BRIGAND 



928 



BRIGHT'S DISEASE 



BRIGAND, brig 'and. See BANDIT. 



BRIGGS, CLARE (1875- ), a cartoonist and 

 the originator of the popular series The Days 

 of Real Sport, Oh Skinnay!, When a Feller 

 Needs a Friend, Friend Wife and Kelly Pool, 

 which have endeared him to everybody who 

 likes to see the follies and foibles of life, 

 robbed of their sting, and who believes "a 

 smile is worth a guinea in any market." 

 Briggs was born at Reedsburg, Wis. He first 

 won recognition in 1896 as a newspaper artist 

 with the Saint Louis Globe-Democrat, and 

 since then his creations have become a daily 

 feature of newspapers throughout the United 

 States. He became nationally famous as one 

 of the Chicago Tribune cartoonists, and a wide 

 demand for his work resulted in 1915 in an 

 arrangement whereby his cartoons should be 

 syndicated. One of his When a Feller Needs 

 a Friend series appears in these volumes in 

 connection with articles on EDUCATION. 



BRIGHT, brite, JOHN (1811-1889), an Eng- 

 lish orator, reformer and statesman, for nearly 

 half a century the personification of his coun- 

 try's conscience. Bright was an earnest Quaker, 

 and he made his religion a part of his daily 

 life. There was in him something of the 

 austerity and righteousness of the ancient He- 

 brew prophets. With Cobden he fought for 

 free trade when mere suspicion that a man 

 was a free-trader made him unwelcome among 

 "respectable" people. He opposed England's 

 participation in the Crimean War, though peo- 

 ple called him traitor. During the War of 

 Secession in America he was one of the soli- 

 tary figures in England who opposed recogni- 

 tion of the Confederacy. His letters to Lin- 

 coln, Sumner, Greeley and other Americans 

 were rays of hope to them, and it is known 

 that their personal letters to him were read 

 by Bright at meetings of the British Cabinet. 

 Late in life he opposed Home Rule for Ire- 

 land, although his action cost him the friend- 

 ship of Gladstone, his old leader, and sad- 

 dened his last days. 



In early life Bright gave little promise of 

 his future greatness. He was born near Roch- 

 dale, where his father was a leading cotton 

 manufacturer, and until his thirtieth year 

 Bright was only a local leader. He was pros- 

 perous in business, happy in his home life and 

 was always ready to lead helpful movements 

 in the town. He was known locally as favor- 

 ing the repeal of the Corn Laws, but it was 

 not until 1841, after the death of his wife, 

 that he became a national figure. Three days 



after her death Richard Cobden came to see 

 him, and appealed to him in the name of his 

 dead wife: "There are thousands of homes in 

 England at this moment where wives, mothers 

 and children are dying of hunger. Now, when 

 the first paroxysm of your grief is past, I 

 would advise you to come with me, and we 

 will never rest until the Corn Laws are re- 

 pealed." See CORN LAWS. 



This invitation Bright accepted. He was 

 elected to Parliament in the same year, and 

 in the next two years spoke throughout Eng- 

 land and Scotland for free trade. In 1841 

 Bright was "Cobden's chief ally" and "John 

 Bright of Rochdale"; in 1843 the posters pro- 

 claimed him merely "John Bright" this was 

 enough. From this time until his death, ex- 

 cept two periods caused by ill health, Bright 

 was one of the conspicuous figures in the House 

 of Commons. Under Gladstone he was in the 

 Cabinet from 1868 to 1870 as President of 

 the Board of Trade, and from 1873 to 1874 

 and again from 1880 to 1882 he was Chancellor 

 of the Duchy of Lancaster. He accepted these 

 offices, however, rather to lend the support of 

 his name to Gladstone, and he was glad when 

 the chance came to resign from the routine 

 of office-holding. W.F.Z. 



BRIGHTON, bry'tun, called the "queen of 

 watering places," is the most fashionable sea- 

 side resort in England. It is fifty-one miles 

 south of London, in the county of Sussex, and 

 is so much visited by Londoners that it is 

 often spoken of as London-by-the-Sea. It has 

 a magnificent sandy beach and one of the 

 finest promenades in Europe. Brighton 

 Aquarium has a world-wide reputation, and its 

 museum contains the world's most complete 

 collection of British birds. The town has no 

 manufactures and depends entirely on its visit- 

 ors for its prosperity. All public utilities are 

 municipally owned and operated at a profit. 

 Its rise into favor dates from the time of 

 George III, wheji the Prince of Wales showed 

 great partiality for it and had a beautiful 

 residence erected there. What were then the 

 royal stables have been converted into a mag- 

 nificent concert hall containing one of the 

 largest organs in the world. Population in 

 1911, 131,250. 



BRIGHT'S DISEASE, a name given to 

 various forms of kidney disease, so named 

 because they were first recognized and de- 

 scribed by Dr. Richard Bright, in 1827. Acute 

 Bright's disease is acute inflammation of the 

 kidneys. It is frequently a complication of 





