Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/941

DAVIDSON. 815 DAVIDSON. DAVIDSON, George (1825—). An Ameri- can asli'onomer. He was born in Xottinahani, England, but went to Ibe United States in l.S:!'.> and was educated there. He lias done notable ■work on the Government Coast and Geodetic Sur- vey (1845-95), but it is in astronomical re- search that he gained his greatest distinction. He has traveled on every continent to make ob- servations, particularly of transits of Venus. At present he is professor of geography at the University of California. DAVIDSON, James Wood (USl'O— ). An American author, born in Newberry District, S. C. He became professor of Greek in Soutli Carolina College, then principal of the High School at Columbia, and, during the Civil War, adjutant of infantry in Jackson's corps of Lee's army. He was literary editor of the New York Evening Post (1873), and American correspond- ent of the London Htandnrd from 1873 to 1878. His published works include The lAring 'Wrilers of the South (1869) ; The Gorrr.tpondent (1S8G) ; The Poetry of the Future (1888) ; and The Flor- ida of To-day (1889). DAVIDSON, John (1857—). An English poet. He was born at Barrhead, near Glasgow, Scotland, April 11, 1857; at the age of thirteen became assistant in the chemical laboratory of a sugar-house at Greenock; attended for a short time Edinburgh University; taught in several Scotch schools; and went to London in 1890, in- tending to take up a literary career. He had already published three plays — Bruce (1886) ; Smith: A Trayie Farce (1888) ; and Scaramonsh in yaxos (1889) — which, though poorly con- structed, contain many striking scenes. His later plays have mot with considerable success on the stage. In 1901 he began the issue of a series of verse-pamphlets called Testaments, of which have appeared "A Viviseetor," "A Man Forbid," and "An Empire-Builder." Reactionary from the start, he now utterly repudiates the past in art, literature, morals, and religion. His philosophy (partly derived from Schopenhauer) is thor- oughly pessimistic. In man he sees matter striv- ing through brutal effort towanl self-knowledge. Hence his defense of vivisection. He is best knoTi by his ballads, individual in subject and st.yle. His thought and manner are well repre- sented by Making of a Poet, Houndsditch, and the ballads of "Heaven" and "Hell," in Ballads and Songs (1894). Other volumes are Fleet Street Eclogue (1st ser., 1893; 2d ser., 1895); Vew Ballads (1896); The Last Ballad and Oilier Poems (1898). For critical analysis of his work, consult Archer, Ports of te Younger Generation (London and New York, 1902). DAVIDSON, John Wynn (1824-81). An American soldier. He was born in Fairfax County. Va., graduated at West Point, and was assigned as second lieutenant of dragoons in 1845, and during the Mexican War was with the Army of the West at .San Pasqual, the passage of the San Gabriel River, and at Mesa. In 1848 he was promoted to be first lieutenant of the First Dragoons, and from that time until the outbreak of the Civil War was cm scouting, gar-; rison, and frontier duty. From 1861 to 1862 he served in the defenses of Washington. D. C, and in the latter year, with rank of major of cavalry, fought in the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsular Campaign, becoming brigadier-gen- eral of volunteers in 1SG2. He was brevettert colonel for gallant and meritorious services at the liattle of Golding's Farm ('a.), and in 18G5 major-general in both the regular and volunteer services for gallantry during the war, and was in conunand successively of the Saint Louis Divi- sion of the Missouri, of the Army of Southeast Missouri, and again of the Saint Louis Division. In 1863 he conunanded a cavalrv division at Brownsville (Ark.) and Ashley's '.Mills (Ark.), and in the caoture of I'.ayou iletre (-rk.). He was appointed in 1864 cliief of cavalry of tha division west of the ^Mississippi, and in 1866 became lieutenant-colonel of the Tcntli United States Cavalry. From 1873 to 1881 he was in command of various posts in the Indian Terri- torj', Texas, and Montana, and in 1879 became colonel of the Second Cavalry. DAVIDSON, LucRETi.v M.Ri.v (1808-25). An .■Vmerican poet, remarkable for her precocity in rhyming. The first of her writings preserved were done when she was nine years old. At six- teen she attended Mrs. Enuiia Willard's school at Troy, but her licalth failed and she died the next year. ^lany of lier ]iicces were lost or destroyed, but nearly 300 were collected and published by S. F. B. Morse under the title Amir Khan and Other Poems (1829). Her sister. .M.K(iaki:t Mil- ler Davidson (1823-38), was also a precocious writer, and at the age of ten composed a drama called the Tragedy of Alethia. Washington Irv- ing was her patron and supervised the publica- tion of the two sisters' works (1850). DAVIDSON, Samuel (1806-98). An Irish biblical critic. He was born at Kellswater and was educated at the Royal College of Belfast. He entered the Presbyterian ministry, and in 1835 was given the chair of biblical criticism in the Royal College of Belfast. Soon afterwards he became a Congregationalist. In 1842 he was offered the chair of biblical literature and Orien- tal languages in the Lancashire Independent College at JManchester and was one of the Old Testament Revision committee. His principal works are Sacred Hermrnenties (1843) ; Text of the Old Testament Considered, u'ith a Treatise on Sacred Interpretation (1856), written for Home's Introduction. The publication of this discussion resulted in his resignation of his chair at the Manchester College. His other publica- tions include The Canon of the Bible (1877); The Doctrine of Last Things Contained in the ycic Testament (1882). DAVIDSON, TnoM.'VS (1817-85). An Eng- lish geologist and paleontologist, born in Edin- burgh. He studied on the Continent and at Edinburgh University, made extensive geological tours, and at the suggestion of Leopold von Bnch, the German geologist, undertook the study of the Brachiopoda. In 1851-70 he published, under the direction of the Paleontograpliical .Society, his important monograph on British Brachio- podn (3 vols.), containing 250 i)lates drawii by himself. To this work he added (1873-1885) three supplementary volumes. His Memoir on Recent Brachiopoda was posthumously published by the Linna>an Society. In 1852 he was elected fellow of the Geological Society of London, and in 1857 fellow of the Royal Society. His splen-_ did collection of recent and fossil braehiopods, together with his books, he presented to the Na- tional .Museum at South Kensington.