Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/747

BECKER. BECKER, Jean (1833-84). A German violin virtuoso. He was born at Mannheim, and stud- ied with Kettenus and Vineenz Laehner. After a short period as a conductor at JIannheim he entered upon a series of brilliant concert tours (18.38), and finally settled in Florence, Italy, where in 1886 he established the famous Flor- entine Quartet.

BECKER, Karl (1823-96). A German stat- istician, born at Strohausen (Oldenburg). He foufjht in the campaigns of 1848, 1840, and 1850 against Denmark, and rose to be a captain in the Army of Schleswig-Holstein. In 185.5 he organ- ized the statistical bureau of Oldenburg, of which he became director, and from 1872 until his re- tirement in 1891 was director of the statistical ollice of the German Empire. He edited Statis- tische yachrichten i/ber das Gros'sherzogthum Oldenhurg (1857-72), and from 1877 the Monats- hrftc ~ur Ktatislik des Deutschen Reichs. His writings include Zur Berechmmg von Sterbe- tafeln (1874).

BECKER, Karl Ferdinand (1775-1849). A German philologist, born at Lieser, Prussia. He studied at tlie University of Giittingen, became a physician at Offenbach in 1815, and there opened a small private school. Here his work as an instructor led him to make researches in philol- ogy, which for a time met with considerable rec- ognition. His view was that all languages are subject to certain logical and philosophical prin- ciples, and that thus a science of comparative philology might be arrived at by a process of de- duction. This method was later largely dis- credited by the investigations of Jakob Grimm and others, whereby comparative philology is based on principles of history and ethnology and is attained inductively. Becker's works inchule : Deutsche Wortbildung (1824), Ausfiihrliche deutsche Graminatik (3 parts, 1836-39), and Der deutsche Stil ( 1848 ; 3d ed. revised by Lyon, 1884). Consult Helmsdiirfer, Becker der Gram- matiker (Frankfort, 1854).

BECKER, Karl Ferdinand (1804-77). A German writer on music, and organist. He was born in Leipzig. He was made professor of organ-playing at the Conservatory in 1843, but resigned in 1850. Among his works on the his- tory of music, which place him in the same rank with Kiesewetter and Winterfeld, the most im- portant are: Die Hausmusik in Deulschland im 16. n. und IS. Jahrhundert (1840); Die Ton- kiinstJer dcs 19. .Jahrhnnderts (1847). He was also among the most active contributors to the A'eue Zeitschrift fiir Musik.

BECKER, Karl Friedrich (1777-1806). A German historian, born in Berlin. He studied at Halle, and for a time was a teacher at Kottbus and Berlin. He wrote Krxiihlungen axis der alien VTelt fiir die Jur/end (Halle, 1873), and a Welt- geschichte fiir Kinder und Kinderlehrer (Halle, 1801-05), since frequently reprinted and so en- larged and revised by Woltmann, Menzel, Loebell, and others as to leave, in spite of the gain in fullness and scientific accuracy, scant traces of its original charm of style and arrangement.

BECKER, Karl Ludwig Friedrich (1820- 1900). A German historical painter, born in Berlin. He was a pupil of von Klijber, Cornelius, and Hess, afterwards studied in Paris. Rome, and Venice, and first attained success with sub- jects of the Venetian Renaissance. The chief characteristics of his manner are historical fidelity, skillfulness of technique, and richness of coloring. His works include "Belisarius as a Beggar" (1850), ''Doge in Council" (1864), "Charles V. and Fugger" (1870). and "Emperor Maximilian Receiving the Venetian Embassy" (1877).

BECKER, (1809-45). A German poet, born at Bonn. He is "the author of the well-loiown song beginning, ".Sie soUen ihn nicht haben, den freien, deutschen Rhein," which, as an outburst of the popular German sentiment of the day, became widely celebrated. There are more than seventy difl'erent musical settings of it, onl_v one of which, however, has become popu- lar. The song was answered by a numlicr of French poets, notably Alfred de Musset ("Nous I'avons eu, votre Rhin allemand") and Lamar- tine ("Marseillaise de paix").

BECKER, (1839-68). A German political fanatic, known for his attempted assas- sination of King William I. of Prussia. He was born at Odessa. In 1850 he entered Leipzig L'ni- versity, and in 1861, at Baden-Baden, endeavored to kill the King by firing two shots from a pistol, at a distance of three paces. The monarch suf- fered only a slight injury of the neck. The assassin, in a letter found upon him. stated as his motive the conviction that King William was unequal to the task of uniting Germany. He was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment, but was pardoned by the King, and released in 1866, with the stipulation that he should leave Germany forever. He lived for a time at Chi- cago, and subsequently went to Alexandria, Egypt, where he died.

BECKER, (1809-86). A German radical. He was born at Frankenthal, in the Palatinate, grew up extremely democratic in his beliefs, and became a common laborer by preference. For his participation in the revolutionary movements of 1830, he suffered imprisonment. He finally turned to Switzerland, which was then the home of political outcasts from every land. There he fought under Ochsenbein, against the Catholic cantons of the Sonderbund. Upon the failure of Hecker's attempt to revolutionize Baden (1848). Becker, who had organized troops for his support, returned to Switzerland and put himself at the head of an expedition of German and Swiss auxiliaries to support the cause of freedom in Rome and Sicily. Their movements being frustrated, he led his troops (1849) into the Palatinate and the Grand Duchy of Baden, where a rising had taken place, and took a prominent part in many engagements, displaying great courage and strategic skill. Becker afterwards became knowii as a leader of the young Socialist Party, an active agitator on behalf of the International Association of Workmen, and the editor of many Socialist organs. Later he became a revolutionary collectivist and an adherent of Karl Marx.

BECKER, (1752-1822). A German educator and author. He was born at Erfurt, and studied theology at the University of Jena. As instructor at the Basedow 'Philanthropin,' at Dessau, he founded a journal entitled Dcssauische Zeitung fiir die Jugend und ihre Frcnnde, which he afterwards continued at Gotha (1784), under the title of Deutsche Zeitung fiir die Jugend, and which in 1796 was