Gibbon, Edward
Edward (1737-1794), an English historian. A native of Surrey. He was educated at Westminster, Oxford and Lausanne, Switzerland. Gibbon traveled extensively in southern Europe. He entered the English Parliament as a Tory in 1774. In 1764, while he was in Rome, it occurred to Gibbon to write a history of the Roman Empire, a composition to which he devoted twenty-four years. The first volume of his monumental work, a History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, appeared in 1776, and the last in 1788. It is said that, when his task was finally ended, Gibbon did not know what to do with himself. During the years 1783-93 he resided in Lausanne again. Gibbon inherited wealth, but was never married, the romance of his life being an unsuccessful suit for the hand of the Swiss lady who became Mme. Necker and the mother of Mme. de Stael. He never took the matter to heart evidently, for he visited Madame Necker in Paris. A friend speaks of seeing the future Madame de Stael "romping about the knee of the decline and fall."
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Gibbs
SIR PHILIP, an English author and journalist. He was born in 1875 and was educated privately. After leaving school he became at 21 one of the editors of Cassell and Company; editor of Tillotson's Literary Syndicate, 1901; and acted successively as a literary editor unpopu- of the Daily Mail, Daily Chronicle, and include " The Tribune, afterward becoming special Christian correspondent and descriptive writer on the Daily Chronicle. His articles from the field during the great war attracted attention. His works include: novels- "The Romance of Empire"; "Men and Women of the French Revolution"; "Now It Can Be Told" (1920); with some essays, plays, and numerous articles on the World War. He lectured in the United States in 1920 and 1921.
OLIVER WOLCOTT, American chemist; born in New York City, Feb. 21, 1822; was graduated at Columbia College in 1841 and at the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1843; was Professor of Physics and Chemistry in the College of the City of New York in 1849-1863; and Rumford Professor in Harvard Univaluable chemical researches and contributed largely to scientific periodicals, principally "The American Journal of Science and Arts," of which he was one of the editors for many years. Dr. Gibbs was the only American honorary member of the German Chemical Society; was one of the original members and a president of the National Academy of Sciences. He died in 1908.
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Gibeon
a city of ancient Palestine on a hill among the mountains of Benjamin, 5 miles N. W. of Jerusalem. At the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites under Joshua, it was inhabited by Hivites. By a clever stratagem the Gibeonites insured the alliance and protection of the invaders, but, their deceit being afterward found out, they were reduced to a condition of servitude, being made "hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation." When the five kings of the Amorites besieged Gibeon for having entered into a traitorous compact with the common enemy of all the Canaanites, Joshua hastened to its help, and overthrew the besiegers with great slaughter. It was there that great 0 Joshua, in the words quoted from the book of Jashar (Josh. x: 12), commanded the sun to stand still upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon.
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Gibraltar Monkey
an originally African monkey, a colony of which is wild on the rocks of Gibraltar. GIBRALTAR, STRAITS OF, the straits connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean extending from Cape Spartel to Cape Ceuta, on the N. W. coast of Africa, and from Cape Trafalgar to Europa Point on the S. W. seaboard of Spain. They narrow toward the E., their width between Europa Point and Cape Ceuta being only 15 miles, while at the W. extremity it is 24 miles. Length, E. to W., about 36 miles. ROCK OF GIBRALTAR
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Giddings
FRANKLIN HENRY, an American educator; born in Sherman, Conn., March 23, 1855; was graduated at Union College in 1877; accepted the chair of sociology in Columbia University in 1894. In 1896 he was appointed to the chair of sociology and history of civilization, Columbia University. He is the author of "The Principles of Sociology"; "The Theory of Socialization"; "The Elements of Sociology"; "Democracy and Empire"; "Inductive Sociology" (1901); "Pagan gan Poems" (1914); "The Western Hemisphere in the World of To-morrow" (1915).
JOSHUA REED, an American statesman; born in Athens, Pa., Oct. 6, 1795; admitted to the Ohio bar in 1820; elected a member of its Legislature in 1826, and of Congress in 1838, where he was prominent as an opponent of slavery. In 1861 he was appointed consul-general to British North America. Among his works are: "The Exiles of Florida" (1858); "History of the Rebellion" (1864). He died in Montreal, May 27, 1864.
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Gideon
a judge of Israel. He was the youngest son of Joash, of the house of Abiezer, and lived with his father at Ophrah, in Manasseh. During his youth Israel was sunk in idolatry and sloth, and was oppressed by the plundering incursions of the Amalekites and Micianites. Confident in the assurance of supernatural direction, he mustered the people, reduced the unwieldy host to a handful of resolute men, fell suddenly upon the enemy in the neighborhood of Mount Gilboa, and routed them with great slaughter.
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Gien
a town of the department of Loiret, France, 37 miles S. E. of Orleans. Its manufactures include earthenware, serge and leather. Gièn has a handsome stone bridge across the Loire. Here, in 1410, 1410, a treaty was signed by the young Duke d'Orleans, with the dukes of Berry, Bourbon and Brittany, against John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, to avenge the assassination of his father, Louis I.
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Giers
NICHOLAS CARLOVITCH DE (gerz), a Russian statesman; born May 21, 1820. After holding various posts, in 1875, he became adjunct to Prince Gortchakoff, the minister of foreign affairs, whom he succeeded in 1882. His policy in general was understood to His have peaceful tendencies, and in particular opposed to Panslavistic ideas of development. In central Asia, however, M. de Giers continued the policy of advance, and in 1885 the Russian occиpation of positions within the Afghan frontier nearly brought about a war with Great Britain. He died in St. Petersburg, Jan. 26, 1895.
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