Page:LA2-NSRW-2-0540.jpg



Page 973 : JOACHIM — JOHANNESBURG

by Napoleon in 1806. In Denmark the same right was given them in 1814. Norway forbade them to touch her soil till 1860. In Russia they have been forced to crowd into one district, known as the Pale, and have even been ordered out of that and out of the country (1892), a persecution which, coupled with famine and cholera, is not surpassed in horror by any in the dark ages. The Jews were given their full rights in Russia in 1848, though the feeling against them has never died out. They, of course, enjoy the fullest liberty in the United States. The Jews are distributed as follows: Russia, 3,400,000: Austro-Hungary, 1,700,000: United States, 1,777,185; Turkey, 60,000; Germany, 590,000; Rumania, 400,000; Morocco, 150,000; Great Britain, 100,000; Abyssinia, 120,000; Netherlands, 83,000; France, 49,000; Tripoli, 60,000; Tunis, 45,000; Algiers, 57,132; Italy, 38,000; Persia, 35,000; Egypt, 25,200; Bulgaria, 33,717; Turkestan and Afghanistan, 14,000; Switzerland, 8,069; the Transvaal, 10,000; Argentina, 6,735; Servia, 4,652; Denmark, 4,080; Belgium, 3,000; Greece, 5,000; Spain, 5,000; Sweden and Norway, 2,000; with scattered numbers in other parts of the world, making a total of 11,585,202.

Joachim (yō′ȧ-kḗm), Joseph, a celebrated Hungarian violinist and composer. He was born at Kitsee, Hungary, June 28, 1831. He played the violin at the age of five years, and was later taught by Szervacsinsky at Budapest. Later he was the pupil of Boehm, and still later he went to the Con-servatorium at Leipsic under the direction of Mendelssohn. Here he studied under David until 1849, when he became leader of the orchestra at Weimar. In 1854 he was appointed conductor of concerts and solo violinist to the king of Hannover. In 1868 he was given charge of the musical school in the Academy of Arts at Berlin. Joachim was recognized as a master of technique. Of his compositions the most notable was his Hungarian Concert, op. II.

Joan of Arc (jōn or jō-an of ärk) or in the French form Jeanne d’Arc (zhän d’ärk), the Maid of Orleans, the daughter of humble parents, was born at Domremy, France, Jan. 6, 1412. She was taught, like other young women of her station, to sew and spin, but not to read and write. She was more modest and pious than her companions, and, when about 13, she believed that she saw a flash of light and heard a heavenly voice bidding her be diligent in her religious and holy duties. When 15, she imagined that the heavenly voice bade her go and fight for the dauphin of France. She went and persuaded him of the truth of her heavenly mission. She put on male dress and warlike equipments, and, with sword and banner, put herself at the head of the French troops, whom her example and the knowledge of her heavenly mission inspired with new confidence. From April 29 to May 8, 1429, the army under her leadership gained many victories over the English at Orleans. The national courage was kindled by these successes, and Joan became the heroine of France and the dread of the English forces who had been routed by her. She conducted the young prince to Rheims, where he was crowned on July 17, 1429, and Joan, whose bravery made this possible, saluted her king with tears of joy. She wished now to return home, thinking her mission ended, but Charles persuaded her to remain with the army, and she at last consented. In a battle with the Burgundian torces in Compiegne the French troops were defeated, and Joan was taken prisoner and sold to the English for a sum equivalent to $3,200. At Rouen, the headquarters of the English, she was tried before the bishop of Beauvais as a sorceress and witch, and after a long, shameful and unjust trial she was condemned to be burned at the stake. She suffered this terrible fate on May 30, 1431. “We are lost,” said an English soldier; “we have burned a saint!” In 1456 her trial was declared unjust, and Joan, a heroine and martyr, has since had an honored and unique place in history. See Lives by Michelet, Parr, Tuckey and S. L. Clemens.

Job, the hero of the book named after him. He is said to have lived in Uz, somewhere between Palestine and the Euphrates. The belief of most scholars at present is, that the book is a dramatic poem and that Job is not a real person, but simply the main character in this poem, as Hamlet is in one of Shakespeare’s plays. No one is now able to determine the authorship of the book. As a work of genius and art it has the first rank in Hebrew literature, and abounds in sublime thought. It shows a man, who through suffering and trial, remains true to his trust in the wisdom of Providence. The book was, perhaps, written during the exile. It is ranked with Hamlet and Faust as the three greatest poems of their class. See Davidson’s Job and Froude’s Short Studies on Great Subjects.

Johan′nesburg, a town in Transvaal, South Africa, and the chief point in the Witwatersrand gold-fields. It is 35 miles south of Pretoria, the capital. The town has had a remarkable growth. Railroads connect it with Delagoa Bay, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. The population recently numbered 237,220, consisting of (120,411) whites, (116,809) colored, aboriginal natives and other colored races. The town is well-equipped with churches, banks and mercantile houses, but the water supply is poor and sanitary arrangements are defective. Dust-storms are a feature, and fevers sometimes are epidemic. With the outbreak of the Boer War Johannesburg

Articles: