also conducted the famous 'Winter Concerts,' and after 1890 was conductor of the Stern Choral Society in Berlin, one of the most prominent singing societies of Germany. His compositions include symphonies, overtures, choral works, and a great variety of chamber music. GERO, gă'rô. A German hero in the Nibelungenlied. He is an historic character who, as Margrave of the Ostmark, in 939, conquered all the Slavic tribes between the Elbe and the Oder, and died in 965. Of his later pictures the most important are: "Eminence Grise" (1876); "Rex Tibicen," "Frederick the Great Before the Bust of Voltaire" (1876); "Saint Jerome" (1878); "Slave Market in Rome" (1884); "Great Bath at Brusa" (1885). At the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1878, Gérôme made his début as a sculptor of the first rank. He reproduced in bronze, and larger than life, the central group of the "Pollice Verso," a gladiator standing over his conquered GEROK, gaʼrok, KARL' (1815-90). A German antagonist, and awaiting the signal of the Vestal preacher and religious poet. He was born at Virgins, the thumb turned down, which was, acVaihingen, Württemberg, January 30, 1815, stud-cording to a supposition now superseded, the The best of Gérôme's ied at Tübingen, became chief Court preacher in death-sign in the arena. Stuttgart, 1868, and died there January 14, 1890. later work is in sculpture. The most characterHis sermons, and particularly his religious poistic is a series of bronze equestrian statuettes, etry, were much admired. The chief collection among which are "The Entry of Bonaparte Into of the latter was entitled Palmblätter (1857), Cairo," "Frederick the Great," and "Tamerlane." Consult: Claretie, Peintres et sculpteurs conEnglish translation by Brown (London, 1869). temporains (Paris, 1884); Cook, Art and Artists of Our Time, vol. i. (New York, 1888); Low, "Gérôme,” in Van Dyke, Modern French Masters (ib., 1896). GÉRÔME, zhâ'rôm', JEAN-LÉON (1824-1904). A French painter and sculptor, one of the most eminent artists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was born May 11, 1824, at Vesoul, Haute-Saône, France. His father, a goldsmith, encouraged the artistic tendencies of his sen. Léon's copy of a picture by Decamps was seen by a friend of Delaroche, which led to Gérôme's entering the atelier of that master in Paris, at the age of fifteen. Three years later he went with Delaroche to Rome. With the exception of a few months with Gleyre, all Gérôme's early training was received from Delaroche. He assisted Delaroche on his picture of "The Passage of the Alps by Charlemagne," now in the Versailles Museum. In 1847 Gérôme was unsuccessful in the competition for the Prix de Rome, but the picture, a "Greek Cockfight," now in the Luxembourg, which he exhibited at the Salon of that year, was the sensation of the day. This picture was followed by the "Anacreon, Bacchus, and Cupid" (1848), now in the Museum of Toulouse. In 1848 he won the second-class medal at the Salon. In 1850 he exhibited the "Greek Interior," and in 1855 the "Age of Augustus," an immense picture now in the Museum of Amiens. All the most splendid qualities of the art of Gérôme appear in the great picture of "Morituri te Salutant" (the "Gladiators Before Cæsar"), which was exhibited in 1859. In 1854 Gérôme visited the Danube provinces, and in 1857 Egypt, stopping at Constantinople on the way. He was made professor of painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1865, and won a medal of honor at the University Exposition of 1867. He was made chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1855, officer in 1867, and afterwards commander. Gérôme painted an enormous number of pictures, which are largely held in the museums of France. A partial list only can be given. He exhibited the "Phryne Before the Tribunal" in 1861; "The Two Augurs" and the portrait of Rachel in 1861; the "Cleopatra and Cæsar" in 1866; the "Slave Market" and the "Death of Cæsar" in 1867; and the "Promenade in the Harem" in 1869. He painted the "Plague at Marseilles" as a decoration in one of the chapels of the Church of Saint-Sévérin in Paris. Gérôme, exhibited his great picture "Pollice Verso," companion to the "Gladiators Before Cæsar," in 1873. These two pictures were considered by the painter himself his best works. GERONA, Hâ-ro'nå. The capital of the province of the same name, Spain, 52 miles northeast of Barcelona, situated on both sides of the river Oñar, near its confluence with the Ter (Map: Spain, G 2). Built at the foot and on the slope of two hills, the fortified Monjuich commanding the city, it comprises two parts, the city proper with the narrow, dingy streets of a mediæval town, which nevertheless has the finest architectural features, and the suburb, El Mercadel, presenting a modern appearance. The rivers Güell and Galligans empty into the Oñar, the former just north of the city, while the latter flows through it, and many of the houses are built directly on the river's brink-a circumstance that has caused the floods, particularly those of 1762 and 1829, to be extremely disastrous. Gerona still retains part of its old walls, and has plazas and promenades; but its chief attractions are in its churches. The noble Gothic cathedral stands on the site of an earlier church dedicated in 1038, the modern edifice having been begun in 1416; the nave, 73 feet in width, is one of the Also notewidest Gothic vaults in the world. worthy are the churches of San Felix and San Pedro. There are a large poor-house, a hospital in connection with which is an insane asylum, and two public libraries, the provincial library having over 13,000 volumes. The citadel serves as a State prison. The manufactures of the city, which comprise paper, textiles, cork, etc., are increasing in importance; and in the vicinity coal, iron, copper, and lead are mined. There are also mineral springs. Population, in 1900, 15,668. Gerona, the ancient Gerunda, is one of the oldest cities of Spain, its origin being ascribed to the tenth century B.C., though it appears first in history during the Punic Wars. In the Middle Ages it was known also as Gironda. The town submitted to the Moors in 717 and in 797 came finally into the possession of the Frankish borderers, who for a time ruled it in the name of their kings. Subsequently it passed into the possession of the counts of Barcelona. It was erected into a dukedom about the middle of the fourteenth century, and in 1414 into a principality for the eldest son of the King of Aragon. Gerona played a part in the War of the Spanish GERONA. Succession, suffering severely with the rest of Catalonia. It became celebrated for the stubborn fighting qualities of its inhabitants. Its crowning exploit was achieved in 1809 in the Spanish War of Liberation, when it held out from June 8th to December 10th against the French, who had invested it in the preceding year, yielding only when its citizens succumbed to famine and disease. The French loss during the siege was estimated at 15,000. GERON'IMO. A chief of the Chiricahua tribe of Apache Indians in North America. During 1884-85 Geronimo had surrounded himself by a band of hostile Indians, who terrorized a great part of New Mexico and Arizona. Against them, early in 1886, General Sheridan sent Gen. George Crook, who had already won considerable renown In March a truce was as an Indian fighter. made, followed by a conference between Crook and Geronimo, at which terms of surrender were agreed upon. Before they could be carried out, however, the Indians escaped to the mountains, and General Crook was superseded in command by Gen. Nelson A. Miles. General Miles immediately began an active campaign against the Indians. He followed them into the mountains, and gave them no rest, until at length Geronimo was glad to make peace, and to accept the terms offered by General Miles, which provided for the deportation of Geronimo and his leading followers to Fort Pickens, Fla., and their personal detention there. In French classical GÉRONTE, zhâ'rônt'. comedy, a type of the old man, originally simply a father, without comic features. The character appears especially in Corneille's Le menteur, in Molière's Le médecin malgré lui and Les four beries de Scapin, and in Regnard's Le joueur, Le retour imprévu, and Le légataire universel. In the Menteur the character has dignity and restrained emotion. In the Médecin malgré lui and the Fourberics he has become purely a grotesque dupe, miserly, obstinate, and credulous, and an easy prey for his rascally valet. GERRARD, je-rärd'. (1) The name of the 'King of Beggars' in Beaumont and Fletcher's Beggar's Bush, which he temporarily exchanges (2) The youthful infor the alias of Clause. triguer in Wycherley's Gentleman Dancing-Master, who conducts a flirtation by assuming the disguise of a dancing-master. GERRESHEIM, ger'ès-him. A town in the Rhine Province, Prussia, 4 miles west of Düsseldorf. It is an industrial centre of growing importance, with extensive glass-factories and other manufacturing establishments. Its Romanesque parish church dates from the thirteenth century. Population, in 1900, 11,541. An GERRY, ger'ri, ELBRIDGE (1744-1814). 653 He but apparently with little justice, of supporting, to Massachusetts he was elected a member of In 1783 he resumed his seat in the Continental Congress, which he retained for three years, durtee appointed, in 1783, to consider the definitive ing which time he was a member of the committreaty of peace, was chairman of each of two committees appointed to choose a suitable location for a national capital, and again took a pro.niHe was also conspicuous in ent part in the initiation and discussion of financial measures. 1784 as an opponent of the Society of the Cincinnati. He again became a member of the Lower an appointment to the Annapolis Convention House of the State Legislature in 1785; declined (q.v.) in 1786; and in 1787 was sent as one of the Massachusetts delegates to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia, where he was prominent as an opponent of the Constitution as finally adopted, refusing, along with Randolph and Mason, to aflix his signature. His chief objections, as stated by himself, were, "that there is no adequate provision for a representation of the people; that they have no security for the right of election; that some of the powers of the Legislature are ambiguous and others indefinite and dangerous; that the Executive is blended with and will have an undue influence over the Legislature; that the judicial department will be oppressive; that treaties of the highest importance may be formed by the President, with the advice of twothirds of a quorum of the Senate; and that the system is without the security of a bill of rights." After the organization of the Government he was elected one of the reprezentatives of Massachusetts in the first and second Congresses under the Constitution. Subsequently he remained in retirement at Cambridge until 1797, when, war with France appearing imminent, he was sent, along with Marshall and Pinckney, on an important mission to the French Directory. The envoys, unable to secure official recognition, were forced to submit to various indignities and humiliating rebuffs, while disgraceful propositions were made to them by Talleyrand and his secret agents; and Marshall and Pinckney soon left in disgust. Gerry, however, being the only Republican on the commission, and therefore being, presumably, more favorably disposed than his colleagues toward the French Government, remained for some time longer, at the request of Talleyrand, but accomplished nothing. (See X Y Z CORRESPONDENCE.) For thus remaining he was acrimoniously attacked by the Federalists upon his return to the United States. He was several times defeated for Governor of Massachusetts, but was successful in 1810, and in 1811 was reëlected. His administration was fiercely criticised by the Federalists on the ground of its alleged partisanship, and color was given to the charge by the enactment by the Republican Legis lature of a law, which Gerry signed, but of which he seems to have disapproved, for redistricting the State in such a manner as to annihilate the Federalist majorities in several counties. (See GERRYMANDER.) From 1813 until his death he was Vice-President of the United States. He died suddenly on November 23, 1814, and in 1823 a monument was erected to his mem ory by order of Congress. He married the daughter of Mr. James Thompson of New York City, and left a family of three sons and six daughters. Consult Austin, Life of Elbridge Gerry, with Contemporary Letters (Boston, 1828-29). An GERRY, ELBRIDGE THOMAS (1837-). American lawyer and philanthropist, born in New York City, a grandson of Elbridge Gerry (q.v.). He graduated at Columbia College in 1857. During his practice as a lawyer he accumulated one of the finest libraries of works on jurisprudence in America. He became prominently connected with numerous reformatory and benevolent organizations, and in 1874 founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In 1886 he was chairman of the commission which advocated the abolition of the gallows and the substitution of electricity for capital punishment in New York. GERRYMANDER, ger'ri-măn'der. A word belonging to the political vocabulary of the United States, and used to denote an unfair di vision of the electoral districts in a State, made in the interest of one of the political parties. The word was coined in 1812, though the practice probably originated earlier. At that time the Federalist and Republican parties in Massachusetts were nearly evenly balanced in numerical strength, but the Republicans took advantage of a temporary majority in the Legislature to divide the State into new Senatorial districts in such a manner that those sections which gave a large number of Federalist votes might be brought into one district. Previously each county had constituted a Senatorial district, and the power of rearranging old districts or creating new ones, bestowed on the Legislature by the State Constitution, had never been exercised. Elbridge Gerry (q.v.) was at that time Governor, and through his signature, though he seems not to have wholly approved the measure, the work of the Legislature became a law. The form of one of the districts into which Essex County was divided was somewhat like that of a monstrous animal, and when some one suggested that it looked like a salamander, the name 'gerrymander' was given to it, instead. The passage of the law caused a great outcry from the Federalists, and early in 1813, this party having again secured a majority and elected a Governor (Caleb Strong) to succeed Gerry, the law was repealed. The device, however, has since been repeatedly used in various States. For an account of the origin of the term, consult Dean, "The Gerrymander," in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. xlvi. (Boston, 1892): GERS, zhår. An interior department in the southwest of France, formerly portions of the provinces of Gascony and Guienne (Map: France, G 8). Area, 2425 square miles. Population, in 1896, 246.647; in 1901, 238,448. While the surface is hilly, its highest point does not exceed 1300 feet. Its principal rivers are the Gers, the Adour, Save, Gimone, and Bayse. Over 15 per cent. of the surface is devoted to the cultivation of the grape, from which large quantities of ordinary brandy and wine are manufactured. Wheat, oats, and flax are extensively grown. Other manufactures besides brandy and wine are woolens, leather, porcelain, glass, and bricks. Capital, Auch. GERSAU, gĕr'sou. A health resort of Switzerland, situated in the Canton of Schwyz on the northern bank of Lake Lucerne (Map: Switzerland, C 2). The situation of the place is very picturesque and its equable and mild climate makes it a very desirable resort for invalids. The total population of the commune is about 2000. For four centuries after 1390 Gersau was entirely independent, forming the smallest republic in Europe. At the formation of the Helvetic Republic in 1798 Gersau became a part of the Canton of Waldstätten, and was subsequently (1803) incorporated with the Canton of Schwyz. Population, in 1888, 1816; in 1900, 1887. GERSHOM. characters is the letter nun. 655 While Manasseh But his own personal fortunes were marred by is found in many manuscripts, most frequently the animosity of the Duke of Burgundy and his adherents, to whom Gerson had become obnoxthe nun is put above the line, and in some cases it has been added by a later hand. Most of the ious, and from whom he had already suffered ancient versions read Manasseh; but some manu- much persecution, on account of the boldness scripts of the Greek version and the Latin Vul- with which he had denounced the murder of the gate read Moses. It is therefore difficult to de- Duke of Orleans. To escape their vengeance, he termine what the original reading was. Evidently was forced to remain in exile; and he retired the priesthood at Dan traced its origin either from Constance (1418) in the disguise of a to Manasseh or to Moses, or to both at different pilgrim, to Rattenberg, in Bavaria, where he periods. As the thirteen cities assigned to the composed his celebrated work, De Consolatione Levitic clan of the Gershonites were all in East- Theologiæ, in imitation of that of Boëthius, De ern Manasseh, Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali Consolatione Philosophia; later he went to Neu(Josh. xxi. 27, 33), it is possible that the Ger- burg. It was only after the lapse of two years shonite priesthood at Dan considered itself of that he was enabled to return to France and Manassite origin, and even that the cult in this take up his residence in a monastery at Lyons, place was once devoted to the divinity who after- of which his brother was superior. He devoted wards became the eponymous hero of the tribe himself in this retirement to works of piety, to study, and to the education of youth. He died His works fill five of Manasseh. A claim to Mosaic descent would in Lyons July 12, 1429. Among the books formerly volumes in folio. then be a later development. Another view is that the suspended nun is a device to gloss over Kempis the unpleasant fact that a grandson of Moses ascribed to him was the celebrated treatise De was priest at a temple where a Yahweh image Imitatione Christi; but it is no longer doubtwas worshiped. The priestly legislation knows ful that the true author is Thomas of no sons of Moses in the priesthood. (2) The (q.v.). The best and most complete edition of first-born son of Levi, according to Ex. vi. 16; his works is by Dupin (Antwerp, 1706). ConIn sult: his life by Schwab (Würzburg, 1858); Bess, Num. iii. 17; I. Chron. vi. 1, 16; xxiii. 6. Zur Geschichte des Konstanzer Konzils (Marburg, reality this Gershon is the eponym of a Levitic 1891); Creighton, History of the Papacy, vols. i. family in the Persian and Greek period. In the sketch of the tabernacle in the wilderness, the and ii. (London, 1882). Gershonites are the carriers of curtains, coverings, screens, and hangings belonging to this movable sanctuary. In the narrative of David's reign they figure as musicians belonging to the family of Asaph. It is probable that the Gershonites furnished some of the musicians as well as some of the janitors for the second temple. Whether they were descendants of the Gershonites who once were priests at Dan is not certain, but it is quite probable. GERSON, zhâr'sÔN', JEAN CHARLIER DE (1363- pontiffs in the time of the Western Schism (q.v.) GERSON, ger'sôn-y', WOJCIECH (1831-1901). A Polish historical painter, born at Warsaw. He bethem at the Academy of Saint Petersburg, and gan his studies at the School of Art, and continued under Léon Cogniet in Paris. Subsequently apa far-reaching influence upon the promotion of pointed professor in his native city, he exercised art in Poland as the master of many of the distinguished Polish painters of the day, and as the founder of the Art Society in Warsaw. He was a member of the Saint Petersburg Academy. Among his highly valued pictures, noted for thoughtful conception and masterly finish, may be mentioned: "Conversion of the Slavs to Christianity in the Tenth Century:" "Queen Hedwig in the Castle at Cracow;" "Count Casimir the Righteous;" "Copernicus in Rome;" "Haughty Queen Rixa of Poland," besides many other episodes from Polish history. GERSONIDES, ger-son'i-dez, or LÉON DE BA- of the Bible. His best work is called Milkhamot GERSOPPA (ger-sõp'på) FALLS. A cele30 miles southeast of Honawar at the mouth of brated cataract on the Sharawati River, India, the river on the west coast (Map: India, B 6). It consists of four falls known as the Great, the Roarer, the Rocket, and the Dame Blanche or White Lady, names descriptive of their general features. They descend on three sides of an immense chasm 600 feet wide, the Great Fall leaping down 829 feet into an enormous pool of great depth. GERSTÄCKER, ger'stěk-er, FRIEDRICH (181672). A German romancer of adventure. Born in Hamburg, May 10, 1816, the son of an opera singer, and left early an orphan, he came to the United States in 1837, and for seven years wandered over the country supporting himself as a jack of all trades and for some time as a hunter. In 1843 he returned to Germany and turned his experiences, to profitable account in the widely popular Streif- und Jagdzüge (1844); Die Regulatoren in Arkansas (1846); Die Flusspiraten des Mississippi (1848); and many other volumes of similar character. In 1849 Gerstäcker went again to America and visited also Polynesia and Australia, basing on this voyage his Tahiti, and an Australian story, Die beiden Straflinge, both of which are among his best work. In 1860 he went to South America, and in 1862 accompanied Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Egypt and Abyssinia. In 1867-68 he revisited the United States, traveling also in Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, and the West Indies, and he gave a vivid account of his experiences in Neue Reisen (1868), and in several novels, Die Missionäre (1868), Die Blauen und die Gelben (1870), and others. Gerstäcker's gifts of description are very considerable, his character drawing is vivid and realistic, his style straightforward and unstudied. Many of his stories have been popular in English translations. He died in Brunswick, May 31, 1872. GERSTÄCKER, KARL EDUARD ADOLF (182895). A German zoologist. He was born and educated in Berlin, where in 1857 he was appointed lecturer on zoology at the university and director of the entomological collection in that institution. During the last twenty years of his life he was professor of zoölogy at Greifswald. His principal works include: Entomographien (vol. i. 1858); Zur Morphologie der Orthoptera Amphibiotica (1873); Die Wanderheuschrecke (1876); and Der Coloradokäfer (1877). GERSTENBERG, ger'sten-běrk, HEINRICH WILHELM VON (1737-1823). A German poet, dramatist, and critic, born at Tondern (Schleswig). He was educated at Jena, entered the Danish Army, became a captain of cavalry in 1763, and in 1766 was retired from the service on half pay. In 1771 he resigned, in 1775 was appointed Danish consul at Lübeck, and from 1785 to 1812 was legal director of the royal lottery at Altona. He is known for three works of important influ ence in German letters. His Gedicht eines Skalden (1766) introduced a revival of the literary use of Teutonic mythology and the heroic age of German civilization. His tragedy Ugolino (1768), based on Dante, though declared by Lessing essentially undramatic, attracted much attention by its skillful management of plot and character. His Briefe über Merkwürdigkeiten der Litteratur (1766-70) contributed much in Germany toward a just estimate of Shakespeare, and by its complaint against the reigning formal ity in German literature indirectly helped to prepare the way for the 'Sturm und Drang.' A collection of his Vermischte Schriften, edited by himself, appeared in 1815. GERSTER, gérʼstèr, ETELKA (Mme. GARDINI) (1857-). A Hungarian singer, born at Kaschau. After studying at the Vienna Conservatory under Marchesi she made her début in 1876 as Gilda in Rigoletto, subsequently singing with great success in Marseilles, Genoa, and Berlin. In 1877 she married Pietro Gardini. The following year (and again in 1883 and 1887) she made a tour of the United States, and also sang in the principal European cities. Her voice, a high soprano, was remarkable for its great flexibility and brilliancy. In 1896 she opened a singing school in Berlin. In GERSTNER, gèrst'ner, FRANZ ANTON VON (1793-1840). An Austrian engineer, a son of Franz Josef von Gerstner (1756-1832). He was born and educated at Prague, and in 1818 was appointed professor of practical geometry at the Polytechnic Institute, Vienna. He went to England several times to investigate railroad-building in that country, especially the road from Liverpool to Manchester, which was at that time in course of construction. In 1823-24 he made the plans of the Budweis-Linz (horse-power) Railroad, the first to be constructed on the Continent of Europe (opened 1832). He built the road from Saint Petersburg to Tsarskoye-Selo, and organized other railroads in Russia. 1838 he visited America, where he examined the railroads then either built or building in the United States. Two years after his sudden death in Philadelphia, a description of his American tour was published by his wife under the title Beschreibung einer Reise durch die Vereinigten Staaten von Nord-Amerika (1842). A similar work, but more technical in character, embodying the investigations of Gerstner in America, was edited in 1842 by L. Klein, under the title Die inneren Kommunikationen der Vereinigten Staaten von Nord-Amerika, an interesting work in two volumes on the means of communication then existing in the United States. GERTRUDE. (1) A Belgian saint (626-59), whose fête is celebrated on March 17th. She was the daughter of Pepin of Landen and Ida of Aquitaine. Dagobert I. attempted to force her to marry him, but she eluded his efforts and, taking the veil, became abbess of Nivelles in Brabant. A number of churches in Belgium are dedicated to her. (2) SAINT GERTRUDE of Eisleben (12561311) entered the Convent of Helfta when five years old and became a great student. Her mystical visions began in 1271, and from that time she gave herself particularly to the study of the Scriptures. Her visions she describes in Insinuationes Divina Pietatis and Exercitia Spiritualia (1662), often reprinted. Her fête is kept on November 15th. GERTRUDE. (1) The weak-minded Queen of Denmark in Shakespeare's Hamlet, who marries the fratricide Claudius, and is poisoned by a deadly draught prepared for her son. (2) The extravagant goldsmith's daughter in Chapman, Marston, and Jonson's Eastward Ho! GERTRUDE OF WYOʻMING. A pathetic and graceful, though not flawless, poem by Thomas Campbell which appeared in 1809, and suggested a notable conversation between Scott and Irving concerning the author's limited poetic achievements in proportion to his undoubted powers and promise. |