Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/450

 434 STYLE SUAKIN eyelid, about the size of a grain of barley. Sty has it8 seat in the cellular tissue at the margin of the lid, involving generally the roots of one or more of the eyelashes. The tumor is f urun- cular, and almost invariably goes on to sup- puration; its progress is sometimes tedious and the suppuration imperfect. Sty is most common in persons of a struinous habit, and often has for an exciting cause derangement of the digestive organs. When the little tumor has made its appearance, it is best to promote its maturation by warm and emollient fomen- tations. It is commonly advisable to leave it to burst of itself; but when maturation has occurred, if it occasion much uneasiness, it may be punctured. STYLE, Old and New. See CALENDAR. STYRAX. See BALSAMS. STYLITES (Gr. arvMrrK, belonging to a pillar), a class of anchorites who spent their lives on pillars. The originator of this mode of Chris- tian penance was Simeon (known as St. Simeon Stylites), a Syrian, who was born in Sisan or Sesan about 390, and died near Antioch in 459. He spent several years in convents, but not being satisfied with the severity of their discipline, he built for himself on Mt. Tela- nissa a small hut, in which he inflicted upon himself all manner of bodily pains, in the hope of thereby attaining to spiritual perfection. His fame drew around him large numbers of admirers, and in order to escape their constant intrusions and persistent efforts to approach him and touch his garments, he decided to live on top of a pillar. At first he maintained him- self standing upon it by means of a beam, but he soon learned to do without this support, and to obtain rest by leaning against the low parapet. His pillar was at first only about 10 ft. high, but he had it repeatedly increased in height, until it was about 60 ft. high. On this pillar, the top of which is said to have mea- sured only a few feet in circumference, he lived upward of 30 years; and when he died the people of Antioch received his body into their city and revered him as their patron saint. His example found numerous imitators in the East, but his peculiar kind of asceticism met with little favor in the West. He and his followers received the designation of stylites, but are known also as air martyrs, pillarists, and pil- lar saints. There were several other stylites called Simeon. One died in 595, and another, one of the last recorded in history, lived in the 12th century. It is related of one Alypius that he maintained himself 70 years on a pillar near Adrianople. STYBIA (Ger. Steiermarl), a duchy of Aus- tria, bordering on Upper and Lower Aus- tria, Hungary, Croatia, Carniola, Carinthia, and Salzburg; area, 8,671 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 1,137,990. It is divided into the circles of Gratz, which contains the capital of the same name, Marburg, and Bruck. It is traversed by three chains belonging to the Noric branch of the Alpine system, the highest summits of which are on the N. W. and S. W. frontiers, rising to an elevation of 8,000 ft. and up- ward. The N. W. part is known as Upper Styria, and the country in the opposite direc- tion as Lower Styria. The surface belongs to the basin of the Danube. The most important streams are the Mur, Enns, Raab, Save, and Drave, all of which except the Raab are navi- gable for boats. There are numerous small lakes, and hot and mineral springs. Limestone, sul- phur, alum, rock salt, gold, silver, lead, copper, cobalt, zinc, and iron ore of superior quality are found. The soil in the valleys is generally fertile, but no surplus of grain is produced. The vine thrives well. The forests cover about half the surface. The inhabitants are mostly German, but the Winds or Slovens are nu- merous, constituting about 36 per cent, of the population; nearly all are Roman Catholics. Iron is extensively manufactured, and linen, cotton, woollen, and silk to some extent ; but the most important branch of industry is tim- ber. Millions of jewsharps are annually ex- ported. Under the Romans the eastern part of Styria belonged to the province of Pan- nonia, and the western to Noricum. Chris- tianity was introduced in the 4th century, but the northern barbarians afterward overran the province. Styria was annexed to Austria in 1192, was subsequently attached to Bohemia, and in 1276 together with other territories sur- rendered by King Qttocar II. to Rudolph I. of Hapsburg. It subsequently belonged to va- rious branches of that house, until the Styrian line became the ruling one with the succes- sion of Ferdinand II. to the emperor Matthias in 1619. Ferdinand exterminated Protestant- ism in the duchy. Under the constitution of Cisleithan Austria the Styrian diet elects 13 members to the Austrian Reichsrath. See Das Volksleben in Steiermarlc in CJiarakter- und Sittenbildern dargestellt, by P. K. Roseg- ger (2 vols., Gratz, 1875). STYX (connected with Gr. arvyeiv, to ab- hor), in Greek mythology, the chief river of the lower world, around which it flows seven times. The name was said to be derived from the nymph Styx, the daugther of Oceanus, who, when Jupiter prepared to wrest the power from the hands of Saturn and the Ti- tans, was the first of the immortals to answer to his call, coming with her children to his assistance. He made her children his constant attendants, and herself the oath-sanctioner of the gods. In the Hesiodic theogony Styx is called the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She was the mother of Zelos (zeal), Nike (vic- tory), Bia (strength), and Cratos (power). SIABIA. See SWABIA. SUAKIN, or Snakini, a seaport town of Nubia, on the coast of the Red sea, 285 m. N. N. W. of Massowah ; lat. 19 17' K, Ion. 37 20' E. ; pop. about 6,000. The town proper is on an island 1 m. in circumference, which is connected by a bridge with a suburb on the mainland. It is defended by a small fort,