OXKNFORD, JOHN. 



OZANAM. JACQUES. 



Chorlton Mills, and undertook the management of New Lanark. Ai 

 a commercial (peculation it wai in a high degree succetfful ; but the 

 meet remarkable feature KM the benevolent care with which Mr. Owen 

 attended to the welfare of the person* employed and to the education 

 of their children. He here introduced many improvements, since 

 adopted in other school*, eo at to make instruction at once attractive 

 and imful ; and founded, if not the first, one of the earliest of the 

 infant school*. Beaidea the ordinary routine of education, the children 

 of whom there were at one lime 600 were taught various practical 

 aru, and were indulged in ainging and dancing, care being also taken 

 of their health by building well-ventilated school-rooms and providing 

 for active ezereiae. The character of the establishment spread 

 rapidly, and it was continually visited by persons of rank and 

 influence. In 1818 he published hi* 'New View of Society, or Essays 

 on the Formation of Human Character,' and subsequently a ' Book of 

 the New Moral World,' in which be developed a theory of modified 

 communism. In 1823, having relinquished his connection with New 

 Lanark, he went to North America, purchased a large tract of land 

 in the state of Indiana on the banks of the Wabash, and founded 

 a settlement called New Harmony, where he endeavoured to curry 

 his theory of the co-operative system into effect. It was an 

 utter failure, and he returned to England in 1827. In this year an 

 attempt was also made to effect an establishment in consonance with 

 bis new view of society at Orbiston, in the parish of Bothwell, 

 Lanarkshire. It was intended to purchase 1200 acr.s of land, and to 

 net a parallelogram to accommodate 1200 persons. A large sum of 

 money was raited, but the expenses so greatly exceeded the estimates 

 that not more than a fourth of the purposed parallelogram was raised, 

 but it had a theatre, lecture-room, and school-rooms. Less than 200 

 persona were collected ; the labourers were to work on the co-ope- 

 rative system, but were not all paid alike, nor did all fare alike. They 

 took their meals in a common hall, but at four different tables, vary- 

 ing in charge for the total weekly board from 14*. to lu., 7*., and 

 6*. 6d. Including English and Irish families, as well as Scutch, it is 

 not strange that their manners and customs gave great offence to their 

 Presbyterian neighbours, and indeed there was much that waa objec- 

 tionable. It terminated in a short time ; the society waa dissolved ; 

 the property sold at an enormous loss ; the buildings were pulled 

 down, and the materials sold ; and nothing now remains of New 

 Orbiaton. A similar experiment was also made at Tytherley, in 

 Hampshire, and was equally unsuccessful. Mr. Owen's attempts 

 likewise to establish a ' Labour Exchange ' in London, in connection 

 with a bazaar and a bank, were alike fruitless ; after a short existence 

 the concern became bankrupt. In 1828 he visited Mexico on an 

 invitation from the Mexican government to carry out his scheme 

 there, but nothing was done. Since that time his exertions in England 

 have been devoted to various object*, the foretelling of the Millennium 

 on tarth; the establishing of a system of morality, independent of 

 religion ; and a vindication of his claims to be able to hold conver- 

 sations ith the spirits of the deud, particularly with the late Duke 

 of Kent For these purposes be spares no labour, and incurs con- 

 siderable exptnte. He lectures, holds public meetings, conduct* 

 weekly periodicals, and for a lung period omitted no opportunity of 

 appearing beforo the public, though now increasing years have lessened 

 hii activity. Whatever may be thought of the opinions he holds, there 

 can be no doubt of his extreme benevolence, his moral integrity, nor 

 of his business talents, more especially as displayed in his early life. 



* DAVID DALK OWEK, the son of the preceding, has distinguished 

 binuelf a* a writer on geology in the United States of America, and 

 holds the official situation of geologut to the state* of Wisconsin and 

 Iowa, of which state* he ha* published a geological survey. 



OXENFOHD, JOHN, was bom at Camber* ell, near London, in 

 1812. He wa* articled to a solicitor, and admitted in 1883; but he 

 oon devoted himself to literature and the drama, and is a member of 

 the Philological Society. He is the author of many piece*, both original 

 and tran>hued, which have been produced at various London theatres. 

 Of the original production* the most popular are ' My Fellow Clerk ' 

 <li36),'Twios Killed' (1836), 'Day well Spent' (1886); and of the 

 translation*, that of the ' Tartufle ' of Molicre. He became early also a 

 student of German belles-lettres and philosophy; translated part of the 

 'Autobiography of Gothe,' the 'Conversations of Eckcrmaun with 

 G. the ' (1850), and the ' Hellas ' of Jacob* ( 1 866) ; and he is said to 

 be the author of an article in the Westminster Review ' on the 

 philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (' Icouoclasm in Ot man I'hilo- 

 aopby '), which was afterwards translated into Uerman, and spread the 

 reputation of that original thinker. He ha* bestowed likewise much 

 attention on French literature, and wrote the article ' Moliere ' in the 

 ' Penny Cyclopedia,' to which ha contributed wv.ral other biograpbUa 



In 1855 he published a collection of songs translated from the French, 

 with the title ' Illustrated Book of French Songs ' (1856). His other 

 liters ry labours have been those of a theatrical critic for many yean 

 on the daily press, and a translator of German poem* for various 

 tagasinea. He bu also written MVeral poem* and songs to music. 



OXKNSTIKKNA, AXEL, COUNT, wa* bom in 1683 at Fano, in 

 Upland, of a noble Swedish family. He studied in Germany at 

 Roatock, Jena, and Wittenberg, in which last university he took 

 degisua. After hi* return to Sweden he followed the career of 

 diplomacy under Charle* IX., and wai made a senator. When 



Oustavu* Adolphns ascended the throne in 1611 he appointed 

 Oxenstierna chancellor or prime-minister. From that time the name 

 of the minister is closely connected with that of hi* illustrious master, 

 whose confidence he fully enjoyed, and to whom his abilities a* a 

 statesman were of the greatest service. After the death of Onatavu* 

 at the battle of Lutzen in 1632, Oxenstierna, who waa then on a mixion 

 in another part of Germany, immediately repaired to the camp, con- 

 centrated the Swedish and allied force*, urged the German princes to 

 remain steady in the cause of the alliance against the political and 

 religious tyranny of the Emperor Ferdinand, and, having received full 

 powers from the senate of Sweden, be became the soul of the Protestant 

 league in Germany. The difficulties which Oxenitierna had to 

 encounter proceeded from the jealousy of his allies more than from 

 the efforts of the enemy. He succeeded however in assembling the 

 states of Lower Saxony at Heilbronn, and he opened the meeting by 

 a speech. After much opposition he obtained a supply of money for 

 the Swedish army, and he wo* himself acknowledged a* the head of 

 the league. A succession of able commanders, the Uuke of Weimar, 

 Banner, Torsteuson, Wrangel, all formed in the school of Guatavus, 

 led on the Swedish and German forces with various sucoea-*, while 

 Oxenatierna directed from Stockholm the diplomatic negotiations, 

 until the peace of Westphalia in 1648 put an end to the Thirty Years' 

 War. Count Oxenstierna' s ion wa* one of the Swedish envoys who 

 signed that celebrated treaty. It was to him that the chancellor, in 

 reply to the young man's letters, in which he had expressed himself 

 with great diffidence in consequence of his inexperience in matters of 

 state, wrote the following sentence, which ha* become proverbial : 

 " Nescis, mi fili, quantiUa prudentia homines regantur " (' You do not 

 know yet, my son, how little wisdom is exhibited in ruling mankind "). 



Oxeustierua was at the head of the regency of Sweden during the 

 whole minority of Queen Christina, and he continued to be prime- 

 minister after ahe had assumed the reins of government. He strongly 

 opposed Christina's intention of abdicating tha crown, and being unable 

 to prevent this act he withdraw from public life. Christina's successor, 

 Charles Gustavus, consulted him however on important occasion*. 

 Oxenstierna died at Stockholm in August 1654, regretted and honoured 

 by all Sweden. He is said to have been partly tho writer of the 

 ' Historia Belli Sueco-Germauici,' published by Chemnitz ; and also of 

 the work ' Do Arcanis Austriacto Douiu* ab Hippolyto it Lapide.' 



oXKolil), r.ARL UK. [HAKLEY.] 



OZANAM, JACQUES, waa born in 1640, at Bouligneux, in the 

 present department of the Ain. Hi* family, though of Jewish extrac- 

 tion, had long been members of the Roman Catholic church ; and hi* 

 father was possessed of considerable landed property, to which some 

 ecclesiastical patronage was attached. Jacques, being the younger of 

 two sons, was designed for the church, and accordingly began the 

 necessary studies, but less from his own inclination than to comply 

 with the wishes of his father. His biographers describe him aa natu- 

 rally pious, generous, witty, and gallant ; he certainly was too tolerant 

 for a churchman of his day. The theological writings to which his 

 attention was directed gave him little satisfaction. Other subject* of 

 investigation, such as chemistry, mechanic*, Ac., attracted his notice, 

 and thenceforward hi* theological studies were attended to solely from 

 couipuUion or a aeusa of duty. The tutor to whose care he had been 

 confided possessed tome slight acquaintance with the mathematics, 

 and from him he may have received some assistance in reading them ; 

 but, with this exception, he wa* self-taught ; and although he never 

 attained to any great eminence aa a mathematician, he wsa the author 

 of several useful works, which became extremely popular, and passed 

 through many editions. 



The death of hi* father, which took place about four years after he 

 commenced reading for the church, left him free to follow whatever 

 occupation he chose. He accordingly removed to Lyou, where be 

 began teaching the mathematics gratuitously, rrgarding it as a degra- 

 dation to receive payment for his instruction. It is probable that he 

 did not long act under this impression, aa hi* pecuniary means were 

 limited, and his attachment to games of chance frequently led him to 

 the gaming-table. 



At the invitation of the chancellor of France he removed to the 

 French capital, when his amours soon drew so heavily upon his 

 resource* that he determined upon marrying, as tho most effectual 

 way of curtailing hi* expenditure. Hi* wife waa without fortune, but 

 possaned of so many excellent qualities, that his greatest affliction waa 

 occasioned by her death in 1701. By her ho had twelve children. At 

 Paris he bad for many yean considerable, success a* a matheimtir.il 

 tutor, though he wa* patronised much more by foreigners than by hi* 

 own countrymen. Moat of the former were obliged to leave the 

 country upon the breaking out of the war of the Spanish Succession, 

 the same year a* that in which his wife died ; and from that time, the 

 income he derived fiom hi* profession was both small and uncertain. 

 Moutucls, speaking of his scientific productions, remarks, " He pro- 

 moted tho mathematics by his treatise upon lines of the second order; 

 and bad he pursued the same branch of research, he would have 

 acquired a more solid reputation than by the publication of his 

 'Course,' 'Recreation,' or 'Mathematical Dictionary;' but having to 

 look to the support of himself and family, he wisely consulted the 

 taste of hi* purchasers rather than his own." (' Histoire des Mathe'm.,' 

 L, p. 168.) When far ndvanced in years ho was admitted an <51eve of 



