Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/902

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ARENDT.
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AREOPAGUS.

Liberal Conservative party. In 1888 he undertook the editorship of the Deiit.icJics ^Yochellhlatt, and began to advocate colonial expansion and the coalition of national parties. His published vorks include Leitfaden der WijIiniiKisfnige (IVth ed., 1805).

ARENDT, -i'rent, Rudolf (1828—). A German chemist, born at Frankfurt-on-the-Oder. He studied at the University of Leipzig, and after 1801 taught at the commercial higli school there. His published works include text-books of chemistry, and valuable manuals of the methods of teaching chemistry. The best-known among his works is his Technik der Experimental Chemie (two volumes, ed. 1, Leipzig, 1881: ed. 2, 1891). Arendt was also for many 3'ears editor of the Chemisclies Centralhlatt.

ARÈNE, a'ren', Paul Auguste (1843-96). A French writer, born at Sisteron. He was director of the Lyceum at Marseilles, and afterwards of that at 'anves, and gained his first success as an author with his Pierrot heritier (presented in 1865), a one-act comedy in verse. His further publications include the dramatic works Jean des figues (IS'O) . Let) comcdiens errants (1873), and Le duel uux Innternes (1875), some prose fiction, such as An bon soleil (1879), and Le canot des six cnpitaines (1888), and a volume of descriptions of travel, Vingt jours en Tiiiiisie (1884). Most of his work was marked by a very delicate humor. He was a regular contri- butor to /.ir Reiiublique Frangaise, L'Erciieiiieiit, and t!il lilns.

ARENG’ PALM. See Gomuti.

ARENTS, ä'rents, Albert (1840—). A German-American metallurgist. He was born at Klausthal, Germany, and studied mining engineering there, and at Berlin. In 1865 he came to the United States and undertook to treat the lead ores in Hampden County, Mass. He was subsequently connected, as metallurgist and mining engineer, with a number of enterprises in the Western States, and patented many valuable industrial improvements.


ARENTZEN, a'rents-en, Kristian August Emil (1823-1900). A Danish poet. He was born at Copenhagen, and after extensive travels, he was appointed to the chair of aesthetics in the University of Copenhagen. He published two dramas, Gunlög Ormetunge (1852), and Knud den Hellige (1853), and a volume of Digte (1854, republished as Ny Digtsämling, 1867). He is chiefly known for his important critical work, Bagqesen og Ochlenschläger (eight volumes, 1870-78).


AREOIS, A'rwii'. The society of the Areois was a famous institution among the natives of the Society Islands (Tahiti), organized for literary, dramatic, and especially religious pur- poses. The members traveled from place to place, singing, dancing, and representing his- torical events and scenes in the lives of gods and heroes. They also devoted themselves to erotic pleasures (love adventures and sexual congress of an absohite reality were acted). which has made the Areois stand for a sort of artistic sexualism. Upon the women belong- ing to the society, infanticide was imposed by oath. The Areois represent one of the most re- markable sides of Poh-nesian life, for which a parallel has to be sought in the European Mid- dle Ages.

A'REOM'ETER. See Hydrometer.

AR'EOPAGIT'ICA. A speech advocating liberty oi unlicensed printing. It is the greatest Ijrose work of Milton (1644), a plea for freedom of thought.

AR'EOP'AGUS (Gk. •Apmoc nayoc, Areios pagos. the hill of Ares). A bare, rocky hill at the west of the Acropolis of Athens, about 350 feet high. The ancients explained the name by saying that here Ares had been tried for the murder of Halirrhothius, or that the Amazons, the worshii)ers of Ares, had attacked the Acropolis from this point. Some modern writers prefer to connect it with the Eumenides, and the blood-guiltiness, which was tried here, and derive the name from 'Apal, so that the meaning would be 'hill of tlie curse.' At the south end steps hewn in the rock lead to a series of rock-cuttings which cannot now be satisfactorily explained. C)n the north side, which overlooks the city, and is near the deep cleft where the Eumenides were worshiped, seems to have been the place where the court of Areopagus tried cases of willful murder. The Areopagus gave its name to the most venerable court of Athens ( Gk. ^ ev 'Apeiu ~dyu jSovA?/^ the Council on the Areopagus). It met in the open air, and accuser and accused stood on platforms hewn from tlie rock. The Areopagus seems originally to have been the council of nobles, such as surrounds the king in the Homeric poems, and naturally, therefore, the 'king' archon remained its presiding officer. This council appears to have gradually taken into its hands the entire governing power, since we are told that it appointed all officials, including the archons, who entered the Areopagus at the end of their term of oHiee. This was certainly an ancient custom, as it prevailed through the historical period, in spite of its undemocratic character. The Areopagus doubtless exercised the supreme judicial power, and could bring to an account any official, so that its indirect influence must have sufficed to control the State. In the code of Draco, the Areopagus kept its place as the court for all cases of willful murder, and even under the Solonian Constitution it seems to have preserved its place as a guardian of the laws, with the jiower of procedure against any official, or even private citizen, whose conduct was an offense against good morals or the well-being of the community. Clisthenes seems to have made no change in the rights of the .reopagus; but his creation of the Senate of Five Hundred and the power given the popular assembly certainly must have lessened its real influence. It continued, however, to enjov a considerable amoimt of power, even in public affairs, for some writers represented it as directing the policy of Athens from the time of the battle of Sa'lamis (B.C. 480) to B.C. 402. Certain it is that in the latter year the leaders of the democracy, Ephialtes and Pericles, succeeded in carrying a law which deprived the Areopagiis of all those powers by which it exercised a general control over officials and T'ublic morals, leaving it only the right of judgment in murder cases, and the oversight of the sacred olive trees of Athena and some sacred lands. In spite of this reduction of its powers, it remained the most venerated body in Athens, and we find it appointed at times to act for the State, or to conduct investigations