Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/373

GHENT 309 GHERARDI mass is churned for half an hour; some hot water is then added, and the churn- ing continued for another half hour, when the butter forms. When, after a few days, it becomes rancid, it is boiled till all the water is expelled, and a little more curdled milk added, with some salt or betel leaves, after which it is put into pots. It is a favorite article of consumption among rich Hindus. GHENT (French, Gand; Flemish, Gend or Gent), a town in Belgium, capi- tal of the pi'ovince of East Flanders, at the confluence of the Lys with the Scheldt. It is upward of 6 miles in cir- cumference, and is divided by canals into a number of islands connected with each other by bridges. Except in some of the older parts, it is well built, and has a number of fine promenades and many notable buildings. Among the latter are the cathedral of St. Bavon, dating from the 13th century; the church of St. Nicholas, the oldest in Ghent; the church of St. Michael, with a celebrated Cruci- fixion by Van Dyke; the university, a handsome modern structure, with a li- brary of about 100,000 volumes and 700 manuscripts; the City Hall, the belfry, a lofty square tower surmounted by a gilded dragon, und containing chimes of 44 bells; and Les Beguinages, extensive nunneries founded in the 13th century, the principal occupation of whose mem- bers is lace-making. Ghent has long been celebrated as a manufacturing town, especially for its cotton and linen goods and lace. Other industries of im- portance are sugar-refining, hosiery, thread, ribbons, instruments in steel, carriages, paper, hats, delftware, and tobacco. There are also machine works, engine factories, roperies, tanneries, breweries, and distilleries. The trade is very important. Ghent was mentioned as a town in the 7th century. In the 9th century Baldwin, the first Count of Flanders, built a fortress here against the Normans. Under the counts of Flanders Ghent continued to increase. Two great revolts took place under the leadership of the Van Arteveldes (1338 and 1369) against Burgundy, and again in the 16th century against Charles V,, and the citizens of Ghent, besides losing their privileges, had to pay for the erec- tion of a citadel intended to keep them in bondage. In 1794 the Netherlands fell under the power of France, and Ghent became the capital of the depart- ment of Escaut (Scheldt). In 1814 it became, along with Flanders, part of the Nethei'landc!. tiM the separation of Belgium and F'^'l^nd. In 1914 the Ger- mans occupied Ghent. Pop. (1919) 165,- 655. See W' rli^ War. GHENT, TREATY OF. A treaty be, tween the United States and Great Brit- ain, concluded at Ghent, Dec. 24, 1814. which terminated the War of 1812. GHENT, UNIVERSITY OF, a Flem- ish university of Belgium, supported by and under the control of the State. It was founded in 1816 by King William I of Holland. As a result of the re- volution of 1830 the activities of the University were temporarily curtailed, two of its four faculties being sup.- pressed. Its full curriculum, however, was restored in 1835. From time to time special schools have been absorbed and it has now four faculties; philoso- phy, science, law, and medicine. The library of the University is especially noteworthy, containing some 400,000 volumes and numerous valuable manu- scripts. It is especially strong on the history and literature of the Low Coun- tries. In 1918-1919 there were 1,006 students. GHENT, WILLIAM JAMES, an American writer and economist, born in Frankfort, Ind., in 1866. He was edu- cated in the public schools and for a time worked as a compositor and proof- reader in various cities. He became a regular contributor to magazines and in 1897-1899 was editor of the "American Fabian." He was one of the founders of the Social Reform Club of New York, and was secretary of the Rand School of Social Science from 1906 to 1909. From the latter year to 1911 he was president of this school. He was National execu- tive committeeman of the American Alliance for Labor and Democracy for 1917. He wrote "Our Benevolent Feuda- lism" (1902) ; "Mass and Class" (1904) ; and "Socialism and Success" (1910). GHERARDESCA (ga-rar-des'ka) , a family of Tuscan origin which plays an important part in the history of the Ital- ian republics of the Middle Ages. His- torically the most prominent member of the family is Ugolino, whose death, and that of his two sons and gi-andsons, by starvation in the "Tower of Hunger," is described in one of the celebrated passages of Dante's "Divine Comedy." Ugolino had made himself master of Pisa, and had behaved in the most cruel and arbitraiy manner for four years, when, in 1288, he was overthrown by a conspiracy. GHERARDI, BANCROFT (-rar'de), an American naval officer; born in Jack- son, La., Nov. 10, 1832; he entered the navy as midshipman from Massachusetts in 1846, and was at the Naval Academy in 1852. He was lieutenant on the "Lan-