Molfetta
a city of Italy in the province of Bari delle Puglie. It has many important ancient and modern buildings, a library, a museum, and a theater. Its excellent harbor makes it an important commercial center. Pop. about 45,000.
MOLIÈRE (mo-lyar), the professional name of JEAN BAPTISTE POQUELIN (pok-lang), a French dramatist; born in Paris, France, Jan. 15, 1622. He took the name of Molière, out of regard to his Paris, France, Jan. 15, 1622. He took parents, when he first became an actor.
He was brought up to his father's trade, that of upholsterer; of age he was sent to study at the college :; but when 14 years of age he was sent to study at the college years. He studied law at Orleans, and was received advocate at Paris, and in 1646 he began acting there with a com- 1646 he began acting there with a comsuccess in the provinces, he settled at Paris in 1658, having previously pro- Paris in 1658, having previously proand "The Loving Spite." In the following year he increased his reputation by and "The Loving Spite." In the followwhich had a run of about 120 nights. He excited the animosity of the medical profession, by several sharp attacks on them in his comedies; and that of the fession, by several sharp attacks on them in his comedies; and that of the terrible attack on pious hypocrites in the priestly and priest-ridden classes, by his MOLLAH from the stage by order of the king. The order was annulled in 1668. Among the most admired plays of Molière are: "School for Women"; "Tartuffe"; "The "Physician in Spite of Himself"; and "The Imaginary Învalid." His works, it ورلود MOLIÈRE author. In 1673 he took part in the presis said, have been more frequently republished than those of any other French aginary Invalid," being at the time seriously out of health; the effort was too author. In 1673 he took part in the pres- lished than those of any other French much for him, and he died the same night, Feb. 17.
Burlington route, the Chicago, Milwaunight, Feb. 17. much for him, and he died the same Ill., on the Mississippi river, and on the Island and Pacific railroads; 178 miles W. gas plants, electric railroads, public liof Chicago. It contains electric light and brary, high sch of Chicago. It contains electric light and school, and National banks; gas plants, electric railroads, public listoves, ves, paper, screws, castings, etc. In (1920) 30,734. the tor machinery, plows, wagons, steam tive coal mines. Pop. (1910) 24,119; engines, carriages, pumps, malleable iron, meaning "Sir" or "Lord" in Turkey and other Mohammedan countries, a title the vicinity of Moline are highly producgiven to those holding certain judicial rank. There are three classes of Mollahs in Turkey. The 1st have jurisdicgiven to those holding certain judicial other Mohammedan countries, a title MOLLUSCA class hold office only for a month. All must be versed in ecclesiastical and civil law. The British government in India has suffered heavy losses of life and treasure from revolts led by "Mad Mollahs," notably in the Sudan in 1901. Vertebrata, MOLLUSCA (-lus'cä), in zoölogy according to Linnæus, an order of Vermes, distinct from Testacea, which immediately follows it. Cuvier made the Mollusca one of the four great "divisions" or sub-kingdoms of the Animal Kingdom, of equal rank with the Vertebrata, the Articulata, and the Radiata. He subdivides it into six classes: Cephalopoda, Pteropoda, Gasteropoda, Acephala, Brachiopoda, and Cirrhopoda. Except that the last class has now been merged in Crustacea, and placed with the Articulata or Annulosa, the essential features of Cuvier's arrangement have still been preserved. Dr. Henry Woodward defines the Mollusca as animals with a soft body, without segments, naked or covered with a shell of one or two valves composed of carbonate of lime secreted by a fold of the skin-the mantle. They have a brain-mass, and foot and mantle ganglia. Some have an internal hard shell or cartilage. The symmetry of the body is bilateral. Example, the cuttle-fish, the snail, the oyster, etc. He makes Tunicata and the Molluscoida an "intermediate group," and divides the sub-kingdom into four classes: Cephalopoda, Gasteropoda, Pteropoda, and Conchifera. Many thousand recent Mollusca are known, distributed throughout every climate and nearly every part of the world.
The shells of the Mollusca being all but indestructible, and easy of identification, afford us a reliable means for ascertaining the relative age of strata. As some, moreover, inhabit fresh waters, others the land, besides the large numbers which find their home in salt water, they often settle the fresh-water or marine origin of a stratum. The marine ones being distributed also in certain zones of salt water, they frequently afford materials for sounding a sea which has passed away ages ago. Next to the Protozoa, the oldest fossils known are Mollusca. See BIVALVES.
MOLLWITZ (mol'vits), a village of Prussian Silesia. An obelisk (1878) marks the battlefield where Frederick the Great with 20,000 Prussians defeated an equal number of Austrians under Marshal Neipperg, April 10, 1741.