held in 1908, and in this connection there was consummated a movement to make the Plains of Abraham a National Park, and erect in its center a monument to Peace.
The federal government of Canada and the governments of the various provinces as well joined in aid of this celebration which proved to be one of the most imposing ever held in Canada. The presence of the Prince of Wales, who came to Canada specially to take part in it, added to the enthusiasm of the occasion.
Abruzzi (ȧ-brōōt′sē) Duke of, known also as Prince Amadeo of Savoy, a member of the royal house of Italy and a distinguished explorer, aeronaut, sportsman and scientist, son of ex-King Amadeus of Spain, was born in 1873 in Madrid and educated in part at the Naval College in Leghorn. As a youth he travelled round the world, and in 1896 successfully ascended Mount St. Elias, in Alaska, whose ice-covered peak is over 18,000 feet in height. In 1899 the Duke set out from Christiania on an Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare, and wintered in Teplitz Bay, 81° 47′ N. There he organized a sledge party, to proceed toward the North Pole, but an accident to his ship prevented the Duke from accompanying it. It was, however, manned under the command of his chief officer, Captain Cagni, the expedition reaching the most northerly point attained up to that date, viz.: 86° 34′ N., or within 236 statute miles of the Pole. The narrative of the expedition is told in the Duke of Abruzzi’s book, On the Polar Star in the Arctic Sea, published in 1903. The Duke’s achievement beat that of Nansen in The Fram, in years 1893–94, the Norwegian explorer having in his sledge journey only reached 86° 4′ N., 96° E.
Ab′salom, the third son of King David, was noted for his personal beauty and winning manners. By these qualities he seduced the people into rebellion against his father. He was defeated in battle, caught by his beautiful hair in the branches of an oak as he fled, and slain by Joab against the orders of his father, who mourned his death in a most touching lament.
Absinthe (ăb-sinth′), a popular French liquor, agreeable to the taste, but one of the most dangerous stimulants ever manufactured. It is made from oil of wormwood and alcohol, with the addition of several volatile oils.
Absorp′tion (in plants), the method by which almost all plants take materials from the outside into their bodies. Plants absorb water and a great variety of substances soluble in water. Because the protoplasm of plant cells forms about each a continuous covering, the cell wall having no visible openings, and because both cell wall and protoplasm hold among their particles large amounts (50–98 per cent) of water, all substances, whether solid or gaseous, must be dissolved in water before they can enter the plant. When so dissolved the particles are free to move through the water, and tend to distribute themselves uniformly. As the water outside is continuous with that forming part of the body, the particles may migrate into the plant almost as readily as in other directions. They will enter it if of suitable size, and if the water inside contains less of that substance than the water outside. The movement of each sort of material is independent, and a substance will continue to enter until it becomes equally distributed. If it is being used or stored, it may be absorbed in large amounts. Similarly water moves from the places where there are fewest particles of all the dissolved substances, i.e., where there is most water, toward the places where there is relatively less water. As water is constantly evaporating from land plants large quantities of water must be absorbed to balance this loss. The absorption of all substances is subject to regulation by the living protoplasm. Not all substances soluble in water are permitted to enter, nor at all times.
Abstinence. See Total Abstinence.
Abt (äpt), Franz, born at Eilenburg, in Saxony, Dec. 22, 1819, As his father, who was a clergyman, designed to educate him for his own profession he was placed in the St. Thomas school and in the University of Leipsic, where he had the advantage of good training in music as well as in the usual academic branches. He finally relinquished his theological studies for the more congenial musical studies. In 1841 he obtained the position of capellmeister at Zurich, and eleven years later obtained the same position at Brunswick. His death occurred at Wiesbaden, March 31, 1885.
Abt is best known as a composer of part-songs for men’s voices. His early residence at Zurich, where he conducted male singing societies, developed a facility in this class of composition that resulted in his great popularity. His songs for a single voice have had wide acceptance, notably the one entitled “When the Swallows Homeward Fly.” Besides songs he has written pieces for the pianoforte, which are regarded as inferior to his vocal compositions. In all, his works embrace more than four hundred numbers, none of which, however, entitles him to rank with the great German composers.
Aby′dos (ab-ī′dos), an ancient city of Asia Minor, celebrated as the place where Xerxes crossed the Hellespont in his invasion of Greece, in 480 B. C. When his bridge of boats, nearly a mile in length, was swept away by a storm he punished the sea by inflicting three hundred lashes and casting chains into its waves. When the
