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C

C, the third letter of the alphabet, represents two consonants: s and k. The s sound is called soft c, the k sound hard c. C before e, i or y is a hissing s, as in cede. When e or i is followed by another vowel in the same syllable, c is sh, as in oceanic. In a few words c is z, as in sacrifice. C before a, o, u or a consonant represents the k sound, as in call, cold, culminate, climax. C after a syllable not followed by e or i also equals k, as in arc. So, too, in sceptic and scirrous. It is silent in corpuscle, czar, indict, muscle, victuals. Its sound comes from the Latin. The Romans used C as a numeral (100) as well as a letter.  Cabal, a word used to denote a small party united for political purposes. Formerly it was used to denote a secret committee or cabinet, and in the 17th century was especially applied to the infamous ministry of Charles II of England, which was made up of five members whose initials made up the word cabal. They were Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington and Lauderdale. The word goes back through the French to a Hebrew word meaning “something received.”  Cab′inet, a committee of ministers, so called from the cabinet or room in which the ruler assembles his council. In the United States the cabinet is made up of the heads of departments; namely: the secretaries of state, of the treasury, of war, of the navy, of the interior, of agriculture; the attorney-general; and the postmaster-general. By the constitution the president has the power to require the opinion in writing of the heads of departments, on any subject relating to their special duties. Washington started the practice of consulting all the heads of departments on important measures, and later presidents have usually called them together in joint meeting for consultation, so that now they are expected to be present as a matter of course. The president presides at these meetings, and he is responsible for all the measures of the government. There is in this country no premier or chief member of the cabinet, though the position of secretary of state is generally regarded as the leading one. The president usually selects for his cabinet those who agree with his views. The word cabinet was first used as a political term in England. The modern British cabinet is made up of a variable number of ministers, usually about eighteen, among whom are always the first lord of the treasury (who is prime-minister), the lord chancellor, the chancellor of the exchequer, the president of the council and the five secretaries of state. The members have seats in Parliament.  Ca′ble, George Washington, an American author, was born in New Orleans in 1844, and after a short career in business entered the Confederate army. At the close of the war, he resumed business in New Orleans and while still so engaged began his work as a writer in connection with the New Orleans Picayune. His first stories were collected and published under the title of Old Creole Days. The Grandissimes, Madame Delphine and the History of New Orleans soon followed, and in 1879 he gave up his business. In 1884 Mr. Cable settled in Northampton, Massachusetts, and devoted himself to writing and lecturing. Dr. Sevier, The Creoles of Louisiana, The Silent South, The Cavalier, By-Low Hill and Strange True Stories of Louisiana are among his later works.  Cable-Road, a railroad on which the cars are moved by being attached to an endless wire rope, which is kept in motion by mechanical power. Cable traction has been used in mines for many years, but it was first successfully applied to street car traction by A. S. Halliday at San Francisco in 1873. For heavy street-car traffic and for places where there are very heavy grades the cable system has been sucessfully employed. The cable, an endless wire rope of one to 1½ inches in diameter, is kept in continuous motion in a slotted groove or conduit below the surface and between the rails, and the connection with the car is made by a grip which can be controlled from the car. The power required to keep the cable in motion without load is large—35 to 75 per cent. of the full load—so that the system is at a 