JOHNSTON", ALEXANDER K. 



425 



form a part of the university on an equal foot- 

 ing with the Protestant and Kornan Catholic 

 faculties. 



The third Rabbinical Synod of German 

 Israelites met at Augsburg, on the llth of 

 July. It was composed of about fifty mem- 

 bers. Prof. Lazarus, of Berlin, was chosen 

 president. In his address, on taking his seat, 

 he spoke in warm tones of the liberality dis- 

 played by the Government which he styled a 

 " progressive Government " which no longer 

 trampled on the convictions of its subjects, 

 but respected conscience. He spoke of the 

 necessity of amending the laws, formed thou- 

 sand of years ago, so as to adapt them to the 

 different circumstances of the present age. 

 The purpose of the synod was to consult on 

 such amendments, and propose reforms. 



Modifications were approved in many fea- 

 tures of the marriage ritual. It was decided 

 that the non-performance of all Jewish rites 

 should not incapacitate a witness to the mar- 

 riage act. A rule was adopted allowing wid- 

 ows, with offspring of tender age from their 

 first husbands, to marry within a year; ex- 

 ceptional cases to be left to the discretion of 

 the rabbis. The following declaration was 

 adopted : The civil act of marriage is consid- 

 ered valid, and is sanctioned by Israelites in 

 all cases where it does not violate Mosaic law. 

 But, for the promotion of godliness and faith, 

 the subsequent religious ritual is recommended 

 to all Israelites. The observance of the 

 chalitza was pronounced unessential, and left 

 optional. Riding to the places of worship, or 

 on errands of benevolence, and for instruction 

 or recreation, on the Sabbath, were declared 

 permissible. Riding for business was pro- 

 nounced not permissible. Organ-playing for 

 religious purposes on the Sabbath was pro- 

 nounced unobjectionable. A declaration was 

 made that a boy born of a Jewish mother, and 

 for some reason or another not circumcised, is 

 nevertheless, and in keeping with the laws up- 

 held and respected by Israelites, to be con- 

 sidered a Jew, and to be treated as such in all 

 matters relating to the ritual. 



JOHNSTON, ALEXANDER KEITH, LL. D., a 

 British geographer and scientist, born at Kirk- 

 hill, Scotland, in December, 1804; died at Ben 

 Rhydding, Scotland, July 3, 1871. He was 

 educated at the Edinburgh High School. He 

 was intended for the medical profession, but 

 after a time relinquished that purpose, and 

 learned the art of engraving. His early 

 predilection for geographical studies having 

 increased with his years, he determined to 

 make geography his profession, and to devote 

 his whole energies to the prosecution of the 

 absorbing pursuit on which he resolved to 

 enter. His first maps were published in 1830, 

 and resulted from a walking-excursion through 

 the north of Scotland, which showed him the 

 defects of existing maps. The improved series 

 which he constructed was published in a trav- 

 eller's guide-book. Having joined his brother 



William in an engraving and printing business, 

 he directed it into the channel which his own 

 tastes indicated. Dr. Keith Johnston's first 

 great work was his ''National Atlas," in folio, 

 which was published, after five years' incessant 

 labor, in 1843. Most of the maps were pro- 

 jected and drawn by himself, and nearly all 

 the names written with his own hand. This 

 work went through many editions, and secured 

 for the author the appointment of Geographer- 

 Royal for Scotland. The active duties of his 

 profession led him to visit nearly every part of 

 the European Continent, and also to travel ex- 

 tensively in Egypt and Palestine. His jour- 

 neyings made him a linguist of no mean order : 

 he talked German and French with consider- 

 able fluency, and read with. ease in several other 

 modern languages. He utilized these accom- 

 plishments by drawing information from all 

 available sources, but the writings of Ritter, 

 Humboldt, and Berghaus, on physical geog- 

 raphy, engaged his especial attention. Hum- 

 boldt having expressed a wish for an English 

 physical atlas, which would show the details 

 of physical phenomena more clearly than 

 the German edition, Dr. Keith Johnston re- 

 solved to construct an atlas on the scale 

 required. He visited Germany in 1842, for 

 the purpose of collecting materials and making 

 other necessary arrangements, and on his re- 

 turn he laid his plans before the secretary of 

 the Royal Geographical Society. He received 

 the warmest encouragement from the Royal 

 Geographical Society, from Karl Ritter, and 

 from Humboldt, and Dr. Johnston's Atlas 

 became essentially an original work. It was 

 published in 1848, and was welcomed by all 

 competent authorities, not only because it was 

 a valuable contribution to the study of physi- 

 cal geography, but because it embodied within 

 convenient limits the results which had been 

 secured by the observations of numerous sci- 

 entific travellers on the geology, meteorology, 

 climatology, and hydrography of the globe. 

 The Geographical Society of Berlin having 

 awarded its honorary diploma to Dr. Johnston, 

 Karl Ritter, the president, took the opportu- 

 nity of once more acknowledging the merits 

 of the atlas. A second edition, with consider- 

 able additions and improvements, was published 

 in 1856. At least 2,500 copies of the atlas 

 were sold, and the great object of the author 

 in advancing the educational interests of geog- 

 raphy was secured. The expression of appre- 

 ciation by scientific authorities was not long 

 delayed. Berlin was not alone in determining 

 to do honor to the great geographer. The 

 Royal Society of Edinburgh spontaneously 

 conferred on him the honors and privileges of 

 fellowship ; while the leading geographical so- 

 cieties of Europe, America, and India, elected 

 him to honorary and corresponding fellow- 

 ships. The University of Edinburgh also, 

 after the lapse of years, gave him, in 1865, 

 the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, the 

 highest honor of the kind that the university 



