Mashonaland
a country in the interior of Africa. It forms part of British Rhodesia, and is situated N. E. of Matabeleland. It consists of very fertile plateaux and plains, watered by_numerous rivers flowing partly to the Zambezi and partly to the Sabi. See RHODESIA. MASON AND DIXON'S LINE in United States history, a line popularly regarded as dividing the slaveholding from the non-slaveholding States, and to have run due E. and W. In reality it ran for more than one-third of its length between two slave States, Maryland and Delaware, and a small part of it is an arc of a circle. It was run by two English engineers, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, between the years 1764 and 1767, for the purpose of settling the disputed boundaries between Maryland on the one side and Pennsylvania and Delaware on the other.
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Masinissa
A king of a small part of Africa, who at first assisted the Carthaginians in their 176 IÓOO CLASSICAL CHARACTERS wars against Rome, but who subsequently became an ally of the Romans. After his defeat of Syphax he married Sophonisba , the wife of Syphax, which gave offense to the Roman general, Scipio , on which Masinissa induced Sophonisba to end her life by poison. In the battle of Zama , Masinissa greatly contributed to the defeat of Hannibal. died in his ninety-seventh year, 149 years before the Christian era. He Massilia or Massalia (Marseilles). A Greek city in Gallia Narbonensis, on the coast of the Mediterranean, in the country of the Salyes, founded by the Phocaeans of Asia Minor about B. C. 600. Matrona (Marne). A river in Gaul, falling into the Sequana, a little south of Paris. Matuta or Mater Matuta. The goddess of the dawn, identified by the Romans with Leucothea. 2026 Editor's Note: Masinissa was an ancient Numidian king who initially fought for Carthage against Rome, but later switched sides and became a Roman ally. After defeating Syphax, he married Sophonisba, but to spare her the humiliation of a Roman triumph, he allowed her to poison herself. He contributed to Hannibal's defeat at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC. He died at age 90, not 97, after ruling for 54 years. (Ed: BR 2026-06-15)
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Mask
or Masque, a form of dramatic entertainment popular in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was introduced into England from Italy. The mask took its name from the fact that the performers, who were usually amateurs, wore masks. It was presented at a castle to celebrate some special event or honor some noble. The mask was allegorical in character. It was usually short, with little action and few characters, but with much dancing and singing, elaborate costumes and spectacular scenes. One presentation sometimes cost thousands of pounds. The roles were often taken by lords and ladies or even members of the royal family. Milton's Comus is regarded as the finest example of a mask in the English language. See Comus
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Masleh
The angel whom the Jews believed ruled the Zodiac. According to one of their rabbinical legends, Masleh was the medium through which the power and influence of the Messiah was transmitted to the sphere of the Zodiac. Massey, C. C.: (See Psychological Society.)
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Mason
DANIEL GREGORY, musician; born in Brookline, Mass., in 1873; graduated from Harvard in 1895; received his musical education in Boston, New York, and Paris, and became assistant professor of music at Columbia University. Lectured on music generally. His compositions include an elegy (for the piano); sonata for violin and piano; "Country Pictures" (piano); quartet for piano and strings; symphony, and other works. His other publications include: "From Grieg to Brahms" (1902); "Beethoven and His Forerunners" (1904); "The Romantic Composers" (1906).
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Mason Bee
a small wild bee. It constructs a solitary nest of sand or gravel fastened together with a sticky saliva manufactured by the bee. The nest is placed in the sheltering angle of a wall, under a stone, or even in a place hollowed out in the pith of a leaf or twig. The queen bee usually constructs a number of cells in the same fastness, each of which contains a single egg and a store of honey for the young larva to feed upon. See Bee ; Wasp
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Mason City
county-seat of Cerro Gordo co., Ia., 72 miles N. E. of Fort Dodge, on the Chicago Great Western, and other railroads. Seat of the National Memorial University and Odd Fellows' Orphans' Home. Is center of agricultural district, has large trade in fruit and grain. Commission form of city government. Pop. (1910) 11,230; (1920) 20,065.
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Mason Wasp
. See Wasp
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Maspero
GASTON CAMILLE CHARLES (mäs-pe-rō') a French Egyptologist; born of Italian parents, in Paris, France, June 23, 1846. He began to lecture on Egyptology at the School of Higher Studies in Paris in 1869, and in 1873 was appointed Professor of Egyptology at the College of France. In 1881 he founded a school of Egyptian archæology at Cairo, and succeeded Mariette as director of explorations and custodian of the Boulak Museum. In 1886 he became professor at the Institute of Paris. As press an explorer he excavated or opened the pyramids of the kings belonging to the 5th and 6th dynasties and other important sites. His most valuable written work includes the excellent "Ancient History of the Nations of the the Orient"; "Egyptian Archæology" (1887; Eng. trans. 1887); "Popular Tales of Ancient Egypt" (1882); "Egyptian Studies" (1879-1882); "New Light in Ancient Egypt" (1909); "Egyptian Art" (1912).
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Masquerade
an assembly of persons masked and disguised by means of fantastic dress. See CARNIVAL.
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Mass
. See Weight
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Mass
the measure or expression of quantity of matter in a body as indicated either by its weight or by the amount of force necessary to produce a given amount of motion in a body in a given time. See PHYSICS.
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Mass
The amount of matter a body contains. It must not be confounded with weight, for the mass of a body remains the same, no matter in what part of the world it may be, but its weight would vary in different latitudes.
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