As a disciple of the great evolutionist of the age, he wrote a sympathetic Life of Darwin for the series of "English Worthies."
Al'len, Ethan (born 1737, died 1789), a brigadier-general, in the American revolutionary army In 1775, after the battle of Lexington, he gathered a small company of his "Green Mountain Boys" and marched against the fortresses of Ticonderoga and Crown Point.
Landing with 93 men, just before daybreak, he surprised the fort, getting inside and forming his men on the parade ground where they awoke the sleeping garrison with a shout of victory. The British commander rushed out in his nightclothes and asked: " What does this mean?" He was ordered to surrender. "In whose name?" he asked. "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress," replied Allen, and the fort was surrendered. In the attempt to take Montreal, at the head of a small body of troops, he was captured after a sharp engagement and sent to England. After his release and return to America, he was appointed commander of the Vermont state militia.
Allen, James Lane, American litterateur and novelist, hails from the Blue Grass region of Kentucky, having been born near Lexington, Ky., in 1849. After graduating at Transylvania University, he taught Latin and the higher English branches at Bethany College, West Virginia, though, since 1885, he has devoted himself entirely to literature. He is a delightful and realistic writer, and in all his books he shows himself to be an ardent lover of nature. His early work consisted of sketches and studies, dealing thoughtfully and freshly with Kentucky life, contributed to Harper's Magazine and The Century. His novels, most of which have an historic background in his loved Kentucky state, include A Kentucky Cardinal, The Choir Invisible, Two Gentlemen of Kentucky, Aftermath, Flute and Violin and The Reign of Law.
Allentown, Pa., the county seat of Lehigh County, was incorporated as a borough in 1826. It is situated at the junction of the Big and Little Lehigh Rivers. It has excellent natural drainage and is located in a rich agricultural district. It originally was known as Northampton. It was named Allentown in honor of James Allen, who at one time owned the greater part of the land on which it is built. There are several beautiful springs near Allentown, which are Justly admired by all who have seen them.
Allentown has excellent railroad facilities, and its trolley lines, radiating in every direction, make it easy of approach from all sides. Its proximity to the cement and slate regions of the county furnishes employment to many of its people. Owing to the depreciation of blast furnaces in the east, these have been supplanted by the wire mill, furniture and shoe factories, silk and jute mills and other industries. It has a school population of over 5,000, and is also the seat of Muklenburg College and the Allentown College for Women. It has a population (1910) of 51,913.
Alliance, a city of Stark County, Ohio, situated on the Mahoning River, 56 miles from Cleveland. It is in a fine agricultural region and has importance as a manufacturing city. Among its products are agricultural implements, terra-cotta ware, white lead; and its steel works manufacture boilers, cranes, steam hammers, drop forgings and structural iron. Alliance was incorporated as a city in 1854, and its most important school, Mount Union College, was established in 1850, when the settlement was called Freedom. It has the service of several railroads, and the population is 15,083.
Alligator, a large reptile found in the rivers and swamps of the southern United States, and also in South America. It is closely related to the crocodile of the Eastern Hemisphere, and is commonly confused with it, but differs in having a broader head, a blunter snout, more teeth and other small peculiarities. The adults rarely attain 12 feet in length. Its back and sides are covered with very hard plates, but it is easily wounded in the belly. Its natural food is fish, muskrats, etc., and it is extremely fond of dog-meat. The female alligator lays from 50 to 60 eggs and buries them in sand, where the heat of the sun hatches them. As soon as hatched the young seek the water. Many doubtful stories are in circulation regarding the habits of both adults and the young.
Al' lison, William B., an American statesman, was born in Ohio in 1829.
He went to Iowa and was on the governor's staff, helping to enlist volunteers at the outbreak of the war. He was elected to Congress in 1862 and served four terms in the house. In 1873 he was made United States senator, and was re-elected in 1878, 1884, 1890, 1896, 1902 and 1908. He died Aug. 4,1908.
