Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 10.djvu/385

LEFT WEBB 327 WEBSTEB was major of the 1st Rhode Island Infantry, Sept. 14, 1861; served -with distinction and was wounded at Gettys- burg; was in the Rapidan and Wilder- ness campaigns; promoted lieutenant- colonel 49th Infantry, July 26, 1866; transferred to the 5th Infantry, March 15, 1869; brevetted Major-General, U. S. V. and U. S. A.; was discharged at his own request, Dec. 3, 1870. He was president of the College of the City of New York from 1869 to 1903, and wi'ote: "The Peninsula: McClellan's Campaign of 1862." He died in 1911. WEBB, JAMES WATSON, an Amer- ican military officer and diplomatist; born in Claverack, N. Y., Feb. 8, 1802. He became a lieutenant in the artilleiT; wa3 made adjutant in 1825, served for a time under General Scott; resigned from the army, in April, 1827, to take up journalism. He was connected with the "Morning Courier," New York (1827- 1829) ; "The Morning Courier and New York Enquirer" (1829-1859). He was the author of: "Altowan; or, Incidents of Life and Adventure in the Rocky Mountains" (2 vols. 1846) ; "Slavery and its Tendencies" (1856) ; and a pamphlet on "National Currency" (1875). He died in New York City, June 7, 1884. WEBB, SIDNEY, an English socialist, one of the founders of the Fabian So- ciety; born in London, England, July 13, 1859; was educated in Switzerland, Germany, Birkbeck Institute, and City of London College; for some time in the civil service; became a barrister in 1885; lectured on political economy at City of London College, Workingmen's College, and London School of Economics and Po- litical Science. He wrote: "Socialism in England" (1889); "The Eight Hours' Day" (1891), in collaboration with Har- old Cox; and "The London Program" (1892). His wife, Beatrice (Potter), wrote: "The Cooperative Movement in Great Britain," and together they wrote the noted "History of Trades-Unionism hi England" and "Industrial Democracy" (1898), "Problems of Modern Industry" appeared in 1898; "English Poor Law Policy" in 1910; "The Prevention of Des- titution" in 1911. WEBB CITY, a city of Missouri, in Jasper co. It is on the Missouri Pacific and the St. Louis and San Francisco rail- roads. It is the center of an important mining region. It is in the lead and zinc district of southwest Missouri, and in the neighborhood of the city are over 200 mining plants. Other industries include a foundry, machine shops, iron works, a flour mill, etc. Pop. (1910) 11,817; (1920) 7,807. WEBER, CARL MARIA VON (va' ber), a German composer; bom in Eutin, Germany, Dec. 18, 1786. His father was a musician, and had him carefully edu- cated. He learned for a time painting and engraving, but music was his passion, and he began to compose at the age of 12. He made various musical tours with his father, and about 1803 visited Vienna, where he became acquainted with the celebrated Haydn and the Abbe Vogler, from whom he received valuable help in his studies. He had now become widely known, and filled successively the offices of chapel-master at Breslau and Carls- ruhe, and director of the opera at Prague, making in the meantime other profes- sional journeys in Germany. At the close of 1816 he settled at Dresden, where he was the founder and director of Ger- man opera. In 1822 he went to Berlin, to bring out his "Der Freischiitz" (The Free-Archer), the most celebrated of his compositions, and which at once gave him rank with the great masters of his art. In 1826 Weber visited London to super- intend the production of his "Oberon," which he had composed for Covent Gar- den Theater, and was brought out, con- ducted by Weber himself, April 12, 1826. Soon after, unmistakable symptoms of pulmonary disease presented themselves, and the health of the great composer sank rapidly, and his illustrious career closed on June 5, 1826, when he was found lifeless in his bed. Of his other compositions may be named the operas of "Das Waldmadchen" (The Forest Maiden), recast under the titles of "Syl- vana," "Riibezahl," and "Euryanthe." WEBER'S LAW, in physiology, that there is always a constant ratio be- tween the strength of the stimulus and the intensity of the sensations. The stronger the stimulus already applied, the stronger must be the increase of the stimulus in order to cause a perceptible increase of the sensation. WEBSTER, a city of Massachusetts, in Worcester co. It is on the French river, and on the New York, New Haven, and Hartford and the Boston and Albany railroads. Its industries include woolen mills, stove factories, yarn mills, etc. It has a public library and other public buildings. Pop. (1910) 11,509; (1920) 13,258. WEBSTER, DANIEL, an American statesman and orator; born in Salisbury, N. H., Jan. 18, 1782. He was a child of the wilderness, and but for our system of school education, which, even then, pushed the means of instruction into re- mote solitudes, he would never have been enabled to bring his great faculties to