AMBASSADOR 



222 



AMBITION 



in Asia Minor. The most notable city estab- 

 lished by them was Ephesus, where they built 

 magnificent temples for the worship of Ares 

 (Mars) and Artemis (Diana). The Amazons 

 were defeated by Hercules, who sought the 

 girdle of their queen Hippolyta; later when 

 leading their armies to the help of Troy, the 

 Amazonian queen was slain by Achilles. The 

 race was finally exterminated by Theseus and 

 the Athenians. It is said that the Amazons 

 burned off their right breast that it might 

 not impede them in the use of the bow; old 

 sculptures, however, do not show such mutila- 

 tion. In Greek art they are usually repre- 

 sented as riding on horseback, carrying a lance, 

 bow or battle axe and a shield. 



AMBAS'SADOR, a diplomatic officer of the 

 highest rank, employed by one country at the 

 court or capital of another. He is entrusted 

 with the proper development of those matters 

 which affect the governmental relations or 

 political relations of the two countries. In 

 this respect diplomatic officers of all grades 

 differ from consuls, who are appointed to de- 

 velop trade relations only. 



Ambassadors are ordinary when they are 

 regularly appointed for a stated period at a 

 foreign court, or extraordinary, when they are 

 sent on a special mission. When ambassa- 

 dors extraordinary have full powers, as of 

 concluding peace, making treaties, and the 

 like they are called plenipotentiaries. Until 

 1896 the United States sent no ambassadors 

 to foreign countries, but was represented by 

 ministers-plenipotentiary, appointed by the 

 President with approval of the Senate. In 

 the above year the ministers to Germany, 

 France, England and Italy were raised to the 

 rank of ambassadors in recognition of similar 

 action upon the part of those governments, 

 and since that time the post of minister- 

 plenipotentiary has been raised to ambassa- 

 dor for Argentine, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Mexico, 

 Russia, Spain and Turkey. 



The United States pays the ambassadors it 

 sends to foreign courts $17,500 per year, but 

 does not furnish them residences or offices 

 abroad or make an appropriation for such 

 expenses. On the contrary, a number of Euro- 

 pean ambassadors to the United States live 

 in fine residences owned by their governments 

 and receive salaries ranging from $20,000 to 

 $50,000, the latter being the salary of the 

 British ambassador to the United States. See 

 DIPLOMACY. 



AMBER, am' bur. As the pine trees of to- 



day secrete a sticky, yellowish resin, so did 

 those of thousands and hundreds of thousands 

 of years ago, and when those trees wine 

 buried under the ground or under the water, 

 during the great changes which took place in 

 the earth's surface, the lumps of resin grad- 

 ually hardened or fossilized into the beauti- 

 ful substance which is known as amber. To- 

 day these irregularly-shaped lumps, which 

 occasionally reach a size of from ten to fif- 

 teen pounds but which are generally much 

 smaller, are dug up from the shores of the 

 Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and in a few 

 places in Great Britain and the United States. 

 The pale yellow or yellowish-brown substance, 

 with its characteristic luster, is much used in 

 making cigar-holders, mouthpieces for pipes 

 and beads, and the ash obtained by burning 

 it forms the basis of the finest black varnish. 

 In the beginning amber was in soft form, and 

 often specimens are found in which are im-' 

 bedded the remains of insects; and the fact 

 that these insects are always of species which 

 no longer exist proves that it was ages ago 

 that the amber was secreted. 



The ancient Greeks obtained amber from the 

 shores of the Baltic Sea, just where it is most 

 plentiful to-day, and they called it elektron. 

 One of their philosophers, interested in the 

 properties of matter, discovered that if this 

 substance were rubbed briskly it became capa- 

 ble of attracting to itself light objects, such 

 as straws and bits of paper. This strange 

 quality, which gave to man his first knowl- 

 edge of electricity, was never lost sight of, 

 and centuries ' afterward, when the study of 

 this property in certain objects became a real 

 science and a name was needed for it, the 

 name electricity, taken from the Greek 

 elektron, was chosen. The English form of 

 elektron is electron. See ELECTRICITY. 



AMBERGRIS, am' bur grecs, the most valu- 

 able product of the sperm whale, sought for 

 especially because of its importance in the 

 perfume industry. For several centuries be- 

 fore its true nature was known, it was famil- 

 iar as a substance often found floating in 

 lumps, some of which weighed 200 pounds. 

 Its source is the whale's intestines; it is wax- 

 like and gray, yellow, black or variegated in 

 color. See WHALE. 



AMBITION, ambi' shun. Most words have 

 fascinating life-stories, and ambition is no 

 exception, for its derivation is rich in historical 

 interest. Long ago, in the days of ancient 

 Rome, those who were candidates for public 



