BAY TREE 



by distilling the leaves of the bayberry, a West 

 Indian tree of the myrtle family. Bay ruin 

 is ch by barbers, hair-dressers and per- 



fumers. It is also sometimes used as a liniment 

 to relieve pain in rheumatism. Bay rum is 

 made in the West Indies by distilling rum in 

 been steeped. 



BAY TREE, the name of several related 

 trees which have been famous in literature and 

 history. The Psalms speak of "the wicked 

 spreading himself like a green bay tree," and 

 the ancient Gr : sprigs of bay, or laurel, 



as it was called, to crown the victors in their 

 great games (see OLYMPIC GAMES). In this 

 sense it is still used figuratively ; a poet is said 

 to have "won his bays" when he gains praise 

 and renown. 



The sweet bay, which was the victor's laurel 

 of the ancients, is an evergreen tree which is 

 native to the Mediterranean countries, but is 

 also grown in the warmer parts of North 

 America. Its aromatic leaves are often used as 

 a seasoning. The best-known bay of America, 

 however, is the white bay, a member of the 

 magnolia family, which with its shining ever- 

 green leaves is highly ornamental. California 

 also has a bay tree which yields a valuable 

 lumber. 



BAZAR or BAZAAR, bazahr', an Oriental 

 market for articles of all sorts, in which trad- 

 ers maintain small stalls or shops. Sometimes 

 a bazar is confined to a single narrow street; 

 at other times it may spread out through a 

 number of streets, all perhaps covered. Gos- 

 sip is carried on quite as much as trade, and 

 bazars form the setting for ma'ny of the tales 

 of the Arabian Nights. In America the name 

 bazar has come to mean a sale of various ob- 

 jects, mostly home made, for philanthropic 

 purposes. 



BEACH, REX (1877- ), an American 

 writer whose stories of adventure, published 

 originally in magazines and later in book form, 

 have given him a place among America's pop- 

 ular novelists. He was born at Atwood, Mich., 

 studied at Rollins College, Fla., and afterward 

 fitted himself for the profession of law. The 

 success of various short sketches sent to the 

 magazines determined him, however, to give 

 his time to the writing of tales rather than to 

 the trying of cases, and with the appearance 

 of Pardncrs and The Spoilers he made many 

 friends among the reading public. The Spoil- 

 ers, in particular, a vivid story of Alaska life, 

 made certain his literary career. His stories 

 are clean and vigorous, and have an ever- 



632 BEADS 



nt touch of humor which distinguishes 

 tin-in from much of the late fiction. The 

 Barrier, Going Some, The Ne'cr-do-Wcll, The 

 Net and The Iron Trail are titles of his more 

 recent books. Several of his stories have been 

 dramatized, and a number of them have been 

 adapted to the moving picture screen. 



BEACON, N. Y., comprises the villages of 

 Fishhill Landing and Mattewan, incorporated 

 as a city in 1912. It is situated in Duchess 

 County, in the southeastern part of the state, 

 and is on the Hudson River. New York is 

 fifty-nine miles south, and Poughkeepsie, the 

 county seat, is sixteen miles north. The New 

 York Central, and the New York, New Haven 

 & Hartford railways afford transportation fa- 

 cilities, and Newburgh, across the river, has 

 ferry connection. Fishhill was founded in 1700 

 and was named for Dutch Fish Creek. Mat- 

 tewan was settled in 1804. The population of 

 the combined villages was 10,165 in 1915, and 

 was chiefly American. The area is a little less 

 than five square miles. 



Beacon is picturesquely located on a river 

 famous for its beautiful scenery. Beacon Hill, 

 or Old Beacon, one of the highest monuments 

 of Hudson Highlands,. 1,500 feet, is in the 

 vicinity. The city claims the distinction of 

 being the first in the state to adopt the com- 

 mission form of government. It is actively 

 engaged in the manufacture of engines, boil- 

 ers, rubber goods, hats, tools and bricks. An 

 embroidery company is possibly the largest 

 industrial plant, having about 1,000 employees. 

 The most notable buildings are the State 

 Hospital for the Criminal Insane (Mattewan), 

 the New Hospital and the Highland Hospital. 

 The De Garmo Institute is located here, and 

 there is a city library. L.H.W. 



BEACONSFIELD, EARL OF. See DISRAELI, 

 BENJAMIN. 



BEADS, bccds, small ball-shaped objects of 

 every conceivable color, made of metal, coral, 

 amber, ivory, stone, glass, wood and other sub- 

 stances, and used in a great variety of ways. 

 As jewelry, they are strung on threads to form 

 necklaces and bracelets. Rosaries are strings 

 of beads used in counting prayers; it is inter- 

 esting to note in this connection that the term 

 bead comes from a word common to the Teu- 

 tonic language, which signifies to pray. Tiny 

 beads are sold in the shops in skeins, to be 

 knitted or chrocheted into the beadwork so 

 popular at the present time for making bags, 

 purses, watch fobs, candle shades and numer- 

 ous other articles. Wooden beads, brightly 



