APPLES, PEACHES, BLACKBERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES.
[1.] “Méringue,” mā-răngˈ.
CHEMISTRY.
[1.] “Galileo,” găl-i-leeˈo. (1564-1642.) An illustrious astronomer, mathematician and philosopher, the creator of experimental science. He made a number of important discoveries in the science of astronomy, among which were Jupiter’s satellites, Saturn’s rings, the sun’s spots, and the starry nature of the milky way. He was a strong advocate of the Copernican system—which represents the sun to be at rest in the center and the earth and other planets to move round it—and for this was twice persecuted by the Inquisition. On both occasions he was publicly compelled to abjure the system, but the last time he is said to have stamped his foot while muttering to himself, “but nevertheless it does move.” The later years of his life were spent in his country house near Florence.
[2.] “Torricelli,” tor-ri-celˈli. (1608-1647.) A celebrated Italian mathematician and philosopher. He made himself renowned for all time by his interpretation of the fact that water will rise in a suction pump to a height of thirty-two feet, which, up to his time, had been explained on the ground that “nature abhors a vacuum;” above that limit the law was modified. Torricelli employed mercury to perform this experiment, and soon found the clue to the mystery. He discovered that the column of fluid was sustained by the pressure of the atmosphere on the open surface of the fluid.
[3.] “Blaise Pascal.” (1623-1662) A distinguished French philosopher and scholar. In his sixteenth year he produced a treaty on conic sections; in his nineteenth year he invented a calculating machine. Turning his attention to the theory of fluids which Torricelli had advanced, he wrote two essays which established his reputation as an experimental physicist. He was the author of the magnificent but unfinished “Pensées.” He was of a deeply religious turn, and before his death was entirely given up to prayer and practices of mortification, among which may be mentioned that of wearing an iron girdle studded with sharp points which he forced into his flesh whenever he felt himself assailed by sinful thoughts. “Puy de Dome,” pwī deh dōm.
[4.] “Tarpeia,” tar-peˈya. The daughter of Tarpeius, the governor of the citadel of Rome. She promised to open the gates of the city to the Sabines if they would give her what they carried on their left hands, meaning their gold bracelets. The king consented, and as he entered the gates, to punish her perfidy he threw not only his bracelet, but his shield upon her. His soldiers followed his example, and she was crushed to death. She was buried in the capitol, which from her has been called the Tarpeian Rock.
[5.] “Haliotis,” hal-i-ōˈtis. A genus of gasteropods with a shell resembling the human ear. The gasteropods are a class of univalve mollusks, like the snail.
[6.] “Skate.” A kind of shark. A name given to several species of fish having a rhomboidal body.