Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/56

ABEEL. ABEEL, a-bel', David, D.D. (1804-46). An early missionary to China. He was born in New Brunswick, N. J., June 12, 1804; gradu- ated from the theological seminary of the Re- formed Dutch Clmreb in his native town, and became pastor in Athens, Greene County, N. Y., 1826. Failing health compelled his resignation after two years and a half; in 1829 he went to China as chaplain in the employ of the Seamen's Friend Society; in 1830 was transferred to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He traveled extensively through the Far East, and on his way home invalided he went over Europe and excited great interest in missions there, as he did later in America (1833- 36). Again thinking himself well enough for service, he returned to China in 1838, but was compelled by his increasing debility to return home (1845) and died in Albany. N. Y., Sep- tember 4, 1846. As one of the earliest and most devoted of missionaries he is still remembered. His addresses in London led to the formation of the Undenominational Society for Promoting Female Education in the East (1834) ; in 1844 he founded the Amoy Mission, now under the Reformed Dutch Church Foreign Jlission Board. He published Journal of a Residence in China (New York, 1834; second edition, 1836); The Missionary Convention at Jerusalem, or An Es- hibition of the Claims of the IV'ord of the Gospel (1838). For his biography, consult G. R. Wil- liamson (New York, 1848).

ABEILLE, a'ba'y' or a'bal', Jonas (1800—). A French military surgeon. He was born at St. Tropez and was educated at Montpellier. As the chief physician of the military hospitals of Paris he was one of the principal promoters of the method of treating cholera with strychnine. After 1857 he devoted himself more particularly to private practice and to scientific research. His publications include: Mcmoires sur les in- jections iodfes (1849; honored with a gold medal by the Medical Society of Toulouse) ; Etudes cliniques sur la paraplegic independante de la myilite (1854; prize awarded by the Medi- cal Academy in 185.5) ; Chirurgie cotiservative (1874); Traitement des maladies chroniqucs de la matrice (second edition, 1878).

A'BEL (Heb. hcbel, perhaps kindred to Babyl. ablu, son). According to Genesis (iv : 2), the name of the second son of Adam and Eve. In contrast to his brother Cain, who is an agiiculturist, Abel is a shepherd. At the close of the year, Cain offered up of the fruits of the field as a sacrifice to Jehovah, while Abel brought the firstlings of his fiock. The latter's gift was regarded with greater favor by Jehovah, in consequence of which Cain's jealousy was aroused and he slew his brother Abel. (See Cain.) The story of Abel and Cain has been interpreted as expressing the superiority of the pastoral over the agricultural life. Abel, the shepherd, is a representative of the Palestinian nomad — thoigh of the milder type — of which the patriarchs, Abraham^ Isaac, and Jacob were examples; whereas Cain represents the Canaan- ites, who, at the time that the Hebrews entered the country, had already advanced to the agri- cultural stage. The Hebrews subsequently be- came agriculturists themselves, but, while the ideal held up in the Pentateuchal legislation is agricultural life, still the preference for the older nomadic conditions crops out from time to time, and as late as the days of Jeremiah we find a party known as the Rechabites who not only eschewed agricultural life, but continued to live in huts and would not taste wine, which was the symbol par excellence of agricultural pursuits. The story of Cain and Abel is con- ceived in the spirit of the Rechabites, just as there is a trace of the same spirit in the implied disapproval of vine culture in the tale of Noah's drunkenness (Genesis ix : 20-21). In rab- binical theology, however, and under the totally different view that was taken of early biblical traditions, Abel became the tj'pe of the pious, devoted worshipper of Jehovah who sufl'ered martyrdom for his devotion. This view is re- flected in the interpretation put upon the story in the New Testament where (e.g., Hebrews xi : 4) Abel's sacrifice is qualified as "better" than Cain's, and Abel himself becomes the "righteous" man, the possessor of true faith, in contrast to Cain the wicked (Matthew xxiii : 35; Luke xi : 51). The etymology of Abel is doubt- ful. The Jewish view, which gives to the name the force of "vanity," is untenable ; but, on the other hand, to connect the name with the Assyr- ian aplu (or ablu), which means "son," is also open to serious objections, since there are no traces of Babylonian or Assyrian influence in the story itself.

ABEL, Carl, Ph.D. (1837—). A German philologist. He was born in Berlin, and after studying at the universities of Berlin, Munich, and Tubingen, acquired familiarity with all Euro])ean and several Oriental tongues. He was at one time a lecturer at Oxford, taught philo- sophical and comparative linguistics at the Hum- boldt Academy of Science at Berlin, and was linguistic assistant in the German Foreign Office. His publications in German. French, and English are numerous. The works inchule Linquistic Esmys (1880), Slavic and Italian (1881), and Russland und die Lage (1888).

ABEL, Sir Frederic Augustus, K.CB., D.C.L. (1827-1902). An English chemist. He was born in London and devoted himself chiefly to the science of explosives. He was consulting chem- ist to the British War Department from 1854 to 1888, and was knighted in 1883. Abel intro- duced important improvements in the manufac- ture of gun-cotton and of blasting gelatine. He published: Gun-cotton (1806); The Modern His- tory of Gunpowder (1866) ; On Explosive Agents (1872): Researches in Explosives (1875), and Electricity Applied to Explosive Purposes {ISSi) . He wrote also, in conjunction with (jolonel Blex- am, a Handbook of Chemistry.

ABEL, JoHN (1857 — ). An American physio- logical chemist. He was born in Cleveland. Ohio, received his education at the LTniversity of Michigan, and studied medicine in Germany. On his return to this country he became con- nected with the Johns Hopkins University, where he was made professor of pharmacology in the medical school and head professor of physiological chemistry. Dr. Abel's researches have formed valuable contributions to our knowl- edge of the fluids and tissues of the animal body. ABEL, a1)el, Karl Friedrich (1725-87). A German musician, celebrated as a player on the viola da gamba. He was born at Cothen, be- came a pupil of Sebastian Bach, and was a mem- ber of the Royal Polish Band at Dresden. He went to England in 1759 and six years later be-