try and became an ardent antislavery agitator. He died at Florence, Italy, on May 10, 1860.
Par′kersburg, W. Va., the capital of Wood County, at the junction of the Ohio and the Little Kanawha River, 12 miles southwest of Marietta, O., and 95 miles below Wheeling, W. Va. It is on the lines of the Baltimore and Ohio, the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern and the Ohio railroad. The region about is rich in oil and natural gas, and has a considerable trade in petroleum as well as in lumber. Its industries include oil refineries, iron foundries, boiler and machine shops, barrel factories, lumber mills, chemical works, flour mills, breweries, veneer works and furniture factories. It has an extensive trade in manufactured goods, farm products and coal. It has many public buildings, with a fine postoffice, courthouse, St. Joseph's hospital, Washington high and public grade schools, churches, banks etc. Population 18,926.
Park′hurst, Rev. Charles Henry, an American Presbyterian clergyman, was born in 1842 at Framingham, Mass. He attended Amherst College and several German universities. Mr. Parkhurst is very well-known as a forceful and practical preacher. Since 1880 he has been pastor of the Madison Square Presbyterian Church, New York City. He became in 1891 president of the Society for the Prevention of Crime; and his attacks upon the corruption which had gained ground in the police department led in 1894 to a senatorial investigation, which resulted in a movement toward reform. Dr. Parkhurst has published a number of religious works, which often have a prominent social and even political side. Among these are The Pattern in the Mount; Three Gates on a Side; The Question of the Hour; The Fellowship of Suffering; Our Fight with Tammany; What would the World be Without Religion? The Sunny Side of Christianity; and Guarding the Cross with Krupp Guns.
Park′man, Francis, an eminent American historian, was born at Boston, Mass., Sept. 16, 1823. He graduated at Harvard in 1844, and after studying law two years made a journey to explore the Rocky Mountains. His life among the Dakota Indians and other tribes was full of hardships, from the effects of which he suffered all the remainder of his life. His first publication was an account of this journey, called The Oregon Trail. His historical writings have been chiefly connected with the French power in America, beginning with The Conspiracy of Pontiac, (in historical order the latest), published in 1851. After visiting France in 1858 to study French documents on the subject, he wrote Pioneers of France in the New World; Jesuits in North America; Lasalle and the Discovery of the Great West; The Old Régime in Canada; Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV; Montcalm and Wolfe; and A Half-Century of Conflict. This large amount of historical writing, done at great disadvantage from defective eyesight and feeble health, has been carefully and accurately worked out, his first visit to France being followed by several others for purposes of research. His literary style is picturesque and fascinating. He died at Jamaica Plain, near Boston, Nov. 8, 1893.
Par′liament, the name given in England to the national assembly and meaning a gathering for discussion, from the French word parler “to talk.” It consists of two bodies, called the house of lords and the house of commons. The house of lords is composed of the lords spiritual or the clergy, represented by the archbishops of Canterbury and York and 32 bishops; and of the lords temporal, who represent the noble families of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The titles used are duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron, and they are commonly called peers. The crown has the right to make new peers in addition to those who inherit their titles. In 1907 there were 616 peers on the roll of the house of lords. The chief officer of the house of lords is the chancellor or keeper of the great seal, who acts as speaker but does not keep order. The house of commons consists of members elected by the people, representing counties, towns and the universities. The larger counties and towns (or boroughs) art divided into districts, each one being entitled to a representative. There are 670 members in the house of commons, 30 from Wales, 72 from Scotland, 103 from Ireland and 465 from England. The chief officer of the house of commons is the speaker, chosen by the members. The members receive no salary, but have certain privileges. Parliament is called or dismissed by the government, but by law there cannot be more than three years between the closing of one parliament and the calling of a new one, and no parliament can hold its sessions longer than seven years. The decisions of Parliament cannot be changed by any court of law. The houses of parliament are in Westminster, a part of London. The acts of Parliament must receive the approval of the reigning sovereign, which is obtained through the ministers or members of the cabinet council. The royal assent has been given to every bill which has passed the two
