CAUSTIC 



1240 



CAVALRY 



often secured by tying the leaves over the 

 head as soon as it appears. In food value it 

 does not differ from cabbage, both being low, 

 though both are of value in furnishing bulk in 

 one's dietary, and in supplying various mineral 

 salts. See FOOD. 



CAUSTIC, kaw'tik, a word derived from 

 the Greek kaustikos, meaning burning, and in 

 surgery applied to various substances which 

 destroy animal tissues. They are used chiefly 

 to prevent the action of poison and to burn 

 away the infection from sores and bites. One 

 of the most familiar forms of caustic is found 

 in nitrate of silver, called lunar caustic, gen- 

 erally used in the form of a pointed stick about 

 the size of a lead pencil. Potassium hydrox- 

 ide, another burning substance, is called caus- 

 tic potash. A familiar caustic, widely used 

 for domestic purposes, is lye, or caustic soda, 

 valuable as a cleanser when used in small 

 quantities dissolved in water, but a very de- 

 structive chemical if used carelessly. Carbolic 

 acid, a very poisonous disinfectant and em- 

 ployed also in dressing wounds, is classed as 

 a caustic. 



CAVALIERI, kahvahlya're, LINA (1874- 

 ), an Italian operatic soprano, one of the 

 most beautiful women on the operatic stage. In 

 private life she is MADAME LUCIEN MURATORE, 

 wife of a well-known operatic tenor. Cava- 

 lieri was born at 

 Rome, and began 

 her career as a 

 singer at cafes 

 and concert halls. 

 Possessed of a 

 determination to 

 advance, and 

 equipped with 

 ability, a strong 

 will and a fight- 

 ing spirit which 

 recognized no ob- 

 stacles in her path 

 to success, the 

 obscure Roman 

 cabaret singer 

 found herself in 

 time an admired and recognized star in the 

 very center of the world of opera. After a 

 brief appearance on the lyric stage, she made 

 her professional debut in 1900 as Nedda in 

 Pagliacci, at the Royal Theater, Lisbon. Since 

 then she has played principal roles in a reper- 

 tory of noted operas, including La Boheme, 

 La Traviata, Rigoletto, Mignon and Fedora. 





LINA CAVALIERI 



CAVALIERS, kavalecrz' (horsemen), a 

 name applied during the Civil War in Eng- 

 land to the gaily-dressed troops devoted to the 

 cause of Charles I, as opposed to Roundheads, 

 the name given to the adherents of Cromwell 

 and the Parliamentary cause (see COMMON- 

 WEALTH OF ENGLAND). As now more generally 

 used, the name applies to a gay dancing part- 

 ner or woman's escort. 



CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, kah vahl la 

 ree'a rooste kah'na, a popular one-act opera 

 written in Italian, the music of which was com- 

 posed by Pietro Mascagni. Its first presenta- 

 tion, at Rome in 1890, brought that composer 

 from obscurity to fame. The words of the opera 

 were written by two of Mascagni's friends, who 

 based their work on a tale of Sicilian life, by 

 Giovanni Verga. Turiddu, the handsome young 

 lover of the story, goes away to the wars, and 

 in his absence his sweetheart, Lola, marries 

 Alfio, the village carter. When Turiddu re- 

 turns home he consoles himself with a beauti- 

 ful village maiden, Santuzza, but the fickle 

 Lola soon wins back his love. In despair, 

 Santuzza tells Alfio of her unhappiness, and 

 the jealous husband challenges Turiddu to a 

 duel with knives, and kills him. 



Though these events all occur in a single 

 act, at one point in the play the stage is 

 empty, and during the interval the orchestra 

 plays the popular Intermezzo, the favorite 

 melody in the opera. The swift movement, 

 dramatic interest and attractive music of 

 Cavalleria Rusticana have given it enduring 

 popularity; its success has been far greater 

 than that of any of Mascagni's other operas. 

 The soprano role, that of Santuzza, was one of 

 the triumphs of Emma Calve (which see.) 



CAVALRY, kav'alri, a body of mounted 

 troops forming an important branch of all 

 modern armies. In the days when armed 

 knights rode to battle surrounded by their 

 relatives, the knights and their esquires were 

 the only mounted men, and battles depended a 

 great deal on their personal prowess. There 

 was no concerted action; each knight fought 

 by himself, and battles developed into a series 

 of individual combats. There came about a 

 gradual change in tactics and mounted men 

 were organized into troops, who as a body 

 fought together, and when charging an enemy 

 sought to deliver a tremendous blow at oppos- 

 ing troops by combined weight of horses and 

 men. Not only did cavalry become useful on 

 account of quickness of movement, but under 

 skilful and dashing leadership often proved 



