Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/456

CECILIA. 390 CEDAa. romaiiw (Paris, 1S731 .— Aiuitlior Saint Cpcilia ■was born in Africa, and sulTerod martyrdom liy starvation under Diocletian. The Kcjman Catho- lic Church crlehratcs her festival on J'Vhruary 11. CECIIilA, Sai.t. a paint in-; hy Tvaphaol, which lianjrs in the Accadeniia in Molofrna. Italy. It was ordered by the Cardinal Lorenzo Pucci, in 1513, to decorate the Churcli of San Giovanni at ^lonte. but not eompletcd until about two years later. It was taken to Paris during Na- poleon's time, but was returned in ISlo. The leadinir figure is represented as surrounded by Saint Paul. Saint .John. 5Iary JIagdalene. and Saint Augustine, and .nil five stM-ni to be rapt with the strains which descend to them from the opening heavens. CECILIA, Saint. A painting by Rubens, which hangs in the Old Museim of Berlin. It represents the saint attended by angels with musical in-trumciits. and is noteworthy for the vividnc>> of its coloring. CECILIA, TuE Stoky of Saint. A series of frc-^coes ( I.')8S-8!I) . five in number, by Dome- nichino (q.v.). representing the cliarity. fervor, martyrdom, and final icwards of Saint Ce(rilia. The.v' are in tlic Church of San Luigi ilei Kran- eesi, KciiiK'. CECRO'PIA (Xeo-Lat.. from (ik. K4kpo<I/, A't/.rops, according to Greek myth founder of Athens). A genus of trees of the order -Vrto- carpaceie. Cecropia pcltata, a native of the West Indies and of South America, sometimes called trumpet-wood and snake-wood, is remarkable for its hollow stem and branches, exhibiting merely membranous partitions at the nodes. The small branches, these partitions being removed, are made into wind instruments. The wood is very light, readily ignites by friction against a harder piece of wood, and is much used by the Indians for procuring fire in this way. The fruit is agreeable, and resembles a raspberry. Both the trunk and branches yield a large quiintity of saline matter, which is employed by tlic I'^reneh planters in the purification of sugar. Tlic bark is strong and fibrous, and is much used for cord- age. It is also astringent, and is applied in diarrhoa and other diseases. This s|)ccies is an exami)le of mynnecophily in which ants dwell in the lioUow stems. In return for the ser'ice of the tree in afTording them shelter and food, they protect the tree from attacks of leaf-cutting ants, which abound in the tropics. CECROPIA. The sister-in-law of King Basil- ius in Sidney's romance Arcadia. CECROPIA MOTH (Xeo-Lat. from Gk. K^ Kpo<{; Kd.roiix. according to Greek myth founder of Athens). The largest of the silkworm-moths ( Saw 1(1 'cec)-o;)ia), with wings expanding ."> to (i inches, brown, marked by white, red, and buft'. The caterpillar has coral-red tubercles on the second and third thoracic segments, and other tubercles, yellow and blue: it feeds on a great variety of forest and fruit trees. The cocoon is elongated, brown, papery, and unprotected by leaves. See Silkwohm. CE'CROPS (Lat.. Gk. K/k/joV. Kehrops) . The tir>l King of Attica, who figures in Greek mythology as an autochthon, half man and half serpent. At first probably the eponymous hero and ancestor of the people, he seems to have been crowded aside later by the figure of Erechtheus, though whether we have here the heroes of sepa- rate tribes may well be doubled. Later legend attributed to him, as the first King of Attica, the formation of a confederacy of twelve cities, the introduction of marriage, burial of the dead, writing, and other arts. The origin of the name is uncertain, and of course the entire personality is purely legendary. CEDAR (OF. cedre, Lat. cedru/t, from Gk. Kfi!/jof, keilros, cedar-tree). A name applied to several species of coniferous evergreen trees, as well as to the wood of a number of trees in no way related to the conifers. The name properly belongs to the genus Cedrus. of which there are three species generally recognized — Ccdnis Libani, the cedar of Lebanon : Cedrus drodara, the deo- dar-tree of India: and Crdnis Atlaiit'ird. of the mountains of northern .frica. By some bota- nists the last two are considered as merely varie- ties of the first-named species. All are char- acterized by their fragrant, light-red. durable wood. The cedars of Lebanon have been famous from early times, being frequently mentioned in sacred and profane writings. The original groves mentioned in the Bible have become great- ly reduced through variois causes, and the largest grove now known contains only alxmt 400 trees, some of which are evidently of great age. The trees are noted for the size of their trunks rattier than for their height. They ditTer from most conifers in that their branclies are wide-spreading. The cones and leaves resendile those of the larch more than any other tree, ex- cept that the leaves are persistent. The cedar of lycbanon was introduced into England in the Seventeenth Century, and a number of noble specimens are now growing in that country. ( I'^or detailed illustration, see Plate of Calaisash.) In the .Tardin des Plantes of Paris may be seen a fine specimen planted by Jussieu in 17.'54. It is liardy in the United States only in the South and in California. In its natural home the cedar of Ijebanon is found at elevations of (iOOO feet or less, but it thrives best in sandy loam, where the roots can reach water. A white resin, called cedar-resin, is exuded by the. trunks, and was formerly employed in embalming. A sort of oil or turpentine was also prejiared from it, but neither tlic oil nor the resin is mieh known now. The deodar, or god-tree, and the Ccdntx Allantica resemble Cedrus lAhani in appearance, and have similar uses. They are more abundant, and their timber is very valuable. The deodar forms extensive forests in the Himalayas at ele- vations of from 7000 to 10.000 feet. " The trees often attain a height of 150 feet and a diameter of 8 feet. The wood takes a high polish, and is in demand for cabinet-work. Crdrus Allaiiliru is most abundant in the .tlas Mountains, and is used for the saine purposes. Many other conif- erous trees are given the name cedar. The Si- berian cedar is I'inus cnihru ; Goa cedar, a spe- cies of cypress; red eedai', species of Juiiipcrus (see JvNiPER), etc. The white cedar of the United States is Cha- lucccyparis thyoides, a tree 30 to 90 feet high, found growing in swampy situations from Maine to Mississippi. The trees are evergnu^n. with small, scale-like leaves. The wood is exceedingly durable, esi^cially when in contact with mois- ture. The tree resembles the arbor-vita', which is also sometimes called white cedar. The yel-