Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/680

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ANNUNZIO.
586
ANOINTING.

ally that of Tolstoy's Krciitzcr iionata. II trionfo dcila inorte (The' Triumph uf Death) appeared in 1894, and confirmed his reputation as a searching ps.ychological writer, although its au- dacity has made it impossible to translate the volume in its entirety. About this time some of his volumes were translated into French by M. Herelle, and shortly after their appearance M. Vogiie wrote a highly eulogistic appreciation of d'Annunzio for the Rente des Deux Mondes, under the caption "La Renaissance latine," with the result that the young author suddenly awoke to an international reputation, and his works were speedily translated into French, German, and English.

During the last few years, d'Annunzio s liter- ary ideals seem to have undergone an interesting evolution. Grouping together his earlier novels, II Piaeere, L'Innocenle, and II trionfo. as the Romances of the Hose, ho conceived the idea of a triple trilogy, the second and third groups to be respectively known as the Romances of the Lily and Roinanees of the Pomegranate. The first "Romance of the Lily," he rergini dclle rocce ("Virgins of the Rocks"), appeared in 1806. The scheme of the story is sym- bolic to the last degree, and the fluent and rhythmic prose in which it is couched shovs the extreme development of the author's apidication of the Wagnerian leitmntir to literature. His long-promised Fnoco ("Flame of Life"), the first of the "Pomegranate" series, appeared in the au- tumn of moo. It is an apotheosis of poetry, physical Ifeauty. and sensual love, and inoident- ally excited much comment because many readers chose to identify the heroine with the Avell-known .actress Eleono'ra Duse. Recently. d'Annunzio has turned his attention to the drama, which it is his ambition to restore to the grandeur and unity of the classic Greek tragedy. His plays include: II so(/HO d'un mattino di primavcra (]S!17) II sogno d'un tramonto d'autiinno (1898)^ La ciitA morta (1898), La Oioconda (1898), which has won considerable success upon the stage, and Francesca da Rimini (1901). There is no question that d'Annunzio is ex- erting a marked influence upon Italian letters, whether for eood or for ill it is still too early to determine. lie is a firm believer in a new Renais- Sfvnce — a Renaissance which will begin by "rees- tablishing the worship of Man." and which will "exalt and glorify above all things the beauty and power of man, the conqueror."

AN'NUS MIRAB'ILIS (Lat. wonderful year : the year c,f wonders) . The title of a poem 'by Drvdeii (l(Ui7) on England's naval successes in the'war with Holland (IGUG) and on the great fire of London.


ANN'VILLE. An unincorporated village in Lebanon Co., Pa., five miles west of Lebanon, the county seat; on the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad" (Map: Pennsylvania, E 3). It is the scat of Lebanon Valley College (United Brethren in Christ), opened in 1866, and has manufactures of shoes, hosiery, etc. Annville was laid out in 1762, and originally was called Millerstown. in honor of its founder. Pop., 1890, 1283; 1900, about 2000.


ANO'A (native name). . genus of buffaloes, connecting them with the antelopes, and repre- sented by the sapi-utan of Celebes (.inou drprcs- sicorni.i), a small black wild cow of the High- lands, having low straight horns, wide at the Ijase. iSee plate of Buffalo.


AN'ODE (Gk. AvoSos, anodos, a way up, from dfd. ana, up + 656s, hodos, way). A term first used by Faraday to designate the positive terminal or conductor by which the current of a voltaic battery enters a substance, undergoing decomposition by electrolysis. The negative pole, or conductor, by which the current leaves the electrolyte, is called in the same nomenclature the cathode (kata, downward, and hodos). Electrode is the general term applied to either of these. The products of electrolysis are called ions (ion, going) . Such as go to the anode receive the iiame of anions, and those passing to the cathode,. cations. Thus, in the decomposition of water by the passage through it of an electric current be- tween two platinum plates, the water is the elec- trolyte : the platinum plate connected with the coi)per or carbon of the liattery is the anode; and the one connected with the zinc plate, the cathode. The oxygen and hydrogen which are disengaged, are the ions, the oxygen separating at the anode forming the anions, and the hydro- gen at the cathode the cations. See Elec- tricity fnr a discussion of electrolysis.


AN'ODON'TA. A subdivision of fresh-water mussels of the family Unionida-, characterized by having light, thin, smooth shells without hinge- teeth. They are abundant in both ponds and streams in America and most other countries. See plate of Abalone, etc.


AN'ODYNE (Gk. &v, an, priv. + dSivij, odi/ne, pain). A remedy given to assuage pain. Properly, the term is applied to medicines, such as opium, which act on the nervous system, so as to diminish pain. Anodynes may induce sleep. See Hypnotic; Anesthetic.

ANOINTING (Lat. inunetio, from in, in + umnirrr. to smear, anoint). The custom of pouring oil on the head, or of applying unguents to one's body. Anointing was widespread in the ancient Orient for secular as well as for religious purposes. In the Old Testament, where the custom is frequently referred to, the unguent used was olive oil,' to which frequently aromatic spices were added. As a part of the regular toilet, anointing was associated with washing (e.g. Ezekiel xvi : 9), but in days of mourning, anointing, which was regarded as a symbol of joy and gladness (e.g. Psalms xxiii : 5), was omitted. Head, face, and feet were the-parts of the body to which the un-guents were applied. Tlie Hebrews in tlius using aromatic unguents no doubt simply followed general customs, and similarly the religious and ceremonial use of unguents was common to the ancient Orient. It was general to anoint kings as a symbol of initiation, and likewise priests and sacred objects were anointed. An interesting development gi-owing out of the custom among the Hebrews w^as the use of the word mrshiaeh, which means anointed, or "the one set aside as devoted" and sacred: and in the extension of this idea, Meshiach or Messias conies to be applied to the Hebrews as the people set aside by .lehovah, to God himself as the Jlcssiah of his people, and to Jesus Christ as set aside by God for the redemption of mankind.

As to the original significance of anointing as a religious rite, scholars hold difierent views. Some regard the oil as a substitute for blood, others look upon it as itself symbolizing life, fat