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 F E T F E U 119 But the belief in the efficacy of peculiar objects upon a person s welfare is not by any means confined to savages. Witchcraft is a form of fetichism, and it can hardly be said to be dead from among us even now. Others than children may be found who will keep a crooked sixpence, a curious stone, a hard potato, for luck, prompted by exactly those instincts, which, although long superseded in some races, are perhaps the highest the savage possesses. The power of the feticli seems in many cases, however, to be regarded not as superhuman, but as extra-human. The tendency to believe that what precedes, accompanies, or follows a thing or accident must be somehow causally connected with it is ever prevalent; and to palliate our wonder at the gross super stitions of the savage we must remember how many people we have met in the heart of modern civilization who are careful about lucky and unlucky days and numbers. As the fetich becomes more and more endowed with personality and will, so the belief passes imperceptibly into what is called idolatry. See Brosses, Du Culte dcs Dicux FeticTifs, 1 760 ; Dulaure, Hist, dcs differ cn-s cultes, 1828; Lubbock, Origin of Civilization; Tylor, Primi tive Culture; Schultzc, Der Fetischismus. (W. HE.) FETIS, FRANCIS JOSEPH (1 784-1871), although a fertile composer of almost every kind of music, will be chiefly re membered as a theoretical and critical writer. He was born at Mons in Belgium, March 25, 1784, and was trained as a musician by his father, who followed the same calling. In 1800 he went to Paris and completed his studies at the conservatoire under such masters as Boieldieu, Rey, and Pradher. After many vicissitudes he was in 1823 ap pointed professor at the same celebrated institute, and re mained in the French capital for ten years, till in 1833 he obtained the directorship of the music-school of Brussels, which owes much to his indefatigable zeal. He also was the founder, and, till his death, the conductor of the cele brated concerts attached to the conservatoire of Brussels. In this important position he exercised a potent influence on musical education and musical taste in Belgium. He also furnished a large quantity of original compositions, from the opera and the oratorio down to the simple chanson. But all these are doomed to oblivion. Although not without traces of scholarship and technical ability, they show total absence of genius. More important are his writings on music. They are partly historical, such as the Curiosites kistoriques de la miisique, Paris, 1850, and the un finished Histoire universelle de musiqiie, of which only the first three volumes have appeared (Paris, 1869-1872), partly theoretical. Amongst the latter the Melhode des methodes de piano (Paris, 1837), written in conjuction with Moscheles, may be named. By far the most important of his works is the celebrated Biographic universelle des Musiciens, com menced as early as 1806, but not published till 1834 (in 8 vois.). Although full of mistakes, and marked by narrow ness and onesidedness of critical judgment, it is a work of vast and varied information, and as such still unsurpassed. Fetis died at Brussels in 1871. His valuable library was purchased by the Belgian Government and presented to the conservatoire. FEU, in the law of Scotland, signifies, in its widest sense, any tenure of land by which the relation of superior (or overlord) and vassal is constituted. Of these tenures the feudal system in Scotland has recognized five, ward (the original military tenure, abolished in 1747), feu, blench, mortification, and burgage. The term feu, however, is now in practice restricted to one of these, feu-holding or feu- farm, which is a grant of land, or property connected with land, in perpetuity, on condition of the grantee making to the granter a fixed annual payment of a substantial nature, with a liability for certain contingent payments termed casualties the radical right to the whole remaining with the granter. It is opposed to blench-holding the only other feudal tenure now made use of in Scotland in which the payment to the superior is merely nominal in amount, e.g., a penny Scots. The feudal system embraces the whole of Scotland except Orkney and Shetland, where remains of the udal right are still to be found. It is a fundamental principle of the system as developed in Scot land to permit subinfeudation to an unlimited extent, that is, every vassal, unless restrained by special agreement, may feu the whole or part of his land to another person, who thereby becomes his sub-vassal ; and by the Act of 1874 conditions by superiors prohibiting subinfeudation cannot thereafter be lawfully made. The feu-duty is usually a payment either in money or in kind. Services, however, are still legal if they are not of a military nature ; but they must be paid within the year, as is also the case with blench duties of whatever sort. The casualties now recognized are relief, the fine payable by au heir on succeeding, composition, that payable by a stranger ; and liferent escheat, the forfeiture to the superior of the annual profits of the land while the vassal is civilly dead for failing to answer for a crime. The vassal, also, if he is two years in arrears in payment of the feu-duty and allows decree of irritancy, as it is called, to pass against him, loses his right absolutely. Casualties were at one time more numerous and more irksome in their incidence than at present, for the law now regards with disfavour all feudal payments not of a fixed periodical nature. Indeed it may be said that casualties no longer exist, for the Conveyancing (Scotland) Act of 1874 has abolished all payments of a contingent nature in new feus, and provides for the com mutation of those already existing. This Act, while it has preserved the name, has really destroyed the relation of superior and vassal, as that has been long understood iu Scotland. A feu is the usual title upon which land is granted for building purposes in Scotland. Long building leases are not much known ; and this has greatly con tributed to the durable nature and value of Scotch house property. FEUCHTERSLEBEN, EDUARD, FREIHERR VON (1806- 1849), an Austrian physician, philosopher, and poet, was born at Vienna on the 29th April 1 806. He entered the uni versity of Vienna in 1825, and obtained his doctor s degree in 1833. In 1845 he became dean of the faculty of medi cine, and in 1847 was named vice-director of medico-chirur- gical studies. In July 1848 he was appointed under secre tary of state of the education department, but resigned his office in the same year, and died 3d September 1849. His principal prose writings are Ucber das Hippolcratischc erste Buck von der Didtetik, Vienna, 1835 ; Ucbcr die Gewissheit und Wiirdcder Heilkuiist, Vienna, 1835; Lchrbuch der arztlichcn Secl- enkunde, Vienna, 1835, translated into English under the title Medical Physiology ; and Zur Didtetik der Sccle, Vienna, 1838. He obtained some reputation also as a poet. Some of his verses are lyrical, but most are of a didactic character. His collected works with the exception of those purely medical edited by the poet Hebbel, were published in 7 vols. at Vienna, 1851-53. FEUDALISM, FEUDAL SYSTEM. Feodum, feudum, fief, or fee is derived from the German Vieh, cattle (Gothic, faihu; Old High German, fiku ; Old Saxon,/e/m ; Anglo- Saxon, feoJi) ; in a secondary sense the word came to denote goods, money, property in general. The second syllable has been connected with another root, od, also meaning property, the whole word denoting property held as a re ward, or in consideration of special service. Whether this etymology be correct or not, this is the signification which the word acquired in time. &quot; The word feodum is not found earlier than the close of the 9th century. But neither the etymology of the word nor the development of its several meanings can be regarded as certain.&quot; 1 1 Stubbs, Constitutional History, i. 251. &quot; Le mot apparait pour