Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 07.djvu/525

LEFT BATIBBON 439 RATTAZZl accepted and applied that principle. Ra- tionalist criticism was carried to an ab- surd length by Paulus (1761-1851), who taught that the Gospels contained natu- ral and not supernatural events, and whose most ingenious but inept "explana- tions" of the miracles of the New Testa- ment, "retaining everywhere the husk but surrendering the religious kernel," were made a laughingstock by Strauss. Strauss* "mythical theory" (excessively rationalist in the English sense of the term) was in its turn superseded by Baur, and the new Tubingen school, whose epoch-making work marks the opening of the most recent period in Scriptural criticism. The "notes" of the newer criticism, whether more or less rationalist from the older English point of view, are the conviction that all truth is one, whether derived from the natural sciences, historical research, the dictates of conscience, or the records of divine revelation, and the willingness to accept what is apparently established by the consensus of scholars even where this involves giving up the belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Many of the contentions of self-confident and aggres- sive rationalism have long since mutu- ally destroyed one another. Nothing can be more contrary to the true historic and scientific spirit than the assump- tions of a reckless sciolism: there is a false and a true rationalism; and it «hould be remembered that much that is now most surely believed by aU has at one time or another been branded as rationalistic. _ BATISBON (German Regensburg), a city of Bavaria, on the Danube, opposite the influx of the Regen, 67 miles from Munich. Though built of stone, it has all the defects of an old town. The best edifices are the cathedral, and the palace of the Prince of Thurn and Taxis, for- merly the abbey of St. Emmeran, con- taining many good paintings; the town house, in which the diet of the empire was held from 1662 to 1806; the episco- pal residence, the arsenal, and the Haid- platz, whei'e tournaments were given in the days of chivalry. Manufactures to- bacco, porcelain, leather, and steel wares; also extensive dockyards for the building of boats and lighters. In 1524 the Roman Catholics here formed a league against the Protestants; and here, in 1809, Napoleon I. was wounded in a battle in which he forced the Aus- trians to retreat. Ratisbon was made a free port in 1853. Pop. about 55,000. IlATIT.ffi, a division of birds. They are all incapable of flight; though some run very sAviftly, the abnormally small wings acting as a kind of sail, and help- ing the birds along. They may be divid- ed into two groups: (1) Those in which the wing has a rudimentary or very short humerus, and not more than one ungual phalanx (the casuariidie, the fast-vanishing Apterygidse), and the ex- tinct Dinomithida;, often treated as one family (Apterygidse) ; and (2) those having a long humerus and two ungual phalanges (Rheidse and Struthionidse, often combined under the latter name). RAT SNAKE, Ptyas mucosus; a powerful snake, attaining a length of seven feet and upward. Common in In- dia and Ceylon, scarce in the Archipel- ago. It frequently enters houses in search of mice, rats, and young fowls. It is fierce, and always ready to bite. RATTAN, the commercial name for the stem of various species of the genus Calamus. They abound in southern Asia in moist situations, and are used for making splints for chair seats and backs, hanks for sails; cables, sometimes as much as 42 inches round; cords, withes, and walking sticks; also for making splints for baskets and brooms, fish weirs, hurdles, hoops, carriage seats, and many other purposes. The larger spe- cies grow to a size of three inches diameter, and to a height of 100 feet. RATTAZZl, TJRBANO, an Italian statesman; born in Alessandria, Italy, June 29, 1808. He studied law at Turin and practiced as an advocate with great success at Casale. After the proclama- tion of the constitution in 1848 he was elected member of the Second Chamber for Alessandria, and began his political career as a democrat. Gioberti made him minister of the interior and later of justice; but after the defeat of Novara he was obliged to retire with the rest of the ministry. When Napoleon III. threatened the liberty of Piedmont, Cavour, Rattazzi, and their parties joined together to defeat his schemes, and in 1853 Rattazzi took the portfolio of Justice under Cavour, and presented the bill for the abolition of convents. Being accused of weakness in suppress- ing the Mazzinian movement in 1857, he retired from office early in the following year. In 1859, however, he was back again in office as Minister of the Interior. The threatened cession of Savoy and Nice, which he opposed, led to his retire- ment in 1860. Having changed his views on this point, he was in March, 1862; intrusted with the formation of a new ministry, but had to resign at the end of the year in consequence of his opposition to Garibaldi; and once more prime minis- ter for six months in 1867, he lost the post for the same reason. He died in Frosinone, June 5, 1873.