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APPRENTICESHIP 213 APSIDES APPRENTICESHIP, in law, a con- tract by which a person who understands some art, trade, or business, and called master, undertakes to teach the same to another person, commonly a minor, and called the apprentice, who, on his part, is bound to serve the master, during a definite period of time, in such art, trade, or business. At common law, an infant may bind himself apprentice by indenture, because it is for his benefit. But this contract, on account of its lia- bility to abuse, has been regulated by statute in the United States, and is not binding upon the infant unless entered into by him with the consent of the parent or guardian, or by the parent or guardian for him, with his consent. The contract need not specify the particular trade to be taught, but is sufficient if it be a contract to teach such manual occu- pation or branch of business as shall be found best suited to the genius or ca- pacity of the apprentice. This contract must generally be entered into by inden- ture or deed. The master must not abuse his authority, either by bad treatment, or by subjecting his apprentice to menial employments unconnected with the busi- ness he has to learn; but he may correct him with moderation for negligence and misbehavior. He cannot dismiss his ap- prentice except by consent of all the par- ties to the indenture. He cannot remove the apprentice out of the State under the laws of which he was apprenticed, unless such removal is provided for in the con- tract, or may be implied in its nature; and if he do so remove him, the contract ceases to be obligatory. An infant ap- prentice is not capable in law of consent- ing to his own discharge. After the ap- prenticeship is at an end, the master cannot retain the apprentice on the ground that he has not fulfilled his con- tract, unless especially authorized by statute. An apprentice is bound to obey his master in all his lawful commands, take care of his property, and promote his interests, endeavor to learn his trade or business, and perform all the coven- ants in his indenture not contrary to law. He must not leave his master's service during the term of the apprenticeship. APRICOT, a fruit, that of the jyrunus arTneniaca; also the tree on which it grows. It is wild in Africa and in the Caucasus, and also in China and some other countries. It is esteemed only sec- ond to the peach. APRIL, the fourth month of the year. It was called Ooster, or Easter month, by the Anglo-Saxons, and Grass month by the Dutch. APRON, a platform of plank at the entrance of a dock. The apron in ship- building is a piece of curved wood placed behind the lower part of the stem, and above the foremost end of the keel, to strengthen the stem. The apron also for- merly was a piece of sheet lead used in covering the vent of a cannon. APSE, a portion of any building form- ing a termination or projection semi-cir- cular or polygonal in plan, and having a roof forming externally a semi-dome or semi-cone, or having ridges corre- sponding to the angles of the polygon ; es- pecially such a semi-circular or polygonal recess projecting from the eastern end of the choir or chancel of a church, in which the altar is placed. The apse was developed from the somewhat similar part of the Roman basilicse, in which the magistrate (prsetor) sat. APSIDES, the plural of Apse or Apsis ; in astronomy, the two points in the el- liptic orbit of a planet where it is at the greatest and the least distance respec- tively from the body around which it re- volves. The moon moving in an elliptic orbit around the earth, which is situated in one of the foci, is at what was ancient- ly called its higher apse when it is in apogee, and at its lower one when it is in perigee. Similarly, the primary planets, including the earth and comets, moving in elliptic orbits around the sun, which is situated in one of the foci, pass through their higher apse when they are in aphel- ion, and their lower one when in peri- helion. It is the same with the satellites of Jupiter when they are in the apojove and perijove. The line of the apsides is the line con- necting the two apsides of a primary or secondary planet. Were it not for a motion of the apsides, it would exactly coincide with the major or longer axis of the ellipse. The progression of the moon's apsides is a slow movement in the position of the apsides of the moon, produced by the per- turbing attraction of other heavenly bod- ies. It is about three degrees of angular motion, in one revolution of the moon, and in the same direction as her progres- sion in her orbit. The apsides of the primary planets are also, to a certain extent, perturbed. The revolution of the moon's apsides is the movement of the apsides around the entire circumference of the ellipse, which takes place in 3,232.5753 mean solar days, or about nine years. A libration in planetary apsides is a movement sometimes forward and some- times backward in the apsides of Venus