STEFANSSON
STEPHEN
his many novels he wrote a large number
of Eationalist works, and translated Biich-
ner s Force and Matter, Feuerbach s Essence
of Religion, and other foreign works.
Stefanoni was a tireless worker and fiery
idealist. D. 1905.
STEFANSSON, Yilhjalmur, American explorer and anthropologist. B. Nov. 3, 1879. Ed. Dacota, Iowa, and Harvard Universities. Stefansson adopted jour nalism, and served on a number of provincial papers for some years. He then became assistant instructor in anthropology at Harvard University. He made expeditions to Iceland in 1904 and 1905, explored among the Eskimo for Harvard University in 1906-1907, led an Arctic expedition for the American Museum of Natural History from 1908 to 1912, and commanded the Canadian Arctic Expedition which started in 1913. He has been continuously engaged in scientific exploration since that date, and has received a number of gold medals and academic honours. He describes some of his experiences in his Anthropo logical Report on Expedition 1908-1912 and My Life icith the Eskimo (1913).
STEINER, Franklin, American writer. B. Sep. 14, 1872. Ed. Des Moines elemen tary school. In his youth he was secretary of a Sunday school and a pious Lutheran ; but he outgrew his creed, and began to lecture in the Rationalist movement. He has written various Eationalist works, and has long been an esteemed contributor to the New York Truthseeker, and earlier to the Boston Investigator and Secular Thought. For some years he was Vice- President of the Secular Union. He is a Materialist and Atheist.
STEINMETZ, Professor Sebald Rudolf, Jur.D., Dutch sociologist. B. Dec. 5, 1862. Ed. Hague Gymnasium, and Jena, Leyden, and Leipzig Universities. From 1894 to 1905 he taught ethnology and sociology at Utrecht and Leyden Universities. He had for some years 759
made a very close study of industrial and
economic questions, and in 1907 he went
out to the Dutch Indies to extend his
observations. Since 1908 he has been
professor of political geography and ethno
logy at Amsterdam University. He has
written many sociological and ethnological
works in Dutch and German. In an article
which he contributed to the London
Society s Sociological Papers in 1906, com
menting on A. E. Crawley s peculiar theory
of religion, he says : " Eeligion was very
rarely, if ever, a progressive, way-making,
power. In higher culture I think religion
is a very dangerous help to living, for it
makes us forget the realities of life for
imaginary gratifications " (pp. 272-75).
STEINTHAL, Professor Hermann,
German philologist. B. May 16, 1823. Ed. Berlin University. In 1850 he began to teach philology and mythology at Berlin University. From 1852 to 1855 he studied Chinese at Paris, and in 1863 he was appointed professor of general philology at Berlin. Steinthal came to be recognized as one of the most eminent German philo logists. He was, with Lazarus, joint editor of the Zeitschrift fur Volkerpsychologie und Sprachwissenschaft, and he edited Schwarze s Coptic Grammar and other works, besides writing many weighty volumes. His Eationalist views are best seen in his Allgemeine Ethik (1885) and Zu Bibel und Religionsphilosophie (1890).. D. Mar. 14, 1899.
STENDHAL, M. de. See BEYLE, M. H,
STEPHEN, Sir James Fitzjames,.
D.C.L., LL.D., K.C.S.I., judge. B. Mar. 3, 1829. Ed. Eton, King s College (London),, and Cambridge (Trinity College). His father wished him to adopt the clerical career, but he refused, and chose law (Inner Temple). He was called to the- Bar in 1854, and practised on the Midland circuit. From 1858 to 1861 he was secre tary to the Education Commission, and in 1859 he was appointed Eecorder of Newark, 760
