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HAERIS, WILLIAM S. 



enly Recognition," in 1851, and other works of 

 a kindred character, all of which were very 

 widely circulated. In 1857 he published the 

 " Life of Rev. Michael Schlater," the pioneer 

 preacher of the German Reformed faitli in 

 America, and shortly afterward, " The Fathers 

 of the German Reformed Church in Europe 

 and America." Dr. Harbaugh was author of a 

 number of other works and a volume of poems, 

 and editor of The Guardian, a monthly maga- 

 zine which he commenced in 1850, the publica- 

 tion of which is still continued. He served as 

 pastor of the First German Reformed Church 

 at Lancaster for a number of years, and after- 

 ward at Lebanon, until chosen Professor of 

 Church History in the Theological Seminary 

 at Mercersburg, in 1865. He then removed to 

 that place, where he continued his labors until 

 his death. At the beginning of the present 

 year he revived The Mercersburg Review, a 

 publication of considerable weight in the Ger- 

 man Reformed Church, and well known among 

 Protestants for its supposed Catholic tenden- 

 cies. Besides acting as the editor of this pub- 

 lication, he contributed all the lives of Ger- 

 man Reformed ministers in the Theological 

 Cyclopaedia of Dr. McClintock, the first volume 

 of which was recently published, and wrote 

 much for newspapers and other periodicals. 

 Among the most noticeable of his poetical ef- 

 fusions are his attempts to preserve the vernac- 

 ular of the Pennsylvania Germans, a dialect 

 that is fast passing away. Of these, a poem 

 called " Das Alt Schulhaus on Der Krick " en- 

 joyed a wide popularity among those who un- 

 derstood the conglomerate dialect of the " Penn- 

 sylvania Dutch." No one ever before succeed- 

 ed so well in this novel species of composition 

 as Dr. Harbaugh ; and beside the reputation he 

 acquired in this country, he became well known 

 in Germany for his remarkable specimens of 

 one of the vulgar dialects of the German tongue. 

 The poem we have instanced is better known 

 there than among English readers at home, 

 but Dr. Harbaugh deserves much credit for the 

 photograph of the past he has bequeathed to the 

 descendants of the " Pennsylvania Dutch." 



HARRIS, Sir WILLIAM Sxow, F. R. S., an 

 English physicist, inventor, and author, born 

 in Plymouth, Eng., in 1791 ; died in the same 

 city, January 22, 1867. He was educated at 

 the Plymouth Grammar-school, and at the 

 University of Edinburgh, and studied medicine 

 at the latter university. He practised his pro- 

 fession for several years with considerable suc- 

 cess, but his passion for physical science was so 

 intense that he eventually abandoned his prac- 

 tice, to devote himself exclusively to the study 

 of electricity and magnetism. In 1820 he first 

 discovered his mode of conducting lightning- 

 discharges by means of broad copper plates, 

 and his writings soon attracted much attention. 

 In 1831 he was admitted a Fellow of the Royal 

 Society, on the ground of scientific merit, hav- 

 ing contributed a number of valuable philosoph- 

 ic papers through Sir Humphrey Davy and 



HAWES, JOEL. 



Mr. Davies Gilbert. In 1835 the society award- 

 ed him its Copley medal, one of the highest 

 honors in its gift. In 1839 his " Inquiries con- 

 cerning the Elementary Laws of Electricity," 

 third series, were printed in the Philosophical 

 Transactions as the " Bakerian Lecture," and 

 he received the bequest of Henry Baker, F. R. 

 S. In 1841 the Queen conferred on him an 

 annuity of 300 from the civil list, in consid- 

 eration of his services in the cultivation of 

 science. In 1843 his system of lightning-con- 

 ductors for ships, which had been repeatedly 

 recommended by naval and scientific commis- 

 sions, was adopted and ordered to be universal- 

 ly employed on all her Majesty's ships. The 

 Lords of the Admiralty estimate the saving to 

 the navy from the application of this system at 

 10,000 per annum. In 1847 the honor of 

 knighthood was conferred on Mr. Harris. In 

 1860 he was appointed scientific referee of the 

 Government in all matters connected Avith elec- 

 tricity, and in that capacity had to superintend 

 the application of his conductors to all Govern- 

 ment buildings. 



Sir William was also the inventor of an im- 

 proved mariner's compass, and of another 

 plan for lightning-conductors for iron ships, 

 which is now applied to all the iron-clad vessels 

 of the British Navy. He was the author of 

 many interesting treatises on electricity, thun- 

 der-storms, and magnetism. He had nearly com- 

 pleted at the time of his death a work entitled 

 "Electricity in Theory and Practice." 



HAWES, JOEL, D. D., an American Congre- 

 gational clergyman and author, born in Med- 

 way, Mass., December 22, 1789 ; died at Gilead, 

 Conn., June 5, 1867. His parents were in 

 humble circumstances, and' his childhood and 

 youth were passed with very slight opportuni- 

 ties of education. He did not attend school 

 more than a year in all, previous to his twen- 

 tieth year. Though not vicious in his habits, 

 he was not religiously inclined. A permanent 

 change took place in his religious character in 

 1807, and after a protracted and severe strug- 

 gle, to the intensity of which his own igno- 

 rance and mental darkness doubtless contribu- 

 ted, he emerged into a condition of peaceful 

 enjoyment, and with a strong desire for useful- 

 ness. He was encouraged by a lady to attempt 

 to gain an education, and though his first few 

 days of severe study almost cost him his life, 

 his unflinching perseverance, and the mental 

 discipline to which he subjected himself, carried 

 him through. He entered Brown University, 

 Providence, in the autumn of 1809, poorly fit- 

 ted for college, but with a strong resolution to 

 succeed, and though he was occupied in teach- 

 ing a part of the time, he graduated with the 

 second honor of his class in 1813. He entered 

 the Andover Theological Seminary the same 

 year, and teaching a part of the time in Phil-, 

 lips Academy, left the seminary in 1817 with- 

 out debt. He was licensed to preach by the 

 Essex North Association in Massachusetts, and 

 in the autumn of 1857 came to Hartford, and, 



