ETON COLLEGE 



208G 



ETYMOLOGY 



E'TON COLLEGE, the most famous of all 

 English public schools, now attended largely 

 by the sons of royalty and of the nobility. It 

 was founded in 1440 by Henry VI, under the 

 name of the "King's College of Our Lady of 

 Eton beside Windsor," and was originally en- 

 dowed from revenues confiscated from priories 

 by Henry V. The increase in value of property 

 and further endowments have made the col- 

 lege one of the richest educational institutions 

 in the world. The object of the college when 

 established was to educate twenty-five boys, 

 sons of indigent parents, and to support an 

 equal number of poor men. In 1443 it was 

 decided that tuition pupils should be admitted. 

 These were at first called commoners, but are 

 now known as "oppidans," and because of the 

 expense only sons of wealthy parents are now 

 among the student body. Tuition fees range 

 from $800 to $1,000 per year. 



Many of England's most famous statesmen 

 and soldiers received their early education at 

 Eton. The Duke of Wellington, a distin- 

 guished Etonian, said that the battles of Eng- 

 land were won on the football fields of Eton 

 and other English schools, where athletics are 

 considered ef the greatest importance in build- 

 ing strong men, bodily and mentally. 



ETRURIA, etru'ria, in ancient geography, 

 a division of Italy, north and west of the 

 Tiber and west of the Apenuine Mountains, 

 and including the valley of the Arno. Modern 

 Tuscany and the northern half of the province 



ANCIENT ETRURIA 



of Rome cover about the same territory. 

 Etruria proper contained a confederation of 

 twelve cities, each of which was independent. 

 The people of Etruria, called Etruscans, were 

 the most advanced of any in Italy before the 

 rise of Rome. They had magnificent cities 



and a highly-developed political organization. 

 At the height of their power, about 500 B.C., 

 they controlled Corsica and were the allies of 

 Carthage. The Tarquins (see TARQUINIUS, 

 Lucius), legendary tyrants of Rome, were prob- 

 ably 'Etruscans, and with their expulsion began 

 a struggle between Etruria and Rome which 

 lasted until the former became virtually tribu- 

 tary to the latter in 309 B.C. See ETRUSCAN 

 ART. 



ETRUSCAN, etrus'kan, ART. The art of 

 the people of ancient Etruria (which see), em- 

 braced vases done in clay and terra cotta, 

 casting and chiseling in bronze and stone and 

 exquisite pieces of jewelry, gems and coins. 

 From these (except the vases, which are Greek), 

 as well as from the mural paintings found in 

 their tombs and from their work on sarcophagi 

 and cinerary urns, is learned the life, customs, 

 religious creed, costumes, etc., of the Etruscans. 

 The gems consisted usually of carnelian or 

 banded agate, cut in the form of beetles and 

 having a flat face on which a design was en- 

 graved. Etruscan jewelry consisted of two 

 kinds domestic and sepulchral. Of the latter 

 many fine specimens remain, especially the 

 wreaths of gold leaves which encircled the hel- 

 mets of their warriors. 



Etruria ! beneath thy magic hands 

 Glides the quick wheel, the plastic clay expands. 

 Nerved with fine touch, thy fingers, as it turns, 

 Mark the nice bounds of vases, ewers, and urns. 



Darwin. 



ETYMOLOGY, etimol'oji. Words are al- 

 ways living, growing, changing. They have 

 individualities and personal histories, just as 

 human beings have, and one of the most) 

 fascinating of all the sciences is that which 

 traces words back to their earliest sources and 

 follows their changes in form and meaning 

 through the centuries. Such study of the 

 origin and history of words is called etymology, 

 a name coming from two Greek words meaning 

 true account. 



The Purposes of Etymology. In this very 

 derivation of the word we have an illustration 

 of simple etymology, making us better able to 

 understand the term and to use it correctly. 

 These are the chief reasons for learning a 

 word's etymology, although the one who is a 

 specialist in philology can use his knowledge 

 in establishing relationships among the different 

 races of the earth (see PHILOLOGY). Everyone 

 interested in building up a large and accurate 

 vocabulary should use a dictionary that not 

 only gives the meaning and pronunciation of 



