Somerville
a city in Middlesex OMERVILLE, co., Mass.; on the Mystic river, and on the Boston and Maine railroad. It comprises nearly a dozen villages, and contains a public library, high schools, Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, a hospital, street railroads, electric lights, National, savings, and co-operative banks, and several weekly newspapers. It has desk factories, iron foundries, flour mills, tube works, and large slaughtering and meat-packing plants. The city is built on seven hills, some of which were fortified during the Revolutionary War, and the remains of some of the structures are still preserved, including the "old powder house" on Quarry The city is a favorite residential suburb of Boston Pop. (1910) 77,236; business men. (1920) 93,091.
a borough of New Somerset co. Jersey, the county-seat of It is on the Raritan river and on the Central Railroad of New Jersey. It is chiefly a residential place but has manufactures of woolen cloth, clothing, stoves, iron pipe, etc. Pop. (1910) 5,060; (1920) 6,718.
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Somerville, Mary
Mary (1780-1872), an English writer on astronomy. Her education, while probably more thorough than that of the average woman of her time, would today be considered elementary, and it was not until after she left school that she secretly mastered algebra and Euclid. Later, she attained proficiency in the higher mathematics for which she developed great aptitude. In this she was assisted by her second husband, Dr. William Somerville, an inspector of the army medical board. While on a visit to the Continent she attracted general attention among scientific men by reason of her attainments-among others the astronomer Laplace, whose Mecanique Celeste she had translated at the request of Lord Brougham. She popularized the form of this monumental work, made it familiar to the British public, and at the same time won fame for herself. She was elected to membership in the Royal Astronomical Society, an honor rarely bestowed on a woman, and was later granted a pension of $1,500 a year by the government. Other works by Mrs. Somerville are Connection of the Physical Sciences, Physical Geography, and Molecular and Microscopic Science. An interesting volume because of the insight it gives into her character was her personal recollections published in her old age. "Much of the popularity of her writings," says Britannica, "is due to their clear, crisp style, and the underlying enthusiasm for her subject which pervades them."
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Somme
a river of northern France, rising near Fonsomme, about 6 miles N. E. of St. Quentin, in the Department of Aisne. After flowing in a southwesterly direction, it turns N. W., enters the Department of Somme, and after receiving on the left the Avre and Celle, it enters the English Channel below St. Valéry. Its total course is about 152 miles long. The Somme Canal follows the course of the river from St. Simon to St. Valéry, a distance of about 97 miles. The river is also connected with the Scheldt by the St. Quentin Canal, and with the Oise by the Crozat Canal. The river became widely known during the World War as a result of the highly important fighting which at various times occurred along its upper reaches, some of the most important battles of the World War being known as the Battles of the Somme. SOMME BATTLES. See PICARDY, BATTLES OF.
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Somnus
in Greek mythology, the god of sleep. He was the son of Nox, Night, and was twin brother to Mors, or Death. He dwelt in a dark cave in the far west. Poppies and other herbs grew about the door, from which Night pressed slumbergiving juices for mankind. Somnus slept on an ebony couch surrounded by black drapery. Only the most urgent message from the gods could rouse him so far as to rest on one elbow. Having given his son and messenger, Morpheus, the desired command to visit some mortal, the god lay back drowsily and composed himself anew to sleep. This is the account given by Ovid. Other poets represent Somnus as a young man. In art, he is a graybeard, or again a youth bearing a wreath of poppies or else a horn in which he carries dreams. See Sleep ; Dreams; Poppy , etc.
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Sonata
a term originally applied to any kind of musical composition for instruments, as distinguished from vocal compositions, which were called cantatas. It is now, however, confined to compositions for solo instruments, generally the pianoforte. The term sonata or suonata, as applied to a musical composition, was first used about the beginning of the 17th century. Those of that time so called had but one movement; they were in fact simply airs arranged in parts for an instrument or instruments. A modern sonata is generally constructed upon the following plan: The first movement is an allegro, sometimes with an introduction, but more frequently without one; the second, "the slow movement," is set in any time, between adagio and andante; and the final movement is an allegro. See CONCERTO.
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Song of Songs
or CANTICLES, one of the canonical books of the Old Testament.
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Sonic Wave Transmission
a method of transmitting power in machinery through waves or pulsations impressed on a column of water. The system was invented by George Constantinesco and was first applied to the transmission of impulses from airplane propellers to airplane machine guns during the World War, the purpose here being to synchronize the firing of the guns with the revolutions of the propeller. More recently the system has been employed in the operation of rock drills in mines, where a flexible steel pipe is used to transmit pulsations impressed on the inclosed water column by a plunger operated at the rate of forty strokes per second. The sonic waves are forwarded through the water at the rate of 4,800 feet per second.
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Sonnino
SIDNEY, BARON, an Italian statesman, who, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented Italy at the Paris Peace Conference. He was born in 1847, and while still a young man served in diplomatic posts in Spain, France, and Austria. He was elected to Parliament at the age of 30, and attained prominence at once through his knowledge of economic and financial methods. He favored reforms in the land policy by which large estates should be broken up. From 1887 to 1890 he was Undersecretary for Finance, and again from 1893 to 1896. He was later Minister of the Treasury, and, while he held this office, put in effect many reform measures. Following the defeat of Crispi, he led opposition in Parliament for about 10 the years. During this period he was Prime Minister in 1906 and in 1910. He became Foreign Minister in November, 1914, and carried on the negotiations with Austria and Germany for the recognition of Italy's claims. He also negotiated the Treaty of London, with England, France, and Russia. He took a conspicuous part in the Peace Conference, and made every effort to secure Italy's claims to Fiume and Dalmatia. Unable to secure the assent of the Conference, he left Paris and returned to Italy. Shortly after, the ministry of which he was a member, fell.
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