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 564 OBER-AMMERGAU OBITER DICTUM verses. It speaks of the capture of Jerusalem, and denounces the Edoniites for their enmity to Jerusalem in the day of her calamity. It is like an amplification of the last five verses of the book of Amos, which it follows in the He- brew canon. A special commentary on Oba- diah was published by Caspari (Leipsic, 1842). OBER-AMMERGAU, a village of Upper Bava- ria, in the valley of the Ammer, 46 m. S. "W. of Munich; pop. about 1,100, who are chiefly engaged in carving on wood. It is celebrated for the decennial performance on 12 consecu- tive Sundays, in the summer season, of a play representing the passion and death of Christ, in which 350 actors are employed, besides 80 members of the orchestra and chorus, all se- lected from the villagers, several of whom dis- play great dramatic power and genius. The performances generally last from 8 A. M. to 4 P. M. A considerable portion of the space allotted to the theatre is uncovered. There is room for from 5,000 to 6,000 spectators, but the attendance is generally much larger, inclu- ding visitors from foreign countries. The per- formance in 1870, interrupted by the Franco- German war, was resumed in 1871. It is the only important passion or miracle play which continues to be performed. It originated in a vow taken by the population in 1634 to perform it every ten years, in the event of their esca- ping from the plague which then prevailed. See Das Passionspiel in Oberammergau, by Devrient (Leipsic, 1851); Das Ammergauer Passionspiel im Jahre 1870, by Holland (Miin- ster, 1870) ; and " The Homes of Ober-Ammer- gau," with etchings and notes, by Eliza Greato- rex (New York, 1873). OBERLIN, a village of Lorain co., Ohio, on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern rail- road, 105 m. N. "N". E. of Columbus, and 34 m. by rail W. S. W. of Cleveland; pop. in 1870, 2,888. It is principally noted as the seat of Oberlin college, founded in 1833 and named after J. F. Oberlin. This institution, under the direction of the Evangelical Congregation- alists, admits students without distinction of sex or color, occupies eight commodious build- ings, and has a library of 12,000 volumes. It embraces theological, college (classical), scien- tific, ladies', classical preparatory, and English preparatory departments, and a conservatory of music. The number of students in the the- ological department in 1874-'5 was 39 ; college, 159; scientific, 62 ; ladies', 170; classical pre- paratory, 210; English preparatory, 481 ; con- servatory of music, 347 ; total, deducting repe- titions, 1,330 (697 males and 633 females). The whole number of instructors was 33. In the theological department tuition and room rent are free. The number of alumni of the college is 719 ; theological department, 295 ; scientific department, 2 ; ladies' department, 572. The village has a national bank, several manufacto- ries, a weekly newspaper, and five churches. OBERLIN, Jean Frederic, a French philanthro- pist, born in Strasburg, Aug. 31, 1740, died at Waldbach, in the Steinthal (Ban de la Roche), June 1, 1826. He was educated at Strasburg, was for seven years a private tutor, and in 1767 became pastor of the poverty-stricken villages in the Steinthal, Alsace. The result of his 60 years' labor there was, that good roads, bridges, and dwellings were constructed, fine schools and comfortable hospitals established, and the agricultural products of the district greatly im- proved and increased, while the moral condi- tion of the inhabitants was equally advanced. One of the many biographies of Oberlin is by H. Ware, jr. (Boston, 1845). OBI, or Ob, a river of Siberia, formed, at about lat. 52 K, Ion. 85 20' E., by the junc- tion of the Katunya and Biya, which rise in the Altai mountains. It pursues a circuitous but generally N". W. course to about lat. 61, where it is joined by the Irtish from the south, whence it runs N. W. and N. to Obdorsk, lat. 66 40', where it separates and flows E. into the gulf of Obi by three mouths after a course of about 3,000 m., including its head waters. Besides the Irtish, which after receiving the Tobol is larger than the river into which it flows, the principal tributaries are the Tom, Tchulim, and Vakh. Fish are abundant in all these rivers. The gulf of Obi is an inlet from the sea of Kara, which lies between Nova Zembla and the mainland. It is of irregular form, extending between lat. 66 30' and 72 30' K, and Ion. 68 and 77 E. OBION, a N. W. county of Tennessee, bor- dering on Kentucky, and intersected in the S. E. by the Obion river ; area, about 500 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 15,584, of whom 2,182 were colored. Its surface is low toward the west and elevated and undulating in the east, and the soil is fertile. The Mobile and Ohio and the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis rail- roads intersect it. The chief productions in 1870 were 91,139 bushels of wheat, 917,445 of Indian corn, 21,919 of oats, 26,501 of Irish and 33,607 of sweet potatoes, 227,660 Ibs. of butter, 17,082 of wool, 645,937 of tobacco, and 2,256 bales of cotton. There were 3,742 horses, 1,671 mules and asses, 3,716 milch cows, 1,169 working oxen, 5,219 other cattle, 10,505 sheep, and 44,137 swine. Capital, Troy. OBITER DICTUM (Lat., something said by the way or incidentally), in law, an opinion which a judge in deciding a cause expresses on a point not necessary to the judgment. Such an ex- pression of opinion is usually to be avoided, as it cannot be supposed to have received from counsel or court the investigation and reflec- tion bestowed upon the points actually in- volved in the case, and would consequently be likely to be more or less crude and ill-consid- ered. It is liable to the objection, also, that it is an opinion in advance of any actual contro- versy presenting it, and without a hearing of such parties as may be concerned. Such an opinion, therefore, from however respectable a source, is not admitted to possess the force and be entitled to the authority of a precedent.