Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 08.djvu/320

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SCENIC 274 SCHAMYL menia"; "The Scholar of Salamanca." His travesty of the iEneid (1648-1653) was in its day regarded as a masterpiece of genuine burlesque humor. He married in 1652, Franchise d'Aubigne, who after- ward, as Mme. de Maintenon, became the wife of Louis XIV. He died in Paris, Oct. 6, 1660. SCENIC AND HISTORIC PRESER- VATION SOCIETY, American, a na- tional organization having for its pur- pose the protection of American scenery. The society was incorporated by the leg- islature of New York in 1895 and since that date has succeeded in safeguarding many valuable landmarks in the United States. Among other things it brought about the purchase of the New York State park at Stony Point as well as of Washington's Headquarters in New York City. It was through the activity of the society that a state reservation was brought into existence at Watkins Glen, and that laws were passed to protect Niagara. It has charge also of land- marks and historic places such as Philipse Manor Hall. SCHAFF (shaf), PHILIP, an Ameri- can clergyman; born in Chur, Switzer- land, Jan. 1, 1819. He studied at Tubin- gen, Halle, and Berlin; lectured in the latter university in 1842-1844, and then went to America, where he was professor in the theological seminary of the Ger- man Reformed Church at Mercersburg, Pa. (1844-1863). In 1864-1869 he was lecturer in several theological institu- tions, and after 1870 was Professor of Sacred Literature in Union Theological Seminary, New York. He was a prolific writer, his works including: "History of the Apostolic Church"; "Life and Labors of St. Augustine"; "Through Bible Lands"; "History of the Christian Church"; "Creeds of Christendom"; "Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge" ( Schaff-Herzog) , etc. He was president of the American Committee on Bible Re- vision in 1871. He died in New York City, Oct. 20, 1893. SCHAFFHATJSEN, capital of the Swiss canton of the same name, on the Rhine, 25 miles N. W. of Constance, and 23 miles from Zurich. It is a place of antiquity, and has a large parish church, an academy, town library, town hall, and market house. The manufactures are machinery, iron and steel products, tex- tiles, yarns, watches, etc. The wine raised in the neighborhood is exported. Two bridges here, thrown across the Rhine, form a channel of communica- tion between this town and the rest of Switzerland. The Falls of Schaffhausen form a cataract of the Rhine, 2 miles from the town, with a descent of about 60 feet. It is one of the most striking waterfalls in Europe. SCHAMYL (I e., Samuel), chief of the Lesghians and leader of the independ- ent tribes in the Caucasus in their 30 years' struggle against Russia; born in Aul-Himry, northern Daghestan in 1797. He became a priest or mollah, and labored with zeal and religious fervor to compose the numerous feuds of the Caucasian tribes and unite them in antagonism to their common enemy, the infidel Russians. He was one of the foremost in the defense of Himry against the Russians in 1831. In the end of 1834 he was elected "imam," or head of the Lesghians, and soon made himself absolute temporal and spiritual chief of the tribes of Daghestan. He at the same time introduced a change of military tactics, abandoning open war- fare for surprises, ambuscades, etc., which brought numerous, and sometimes great, successes to the arms of the moun- taineers. In 1839 the Russians succeeded in hemming Schamyl into Achulgo in Daghestan, took the fortress by storm, and put every one of the defenders to the sword in order to be quite certain that Schamyl should not escape. But by some mysterious means he did escape, and suddenly appeared preaching with more vigor th*»n ever the "holy war against the infidels." Ten years later he again escaped from the same stronghold after the Russians had made themselves masters of it. The Russians were com- pletely baffled, their armies sometimes dis- astrously beaten by their unconquerable foe, though he began to lose ground through the long continuance of the struggle and the exhaustion it naturally brought with it. During the Crimean War he was helped by the allies, who sup- plied him with money and arms ; but after peace was signed the Russians resumed their attacks on the Caucasian tribes with more energy, opened a road over the mountains, thus cutting off one portion of the patriots, and so compelled their submission. On April 12, 1859, Schamyl's chief stronghold, Weden, was taken after a seven weeks' siege, and his authority, except over a small band of personal fol- lowers, was wholly destroyed. For sev- eral months he was hunted from fastness to fastness, till at last (Sept. 6, 1859) he was surprised on the plateau of Gounib, and after a desperate resistance, in which his 400 followers were reduced to 47, he was captured. He was assigned a residence at Kaluga in the middle of Russia, with a pension of $5,000, and he died in Medina, Arabia, in March, 1871, having taken up his residence in Mecca the year previously. In faith he was a Sufi.