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RITTENHOUSE. 167 RITTER. instruments, born iuPcnnsv Ivaiiia. W'licn 13 years olil. he inherited a small lihrary eontaining a low works on mathematics and amonu; thejn New- ton's Principh. In 1751 he adopted cloek-mak- ing as a profession. He soon estalilished a repu- tation as an astronomer and instrument-maker of unusual ability, and in 17C3 was engaged to <lc'termine the boundary line since known as Jlason and Dixon's line, for which he used in- struments of his own construction. He was sub- sequently called upon to settle the boundaries between New York, Xew Jersey, Pennsyhania, and several other States. Soon after he nuide two orreries, one for Princeton College and one for the University of Pennsylvania. Ritten- house was appointed by the American Philosoph- ical Societv to observe the transit of Venus, June 3, 17G9. After 1770 he lived in Philadel- phia, and was a member of the convention that framed the first State Constitution. He also served as the first State Treasurer ( 1777-89) and director of the Philadelpliia mint (1792-95). He was professor of astronomy in the University of Pennsylvania (1779-82), and was a member of many learned societies, including the American Academ_y of Arts and Sciences, the Koyal So- ciety of London, and the American Philosophical Society, of which he was president after Frank- lin's death (1791J. Most of his scientific papers appeared in the Trmisactioyis of the American Philosophical Society. Consult the Mriiujir by William Barton (1813). RIT'TER, ArorsT (1826— ) . A German civil engineer, born at Liineburg, and educated at the Polytechnic Institute at Hanover, and at Got- tingen. He was a practicing engineer for some time, in 1850 became teacher of mechanics and construction of machinery at Hanover, in the Polytechnic Institute, and in 1870 became pro- fessor in the School of Technology at Aix-la- Chapelle. He is best known as the author of Eitter's method of reckoning arches for bridges and roofs. He wrote Elementary Theory and Calculation of Iron Bridi/es and Roofs (German, 1SG3, 5th ed. 1894; Eng. by Sankey. 1879). Lrhrbiich der technischen Mechanik (18G4; 7th ed. 1896), Lehrbuch dcr Inpenieur-Mechanik (1874-76), and Lclirhuch der analytischen Me- chanik (2d. ed. 1883). RITTER, FRfiDfiRic Louis (1834-91). A German-American composer, born in Strassburg. He studied under Moritz, Hauser, and Schlet- terer. In 1856 he came to the United States, resided for some years in Cincinnati, where he founded the Cecilia and Philharmonic socie- ties, and in 1861 removed to Xew York City and conducted the Sacred Harmonic and Arion societies. In 1867 he organized a musical fes- tival, which he conducted in New York, and was soon after appointed professor of music at Vas- sar College, which post he held till his death. He published many songs, orchestral, church, and pianoforte music, and several musical work>. including History of Music (1870-74), Music in England (1883), and Music in America (1883). He died in Antwerp. RITTER, Heinrich (1791-1869). A German historian of philosophy. He was born at Zerbst, Anhalt, November 21, 1791; studied theology and philosophy at Halle, GiJttingen, and Berlin, and in 1824 was created professor extraordinarius at Berlin University. In 1833 he accepted a call to t^he university at Kiel, and went thence in 1837 to G.'ittingen. His great work, dcicliirhlr der I'hilusophie (Hamburg. 1829i"i3: 2il (mI.. vol. i.-iv., 1836-38). is still of value. In addition he wrote works on logic. nietai)liysich. and ethics. Kitter was largely inlluenceil b'v Sehleier- niacher. He died February 3. 1869. RITTER, Hexrv (1816-53). A Canadian genre i>;iinter, born at Slontreal. lie studied lui- der Griiger in Hamburg and under Karl Ferdi- nand Sohn at Diisseldorf. Among his churar- teristic and finely colored episodes from the life of sailors and fishermen, showing the inlluence of Rudolf Jordan, the most prominent are: "Braggart in Sailor's Tavern" (1841); "OITer of Marriage in Normandy" (1842. Leipzig Muse- um) ; '•Drowned Son of" the Pilot" (1844. Ra- venC' Gallery. Berlin) : Poacher Before .lustice of the Peace" (1847), his largest painting: 'Prairie Fire" (1851, Kunsthalle, Hamburg): "The Son's Last Letter" (1852. Kunsthalle. Bremen); and "Middy's Sermon" ( 1853, Cologne Museum ) . RITTER, K.U!L (1779-18.59). An eminent German geographer. He was born at t^ued- linburg. Prussia, in 1779, and was educated in tile famous school of Salzmann at Schnepfen- thal and at Halle University. His earliest geo- graphical studies were printed in a paper pub- lislied for the young, and attracted wi(le atten- tion. His six maps of Europe were published in 1806 and his Geography of Europe, in two vol- umes, five years later. In 1816 he completed in Berlin the first volume of Die Erdknnde. his monumental geographical work, and a part of it was puldished in the following year. The whole of the first volume did not appear until 1832. and the following volumes were issued from the jiress in raiiid succession. Die Erdlcunde is the fullest encyclap;vdia of geographical lore. In this work Ritter imfolded and established the treatment of geography, as a study and a science, which has been indorsed and adopted by all geographers. He presented the earth's surface in its relations to nature and to man and as the foundation of the study of the physical and historical sciences. All the physical geographies of to-day pro- foundly show the influence of Ritter's writings. His position as a teacher became as eminent as his rank as a geographer. Many of Ritter's writ- ings were printed in the Monutsherichte of the Berlin Geographical Society, and in the Zeilschrift fiir allgeineine Erdkundc. His Gesehirhte dcr Erdkunde und der Entdeckunyen (1861), .1//- gcmeine Erdkunde (18(i2), and Europa (1863) were published posthumously. Some of his works have been translated into English by W. L. Gage: Comparative Geography ( 1865) . and TOo Comparatire Geography of Palestine and the Hinaitic Peninsula. (186G). Consult the Life by W. L. Gage (Edinburgh, 1867) and Kramer (Halle, 18G4; 2d ed. 1875). RITTER, P.WL (1829—). A German archi- tectural painter and etcher, born at Nuremberg. He was deaf and dumb from the fourth year of his life. A pupil of Heideloff. he engraved for publishers in Berlin. Stuttgart, and Nuremberg. About 1870 he took up painting in oil and ac- quired considerable reputation with his interiors and street views of Nuremberg, richly supple- mented with historical figures, such as "Interior