Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/862

BENJAMIN. Benoni ('ehild of my sorrow'), but renamed Ben- jamin by his father. The second element of the name is parallel with the Arable term Yemen, 'right-south,' as opposed to Shimal, 'left-north' (southern Arabia) ; and therefore some biblical scholars consider that it is pi-oliable that Benja- min fl'as originally .a geographical name for a group settled in the southern portion of the Eph- raimitic highland (Sam. ix. 10-10). The stories told of Benjamin in Genesis illustrate the predilections of both Judcsan and Ephraimitic writers for this tribe. After Joseph was sold into Egypt Benjamin was the pet of his father, and Jacob could only with difficulty be persuaded to allow him to accompany bis brothers into Egypt during the famine (ib. xlii. 30; xliii. G-i'4). At the time of the migration of Jacob to Egypt Benjamin appears as the head of a family of ten (il). xlvi. 21 ) . and is already depicted as the ancestor of the trilie of Benjamin. The territory of tliis tribe in Pal- estine was between Judah and Ephraim, and in- cluded among its important cities Jericho, Bethel, Gibeon, and Ramah, all of which were also important sanctuaries (Josh, xviii. 11, 21- 25). Jerusalem seems to have been on the bor- der between Judah and Benjamin. The tribe was one of the most warlike of the whole twelve and, considering that it was a small tribe, played a most important part in Hebrew history. It pro- duced such men as Eliud the Judge (Judges iii. 15if.) and King Saul (I. Sam. ix. 1-2). After Saul's death it joined in the revolt of his son Ishbosheth (II. Sam. ii. 15) ; and Sheba, the Benjamite, later led a revolt against David (II. Sam. XX. 1). The strength of the tribe in war proves that its almost total destruction by the rest of Israel for its conduct in connection with the outrage at Oiibcnh (.Judges xix.-xxi.) had no permanent efl'ect. and the account of their de- struction is exaggerated. When the kingdom was divided, Benjamin joined with Judah in forming the southern kingdom, or Kingdom of .ludah (1. Kings vii. 21, etc.). Modern critics re- gard the tribe of Benjamin as having originally, with E]ihraim and Manasseh, formed the tribe of Joseph (cf. II. Sam. xix. 10, with ib. xix. 20; and note the expression, 'house of Joseph,' in I. Kings xi. 28) ; and according to the critical view that the stories in Genesis are the echoes of tribal history, this explains the fact that Ben- jamin is there spoken of as the full brother of Joseph, as it also accounts for the favorable view taken in general by northern writers of Benja- min, despite the fact that it joined .Judah in establishing the southern kingdom. For the his- tory of the southern kingdom, composed of Judah and Benjamin, see Jews. BENJAMIN, too-na'la (Benjamin ben Jonah). A Jewish traveler. He was born at Tudela, in Navarre, Spain. He was the first European who gave infomiation respecting the distant East. He made a journey from about 1159 to 1173 (in which year he died) from Sara- gossa, through Italy and Greece, to Palestine, Persia, and the borders of China, returning by way of Kgj'pt and Sicily. His notes — originally written in Hebrew and translated into Latin, English, German, Dutch, and French — are ex- ceedingly valuable ; but, like so many early trav- elers, he readily accepted miraculous stories which were told him, and his accounts are not always trustworthy. The latest edition, by Asher (London and Berlin, 1840-41), contains the original text, with an English translation and annotations.

BENJAMIN, ( 1850—). An American nioclianical engineer: born at Patten, Maine. He studied at the University of Maine, was professor of mechanical engineering there in 1880-80, and in 18S0 became professor of mechan- ical engineering at the Case School of A])plied Science, Cleveland, Ohio. He has published .otes on Heat and iSteam (1894) ; Notes on Ma- chine Design (1895); and Mechanieal Labora- tory Practice (1S98).

BENJAMIN, (1811-84). An American law'-'er and statesman, one of the lead- ers of the Southern Confederacy during the Civil War. He was born of English-Jewish parentage, in the island of Saint Croix, West Indies; re- moved with his parents to Wilmington, N. C, in 1815; studied for three years at Yale, and in 1832 was admitted to the bar in New Orleans, where two years later he published a valuable work, entitled Digest of Reported Decisions of the Supreme Court of the Late Territory of Orleans and of the SupreiT'.e Court of Louisiana. He soon acquired an extensive practice ; became a member of the law firm of Slidell, Benjamin, and Conrad in 1840; made a celebrated argu- ment in connection with the 'Creole Case' (q.v. J in 1841, and in 1847 was retained as counsel by the United States commission appointed to ad- judicate the Spanish land-titles in California. In 1848 he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court, and subsequentl_y spent much of his time in Washington. Dui'ing President Pierce's administration he declined an appoint- ment to a place on the Supreme Court bench. He was United States Senator from Louisiana from 1852 to 1861, and as such took a prominent part, on the Southern side, in the various de- bates over slavery extension, the organization of the Territories, 'popular sovereignty,' and 'State rights.' In February, 1801, he withdrew from the Senate, and soon afterwards ^•as ap- pomted Attorney-General in President Davis's provisional Cabinet. On the resignation of L. Pope AValker, in August, he became Secretary of War, but soon resigned, owing to Congressional charges of incompetence and negligence, and in February, 1802, accepted the position of Secre- tary of State. In this capacity he served }ith remarkable energy and eiriciency until the close of the war, working habitually from 8 A.M. until 2 A.M. each day, and soon became generally known as 'the brains of the Confederacy.' Upon the surrender of Lee at Appomattox, Benjamin fled from Richmond, together with the other officials of the Confederacy, and after undergoing many hardships finally reached England in September, 1865. He then entered as a student at Lincoln's Inn, London ; was called to the English bar in June, 1806; and in 1868 published .1 Treatise on. the Laui of Sale of Personal Property, which came to be regarded as a legal classic in England. Benjamin gradually acquired an enormous practice, at first in nisi prius cases, and afterwards in cases of appeal before the Privy Council and the House of Lords; but in 1883 he was forced by failing health to retire from the bar. Many of his speeches in the Senate and a number of his arguments before the