LACROIX. proscribed literature, and Bougeart's Marat brought him one month's imprisonment, while Proifdbonn's Eiangiles caused his confinement for a year (ISGU). He rendered important ser'ice to French-speaking Europeans bj- his editions of Gervinus, Mommsen, Grote, Prescott, Bancroft, Washington Ir-ing, and others, while with Jot- trand he translated Motlej-'s Rise of the Dutch LACROIX, JruEs (1809-87). A French au- thor and dramatist, brother of Paul Laci-oix, born in Paris. He wrote a number of novels, in- cluding Fleur a vendre (1835), and Vn grand d'EaiKiijnc (1845); Perienches (1834), sonnets; translations of Juvenal and Horace; and plays, which include Le testament de Cesar (1849); Valeria (1851), with Maquet; La Fronde (1855). an opera with Maquet. music by Xieder- mayer; Macbeth (1863) and A'inj /.ear (1888), translations; La jeunesse de Louis XI. (1859); and (Edipe roi (1858), translated from Sopho- cles, which was c^o^vned by the Academy, and still keeps its place on the French stage. LACROIX, Pal-l (1806-84). A French au- thor, known by his nom-de-plume, "Bibliophile Jacob.' He was born in Paris, was educated there in the Bourbon College, and at the age of eighteen brought out an edition of Clement Marot's (Euvres completes, in three volumes. This was the beginning of his tremendous lit- erary activity, exhibited in the improvement of public libraries, the making of catalogues, and the production of such works as: Cos- tumes historiques de la France (10 vols., 1852) ; Les arts au moyen age et a VC-poque de la renaissance (1868); Mo!urs, usages et cos- tumes au moyen age (1871) ; and La vie milt- taire et la vie religieuse au moyen age (1872). In 18.54 he became editor of the Kevue Unirer- .lelle des .1 rts. and the following year was made also curator of the Arsenal Library. Famous as an historiial romancer and specialist in the lore of the Middle Ages. Lacroix was likewise a noted translator, bibliographer, editor, and col- laborator »vith Henri Martin in the history of France and his Histoire de ffoissons (1837-38), and with Ferdinand Sere in Le moyen age et la renaissance (1847-52). An edition of his essays was published in 1867, in three volumes, called respeotivply Enigmes et drcouvertes. Melanges, and Disarrtations bibliographiques. LACROIX, Sylvestbe Frax<^ois (1765- 1843). . French mathematician, born in Paris. .t the age of sixteen he was teacher of mathe- matics at the naval school at Rochefort ; he was afterwards teacher in the military school at Paris (1787). professor in the artillery school at Bcsancon (1788), and examiner of the artil- lery ollicers (1793). He was made adjunct pro- fessor of descriptive geometry in the Jcole S'or- male in 1794, and later became professor of mathematics at the Ecole Centrale des Quatre- Xations. He held the chair of analysis in the Polytechnic School (1799). going from there to the Sorbonne and the College de France (1815). He was not a discoverer, but he composed some excellent text-books. His chief works are: Traits du ralcul diffdrentiel et du calcul integral (2 vols., 1797 : 7th ed. 18G7 : German ed.. 3 vols.. 18.30-31 ) ; Traits des differences et des sMes (3 vols.. 1800; 2d ed. 1810-19) ; Essais sur I'enseignement en gin^ral et sur math^matiques en parlieulier (2d 677 LACROSSE. ed. 1816) ; Traite elementaire du calcul des probabilites (1816; 4th ed. 1864; German ed. 1818) ; Cours des mathemat iquea (9 vols., 1797- 1816). LA CROSSE, la kros'. A city and the county- seat of La Crosse County, Wis., 200 miles west by north of Milwaukee ; at the confluence of the La Crosse and Black rivers with the Mississippi, and on the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul, the Chicago and Xorthwestem, the Chicago. Bur- lington and Quincy, and the Green Bay, Winona and Saint Paul railroads (Map: Wisconsin, Bo). It is near extensive forests of pine and hard-wood timber; has a large wholesale trade, being the market for a vast section of the Xorthwest; and is noted for its manufactures,, which include lumber, sash, doors and blinds, boots and shoes, plows and other agricultural implements, boilers and heavy machinery, car- riages, rubber goods, crackers, knit goods, flour, wooleu goods, tanned leather, beer and ale, coop- erage products, and cigars. The lumber mills have a capacity of over 1.000.000 feet per day. The city ships also considerable quantities of seeds. La Crosse has a public library with over 20,000 volumes, a fine city luill. court-house, post- office, county jail, opera houses, wagon bridge across the ilississippi River, and Lake and Petti- bone parks, the latter on an island in the Mis- sissippi River. First permanently settled in 1841, La Crosse was incorporated as a city in 1856, its present government being administered, under a revised charter of 1891, by a mayor, elected everj' two years, and a unicameral coun- cil, which elects the health officer, board of edu- cation, weighmaster. city attorney, and asses- sors. Other officials are chosen by popular elec- tion. The citv owns and operates its water- works. Population, in 1890, 25,090; in 1900, 28.895. LACROSSE. An American outdoor game played with a small ball and a hooked stick fitted with a loose net. It undoubtedly originat- ed among the Xorth American Indians, and was widely played by them. It was frequently of a ceremonial nature, in the preparation of the young men of a tribe for the war-path. The gen- eral character of the game was the same among all the tribes, with various minor differences, especially in the size .and shape of the stick, or crosse. The original ball was of hide stuffed with hair, of bark, or of the knot of a tree. The goals were often any convenient rocks or trees; but at grand matches a single pole or two-pole goal was used, situated from 500 yards t« half a mile or more apart, the ball to pass the line, strike the pole, or pass between two poles, according to local custom. The Chocta«-s (according to Catlin) used two poles 25 feet high and 6 feet apart, with a cross-bar. sugges- tive of the football goal. Games lasted for hours. The players, who were put through a long course of training, were as a rule almost nude, and often decorated with paint and feath- ers, old medicine men usually acting as umpires. Catlin saw the game played by from 600 to 1000 at a time, and described the Olympic beauty of the contest as beyond all praise. The night before an important game a ceremonial dance occurred. MonERX Lacrosse. The name lacrosse was given to the game by the French explorers, from
