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 594 SAMSON SANA SAMSON, George Whltficld, an American clergy- man, born at Harvard, Worcester co., Mass., Sept. 29, 1819. He graduated at Brown uni- versity 1839, and at Newton theological in- stitution in 1843, and was pastor of the 4| street Baptist church, Washington, D. C., till October, 1849. He was president of Colum- bian college from 1859 to 1871, and of Rutgers female college in New York in 1872-'8. He has published a series of letters from Egypt, Palestine, and Italy (1848); To Daimonion (1852; enlarged under the title of "Spiritual- ism Tested," 1860) ; " Outlines of the History of Ethics" (1860); "Elements of Art Criti- cism " (1867); and " Physical Media in Spirit- ual Manifestations" (1869). SAMSON, Joseph Isidore, a French actor, born in St. Denis, July 2, 1793, died in March, 1871. He was of humble origin, and was at first a lawyer's clerk and a copyist in a lot- tery bureau. In 1812 he began to study at the conservatory after performing at a minor theatre. From 1832 to 1863, when he retired, he was connected with the Th6atre Francais, being especially distinguished in the comedies of Molic-re and Beaumarchais. He also wrote vaudevilles and dramas, and L'Art thedtral, a didactic poem, and lectured on dramatic art. He was professor of elocution at the conserva- tory for upward of 30 years. See Samson et se eleves, by Legouv6 (Paris, 1875). SAMUEL (Hob. S/iemuel, " heard of God "), a Hebrew seer or prophet, the last judge of Israel. He was the son of Elkanah and Han- nah, of the tribe of Levi, and was born in the latter part of the 12th century B. C., proba- bly at liamathaim Zophim in Mt. Ephraim. Even before his birth his mother had bound him to the obligations of a Nazarite, and ho was set apart from his early youth to the ser- vice of the tabernacle at Shiloh, under the immediate tutelage of Eli. His first prophecy concerned the doom of Eli's house. Twenty years after the death of Eli Samuel assembled the people at Mizpah, urging them to remain faithful to the Lord, and promising them speedy deliverance from the Philistines. At this time he seems to have been acknowledged as judge, an office which he held for about 20 years, restoring everywhere the neglected national worship. The Philistines, the most dangerous foes of Israel, were routed, and did not recruit their strength during the remain- der of his leadership. The Amorites, the east- ern foes of Israel, remained in peace with him. His dwelling was at Ramah, and in his old age he appointed two of his sons deputy judges at Beersheba. The people became dissatisfied, and demanded a king. Samuel, with great re- luctance, at length yielded by divine direction to this demand, and anointed Saul the first king of Israel. He rebuked Saul on several occasions, and at length, in the name of the Lord, anointed David as second king before the demise of Saul. He died before 1060 B. C. According to Jewish tradition, he was the au- thor of the book of Judges and of a part of the books of Samuel. SAMUEL, Books of, two canonical books of the Old Testament, reckoned by the Jews as one book. The present division into two books dates from the edition of the Hebrew Bible by Bomberg (1517-'18), and is derived from the Septuagint and Vulgate, in both which ver- sions they are termed the 1st and 2d books of Kings. They consist of the connected biogra- phies of Samuel, Saul, and David. The author of the books of Samuel is unknown. Grotius, Eichhorn, Jahn, Herbst, and Havernick regard the prophet Jeremiah as the author. Most commentators agree that they were the work of one compiler, who used several older books ; but as to the number and character of these they do not agree. The date of the work seems from internal evidences to have been between 975 and 622 B. C. Some writers, as Hobbes, Spinoza, Simon, Le Clerc, Eichhorn, Thenius, and De Wette, have maintained that the book contains contradictory statements ; but their arguments have been disputed oy Carpzovius, Davidson (" Biblical Hermeneu- tics"), Hengstenberg, Havernick, Welte, Keil, and others. Among the most recent commen- tators are Thenius, Die Sucker Samuelt (2d ed., Leipsic, 1864); Keil, Lie Hue her Samuels (1864 ; English translation, 1866) ; Words- worth, in his "Holy Bible, with Notes and In- troductions" (1866); and Erdmann, in Lange's Ilibelwerk (1873). For the latest critical view of the state of the text, see Wellhausen, Der Text der Bucher Samueli* (Gottingen, 1871). SANA, or SIMM, a city of Yemen, Arabia, formerly capital of the imamate of Sana, 110 m. E. N. E. of Hodeida ; pop. about 20,000. It lies in a fertile valley, about 4,000 ft. above the sea, and is surrounded by a ruinous wall of sun-baked brick, 5J m. in circumference. It is divided into a Jewish quarter, on the W. side, and the city proper, with the citadel, at the E. end. The imam's palaces are built of cut stone, with extensive gardens, surround- ed by separate walls and fortifications. The streets are wide and comparatively well kept, but a large part of the town is in ruins. The climate is subject to great variations; some- times no rain falls for several years, and the drought produces famine and pestilence; but generally there are rains in January, June, and July. Sana is the centre of the coffee trade of Yemen, and is famous for its fruits, especially grapes. The rich merchants have summer houses at Raudhah, 5 m. N. of the city. Sana was a city of the Sabaean kingdom, and is of great antiquity. It is probably the Tamna or Thomna of the ancient geographers. It is de- scribed by Pliny as a large commercial town, with 65 temples, to which caravans from Gaza resorted. About 930 it became the seat of the imams of Yemen, who ruled all S. W. Arabia. (See YEMEN.) In July, 1872, it was taken by the Turks, who have since held it with a garrison of 1,000 men.