Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 06.djvu/324

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MIZZEN 264 MOBILE fought a battle off Mitylene, Oct. 7, 1824, on which occasion the Turks were defeated and their fleet was destroyed. Occupied by Allies in the World War. Fop. about 185,000. MIZZEN, or MIZEN, the aftermost of the fore-and-aft sails of a ship ; called also the spanker or spencer. Also the aftermost mast in a three-masted ship, or in those two-masted ships in which the forward mast is the larger, such as the ketch and yawl. The main is always the larger mast. When the larger mast in a two-masted vessel is forward, the one abaft, is the mizzen, when the larger mast is abaft, the one nearer the bows is the fore-mast. MJOSEN, a lake in Norway, the largest inland body of water in that country. It is 62 miles in length with an average width of about two miles. Its shores are an attractive summer resort. MNEMONICS (ne-mon'iks), the art of assisting the memory; a method of recalling to the mind facts, or numbers. All of the various systems that have been proposed are based on the psycho- logical law of association, where a fact, or figure, is recalled by its association, or relation to something else more easily remembered. The familiar rhyme, "30 days hath September," is a simple illus- tration. Mnemonics have been used by medical students for many years to re- call the names of muscles, and the order of cerebral nerves, and students in logic use devices to remember parts of syl- logisms. Many of these devices depend on number and letter relations, and others on sound and rhyme relations. The majority of these memory aids are purely mechanical, having some value in certain studies and in salesmanship, and other commercial pursuits. MNEMOSYNE (ne-mos'i-ne), in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ura- nus, and mother of the nine muses by Zeus. The principal seat of her worship was at Eleutherae, in Boeotia. MOABITES, a pastoral people, who inhabited the bleak and mountainous country E. of the lower part of the Jor- dan and of the Dead Sea. Their sover- eign divinity was Chemosh, and pa- triotism was an essential part of their religion. They were ethnologically cog- nate with the Hebrews, and were compelled to become tributary to David, but about 850 B. c. shook off their alle- giance to the Jewish kings, and after- ward took part with the Chaldeans against the Jews. Their name no longer exists, and the remnants of the people have long been included among the Arabs. The most striking feature about the counti-y in modern times is the immense number of rude stone monuments with which it is covered. MOABITE STONE, a stone bearing an inscription of 34 lines in Hebrew- Phoenician letters, discovered by the Rev. F. Klein in 1868 among the ruins of Dhiban, the ancient Dibon. The stone was of black basalt, rounded at the top and bottom, 2 feet broad, 3 feet 10 inches high, and 14^ inches in thickness. Now stands in the Louvre at Paris. The in- scription was discovered to be a record of Mesha, King of Moab, mentioned in II Kings, iii., referring to his successful revolt against the King of Israel. The characters of the inscription are Phoeni- cian. MOAT, in fortification, a deep ditch or trench round a fort, etc., generally filled with water. Moated houses are still to be seen in England and the continent, though the moat has lost its original significance. MOBANGI (mo-bang'ge), or UBANGI (o-bang'ge) , river and province of Bel- gian Kongo. The river is the lower course of the Welle, forming part of boundary of Belgian Kongo and French Equatorial Africa. It is navigable for over 400 miles. MOBERLY, a city in Randolph co., Mo.; on the Wabash and the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railroads; 130 miles E. of Kansas City. Here are a high school, Loretto Academy, German Paro- chial school, Wabash Railroad Hospital, public school library, waterworks sup- plied from wells, and gas and electric lights. It has manufactures of carriages, flour, and tobacco, railroad machine and car shops, and a large trade in farm produce, live-stock, wool, hides, and hard woods. Pop. (1910) 10,923; (1920) 12,- 808. MOBILE, a city, port of entry ana county-seat of Mobile co., Ala., on the Mobile river near Mobile Bay; 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and on the New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago, the Louisville and Nashville, the Southern, the Mobile and Ohio, and the Alabama, Tennessee and Northern railroads; 140 miles E. of New Orleans. It is built on a sandy plain, rising as it recedes from the river, and within a short distance of high and beautiful hills. Business Interests. — The city is noted for its many industries. Here are manu- factories of shingles, boxes, staves, sashes, blinds, and barrels; large flour mills and tobacco and cigar factories;