Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/474

* WEED. 398 WEEK. Corps. On June 6, 1863, he was promoted to be brigadier-general of volunteers, and took part in the Pennsylvania campaign until the battle of Gettysburg (q.v.) in which he was killed on July 2d, while holding a position on Little Round Top now known as Weed's Hill. WEED, TnuRLOW (1797-18S2). An American journalist and political leader, born at Cairo, Greene County. X. Y., November 15, 1797. At the age of fourteen years he was an apprentice in a printing office at Onondaga Hollow, N. Y. ; and in the War of 1812 he served for a time as a volunteer on the northern frontier. In 1815 he went to Xew York City, and after a brief career in printing establishments there he engaged in several journalistic ventures in western New York, founding successively the Agriculturist at Norwich, and the Onondaga County Republi- can at JIanlius. N. Y. He became editor of the Rochester daily Telegraph in 1822, of which three years later he also became the proprietor. In 1820 he retired from the management of this paper and established the Anti-Masonie Enquirer, and became prominently identified with the Anti.- Jlasonic Party. He was for several years a member of the State Legislature, where he was noted for his remarkable adroitness as a political manager. In 18.30 Weed removed to Albany and established the Albany Erening Journal, an anti- Jackson organ, which he edited with singular ability for thirty-three years, almost immediate- ly attracting attention by his vigorois attacks upon the 'Albany Regency.' He had a wide ac- quaintance with public men and for many years his influence in political affairs, first as a Whig and later as a Republican, was in some respects unsurpassed by that of any man in the country. Declining to accept any offices for himself, ex- cept the profitable one of State printer, he dic- tated the nomination and appointment of others. Itwas owing to his management more than to that of any other man that Harrison and Taylor were nominated for the Presidency in 1840 and 1848 re- spectively, while he took a leading part in bring- ing about the nomination of Clay in 1844, of Scott in 1852, and of Fremont in 1856. Through- out his long career he was an intimate friend of Seward, and for a long time was an influential member of the powerful 'political firm of Seward, Weed and Greeley.' which controlled the ])olitics of New York State. During the Civil ^'ar he spent some months in Europe as a member of a commission charged with securing the neutrality of foreign governments. For a brief period after the war he served on the editorial staff of the New York Timex, and from 1807-78 was editor of the Commercial Advertiaer. In ISfiO he piib- lished Letters from Europe and the West Indies. He died in New York City, November 22, 1882. His Autohiograph]!. a useful contribution to the historical and political literature of the country. was ])nblishcd in 1884 (Boston), and a ilemnir bv his grandson, Thiirlow Weed Barnes, appeared the same year (Boston). WEED,. Walter IIarm!t (1802—1. An .uierican geologist, born in Saint Louis. Mo. He graduated at the Cohuubia School of Klines in 1883, became a geologist nn the United States Geological Survey in the same year, and from 1883 to 1880 was engaged on the geological sur- vey of Yellowstone Park. From 1880 to 1808 lie was engaged in the geological exploration of Montana, and subsequently devoted his attention chielly to the study of economic geology, jiar- ticularly of ore deposits. In 1899 he announced the theory of the secondary enrichment of ore deposits. His publications include: Formation of Hot Springs Deposits; Glaciation of Yelloio- stone Valley (1893); Geology of Castle .Moun- tain District : Geology and Ore Deposits of Little Belt Mountains ; and Secondary Enrichment of Mineral Veins (1890). He was also part au- thor of a work on the Geology of Yellowstone Park. WEE'DEN, WiLLiAii Babcock (1834—). An American economist and historian. He was born at Bristol, R. I., and was educated at Brown University. In 1851 he entered upon the busi- ness of woolen manufacture at Providence. He served as a soldier during the Civil War, entering the army in 1861 as lieutenant and resigning in 1862 as captain, and on his return went back to his business. He is well known for his publica- tions in economic history: Morality of Pro- hihitory 'Liquor Laics (1875): Social Law of Labor (1882) : and Economic and Social History of Xew England (1890). WEEK (AS. imcu, icicu, Goth, tcil-6, OHG. u-nhhu. wehha, Ger. Troc7ic, week; connected with Lat. vices, changes, Gk. etKCiv, eikcin, AS. whan, OHG. u-lhhan, Ger. ueichen. to yield. Eng. u-eak). A subdivision of the month, usually consisting of seven days. The origin of the week is somewhat obscure, although it may be based on the phases of the moon which are approximately seven days apart, since each quarter of the lunar month exceeds the seven-day week only by three-eighths of a day. Such was the basis of the Chinese and of the ancient Peruvian week. If. however, the week of seven days came first from Babylonia, as seems on the whole most probable, the number seven may be derived from the sun and moon with the five planets, in the order Ninib ( Sat- urn), Marduk (Jupiter). Nergal (Mars), Sha- mash (Sun).Ishtar (Venus), Nabu (Mercury), and Sin (Moon). It is protiable that with this astronomical basis, the influence of the wide- spread belief in the sacred prime number seven also cooperated. Furthermore, in Babylonia every seventh day of the month was an 'evil' day, on which certain things were taboo, and cer- tain ofTerings were incumbent. The names of the intervening days are unknoAvn. and the date and frequency of celebration of the day shabattn. de- voted to the 'contentment of the heart (of the gods).' are also uncertain. Among the Jews, on the other hand, the week of seven days prevailed from the earliest times. There is here no trace of planetary influence. The names of the He- brew days of the week arc unknown, althoueli from the analogA* of the New Testament and Rah. binieal usage they would seem to have been num- bered from the Sabbath, so that 'four after the Sabl)atir would be Wednesday. Like the Sem- ites, the Eg^'ptians had a week of seven days, and these were named according to the seven planets. Over each hoiir of the Eg>-ptian day a jilanet ju'esided. in the order of its distance from the earth according to the geocentric system, thus giving the siiccessinn Saturn, .Tupitcr, Mars, Sun, Venus. 'Mercury, ^loon. If then Saturn pre- sides over the first hour of the first day (Satur- dav). the twentv-fifth hour will fall to the sun.