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CHAUDIERE

374

CHEMISTRY

tell the best tale was to be treated by the others with a supper at the inn. Chaucer is known as the father of English poetry, and not only is he the first great poet of the race, but, in order of merit, he is among the first of all our poets. Chaucer wrote when the English language and spelling were not yet fixed, and one needs almost to learn a new language to read him, though some of his poems have been published with modern spelling and explanatory notes. Spenser called him "that welle of Englishe undefy led." The poet died about the year 1400, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Chaudiere (sho'dydr'), a Canadian river about 120 miles in length, which flows through the southern portion of the province of Quebec. Its source is in Lake Megantic, near the border of the state of Maine and it joins the St. Lawrence opposite Quebec, or, rather, some seven miles above the historic city. Near its mouth occurs one of the cataracts known as Chaudiere Palls, whose height is about 100 feet. Another cataract of the same name occurs in the Ottawa River, near the Dominion capital.

Chautauqua (shd-ta'kwd), a popular resort on Chautauqua Lake, New York state. Here Lewis Miller founded in 1874 the Chautauqua Assembly to give instruction to Sunday-School teachers, and put of it grew the wider Literary and Scientific Circle, "to direct the reading habits of grown people." It consists of a fou years' course of home reading under the oversight of the Chautauqua officers. There are about two hundred thousand members of the circle, scattered over the world. Dr. John H. Vincent, chancellor, was the best exponent of the spirit of the institution. As expressed by him, the "Chautauqua idea" is "a plea for universal education. He was convinced that "a college is possible in every-day life if one choose to use it."

Checkers or Draughts, a popular game, supposed to have come in early times from Egypt, and played on a board, somewhat after the chess-board pattern, in various ways in many modern countries. The familiar form is that played by two persons, each being given 12 checkers, (one using the white ones and his opponent the black, or vice versa), on a square board, divided into 64 equal squares, alternately black and white, the checkers at the beginning of the game being placed on the three near lines of squares (usually on the black ones). The moves are made diagonally across the board on to an unoccupied square, with the design, at close range of one's adversary, of capturing his men by jumping over the piece and removing it, the moves being made diagonally to a square unoccupied and clear to land on. The jump or move may be continued, if other men on the opponent's side are also exposed to capture, when they are similarly leaped over and removed from the

board, provided that there be again a vacant square to occupy in making the leap. When the opponent's back line of squares is reached and occupied, the player gets his man kinged or crowned, by placing another checker of the same color on top of it. This kinged man is then free to move back and forth on the board, one square at a time (unless checked by the adversary), and is thus in a more favorable position to win the game. For further details see any checker's manual or treatise on games.

Chelsea (chel'se), a western suburb of London, England, on the north side of the Thames. The town has been the home of many famous English characters, Sir Thomas More, Princess Elizabeth, Walpole, Swift, Carlyle, George Eliot and others. It is widely known as the seat of Chelsea Hospital for old and disabled soldiers, whose foundation-stone was laid by Charles II in 1682. About 550 pensioners are housed here, but all of the pensioners of the empire (about 88,000) are called out-pensioners of Chelsea.

Chelsea, a city of Suffolk County, Mass., population, 32,452. Chelsea is a suburb of Boston; it was settled as a part of Boston in 1630, was set off as a town in 1739, and became a city in 1857. It is connected with Boston by railroad, electrics and ferry. This ferry, the Win-nisimmett, is the oldest in the country, dating from 1631. While most of its citizens do business in Boston, manufacturing interests have increased. Tiles, stoves, furnaces, boxes, boots, shoes, brass goods, pottery, rubber goods and hard-wood veneers are among the products. There are excellent schools, church and social organizations and a public library. A United States naval hospital faces the Mystic River, which separates Chelsea and Charles town. In area the city is very compact, comprising little more than two square miles. In 1908 it was almost completely destroyed by fire.

Cheltenham (chelt'nam), a fashionable watering place in Gloucestershire, England. Its popularity came first from the benefit George III got by drinking its salt-spring waters. There are several colleges and fine buildings, and the absence of manufactures makes it a pleasant place to live in. Population 50,842.

Chemistry. The science of chemistry deals with the nature and composition of substances and with a certain class of changes which substances undergo. Chemical changes produce substances which are permanently different from the things from which they are formed. They take place when anything burns, ferments, decays or rusts; when substances combine to form new substances or when they are divided into other things; also when substances exchange some of their constituents. Examples of chemical chants are the explosion of gunpowder, where tne