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MERCURY 194 MEREDITH tance from the sun is 36,000,000 miles. The orbit of Mercury is remarkable for its extreme eccentricity, the distance from the sun varying- periodically from about 28,500,000 to 48,500,000 miles. In Chemistry. — A diatomic metallic ele- ment; symbol, Hg; at. wt., 200; sp. gr., MERCURY 13.59; boiling point, 357.25; known from the earliest historical times, and the only liquid metal at ordinary temperatures. It is found most frequently in the form of mercuric sulphide, or cinnabar, an ore found in Spain, Austria, and other parts of the world, from which it is extracted by roasting the ore in a furnace, and conducting the vapors into a chamber where the mercury is condensed, while the sulphurous acid is allowed to escape. It possesses a luster like that of polished silver, and solidifies at — 39.5° to a tin- white malleable mass, contracting at the moment of solidification. In Classical Mythology, — A Roman deity, identified with the Greek Hermes. He was the son of Jupiter and Maia. He was the messenger and herald of the gods, and as such he was represented as a youth, lightly clad, with the petasus or winged hat, and wings on his heels, bear- ing in his hand the caducous or emblem of his office as a herald, a rod with two serpents twined round about it. MERCY, SISTERS OF, the name given to members of female religious communities founded for the purpose of nursing the sick at their own homes, visit- ing prisoners, attending hospitals, super- intending the education of females, and the performance of similar works of charity and mercy. Communities of Sis- ters of Mercy are now widely distributed over Europe and the United States, and in general are connected with some reli- gious denomination. MEREDITH, EDWIN THOMAS, edi- tor and publisher of Des Moines, la.; born in 1876 and educated at Highland Park College, Des Moines, From 1896- 1902 he was editor and publisher of the "Farmers' Tribune." Through this and other publications he has exerted consid- erable influence over the farmers of Iowa and the Middle West. In 1913 President Wilson appointed him a director of the Federal Reserve Bank and in 1914 he was the Democratic candidate for United States senator. In 1920 President Wil- son appointed Meredith Secretary of Agriculture to succeed Houston, at that time appointed to the Treasury Depart- ment. Secretary Meredith has always been a Democrat, and his strong influ- ence among the Western farmers caused him to be mentioned in connection with the Democratic presidential nomination in 1920. MEREDITH, GEORGE, an English poet and novelist; bom in Hampshire, England, in 1828. He was educated in Germany; studied law, but essayed a lit- erary career with a volume of poems in 1851. This was followed by the "Shav- ing of Shagpat" (1855) ; "Farina, a Leg- end of Cologne" (1857) ; "The Ordeal of Richard Feverel" (1859); "Evan Har- rington" (1861); "Modern Love: Poems and Ballads" (1862); "Emilia in Eng- land" (1864); "Rhoda Fleming" (1865); "Victoria" (1866); "Adventures of Harry Richmond" (1871); "The Egoist" (1879);