MYRON 



Myron (5th century B.C.). 



Greet sculptor. Born at Kleutherae 



MI. he was a pupil of 



i is of Argos. . Specially 



known as a worker in bronze, he 



or his subjects athletes and 



iMim.iU His chief characteristics 



i nthfulness to nature, and 



active rather than passive repre- 



-i-ni.ition. His most famous works 



\vi-n- the Discobolus, Ladas the 



Runner, a Satyr (probably Mar- 



syas), and a bronze cow. The last 



was remarkable for epigrams in- 



M-nliriJ upon the animal's body 



att.-r the manner of the so-called 



atatuo of Pasquino at Rome. See 



olus ; Greek Art; Ladas; 



Pasquinade. 



Myrrh. Gum resin obtained 

 from the stem of Balsamodendron 

 or Commiphora Myrrha, Growing 

 in Arabia and Abyssinia, it is used 

 occasionally in medicine to excite 

 the appetite and stimulate the flow 

 of gastric juice. Tincture of myrrh 

 is also used. Myrrh may be a useful 

 constituent of mouth washes and 

 gargles for a relaxed throat. The 

 tree is small, with grey bark, from 

 which the myrrh escapes in yellow 

 oily drops, darkening in colour as 

 they harden. 



Myrrh was used in the East as a 

 perfume, and also for embalming. 

 It was one of the gifts made by the 

 magi to the child Jesus Christ, and 

 on this account the custom exists 

 of offering gold, frankincense, and 

 myrrh every year on the feast of 

 the Epiphany. The offering is made 

 on behalf of the British sovereign 

 in the Chapel Royal, London, See 

 Frankincense ; Magi. 



Myrtaceae. Natural order of 

 trees and shrubs, mostly natives of 

 the tropical regions. They have 

 undivided leaves, and flowers with 

 four- or five - parted calyx and 

 four or five petals. It is a very 

 large order, comprising over 70 

 genera and about 2,000 species. 

 Among well-known genera are Eu- 

 calyptus and Myrtus, of which the 

 wi-'ll -known Myrtle (M. communia) 

 of S. Europe serves as a type. 



Myrtle (Myrtua communis). 

 Evergreen shrub of the natural 

 order Myrtaceae (q.v.), native of 

 W. Asia, but long naturalised in S. 

 Europe, whence it was introduced 

 to Britain in 1597. It grows to a 

 height of 10 ft., has shining oval 

 opposite leaves, and fragrant white 

 flowers largely used in perfumery. 

 The purple berries also are frag- 

 rant ; they are sweet and have a 

 strong aromatic flavour. In the 

 extreme S. of England the myrtle 

 is hardy and can be grown out of 

 doors ; elsewhere it needs protec- 

 tion in winter. It may be grown 

 from seeds or cuttings, taken in 

 early summer, and grown in a 



3013 



Myrtle. Foliage and flower ipray 

 ol the evergreen shrub 



compost of sandy loam and leaf- 

 mould. Myrtle wreaths were used 

 among the ancients to crown the 

 victors in athletic games. 



Mysia. Ancient country of 

 Asia Minor. Lying between the 

 Aegean Sea, Propontis, Bithynia, 

 and Lydia, it sometimes included 

 the Troad. Its inhabitants, the 

 Mysi, whose origin is doubtful, first 

 appear in history when their coun- 

 try passed under the dominion of 

 Croesus, king of Lydia, in the sixth 

 century B.O. With the overthrow 

 of the latter by the Persians, Mysia 

 became part of the Persian empire, 

 and after the death of Alexander the 

 Great in 323 B.C., part of the king- 

 dom of Syria. In 133 the country 

 became part of the Roman empire. 



Myslowitz. Town of Silesia. It 

 stands on the Przemsza, 13 m. by 

 rly. E.S.E. of Konigshutte on the 

 coalfield. Its industries are coal- 

 mining, zinc refining, flax spinning, 

 and brickmaking. In the 1921 ple- 

 biscite there was a majority for 

 union with Germany. Pop. 18,000. 

 See Silesia. 



Mysore. Native state of S- 

 India. It is roughly a triangle on 

 the Deccan plateau, with Bombay 

 on the N.W., Coorg on the S.W., 

 and the Madras Presidency else- 

 where. On the average 2,000 ft. alt., 

 lii^h hills, called droogs, rise in iso- 

 lation from the 

 plain ; a ridge 

 across the middle 

 of the state sepa- 

 rates the drainage 

 of the Kistna 

 from that of the 

 Cauvery. Much ^aBHB 



land is irrigated 

 from the Cauvery ; 

 the chief crop L-> 

 ragi, a native 

 millet; other 

 crops are cotton 

 sugar cane and 

 rice. Gold is 

 mined at Kolar 

 and manganese in 

 Shimoga. Mysore 



MYSTERY 



city ia the capital, and Bangalore 

 the largest town. 



From 1760 to 1799 the utate was 

 ruled by a Mahomedan usurper. 

 Haider Ali and bin son Tippoo. The 

 British restored the former Hindu 

 dynasty in 1799, took over the 

 administration 183 1-81, and setup 

 a Hindu maharaja. Area, 29.444 

 sq. m. Pop. 5,806,000. See Madras. 



Mysore. Capital of Mysore 

 state. It situated near the Cau- 

 very, 100 m. S.W. of Bangalore, 

 with which it is connected by rly. 

 There are numerous modern build- 

 ings, including the Victoria Jubilee 

 Institute and the palace of the 

 maharaja. S.E. of the city L- 

 temple crowned Chamundi Hill, 

 3,489ft., with a colossal recumbent 

 figure of the sacred bull NandL The 

 city was the capital from early 

 times until 1610. It was then 

 superseded by Seringapatam until 

 1799, when the court again moved 

 to Mysore. Pop. 68,100. 



Mystagogue. Official charged 

 with important duties in the cele- 

 bration of the Eleusinian myste- 

 ries (q.v.). These myatogogoi were 

 licensed by the state. 



Mystery (Gr. initiation). Secret 

 rite. The Greek word myateria de- 

 noted rites performed in the pre- 

 sence of persons prepared by 

 gradual initiation, under a bond of 

 secrecy. They probably grew out 

 of primitive ceremonial dances 

 associated with the pre-Hellenic 

 nature-worship of Thrace. Their 

 chief centre was at Eleusis (q.v.). 



A second group, perhaps Pelas- 

 gian, seems to have spread from 

 Thrace to Lemnos and Boeotian 

 Thebes. These mysteries were con- 

 cerned with the deified shades 

 called Cabiri, and included the 

 ritual slaying of an animal victim. 

 At Andania in Messenia the mys- 

 teries combined the veneration of 

 Demeter with that of the Cabiri 

 These Cabirian rituals were often 

 confused with two others, those 

 of the Cretan Curetes, which were 

 essentially puberty rites, and those 



Principal entrance ol the former 



