was first produced at the Hayniarket with the ekler Sntheni in the principal role.
DAV'IDGE, William Pleater (1814-88). An English comedian, who came to the United States in 1850 and became identified with the American stage. He was born April 17, 1814, in London, and appeared as a youthful amateur at Drury Lane in The Miller's Maid. Afterwards he acted in various English cities.especially in Manchester. His first appearance in America was in August, 1850, as Sir Peter Teazle at the old Broadway Theatre, New York; later he sup- ported many well-known actors in the metropolis and elsewhere, among them Edwin Forrest and Fanny Davenport. Some of his notable parts were Caliban; Eccles, in Caste; Dick Deadeye, which he created, in Pinafore; Old Hardy, in The Belle's Stratagem; and Hardcastle, in She Stoops to Conquer. His last engagement was with the Madison Square Company, beginning in 1885. He died at Cheyenne, Wyo., August 7, 1888. He was the author of a volume of autobiographical reminiscences, called Footlight Flashes (New York, 18G6); The Drama Defended (New York, 1859); and other works. His son, William Davidge (1847-1899), also an actor, was born at Manchester, England, and brought to the United States when a child of three years. During his career he played with William H. Crane (1870-71), Kate Claxton (1877-78), and later for several seasons with Poland Reed. He died in Chicago.
DAVID HAR'UM. A very popular story
by Edward Xoyes Westcott, which, after rejection
by a number of publisliers, attained a remark-
able success. The character of the shrewd, horse-
trading David Harum is distinctively an Ameri-
can t.vpe, and was drawn from an original who
was a resident of the town of Homer, N. Y. An
identification of the characters and scenes has
been pulilished by Arthur T. Vance, under the
title The Real David Harum (New Y'ork, 1901).
DA'VIDISTS. The name of two distinct
Christian sects; (1) Followers of David of Din-
ant, a teacher in the L'niversity of Paris, whose
philosophical work was condenmed by the Sviiod
of Paris in 1210, and who, in consequence of the
ban laid upon him in 1215 by the Pope, had to
flee from France. The place and date of his
death are unknown. His fundamental idea was
that the Deity alone had any real existence,
being the materia printa of all things. (2) Da-
vidists, or David Georgians, followers of David
George, or Joris, a native of Delft, Holland. In
1530 he was whipped, had his tongue bored, and
was imprisoned for obstructing a Roman Catholic
procession. He founded a sect of his own, and
in 1542 published his Book of Wonders, detail-
ing the visions which he professed to have re-
ceived. After his death his body was dug up
and burned by order of the Senate of Basel,
where he had passed the latter part of his life
as a merchant under an assumed name, John of
Bruges. The sect, under the leadership of Henrv
Nicholas, became known in Holland and England
as the 'Familists.' They interpreted the whole
of Scri])ture allegorically, and maintained that
as Moses had taught hope and Christ had taught
faith, it was their mission to teach love, the
service of which was the highest and best of the
dispensations. The result was an extreme Anti-
nomianism in practice, which attracted the
notice of the authorities in both countries. Early
in the seventeenth century the sect was sup-
pressed or absorbed by others. See JoKis, David.
DAVIDOFF, da've-dof, Ivarl (1833-89) . A
Pussian violoncellist, born at Goldingen, Cour-
laiid. He was educated at the Moscow Univer-
sity, and studied the violoncello under H.
Sclunitt in JMoscow and Sclmberth in Saint Peters-
burg, and harmony with Hauptmann, in Leip-
zig. He first appeared at the Gewandhaus,
Leipzig, in 1859, and was made first violoncel-
list in the Gewandhaus orchestra, and professor
in the Leipzig Conservatory. In 1862 he was
appointed solo violoncellist to the Emperor of
Russia, and professor in the Conservatory of
Saint Petersburg, and was director of the latter
from lS7(i to 1887. As a virtuoso he was
equalled by few, and won great fame on his
concert tours through Eurojje. Besides four
concertos, and a number of minor pieces for
his instrument, he composed some works for
orchestra, pianoforte pieces, and songs,
DAVIDS, Thomas William Rhys (1843—).
An English Orientalist. He was born at Col-
chester, was educated at the University of Bres-
lau. entered the civil service in Ce.vlon, and filled
various judicial appointments in that island.
He was called to the bar of the Middle Temple
in 1877, and was made professor of Pali and
Buddhist Literature at L'niversity College. Lon-
don, 1882. He has devoted himself especially
to the study of Buddhism. His works include:
Buddhism: A Sketch of the Life and Teachings
of Gautama, the Buddha (1877); a translation
from the Jatakas. or Buddhist Birth stories;
Buddhism, Its Flistorv and Literature (1896,
composed from American lectures). He has
also edited nianv Pali texts, and is (1902) editor
of the Pali Text Society.
DAVID'S DEER. See Elaphure.
DAVIDS ISLAND. An island lying in Long Island Sound, a quarter of a mile north of the city line of Greater New York. It is owned and occupied by the United States Government for military purposes. Its extent is about 100 acres.
DA'VIDSON, Andrew Bruce (1840-1902). A
Scottisli bililical scholar. He was born in Aber-
deenshire, awl, after receiving an academic educa-
tion, was ordained in 18G3, in which year he
was appointed professor of biblical exegesis in
the New College, Edinburgh. He is considered
an authority on Old Testament exegesis. His
publications include a Commentarg on Joh (vol.
i., 1802); An Introductory Hebrew Grammar
(4th ed. 1881); The Epistle to the Hebrews (in
Clark's Handbooks for Bible Classes. 1882); and.
Job and Exekicl (in the Cambridge Bible for
Schools, 1884).
DAVIDSON, Ch.bles (1852—). An American scholar. He was born in Streetsboro, Ohio, and was educated at Iowa College and at Yale University. His publications include: The Phonology of the Stressed VohtIs of Beowulf (in "Publications of the Modern Language Association," vol. vi.. No. 283); The Difference Between the Scribes of Beomilf (in '-Modern Language Notes," vol. v.. No. 2): English in the Secondary Schools ("School and College," vol. i.. No. 10); and Studies in the English ilystery Plays.
