456 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



Schools." "Seventy Centuries a Survey." Fditor: 

 "The Literature of American History." 



Lassalle', Ferdinand, founder of Socialism in Ger- 

 many; born in Breslau, in 1825, of Jewish parents. 

 He attended the universities of Breslau and Berlin; 

 became a disciple of Hegel; took part in the Revolution 

 of 1848, and was sent to prison for six months. In 

 1861, his "System of Acquired Rights" started an agi- 

 tation of labor against capital, and he was again thrown 

 into prison; and on his release founded an association 

 to secure universal suffrage and other reforms. Return- 

 ing to Switzerland, he conceived a passionate affection 

 for a lady bethrothed to a noble wnom she was com- 

 pelled to marry, and whom he challenged, but by whom 

 he was mortally wounded in a duel in 1864. 



La Salle, Robert Cayelier de, born in 1643; French 

 traveler; traced the Mississippi to its source in 1682; 

 in 1684, attempted to establish a fortified settlement 

 on the Gulf of Mexico, but was murdered by his compan- 

 ions, in Texas, in 1687. 



Lauricr, Sir Wilfrid, G. C. M. G., the first French- 

 Canadian Premier of the Dominion, was born in St. Lin, 

 1841. and educated for the bar. Called in 1864, he rose 

 rapidly in his profession, and in 1871 was elected as a 

 liberal to the Quebec Provincial Assembly. In 1874 he 

 was elected to the Federal Assembly, and his high per- 

 sonal character, his undoubted loyalty and attachment 

 to the connection of the colony with Great Britain, to- 

 gether with his great oratorical powers, which have earned 

 for him the title "Silver-tongued Laurier," soon gave 

 him high rank in the Liberal party. On the retirement 

 ( if M r. Blake in 1891 he was chosen as leader of the Liberal 

 party, and at the general election of 1896 he led his 

 followers to a notable victory. His tariff legislation 

 during 1897, giving Great Britain the benefit of preferen- 

 tial trade with. Canada, aroused much enthusiasm both 

 in the colony and at home, and he was warmly welcomed 

 when he went to London to attend the Jubilee festivities. 

 He was then appointed a member of the privy council 

 and made a G. C. M. G. In 1900 he again secured the 

 approval both of the dominion and of the empire by the 

 prompt despatch of Canadian troops to aid the mother 

 country in South Africa, and led his party to another 

 victory at the polls in November. He attended the 

 colonial conference and the coronation in England in 

 1902. He was again returned to power in 1904, and in 

 1907 attended the imperial conference in London. 



Lavoisier, Antoine Laurent, born in 1743; French 

 chemist; after studying at the Coltege Mazarin, obtained 

 the post of farmer-general (1769), and devoted much of 

 his time to chemical experiments, resulting in a new 

 theory of chemistry, the "anti-phlogistic" (1773-75), 

 on which the modern science is based. In arriving at 

 his results he was much indebted to Priestley, who made 

 knpwn to him his discovery of oxygen. During the revo- 

 lution he was accused of adulterating tobacco, and guillo- 

 tined in 1794. 



Lawson, Thomas, William, banker and broker, 

 yachtsman, author; born in Charlestown, Mass., Febru- 

 ary 26, 1857; educated at public schools, Cambridge, 

 Mass.; in business as banker end broker since April, 

 1870; now senior member of firm of Lawson, Arnold & 

 Company, members of Boston and New York Stock Ex- 

 changes; Republican; prominent as yachtsman; con- 

 tributor to magazines, reviews, and newspapers since 

 1875. Author: "The Krank," "History of the Repub- 

 lican Party " (large illustrated 4to.), "Secrets of Success," 

 "Collection of Poems and Short Stories from Magazines," 

 "Lawson History of the America's Cup" (for private 

 distribution), "Frenzied Finance." 



Lea, Henry Charles, author; born in Philadelphia, 

 September 19, 1825; private education (LL. D., Uni- 

 versity of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Princeton) ; mem- 

 ber many learned societies in Europe and the United 

 States, in publishing business, 1843-80; then retired. 

 Author: "Superstition and Force," "An Historical 

 Sketch of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church," 

 "Studies in Church History, "A History of the Inquisi- 

 tion of the Middle Ages," "Chapters from the Religious 

 History of Spain," " Formulary of the Papal Penitentiary 

 in the Thirteenth Century," "A History of Auricular 

 Confession and Indulgences in the Latin Church," "The 

 Moriscos of Spain: Their Conversion and Expulsion," 

 "History of the Inquisition of Spain," also many articles 

 in periodicals. 



Lee, Robert Edward, born in 1807; American gen- 

 eral, educated at West Point, entered the corps of en- 

 gineers; served in the Mexican War; was superintendent 

 of West Point, 1852-55; after the outbreak of Civil War 

 was placed in command of the army of Northern Vir- 

 ginia (May, 1862); repelled McClellan, and relieved 

 Richmond; defeated the Northern army near Manassas 

 Junction; was beaten by McClellan at Antietam (Sep- I 



tember); gained the victories of Frrderickshurg (De- 

 cember), and Chancellorsville (May, 1863); was defeated 

 at Gettysburg (July); fought several battles against 

 Grant, and defended Petersburg for ten months; be- 

 came general-in-chief of the Confederate Armies in Feb- 

 ruary, 1865; surrendered at Five Forks in April. Died, 

 1870. 



Le (iallieiiMe. Richard, journalist, author; born in 

 Liverpool, Eng., January 20, 1866; in business seven 

 years, but abandoned it for literature; for some time in 

 journalism and literary work in United States. Editor: 

 "Isaak Walton, The Compleat Angler," "Hazlitt's 

 'Liber Amoris,' " "Hallam's 'Remains.'" Author: 

 "My Ladies' Sonnets," "Volumes in Folio." ."George 

 Meredith." "The Book-Bills of Narcissus," "English 

 Poems" "The Religion of a Literary Man," "Prose 

 Fancies," "Robert Louis Stevenson and Other Poems"; 

 retrospective reviews. " Prose Fancies," second series, 

 'The Quest of the Golden Girl," "If I were God," 

 'Omar Khayyam, a Paraphrase," "The Romance of 

 Zion Chapel, Young Lives," "Worshiper of the Imam-," 

 'Travels in England," "The Beautiful Lie of Home." 

 'Rudyard Kipling, a Criticism," "The Life Romantic," 

 'Sleeping Beauty," "Mr. Sun and Mrs. Moon." "Per- 

 seus and Andromeda," "An Old Country House," "Odes 

 from the Divan of Hafiz," "Painted Shadows." 



Lenormant, Francois, a distinguished archaeologist ; 

 born in Paris in 1837; a man of genius and of vast learn- 

 ing; his chief works "Manuel d'Histoire Ancienne de 

 rodent," "Lettres Assyriologues," "Les Premieres Tiv- 

 | ilisations," and "Les Sciences Occultes en Asie." Died, 

 1883. 



Leo I., "the Great," Pope; born circa, 309; succeeded 

 Sixtus III. in 440; zealously opposed the Manicha'ans 

 and Pelagians, and secured the condemnation of the 

 Eutychian heresy at the general council of Chalcedon 

 (451). He induced Attila to spare Rome (452), but it 

 was pillaged by Genseric (455). Died, 461. 



Leo X., Pope (Cardinal Giqvannide Medici): son of 

 Lorenzo the Magnificent; born in Florence in 1475; was 

 banished with his family in 1497; traveled in Germany 

 and Flanders, and formed a friendship with Erasmus; on 

 his return to Italy became legate to Julius II.; was 

 taken prisoner at Ravenna (1512); became pope in 

 1513. In his efforts to extend the papal dominions ho 

 allied himself at one time with France, at another with 

 the empire. In 1515 he signed the famous concordat 

 with Francis I. His pontificate is one of the most bril- 

 liant periods in the history of art and literature, and is 

 also memorable as the time when the Reformation began. 

 Died, 1521. 



Leo XIII. (Gioacchino Pecci), Pope; son of Count 

 Ludovico Pecci; born in Carpineto, in the Papal States, 

 in 1810; educated at the Collegio Romano and the 

 Academy of Noble Ecclesiastics; administered the dis- 

 tricts of Beneyento, Spoleto, and Perugia successively; 

 became archbishop of Damietta, 1843, and bishop of 

 Perugia, 1846; was nuncio to the King of the Belgians, 

 1843-46; was created a cardinal, 1853, and in 1877, be- 

 came chamberlain. He was elected pope as representa- 

 tive of the Moderates in 1878, and down to his death in 

 1903, was one of the foremost' figures of modern limes. 



Leon'idas was a Spartan King who succeeded his 

 brother, Cleomenes I., 492 B. C. In 480, he, with a few 

 soldiers, defended the Pass of Thermopylae against 

 Xerxes and his Persian Army, nearly a, million strong, 

 the Greeks perishing to a man after killing five times 

 their number. 



Leopardi, Giacomo, modern Italian poet; born near 

 Ancona, 1788; a precocious genius ; an omnivorous reader 

 as a boy, and devoted to literature; of a weakly con- 

 stitution, be became a confirmed invalid, and died sud- 

 denly; had sceptical leanings; wrote lyrics inspired by 

 a certain somber melancholy. Died, 1837 



Leopold I., King of the Belgians, son of the Duke of 

 Saxe-Coburg; born in 1790; in his youth served in the 

 Russian Army; visited England in 1815, and married 

 Princess Charlotte, who died two years later; he declined 

 the throne of Greece in 1830, but accepted that of the 

 Belgians in 1831, and proved a wise, firm, constitutional 

 sovereign; in 1832 he married the French Princess 

 Louise; he was succeeded by his son Leopold II. Died, 

 1865. 



Leopold II., born in 1835; son of the preceding: 

 married the Archduchess Maria of Austria in 1853, and 

 succeeded his father in 1865. His reign has been marked 

 by the quarrels of the Liberals and Roman Catholics. 

 Fte is the leading spirit of the International African 

 Association. 



Le Sage, Alain Rene, French novelist and dramatist; 

 born in Sarzeau in Brittany, in 1668; educated in the Jesuit 

 College atVannes; went to Paris in 1692; learned Span- 

 ish, and translated or imitated several Spanish dramas; 



