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SEMELE

1722

SEMMES

Martha and Lucia. She came to the United States in 1883, and has appeared here in several seasons of concerts and opera. In 1903—04 she was a leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera-House, New York, where she again appeared in 1906-7.

Semele (sem'e-le), in Greek story, was beloved by Zeus, and Hera, moved by jealousy, persuaded her to ask him to appear in all his majesty as king of gods and men. Having sworn to grant her every request and warned her in vain not to press her wish, he unwillingly yielded and appeared as the god of the thunderbolt. Semele was consumed by the lightning, but the child to which she was about to give birth was saved by Zeus. This child was Dionysus, the god of wine.

Seminoles (sem't-ndlz), at first a wandering branch of Creek Indians. In 1817 they joined the Creeks and some refugee negroes in ravaging the white settlements in Georgia, plundering the plantations and carrying off slaves whom they refused to surrender. Andrew Jackson was sent to punish them, and his expedition hastened the cession of Florida to the United States (1819). The Seminoles, numbering 4,000 in 1823, by a treaty made in that year sold most of their lands for a yearly sum. In. 1832 a treaty for the removal of the whole tribe west of the Mississippi was signed by the chiefs, but the tribe, under the leadership of Osceola, would not ratify it. This led to a war, lasting seven years and costing hundreds of lives and millions of dollars. At length the tribe was removed to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), where are now settled all the Seminoles, some 3,000, except about 200 still lingering in Florida and a few in Texas. The Seminoles are steady, sober and industrious, and in the progress they have made rank next to the Cherokees, Creeks and Choctaws. They receive $25,000 a year, besides money to keep up their schools and government. They cultivate about 8,000 acres. They have eight churches, and are under the training of Presbyterian missionaries.

Semiramis (se-mir'a-mis), wife of Ninus, who, according to the Greek historians, founded Nineveh. A daughter of Derceto, the fish-goddess, she was exposed to death when a baby, but miraculously fed by doves and brought up by a shepherd. Onnes, one of the king's generals, charmed by her beauty, married her; but she won the heart of the king himself by her heroic capture of Bactra, whereupon her husband had the loyalty to take his own life. Ninus soon died, leaving Semiramis to reign gloriously for 42 years, conquering in Persia, Libya and ^Ethiopia, but failing in her attack on India, where her army was cut to pieces by elephants. She at last disappeared, according to some stories, in the form of a dove. The name of the mighty

queen survived in the names of many great works, as the hanging-gardens of Babylon, which were attributed to her. The Semiramis of the North was the name aptly given to Catherine II of Russia.

Semites (sem'ites), a name applied to a group of nations, much alike in language, religion, manners and looks, who are represented in Genesis % as descended from Shem, a son of Noah. Their home is Abyssinia, Arabia, Palestine, Phoenicia, Syria and the countries of the Euphrates and Tigris. It is generally believed that as early as 4000 B. C. the Semites migrated as wandering tribes, probably from Arabia, into Mesopotamia. There they found a people dwelling in cities built of brick, under a regular government of priest-kings, skilled in metals and using cuneiform (q. v.) writing. Accad, Shumir and Elam were conquered, the Semites forming the upper classes of society and ruling the Akkadians and Sumerians. Chedorlaorner, a king of Elam, about 2200 B. C. conquered as far as Palestine. Some Semites migrated northwestward and founded Tyre, Sidon and other cities on the Mediterranean, and became known as Canaanites and Phoenicians. Later, others came from Ur and founded the nation of Israelites. Still others built cities which grew into the Assyrian empire.

The Semites as a race have finely*devel-oped bodies, quick and clever minds, but are not inclined to change. Almost their only arts are the sculpture of Assyria and the glass, pottery, cloth and embroidery of the Phoenicians. They have made their mark on the world in the Phoenician commerce and colonies; in the Carthaginian empire and the exploits of Hannibal; in the spreading of the Phoenician alphabet, which is the mother of the European and most Asiatic alphabets, though it is not the oldest alphabet; in the Babylonian and Assyrian empires; in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religion; in the New Testament and Christian religion; in the Koran and Mohammedan religion; in the Mohammedan conquests and empire; and in the preservation of learning through the dark and middle ages. Semmes (semz), Raphael, was born in Charles County, Md., Sept. 27, 1809. He entered the navy in 18 2 6, and became a commander in 1855. He served during the Mexican War as a naval officer and also as an aide to General Worth. As commander of the Confederate steamer Sumter, he ran the blockade at the mouth of the Mississippi at the beginning of the Civil War. After capturing several

RAPHAEL  SEMMES