Sons of War Veterans
SO- CIETY OF, a patriotic society established in 1893, for the purpose of preserving and perpetuating the principles for which the Federal soldiers fought in the Civil War, to assist surviving veterans and their w widows, and help help in the mutual benefit and advancement of its members. The society admits to membership any male descendant of an honorably discharged Union soldier, sailor, or marine, who served for not less than six months and part of the time at the front.
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Soot
. See Lampblack
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Sophia
Empress of Constantinople, niece of Theodora, and wife of Justinian II., with whom she shared in the government of the state. After the death of that prince in 578 she conspired against Tiberius Constantine, who had been raised to the throne by her advice, and, being defeated by him, was compelled to live in privacy.
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Sophia (Half-sister of Peter the Great)
half-sister of Peter the Great, and Czarina of Russia; born in 1657; in 1682 she placed herself at the head of the revolt of the stryeltsy. Having succeeded in her ambitious designs, she reigned over the Muscovites under the names of her brothers, Peter and Ivan. The former (Peter the Great), however, finally possessed himself of the sole power; and Sophia died a prisoner in a convent in 1704.
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Sophists
sof'ists, public teachers in ancient Greece during the fifth and fourth centuries B. C. They taught for pay. They incurred the dislike of those who could not afford to pay them, and also of those philosophers who thought that teaching ought not to be done for pay. They filled a need. Many wealthy Athenians desired teachers for their sons. The sophists acquired an unenviable reputation for unsound argument to which the name sophistry is still applied. The word sophist really means a teacher of wisdom.
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Sophonisba
See page 248, A daughter of Hasdrubal , the Carthaginian, celebrated for her beauty. She See page 248, Pudicitia. married Syphax , prince of Numidia, and when he was conquered by the Romans she became a captive to their ally, the Numidian general Masinissa , whom she married. This displeased the Romans, and Scipio ordered Masinissa to separate from Sophonisba, and she, urged to this by Masinissa, took poison, about B. C. 203. Sospita (The Saving Goddess). A surname of Juno at Lanuvium and at Rome, in both of which places she had a temple. 2026 Editor's Note: Sofonisba Anguissola , a celebrated Italian Renaissance portrait painter, was named after this Carthaginian noblewoman. Her talent was recognized by Michelangelo, and she later became a court painter to King Philip II of Spain. (Ed: BR 2026-07-04)
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Sopwith
THOMAS OCTAVE MUR- DOCH, a British aviator. Born 1888; educated at Cottesmore, and the Seafield Engineering College. In 1910 he won the de Forest prize of $20,000 for the longest flight from England in a British machine by a flight from Eastchurch to Beaumont, Belgium, a distance of 176 miles, in a Howard-Wright biplane. In 1912 he established the Sopwith Aviation Co., Ltd., at Kingston-on-Thames, where aeroplanes and seaplanes are designed and built. He assisted in the turning out of many 1 British aeroplanes during the World War.
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Soracte
a celebrated mountain of Italy, 27 miles N. of Rome, now called Monte Sant' Oreste; height, 2,420 feet.
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Sorcery
(From Latin sortiarius, one who practices divination by lots.) The use of supposed supernatural power by the agency of evil spirits called forth by spells by a witch or black magician. (See Magic.)
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Sordello
an Italian poet; born in Gioto, near Mantua, about 1180. He composed poems in the language of Provence, of which 34 remain. One of the most celebrated passages Dante is on the subject of this poet, and Browning's "Sordello" (1840) is founded on the story of his life. He died about 1269.
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Sorel
AGNES, the mistress of the worthless Charles VII. of France; born in the village of Fromenteau, Touraine, France, in 1409. She came to court in 1431 in the train of the Duchess of Anjou. Her influence was beneficial as long as she lived; she died suddenly, near Jumigny, Feb. 9, 1450.
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Sorel
a city and county-seat of Richelieu co., Quebec, Canada; on Lake St. Peter, at the mouth of Richelieu river, and on the Canadian Pacific and other railways; 45 miles N. E. of Montreal. For many years it was the summer residence of the governor-general of Canada. It has large manufacturing and shipbuilding interests. A fort was built on the site of Sorel in 1665. Pop. about 10,000.
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Soria
a city of Spain, in Old Castile, capital of a province of its own name, on the Douro, 113 miles N. E. of Madrid. Adjacent to the town, on the N., are the ruins of the famous city of Numantia, destroyed by the Romans 132 b. c. Pop. (1918) province, 157,856; city, 7,500.
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Sorosis
so-ro'sis, a women's club of New York City. It was founded in 1868 by Alice Cary, Jenny June Croly, and other literary women. It lays claim to be the first women's club founded exclusively by women. It grew out of a dinner given in 1867 by the Press Club of New York to Charles Dickens. Women were permitted to attend as spectators but not as regular guests. In a spirit of indignation they organized a club of their own. The name is evidently based on soror, the Latin name for sister. It has been suggested that the spelling should have been "Sorores," not "Sorosis." Sorosis has been active in the formation of women's clubs throughout the United States and the world, for that matter. In 1889, the twenty-first anniversary of the birthday of the club, a general federation was formed which now includes thirty-nine state federations.
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Sorosis
in botany, a collective fruit, formed of a number of separate flowers, firmly coherent in a fleshy or pulpy mass with the thalamus on which they are situated. The pineapple is an example; each hexagonal division represents a flower, while the crown of leaves above consists of empty bracts. The breadfruit, jackfruit, and mulberry are other examples.
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Sorrento
a city of Italy, on the S. E. side of the Bay of Naples, on the promontory which separates it from the Gulf of Salerno, 7 miles S. W. of Castellamare. It is an and possesses a cathearchiepiscopal see dral. The manufacture of silk and the making of parquetry are extensively carried on. It is celebrated for the mildness and general salubrity of its climate, for its beautiful situation in the midst of orange groves and fruit gardens. In the time of Augustus it was noted for its fine buildings; but few traces of these now exist. Among the Romans the win of Sorrento was held in high repute Tasso was a native. Pop. about 7,000.
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