FIGARO 



2169 



FIJI ISLANDS 



came to all the female flowers of the Smyrna 

 fig. But the Smyrna flowers are not suitable 

 for hatcheries, and the wasp returns again to 

 the wild fig without depositing her eggs. Thus 

 fertilized with the pollen of the wild fig, the 

 Smyrna fruit grows large and sweet; otherwise, 

 though the trees bear heavily, the figs will 

 be lean and unattractive. A California fruit 

 grower tried more than ten years to introduce 

 the fig-wasp from the Orient; his success has 

 made the California fig equal the original 

 Smyrna fruit in quality. 



The annual average output of figs in Cali- 

 fornia is now in excess of 23,000,000 pounds 

 per year (10,000,000 pounds after drying). Figs 

 are among the most expensive of dried fruits, 

 and are valued at $200 to $400 a ton in the 

 great city markets. C.H.H. 



FIGARO, jega.ro', a type of character of 

 clever adroitness, first introduced on the French 

 stage about 1785, by Beaumarchais, as the 

 hero of his comedies. In the Barber of Seville 

 he is a barber, cunning and witty; in the 

 Marriage oj Figaro he is a clever valet and 

 finally outwits everybody. The dramatic char- 

 acter of Figaro seized the popular imagination 

 of the day and became the name for daring, 

 cleverness, roguery and intrigue. One of the 

 principal journals of Paris, founded in 1826, 

 was named Le Figaro; it had Paul La Croix, 

 Jules Sandeau and George Sand among its 

 contributors. This journal was suspended in 

 1833 but was revived by Willemessant in 1854 

 and is yet in existence. 



FIG'URE OF SPEECH. When a great 

 author writes "Lend me your ears," or the 

 enthusiastic youth exclaims, "You're a brick, 

 dad ! " neither means literally what he says, and 

 yet both express their meaning more forcibly 

 than would have been possible in the ex- 

 pression, "Listen to me," or "You are a very 

 satisfactory parent." The use of words in 

 any but their literal meaning is known as a 

 figure oj speech. Frequently figurative expres- 

 sions are very beautiful; they form the chief 

 ornaments of poetry, as when the Psalmist 

 chants "The Lord is my rock and my fortress," 

 or Shelley sings how 



That orbed maiden, with white fire laden, 

 Whom mortals call the moon, 

 Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor 

 By the midnight breezes strewn. 



Figures of speech are more commonly used 

 than one would believe who has not studied 

 the question. Such oft-heard expressions as 

 "He dropped his eyes," "the raging sea," "pretty 



as a picture," "he addressed the chair," "all 

 hands on deck" and "a speaking likeness" are 

 figures as truly as are the more elaborate ones 

 of the poet. The chief kinds of figures meta- 

 phor, simile and metonymy are treated in 

 separate articles in these volumes. 



The figures referred to above are really only 

 one class of figures of speech, and are more ex- 

 actly called figures of rhetoric. In addition there 

 are two other classes which are of grammatical 

 form rather than of thought, and are known as 

 figures of etymology and figures of syntax. 

 The former concern themselves with the forms 

 of words and consist largely in the use of such 

 elision or contractions as o'er for over, won't 

 for will not and 'tis for it is; while figures of 

 syntax are variations in sentence construction. 

 Figures of syntax are in common use, especially 

 the form which consists in leaving out a word 

 or several words which are really essential to 

 the grammatical completeness, the object being 

 an increase in forcefulness. Hats off! for in- 

 stance, is more effective than Take your hats 

 off; Here! than Come here! and Down! than 

 Sit down. A.MC c. 



FIJI, fe'je, ISLANDS, Great Britain's most 

 important possession in the South Pacific 

 Ocean. There are about 250 islands, only 

 eighty, of which are inhabited. They cover 

 a* total area of 7,435 square miles, and are of 



FIJI ISLANDS 



volcanic origin, with peaks rising to about 

 4,000 feet above the sea. Streams are abundant, 

 and the soil is very fertile, producing great 

 quantities of fruits, corn, tobacco and sugar 

 cane. Cocoanut palms abound, the dried ker- 

 nels, called copra, being the principal export 

 (see COPRA). The chief occupation is agri- 



