CHADWICK 



1259 



CHALDEA 



CHADWICK, GEORGE WHITFIELD (1854- ), 

 considered by critics the most important Amer- 

 ican musical composer, with the exception of 

 MacDowell. Born in Lowell, Mass., he re- 

 ceived his early musical education in America, 

 but later studied with the best European mas- 

 ters. Returning to America in 1880, he entered 

 the New England Conservatory as instructor, 

 and later became director. Since 1897 he has 

 conducted the annual nausic festival at Worces- 

 ter, Mass. Chadwick'e most important com- 

 positions are the oratorio Judith and the music 

 for the Columbian Ode, sung at the opening 

 of the World's Fair in Chicago. 



CHAFFINCH, chaj'inch, a handsome Euro- 

 pean songster belonging to the finch family, 

 so named because of its fondness for chaff or 

 grain. Its loud, clear notes make it one of the 

 most popular cage birds in Europe, especially 

 in Germany. The chaffinch can be traine.d to 

 sing distinct melodies, and almost to utter 

 human words. The distinguishing features of 

 the male are a bluish-gray crown, chestnut back 

 and black wings marked by conspicuous white 

 bars. In England, where flocks spend the 

 winter, the chaffinch is a common visitor of 

 the gardens, shrubberies and hedgerows. The 

 nest is made chiefly of moss and wool, and 

 contains four or five purplish-buff eggs spotted 

 with purplish-red. The bird feeds principally 

 on insects and their larvae (young), on grains 

 and on the seeds of various weeds. 



The chaffinch has not been introduced into 

 America, although some effort has been made 

 in that direction. 



CHAIN, chane, a series of links of metal 

 joined together and forming a flexible band 

 to serve useful purposes or worn simply for 

 ornament. The use of chains is of very ancient 

 origin. They are mentioned frequently in the 



THREE STYLES OF CHAINS 

 At top, twisted links ; in center, straight links ; 

 at bottom, stud links. 



Bible, and in ancient times were worn as 

 ornaments or as signs of office. The simplest 

 form of chain, whether large or small, is made 

 of a series of links, each made from one piece 

 of metal bent to the looped shape, with 



the ends welded together. Iron, steel, brass 

 and bronze are used where strength is required ; 

 gold, silver, platinum and various alloys are 

 used for ornamental purposes. The links of 

 chains are sometimes made of several pieces, 

 as in the case of bicycle chains. When great 

 strength is required, as in cables, each link is 

 sometimes reenforced by a brace, or stud, of 

 metal joining the sides of the link to prevent 

 it from being torn asunder or compressed (see 

 illustration). As a rule all very large chains 

 are made by hand, each link being shaped and 

 forged separately. Small chains are made by 

 machinery. 



Chain, a term applied to a definite measure- 

 ment in surveying, and to the instrument with 

 which that measurement is made. The length 

 of the surveyors' chain is 66 feet; the actual 

 chain consists of a series of 100 links, each 

 7.92 inches in length. Ten square chains, or 

 100,000 square links, make one acre. In sur- 

 veying, a steel band or tape has supplanted the 

 more cumbersome chain, but the term chain 

 is still applied. The width of country roads 

 and some village streets is 66 feet, this width 

 conveniently resulting from the length of a 

 chain. See SURVEYING. 



CHALCEDONY, kalsed'oni, a beautiful va- 

 riety of quartz, first found abundantly near 

 Chalcedon in Bithynia; because of this fact 

 the name was given. A little is now found in 

 California and Colorado, also in rock cavities 

 in Iceland and Scotland. The common chal- 

 cedony, ajso called white agate, resembles milk 

 diluted with water, is semi-transparent and 

 more or less clouded with circles and spots. 

 There are several other kinds, appearing in 

 different colors and formations, such as agate, 

 onyx, chrysoprase, sard, carnelian and sar- 

 donyx, each with its special beauties. When 

 polished, chalcedony is valued for brooches, 

 necklaces, ornamental boxes, cups, etc., and 

 many pieces contain interesting vegetable fos- 

 sils. In the Book of Revelation the third 

 foundation of the wall of the Holy City is 

 described as being made of chalcedony. The 

 famous agatized wood of the fossil forest in 

 Chalcedony Park, Arizona, is caused by a chal- 

 cedony deposit from water replacing the woody 

 fibers. 



CHALDEA, kaldc'ah, the name anciently 

 applied to the extreme southern district of 

 Babylonia, lying to the west of the mouths of 

 the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, along the 

 Persian Gulf. "Ur of the Chaldees" was the 

 home of Abraham, from which Jehovah called 



