l'AK-,1 VAI 



PARSONS 



ParscvaJ. Name applied to a 

 type of mm riL-iil airship designed 

 by the German en^inc^r of that 

 name. During the Great War the 

 construction of the type WM 

 I by the Germans in favour 

 oi ngid airships. The Germans 

 also used a sausage- shaped bal- 

 loon, the Pars. Id, for 

 observation purposes. S>r Airship. 



Parsifal. Op-ra by Wagner. 

 Produced at Bain-nth in 1882, it 

 is based on Wolfram von Eschen- 

 bach's Parzival, a version of the 

 i ( >n IVroeval. in which 

 the story of the Grail is combined 

 \\itli that of the simple, ignorant 

 hero, who attains wisdom through 

 charity and purity of heart. The 

 opera created a storm of contro- 

 versy, principally on account of 

 the supposed resemblance of the 

 argument to the life of Christ. See 

 Grail, The Holy; Opera; Perceval 



Parsimony (Lai. parnimonia, 

 gparingness). In metaphysics, the 

 law of parsimony deprecates the 

 unnecessary assumption of the 

 existence of anything in order to 

 explain what is admitted to be 

 fact, when such explanation is 

 equally possible without such as- 

 sumption. In physical and general 

 science the same law asserts that 

 the number of causative factors 

 adduced in the explanation of a 

 phenomenon shall be the smallest 

 possible. This is the doctrine of 

 Ockham (</.r. ), known as Ockham's 

 razor, that entities should not be 

 multiplied unnecessarily. 



Parsley (Carum petrotelinum). 

 Biennial herb of the natural order 

 Umbelliferae. It was introduced 

 into Great Britain from Sardinia 

 in 1548. It succeeds best in 

 a light loam, generally failing 

 to withstand the winter in a 

 heavy or clayey soil To ensure 

 a succession of crops three sowings 

 of seeds should be made one in 

 March, another in June, and the 

 third in August in rows 12ins. apart. 

 When the young plants are 2 ins. 

 in height they may be separated 



to a dUtanoe of about 6 ins. every 

 way. and left until the leaves are 

 ready to cut. At the end of the 

 second year the crop will be coarse. 

 The old planU should then be 

 eradicated, and a fresh sowing 

 made in a different situation. 



Parsley Fern (Oryptoyramma 

 critpa). Kern of the natural order 

 Polypodiaoeae. Native of Europe. 

 Asia, and Alaska, it forms tufts 

 among the stones in mountain 



Parsley. Plant ot Dwarf Perfec- 

 tion parsley 



eourltif of Sultan t So*> 



Parsley Fern. Tult o! fronds grow- 

 ing in a heap oi stones 



districts, the fronds springing 

 from a scaly rootstock. The fronds 

 are rather thin in texture, oval- 

 wedge-shaped, bluish green, and 

 much divided like a parsley leaf. 



Parsnip (Pattinaca saliva). 

 Native British biennial plant of the 

 natural order Umbelliferae. In its 

 wild state it has no nutritive value, 

 but under cultivation it has de- 

 veloped into the well-known root 

 vegetable, attaining often a length 

 of from two to three feet. Parsnips 

 flourish in deep, rich loam which 

 has not been freshly manured ; the 

 presence of raw stimulant tends 

 to deform and split the roots. The 

 seed should be sown in the open 

 ground in March, in rows a foot 

 apart and an inch deep. The young 

 plants should be thinned to 9 ins. 

 apart every way, and left until 

 Sept. or Oct. The roots are ready 

 to pull when the foliage dies down, 

 but may be left in the ground 

 until touched by early frost. 



Parson (Med. Lat persona, a 

 representative). Legal title of one 

 who holds a parochial cure of souls. 

 Holy orders, presentation, in- 

 stitution, and induction are neces- 

 sary to make a man a parson, and 

 as ouch the freeholder for life of 

 the parsonage-house, glebe, tithts, 

 and other dues. The term parson 

 properly belongs only to a rector. 

 A vicar had the same parochial 

 responsibility, but did not hold 

 the church property, being merely 

 the deputy of an absent rector. 

 The term is used in a popular 

 sense of any minister of religion. 

 See Clergy ; lndu<-ti..n. 



Parsons. City of 



U.S.A.. in Lahette co. It is 135 m. 

 KMSM City. m. i M 

 served by the Missouri. Kansas, 

 and Texas, and the St. Louis and 

 San Francisco Rlys. IU industrial 

 establishment* include large rly. 

 constructional shops, grain eleva- 

 tors, flour mills, and clothing fac- 

 tories. Parsons was incorporated 

 in 1871. Pop. 16,000. 



Parsons , SIB CHABUCS ALGERNON 

 (b. 1854). British engineer. Born 

 June 13, 1854, a younger son of 

 the astrono- 

 iii'-r. the 3rd 

 earl of Rosse, 

 he was edu- 

 cated at home 

 and S. John's 

 College, Cam- 

 bridge, ami. 

 having been 

 t ruined as ail 

 engineer, foun- 

 ded at New- 

 castle the firm 

 of C. A. Parsons ft Co. His great 

 invention was the Parsons marine 

 steam turbine, and, having brought 

 his own business into a strong 

 position, he became connected with 

 electric lighting and other com- 

 panies. In 1911 Parsons was 

 knighted, and during the Great 

 War served on the board of inven- 

 tions. Made F.R.S. in 1898, he 

 was president of the British 

 Association, 1919. 



Parsons OR PERSONS, ROBERT 

 (1546-1610). English Jesuit. Born 

 at Nether Stowey, Somerset, June 

 24, 1546, and educated at Oxford, 

 he resigned his fellowship of 

 Halliol in 1574 to escape expulsion, 

 on account of his tendencies to 



Sir C. A. Parsons. 

 British engineer 



Kuntll 



Parsnip. Edible roots of tbe vege- 

 table 



tit f orl / SutloH t Soni 



Roman Catholicism, and pro- 

 ceeded to the Continent. He went 

 to Rome and became a member of 

 the Society of Jesus, July 4, 1575. 

 Henceforth all his energies were 

 bent on overthrowing the re- 

 formed Church in England, which 

 he secretly visited in 1580. In 

 1587 he was made rector of the 

 English College at Rome, and in 

 1591 wrote his Responsio ad Eliza- 

 bethae edictum. He died in Rome, 

 April 18, 1610. See Athenae 

 Oxonienses, A. a Wood, new ed. 

 1813-20 ; Annals of the Reforma- 

 tion, J. Strype, 



