FRANKE FRANKINCENSE. 



307 



FRANKE, AUGUSTUS HERMANN, founder of the 

 orphan hospital at Halle, and of several institutions 

 connected with it, distinguished in the history of phi. 

 lanthropy, was born at Lubeck, March 23, 1663. 

 He studied so assiduously, that, in his fourteenth year, 

 he was ready to enter the university. He studied 

 theology and the languages at Erfurt, Kiel, and 

 Leipsic. In 1681, he began to lecture at the latter 

 university, on the practical interpretation of the 

 Bible, and met with so much success that he was 

 attacked on all sides ; and the celebrated Thomasius, 

 then residing at Leipsic, undertook his defence. 

 Franke then accepted an invitation to preach at Er- 

 furt. His sermons attracted such numbers, among 

 whom were many Catholics, that the elector of 

 Mentz, to whose jurisdiction Erfurt then belonged, 

 ordered him to leave the city within twenty-four 

 hours. He then went to Halle, as professor in the 

 new university, at first of the Oriental languages, and 

 afterwards of theology. At the same time, he became 

 pastor of Glaucha, a suburb of Halle, where his insti- 

 tutions were afterwards established. The ignorance 

 and poverty of the inhabitants of this village filled 

 him with distress, and, in 1694, he made his first 

 attempt to reform them. He first instructed desti- 

 tute children in his house, and gave them alms. 

 He then took into his house some orphans, whose 

 number soon increased. Some benevolent citizens of 

 Halle assisted him in his charitable work. If we 

 consider the present extent of his institutions, we 

 shall be surprised at such a beginning. They now 

 increased yearly. In 1 698 was laid the first corner 

 stone of the buildings which now form two rows, 

 800 feet long. Sums of money were sent from all 

 quarters to the pious philanthropist, and a chemist, 

 whom he visited on his death-bed, left him the recipe 

 for compounding several medicines, which afterwards 

 yielded an income of from 20,000 to 30,000 dollars. 

 He was thus enabled to lay the foundation of so large 

 an institution, without any assistance from govern- 

 ment. Frequently, when he was entirely destitute 

 of money, and apparently incapable of continuing his 

 diarities, he received unexpected supplies, in which 

 he saw an indication of divine protection, particularly 

 as this often happened after fervent prayers for the 

 orphans and poor. He died June 8, 1727, at the age 

 of sixty-four years. 



Fran/ce's Institution, formerly called the orphan 

 asylum of Halle, consists, I. Of the orphan asylum, in 

 which the greatest number at once has been 200. Since 

 its foundation, 4500 orphans have been educated there 

 gratuitously, of whom three-fourths were boys, and 

 the remainder girls. Such of the boys as manifest 

 talents are prepared to study at the university, and 

 are supported even there. At present, the number 

 nf orphans there is only 100. 2. The royal paeda- 

 gogium. an institution for the education of young 

 gentlemen. Since its establishment, in 1696, 2790 

 individuals have been educated in it. They pay for 

 the education, which is of a high standard. 3. The 

 Latin school, established 1697, in from nine to ten 

 classes, for pupils of less wealthy condition tlian the 

 former, and for boys of the city of Halle. The num- 

 ber of boarding scholars has sometimes been large. 

 1. The German schools for boys and girls, whose 

 parents do not wish to give them a learned educa- 

 tion. 5. The Canstein Bible Press (see Canstein), 

 instituted by Canstein, a friend of Franke, in 1712, 

 the object of which was to furnish the Bible at a 

 cheap rate, by stereotyping it. 2, 000,000 copies of the 

 whole Bible, and 1,000,000 of the New Testament, 

 have been issued from the press. The profit belongs 

 to the press, and is devoted to rendering succeeding 

 editions still cheaper. 6. A large library and col- 

 lections of natural history and philosophy. An 



income is obtained from the extensive apothecary's 

 shop of the orphan asylum of Halle, and the Halli- 

 sche Buchhnndlung (book establishment), one of the 

 largest in Germany. It has published all the school- 

 classics at very low prices. The p&dagogium also 

 brings in an income to the charitable institution, and 

 contributes to its support. Charitable contributions 

 also continue to be received. 



FRANKFORT ON THE MAINE ; one of the four 

 free cities of Germany, and the seat of the Germanic 

 diet, is situated on the Maine, 50 8' N. lat., 8 36' 

 E. Ion., in a charming country. Sachsenhausen is a 

 suburb of Frankfort, on the left bank of the Maine. 

 Frankfort itself contains, besides 5200 foreigners, 

 44,000 inhabitants, mostly Lutheran. The territory 

 of the city, as fixed by the congress of Vienna, con- 

 tains ninety-five square miles, 54,000 inhabitants, 

 4493 houses. The government is republican, ac- 

 cording to the constitution of May 16, 1816. It has 

 two burgomasters, chosen annually, a legislative 

 senate, and an executive assembly. Revenue, 

 760,000 guilders ; public debt, 8,000,000 of guilders. 

 Frankfort has the first seat among the free cities. 

 It was a free imperial city in 1154, and its rights 

 and privileges were confirmed by the peace of West- 

 phalia. The German emperors were crowned here 

 in the later times of the empire. The city was 

 founded in the time of the Carlovingians. In 1806, 

 it was given to the prince-primate, and became the 

 capital of the grand duchy of Frankfort ; but the 

 congress of Vienna, in 1815, re-established it as a free 

 city. Its constitution has deviated from the ancient 

 constitutions of the imperial cities more than those 

 of the three Hanseatic cities. The contingent of 

 Frankfort in the army of the Germanic confedera- 

 tion is 473 men. 1'here are considerable manufac- 

 tures here, and an extensive commerce. The lairs 

 of Frankfort are celebrated. But banking is the 

 most important business in this place. The Roth- 

 schild family originated here. Bethmann, also, was 

 one of the most eminent bankers of his time. Many 

 of the richest persons in this place are distinguished 

 for their love of the fine arts. There are several very 

 fine collections in the city, and that of Bethmann 

 was truly grand. Frankfort has several antiquities, 

 worth seeing. It is Goethe's birth-place. The hotels 

 are generally considered among the finest in the 

 world, and afford a school for German innkeepers. 



FRANKFORT ON THE ODER ; a city in 

 the middle mark of Brandenburg, Prussia, with 

 16,000 inhabitants, and 1306 houses. It has a 

 fair, which was formerly important. Its university 

 was transferred to Breslau in 1810, and united 

 to the Catholic university, already existing in that 

 place. 



FRANKINCENSE (called also olibanum, or sim- 

 ply incense} is a gum-resin, which distils from inci- 

 sions made in the bostvellia thurifera, a tree some- 

 what resembling the sumach, and belonging to the 

 same natural family, inhabiting the mountains of 

 India. It comes to us in semi-transparent, yellow, 

 ish tears, or sometimes in masses, possesses a bitter 

 and nauseous taste, and is capable of being pulve- 

 rized. When chewed, it excites the saliva, and 

 renders it white; and, when burnt, it exhales a 

 strong aromatic odour, on which account it was 

 much employed in the ancient temples, and still con- 

 tinues to be used in Catholic churches. Formerly 

 it was frequently administered medicinally, but 

 myrrh and other similar articles have now taken its 

 place. That which is brought from Arabia is more 

 highly esteemed than the Indian. The boswellia lias 

 pinnated leaves, the folioles of which are pubescent, 

 ovate acuminate and serrate, and very small flower 

 disposed in simple axillary racemes. 

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