ABEEL, a-bel', David, D.D. (1804-46). An early missionary to China. He was born in New Brunswick, N. J., June 12, 1804; gradu- ated from the theological seminary of the Re- formed Dutch Clmreb in his native town, and became pastor in Athens, Greene County, N. Y., 1826. Failing health compelled his resignation after two years and a half; in 1829 he went to China as chaplain in the employ of the Seamen's Friend Society; in 1830 was transferred to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He traveled extensively through the Far East, and on his way home invalided he went over Europe and excited great interest in missions there, as he did later in America (1833- 36). Again thinking himself well enough for service, he returned to China in 1838, but was compelled by his increasing debility to return home (1845) and died in Albany. N. Y., Sep- tember 4, 1846. As one of the earliest and most devoted of missionaries he is still remembered. His addresses in London led to the formation of the Undenominational Society for Promoting Female Education in the East (1834) ; in 1844 he founded the Amoy Mission, now under the Reformed Dutch Church Foreign Jlission Board. He published Journal of a Residence in China (New York, 1834; second edition, 1836); The Missionary Convention at Jerusalem, or An Es- hibition of the Claims of the IV'ord of the Gospel (1838). For his biography, consult G. R. Wil- liamson (New York, 1848).
ABEILLE, a'ba'y' or a'bal', Jonas (1800—).
A French military surgeon. He was born at St.
Tropez and was educated at Montpellier. As the
chief physician of the military hospitals of Paris
he was one of the principal promoters of the
method of treating cholera with strychnine.
After 1857 he devoted himself more particularly
to private practice and to scientific research.
His publications include: Mcmoires sur les in-
jections iodfes (1849; honored with a gold
medal by the Medical Society of Toulouse) ;
Etudes cliniques sur la paraplegic independante
de la myilite (1854; prize awarded by the Medi-
cal Academy in 185.5) ; Chirurgie cotiservative
(1874); Traitement des maladies chroniqucs de
la matrice (second edition, 1878).
A'BEL (Heb. hcbel, perhaps kindred to
Babyl. ablu, son). According to Genesis
(iv : 2), the name of the second son of Adam
and Eve. In contrast to his brother Cain, who
is an agiiculturist, Abel is a shepherd. At the
close of the year, Cain offered up of the fruits of
the field as a sacrifice to Jehovah, while Abel
brought the firstlings of his fiock. The latter's
gift was regarded with greater favor by Jehovah,
in consequence of which Cain's jealousy was
aroused and he slew his brother Abel. (See
Cain.) The story of Abel and Cain has been
interpreted as expressing the superiority of the
pastoral over the agricultural life. Abel, the
shepherd, is a representative of the Palestinian
nomad — thoigh of the milder type — of which
the patriarchs, Abraham^ Isaac, and Jacob were
examples; whereas Cain represents the Canaan-
ites, who, at the time that the Hebrews entered
the country, had already advanced to the agri-
cultural stage. The Hebrews subsequently be-
came agriculturists themselves, but, while the
ideal held up in the Pentateuchal legislation is
agricultural life, still the preference for the
older nomadic conditions crops out from time to
time, and as late as the days of Jeremiah we
find a party known as the Rechabites who not
only eschewed agricultural life, but continued to
live in huts and would not taste wine, which
was the symbol par excellence of agricultural
pursuits. The story of Cain and Abel is con-
ceived in the spirit of the Rechabites, just as
there is a trace of the same spirit in the implied
disapproval of vine culture in the tale of
Noah's drunkenness (Genesis ix : 20-21). In rab-
binical theology, however, and under the totally
different view that was taken of early biblical
traditions, Abel became the tj'pe of the pious,
devoted worshipper of Jehovah who sufl'ered
martyrdom for his devotion. This view is re-
flected in the interpretation put upon the story
in the New Testament where (e.g., Hebrews
xi : 4) Abel's sacrifice is qualified as "better"
than Cain's, and Abel himself becomes the
"righteous" man, the possessor of true faith, in
contrast to Cain the wicked (Matthew xxiii : 35;
Luke xi : 51). The etymology of Abel is doubt-
ful. The Jewish view, which gives to the name
the force of "vanity," is untenable ; but, on the
other hand, to connect the name with the Assyr-
ian aplu (or ablu), which means "son," is also
open to serious objections, since there are no
traces of Babylonian or Assyrian influence in the
story itself.
ABEL, Carl, Ph.D. (1837—). A German
philologist. He was born in Berlin, and after
studying at the universities of Berlin, Munich,
and Tubingen, acquired familiarity with all
Euro])ean and several Oriental tongues. He was
at one time a lecturer at Oxford, taught philo-
sophical and comparative linguistics at the Hum-
boldt Academy of Science at Berlin, and was
linguistic assistant in the German Foreign Office.
His publications in German. French, and English
are numerous. The works inchule Linquistic
Esmys (1880), Slavic and Italian (1881), and
Russland und die Lage (1888).
ABEL, Sir Frederic Augustus, K.CB., D.C.L.
(1827-1902). An English chemist. He was
born in London and devoted himself chiefly to the
science of explosives. He was consulting chem-
ist to the British War Department from 1854
to 1888, and was knighted in 1883. Abel intro-
duced important improvements in the manufac-
ture of gun-cotton and of blasting gelatine. He
published: Gun-cotton (1806); The Modern His-
tory of Gunpowder (1866) ; On Explosive Agents
(1872): Researches in Explosives (1875), and
Electricity Applied to Explosive Purposes {ISSi) .
He wrote also, in conjunction with (jolonel Blex-
am, a Handbook of Chemistry.
ABEL, JoHN (1857 — ). An American physio-
logical chemist. He was born in Cleveland.
Ohio, received his education at the LTniversity
of Michigan, and studied medicine in Germany.
On his return to this country he became con-
nected with the Johns Hopkins University,
where he was made professor of pharmacology
in the medical school and head professor of
physiological chemistry. Dr. Abel's researches
have formed valuable contributions to our knowl-
edge of the fluids and tissues of the animal body.
ABEL, a1)el, Karl Friedrich (1725-87). A
German musician, celebrated as a player on the
viola da gamba. He was born at Cothen, be-
came a pupil of Sebastian Bach, and was a mem-
ber of the Royal Polish Band at Dresden. He
went to England in 1759 and six years later be-
