709 



STURGEON, WILLIAM. 



STURM, JOHN CHRISTOPHER. 



800 



theological work, we believe, was a collection of Sermons, published in 

 1760, under the title of ' Palaeograpliia Sacra,' principally occupied 

 with the natural history and botany of the ancient world. As a man, 

 Stukeley appears to have been distinguished by a very placid and 

 amiable disposition. 



STURGEON, WILLIAM, distinguished as an electrician, was born 

 at Whittiugton, in the county of Lancaster, in 1783. His parents 

 were in humble circumstances, and ho was at first apprenticed to a shoe- 

 maker; he subsequently entered the militia, and afterwards the Royal 

 Artillery as a private soldier. It was whilst thus engaged that his 

 taste for scientific pursuits commenced, and he employed his leisure 

 hours in making experiments more especially in electricity. He 

 appreciated the discoveries of Oersted, Faraday, Arago, and Ampere, 

 in the newly-created sciences of magneto-electricity and electro-mag- 

 netism, and was soon enabled to suggest a modification of Ampere's 

 rotatory cylinders. In 1824 he began to publish the result of his 

 researches, and in that year four papers by him on electricity were 

 printed in the 'Philosophical Magazine.' In 1825 he presented a 

 paper to the Society of Arts which was published in their ' Trans- 

 sactious,' describing a complete set of electro-magnetic apparatus of a 

 novel kind. This apparatus was remarkable for attaining a larger 

 amount of power in a smaller bulk than had been hitherto attained by 

 any other arrangement. For this invention he obtained the large 

 silver medal of the Society of Arts and a purse of thirty guineas. 



Soon after the invention of the electro-magnetic machine, Mr. 

 Sturgeon drew attention to the powerful effects to be obtained from 

 the use of soft iron in the construction of the electro-magnetic 

 apparatus. The soft iron horse-shoe magnet has entered more or less 

 into the construction of all electro magnetic machines since that time. 

 Mr. Sturgeon subsequently directed his attention to the construction 

 of plates for the various kinds of galvanic batteries. In his ' Experi- 

 mental researches in Electro-magnetism, Galvanism,' &c., he first 

 drew attention to the superiority of amalgamated plates of rolled zinc 

 over the unprepared cast zinc before generally used. His method of 

 dipping the zinc plates in acid, and afterwards in mercury, is employed 

 to this day in the majority of galvanic machines. He subsequently 

 suggested many modifications in the forms of machines which are now 

 in daily use, and his name is inseparably connected with the mecha- 

 nical application of the principles that had been worked out by 

 Oersted, Faraday, and Ampere since the beginning of the present 

 century. Mr. Sturgeon for some years occupied the chair of Experi- 

 mental Philosophy in the Hon. East India Company's Military Academy 

 afAddiscombe. During the latter part of his life he filled the office 

 of Lecturer on Science at the Royal Victoria Gallery of Practical 

 Science at Manchester. He died at Manchester in the month of 

 December 1850. 



STURM, CHRISTOPH CHRISTIAN, was born on the 25th of 

 January 1750, at Augsburg. He studied theology at Jena and Halle, 

 and was subsequently appointed preacher at Magdeburg. In 1778 

 he obtained the offices of pastor at the church of St. Peter, and of 

 Scholarchus, at Hamburg. His sincere piety, his zeal as a religious 

 instructor of the people, and his learning gained for him the love and 

 esteem of his flock. His leading principle was that a preacher should 

 render his knowledge of true religion and morality fruitful in his own 

 actions before attempting to effect the game in others by his instruc- 

 tions ; and his whole life, which is marked by scarcely any incidents, 

 was only characterised by the honest endeavour to carry his principle 

 into practice. He died on the 26th of August 1786. 



Sturm wrote many religious works, which are more of a practical 

 than of a scientific character. The following are the most important : 

 'Der Christ in der Einsamkeit,' Halle, 1763 ; 'Der Christ am Sonn- 

 tage,' 1764, &c. ; ' Unterhaltungen mit Gott in den Morgenstunden 

 auf jeden Tag des Jahres,' 1768, 2 vols. 8vo, and often reprinted; 

 ' Betrachtungen iiber die Werke Gottes im Reiche der Natur und der 

 Vorsehung auf alle Tage des Jahres,' 1785. This work has been trans- 

 lated into most of the European lauguages, and also into English by 

 Clarke, under the title of ' Reflections on the Works of God,' &c. 

 The numerous editions of this translation show that the work has 

 been very popular in England. He likewise published a considerable 

 number of sermons, and among them a collection of sermons for 

 children : ' Predigten fur Kinder von reiferem Alter,' Leipzig, 2 vols. 

 8vo, 1774. Sturm.also occupies a considerable rank among the writers 

 of sacred poetry, which he published in four collections : ' Gebete und 

 Lieder fur Kinder,' 1776 ; ' Gesangbuch fur das reifere Alter,' 1777 ; 

 ' Lieder fur das Herz,' 1787 ; and ' Gesangbuch fur Gartenfreunde,' all 

 of which breathe the purest piety. Many of his sacred songs have 

 been incorporated into the hymn-books which are used in the Pro- 

 teataut churches of Germany. 



STURM, JOHN, was born on the 1st of October 1507, at Schleiden 

 in the Eifel, between Treves and Cologne. In 1524 he went to 

 Louvain, where he devoted himself to ancient literature, but after a 

 few years' study he entered into partnership with Rutger Rescius, an 

 eminent Greek scholar, who was forming a printing establishment at 

 Louvain for the printing of Greek authors. The only works that are 

 known to have issued from their press are an edition of Hotner, and 

 one of Xenophon's 'Memorabilia Socratis,' which appeared in 1529, 

 4to. In this year Sturm went to Paris, probably with the intention 

 of forming connections for the sale of his publications. But the very 



favourable reception which he met with at Paris, and the new world 

 wliich here opened to him, determined him not to return to Louvain. 

 He began to occupy himself with teaching, and soon obtained per- 

 mission to set up a school. Sturm had adopted the Lutheran creed 

 before he left Germany, but took care not to avow it in public. At 

 Parid however it appears to have become known to some persons, and 

 the severe regulations in France against Protestantism at last induced 

 him to go to Strasburg, in which city a gymnasium was just estab- 

 lished. The office of rector of the school was offered to Sturm, who 

 entered upon it in 1538. Owing to his exertions and the generous 

 support of the city of Strasburg, this gymnasium soon became one of the 

 most flourishing in all Germany, until, in the year 1566, it was raised 

 to the rank of a university, under the management of Sturm. While 

 he was devoting himself with the utmost zeal to his duties as a 

 teacher and rector, he was no less active in promoting the interests of 

 Protestantism. He was sent on various missions concerning religious 

 matters, and was extremely liberal and kind towards all who suffered 

 for their religious opinions. But he showed nothing of a sectarian 

 spirit, and some of his friends, who were staunch Lutherans, began to 

 suspect him of leaning towards the doctrines of Calvin. They openly 

 attacked him in their sermons, the consequence of which was that he 

 gave up attending them. His silence and perseverance excited their 

 anger and hatred. Various charges were at last brought against him, 

 among which it was alleged that he had not been at church or partaken 

 of the Lord's Supper for twenty years. His enemies at length suc- 

 ceeded, in 1583, hi persuading the magistrate of Strasburg, on the 

 pretext of his old age, to deprive him of his office, which was given to 

 Melchior Junius, one of his former pupils. Notwithstanding the 

 honourable appearance of his dismissal, and although he was left in 

 the enjoyment of his former salary, he keenly felt the wrong wliich 

 was done to him. His strength rapidly declined, and a few years 

 before his death, which took place on the 3rd of March 1589, he lost 

 his sight. 



Sturm was one of the most amiable, benevolent, and learned men 

 of the age. He went so far in his liberal support of persecuted Pro- 

 testants, that he became involved in great pecuniary difficulties ; but 

 he was far from being a vehement sectarian. He appreciated the 

 merits of every man, whatever might be his religious opinions, and he 

 was no less esteemed by Roman Catholic prelates, than by the moderate 

 party among the Protestants. As a teacher he was eminently success- 

 ful. On account of his great knowledge of rhetoric, and his elegant 

 Latin style, he was called the German Cicero. His works, all of 

 which are written in Latin, are very numerous. The following are 

 the most important : ' De Literarum Ludis recte aperieudis,' Stras- 

 burg, 4to, 1538 ; ' In Partitiones Ciceronis Oratorias Dialogi Quatuor,' 

 Strasburg, 8vo, 1539; 'M. Tullii Ciceronis Opera Omnia, editio post 

 Naugerianam et Victorianam emendata k Jo. Sturmio/ Strasburg, 9 

 vols. 8vo, 1540, often reprinted with corrections and emendations; 

 ' Prolegomena, hoc est, Prscfationes in optimos quosque utriusque 

 Linguae Scriptores,' Zurich, 8vo, 1565 ; 'De Universa Ratione Elocu- 

 tionis Rhetoricse, Libri Quatuor,' Strasburg, 8vo, 1576 ^this work, 

 which in reality only consists of three books, is a very elaborate and 

 systematic commentary on the rhetorician Hermogenes) ; 'Auti-Pappi 

 Quatuor,' Neustadt, 4to, 1580, &c. (this work contains his theological 

 controversies with Pappus, Osiander, and others). His treatises on 

 education have been reprinted in several collections of works on this 

 subject. 



STURM, JOHN CHRISTOPHER, a German mathematician and 

 natural philosopher, was born at Hippelstein, in Bavaria, November 3, 

 1635. His father, who was master of the wardrobe to the elector of 

 Bavaria, having been ruined by the wars, the youth was indebted for 

 the benefits of a good education to the benevolence of Daniel Wulfer, 

 a clergyman of Niirenberg, who placed him at the school in that city, 

 where, during eight years, he was engaged in the study of the ancient 

 languages and such of the sciences as were then taught. Having 

 made considerable progress, young Sturm was sent by his benefactor 

 to the University of Jena, where he took his degrees; and in 1660 he 

 went to study at Leyden. He remained there only one year, and 

 then he returned to Jena, where he qualified himself for the church. 

 He was appointed to the ministry for one of the parishes in the terri- 

 tory of Ettingen, where he continued to perform the duty till 1669, 

 when, through the interest of his friends, he was appointed professor 

 of mathematics in the University of Altdorf, in Francouia. This post 

 he held during thirty -four years, and it is said that he was the first 

 who introduced, in the gymnasia and the common schools of Germany, 

 the practice of giving instructions in the elements of useful science to 

 the children of the working classes. 



Sturm had been educated in the philosophy of Aristotle, but in his 

 visit to Holland he became acquainted with that of Descartes ; and, 

 after a vain effort to reconcile the principles of the ancient with those 

 of the modern physics, he formed for himself a species of philosophy 

 by selecting whatever, in either, appeared most consonant to nature 

 and reason. This philosophy he endeavoured to introduce into the 

 schools of his country; and though he did not wholly succeed, he 

 contributed much to the general diffusion of a knowledge of the 

 physical sciences in the north of Europe. 



He died December 26, 1703, leaving a son, Leonard Christopher 

 Sturm, who became an architect. 



