Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 01.djvu/236

This page needs to be proofread.
LEFT
186
RIGHT

ANSELM OF CANTERBTJBY 186 ANT ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, ST., a scholastic philosopher, bom at or near Aosta, in Piedmont, in 1033. In 1060 he entered the monastery of Bee in Nor- mandy of which, in 1078, he became ab- bot. It was then the most famous mon- astic school. His friend Lanfranc, who had gone to England, and become Arch- bishop of Canterbury, died in 1089; and the diocese remained four years without a successor, till in 1093 Anselm was ap- pointed. He was distinguished both as a churchman and a philosopher. His numerous embroilments with William Rufus and his successor, and the unbend- ing spirit which he displayed in these, even when subjected to banishment, indi- cate the resoluteness of his character. Anselm was a second Augustine, superior to all his contemporaries in sagacity and dialectical skill, and equal to the most eminent in virtue and piety. He sought to reduce the truths of religion into the form of a connected series of reasonings. It was for this purpose he wrote his "Monologion." In his "Proslogion," he strove to demonstrate the existence of God. His "Cur Deus Homo" (English translation by Prout, 1887) argues the necessity of the Incarnation, all subse- quent speculation on which it was pro- foundly influenced. Besides his philosoph- ical treatise, his "Meditations and Let- ters" have come down to us, revealing his humble, fervent faith. His works first supplied the impulse to justify Scripture and the Church by reason. He died April 21, 1109, and was buried next to Lanfranc at Canterbury. In 1494 he was canonized. ANSGAR, or ANSHAR, called the Apostle of the Norths was bom in 801 in Picardy, and took the monastic vows in boyhood. In the midst of many diffi- culties he labored as a missionary in Denmark and Sweden; dying in 864 or 865, with the reputation of having under- taken, if not the first, the most success- ful, attempts for the propagation of Christianity in the North. ANSON, GEORGE, LORD, a cele- brated English navigator, born in 1697; became a commander in 1722, and cap- tain in 1724. In 1740 he was made com- mander of a fleet sent to the South Sea, directed against the trade and colonies of Spain. The expedition consisted of five men-of-war and three smaller vessels. After many stirring adventures he reached the coast of Peru, made several prizes, and captured and burned the city of Paita. His squadron was now reduced to one ship, the "Centurion," but with it he took the Spanish treasure galleon from Acapulco, and arrived in England in 1744, with treasure to the amount of £500,000, having circumnavigated the globe in three years and nine months. His adventures and discoveries are described in "Anson's Voyage." He was made rear- admiral of the blue, and not long after rear-admiral of the white. His victory over the French admiral, Jonquiere, near Cape Finisterre in 1747, raised him to the peerage. He died in 1762. ANSONIA, a city in New Haven co., Conn.; on the Naugatuck river and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad; 10 miles W. of New Haven. It is widely noted for its extensive manu- factures of clocks, and brass, copper, and woolen goods; and has several banks,. Young Men's Christian Association and memorial libraries, daily and weekly newspapers, etc. Pop. (1910) 15,152; (1920) 17,643. ANT, the common name of hymeri- opterous (membrane-winged) insects of various genera, of the family Formicidx, found in most temperate and tropical regions. They are small but powerful insects, and have long been noted for CELL OF BLACK NEST-FEEDING LARV^ their remarkable intelligence and inter- esting habits. They live in communities regulated by definite laws, each member of the society bearing a well-defined and separate part in the work of the colony. Each community consists of males; of females much larger than the males; and of barren females, otherwise called neu- ters, workers, or nurses. The neuters are wingless, and the males and females only acquire wings for their "nuptial flight," after which the males perish, and the few females which escape the pursuit of their numerous enemies divest themselves of their wings, and either re- turn to established nests or become the foundresses of new colonies. The neu- ters perform all the labors of the ant- hill or abode of the community; they ex- cavate the galleries, procure food, and feed the larvae or young ants, which are