Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/72

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GORGEY. 50 GORHAM CONTROVERSY. leased on parole. In 1S52 lie published at Leip- zig MeiiL Lchcn und ll'i'r/iTH in Uitt/iirit in den Jahren JS'/S iind IS'j!). a translation of which. My Life and Actf: in Hunyunj, IS-'iS-'i'J, appeared in New York the same year. This was really a reply to the charge of treason to the Hungarian canse. He returned to Hungary in 1808. GOR'GIAS (Lat.. from Gk. Fopj/of), (fifth to fourth century B.C. ) . A celebrated Greek rhet- orician. He was born at Leontini in Sicily, but spent most of his life in Greece, residing for the most part at Athens and at Larissa in Thessaly. The arrival of Gorgias at Athens as an ambas- sador from his native State, in B.C. 427, was fraught with important consequences for the literaiy life of Athens, for in him the Athenians first saw an exponent of the art of rhetoric as it had been developed in Sicily. The success of Gorgias was immediate. The Athenians thronged to hear his speeches, and it is not too much to say that the great development of oratory at Athens during the fourth century was due pri- marily to this Sicilian orator. Xumerous teach- ers of rhetoric, the Sophists (q.v. ). sprang up, against whose doctrine of 'form, rather than sub- stance,' Socrates and Plato directed their teach- ing. In the Gorgias of Plato, we have an ideal dialogue between the Sicilian orator and Socra- tes. None of the speeches of Gorgias have come do^ i to us, two orations, the I'alamedes (IlaXa- fi-Z/S-Qs) and the Encomium on Helen ('EX^njs 4yK(ifiioii) , which have been handed down under his name, .aVe probalily not genuine. Consult Elass, Die altische Bercdsamlceit, vol. i. (Leipzig, 1887). GORGIBTJS, gor'zhe'bns'. (1) The Ion bour- geois, father and uncle of the two silly young bluestockings whose affectations and gullibility form the plot of ilolifere's P)-ecieuscs ridicules. (2) The obstinate father of Celie in Molifere's Sganarelle. GOR'GO, or GORGON (Gk. Vopyu, Gorgo, Topyov)}^ Gorgone, Topyac, Gorgas. from yopyoc, gorgos, grim). A sister of the Gr*a; (q-v. ) and the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Evidences are conflicting. In Homer, Odysseus fears that Persephone may send forth against him the Gor- gon's head, which is therefore regarded as be- longing to the Lower World. The later legend knows Gorgo as a terrible female monster, with hideous face, hair of bronze or intertwined with serpents, mighty wings, and clad in black. Gor- go or Jledusa is mortal, but her two sisters, Sffexci, 'the Str'ong.' and EvpviXrj, 'the Far- Leaper.' are immortal. Medusa is the most ter- rible, and one glance from her eyes will turn any human being to stone. Though hated of the other gods. Poseidon loved her. These Gor- gons lived in the far west, near the garden of the gods, and the realm of the dead. Medusa was beheaded by Perseus (q.v.), and from her trunk sprang the fruit of Poseidon's love. Chry- saor, of the golden sword, and the winged horse, Pegasus. The head, with its petrifying power, was used by Perseus against his enemies, and later taken by Athena and placed upon her segis (q.v.). Attic legend knew of but one Gorgon, produced by Gsea to aid the giants against the gods, and slain by Athena, while the later poets explained Poseidon's love by telling of the maiden Medusa, who won the love of the god, but in- spired the jealousy of Athena, who transformed her into the hideous monster and guided Perseus to her destruction. Koscher has made it very probable that the Gorgons are a personification of destructive and terrifying thunder-storms, which come with speed from the western ocean. Hence, the golden sword of the lightning, and the bearer of thunderbolts, Pegasus, spring from her dead body. Hence, too, the appearance of the Gorgoneion on the (egis of Zeus and Athena, who are armed with the thunderbolt. The head of the Gorgo was used by the Greeks for apotropseic purposes — that is, to ward off the evil eye or other evil influences. In Greek art the Gorgo- neion does not appear nmch before the seventh century B.C. Its earliest form is certainly the hideous mask, with round face, snaky hair, huge staring eyes, and wide mouth, with projecting tongue and tusk-like teeth, which was used to keep oil the evil spirits, and from which the later figui-e of the Gorgon develops. There was a later conception of the Gorgon as beautiful, best seen in the "Medusa Rondanini" at Munich. Consult: Roscher. Die Gorgoncn und Verwandtes (Leipzig, 1800) : Six, Dc Gorgone (Amsterdam, 1880), es- pecially for the coin-types. Especially good is the article by Eoscher and Furtwjingler in Eosch- er's Lexikon der griechischen und riimischen Mijtliologie (Leipzig, 1886-90) ; Glotz, in Darem- berg and Saglio, Dictionnaire des antiquitcs I Paris, isnm. GORGO'NIA'CEA (Xeo-Lat., from Gorgonia, from Lat. gorgonius, relating to the Gorgon, from Gorgo, Gorgon; so called from hardening in the air). An order of aloyon.arian corals (Octocoral- la ) , in which the colony has .a branching or fan- shaped structure. See Sea-Fan; and Plate with COKAL. GOR'GONZO'LA. A tovn in North Italy, n miles northeast of Jlihin, famous for its cheese. Population of commune, in 1881, 4711; in 1901, 480.5. GOR'HAM, George Cornelius (1787-1857). An English theologian, who became known as the principal figure in the 'Gorham case.' He was born at Saint Neots, Huntingdonshire, was edu- cated at Queen's College, Cambridge, received the degree of B.A. in 1808, was elected a fellow of his college in 1810, and held that appointment until 1827. Even before his ordination (1811) there, his views on baptism had caused comment, and particularly his contention that by baptism in- fants do not become members of Christ and the children of God : but the discussion did not be- come crucial until the question of his appoint- ment to the vicarage of Brampford Speke came up before Dr. Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter. (See Gorham Controversy.) Gorham obtained his vicarage in 1851. He wa.s an antiquary of some reputation, and the author of a number of pamphlets. GORHAM CONTROVERSY. A theological controversy within the Churcli of England as to the teaching of this Church with reference to the sacramental grace of baptism. The occasion was a suit by the Rev. George C. Gorham against the Bishop of Exeter for induction into the vicarage of Brampford Speke. in spite of his denial of baptismal regeneration. The Arches Court of Canterbury decided in 1845 against Mr. Gorham, m.aintaining that baptismal regeneration is the doctrine of the Church of England, while on ap- peal the Judicial Committee of the Priy Council