in astronomy, an asteroid, the 69th found; discovered by Schiaparelli, April 29, 1861. In entomology, the typical genus of the family Hesperidæ. The species fly with extreme rapidity.

HESPERIDES (-per'i-dēz), in Greek mythology the name of the famous sisters (Ægle, Erythia, Hestia, Arethusa) who, assisted by the dragon Ladon, guarded the golden apples which Hera had received, on her marriage with Zeus, from Ge. With the assistance of Atlas the apples were stolen by Hercules, who killed the dragon.

HESPERIDIN, or HESPERIDINE, In chemistry, C22H26O12, a glucoside extracted from dry, unripe bitter oranges.

HESPERUS (hes'pe-rus), the Greek name for Venus as the evening star. Hence the Alexandrian grammarians called Italy, and sometimes all western Europe, Hesperia, "The Western land."

HESSE (hes), or HESSEN (hes'sen), anciently a territory of Germany ; mainly between the Neckar, Rhine, Main, Lahn, and Fulda rivers. After various fortunes it was ruled by the landgrave Philip I., who succeeded in 1509, and at his death in 1567 divided his dominions among his four sons. The death of two of these, however, reunited the territories in part, so that there remained only the two main divisions of Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Darmstadt, the latter now known simply as Hesse.

HESSE, or HESSEN, GRAND DUCHY OF, formerly known as Hessen-Darmstadt, an independent state of south Germany, consisting of sundry distinct portions; area, 2,966 square miles; pop. about 1,350,000. Of the two main portions, one (forming the provinces of Rheinhessen on the left, and Starkenburg on the right bank of the Rhine) lies immediately to the N. of Baden, the other, Oberhessen (Upper Hesse), is entirely inclosed by the Prussian province of Hessen-Nassau. Much of the soil, particularly in the provinces of Starkenburg and Rheinhessen, is remarkably fertile. The vine forms a most important object of culture, and fruit is very abundant. Principal towns, Darmstadt, the capital (pop. about 88,000) ; Mainz, Giessen, Bingen, and Worms. About two-thirds of the inhabitants are Protestants.
The grand-duchy of Hesse originated in the division of the landgraviate of Hesse in 1567 (see Hesse). In 1806 the landgraviate was erected by Napoleon into a grand-duchy with an enlarged territory. It was reduced to its present limits in 1866, as the result of the Austro-Prussian War in which Hessen was on the side of Austria. In 1871 Hessen became part of the German Empire. In the fall of 1918 the then reigning grand-duke, Ernst Ludwig, was