HIGGINSON 



2794 



HIGH PRIEST 



Much attention has been given to the Aztec 

 hieroglyphic relics, but the destruction of these 

 by the Spanish conquerors, Cortez and others, 

 was so sweeping that all attempts at systematic 

 decipherment have been in vain. It appears 

 evident, however, that the Mexican system was 

 less perfect than the Egyptian. See CUNEIFORM 

 INSCRIPTIONS. A.MC c. 



Consult Erman's Life in Ancient Egypt. 



HIGGINSON, hig'inson, THOMAS WENT- 

 WORTH (1823-1911), an American essayist, active 

 in antislavery agitation before the War of Se- 

 cession and an earnest advocate of woman's 

 suffrage during the greater part of his life. He 

 was born at Cambridge, Mass. After graduat- 

 ing from Harvard he studied for the ministry, 

 but his antislavery views forced his resigna- 

 tion. He plunged into the free-state struggle 

 in Kansas, and joined in rash schemes to lib- 

 erate John Brown. In the War of Secession he 

 was made colonel of the first regiment of freed 

 slaves mustered into the national service. He 

 afterwards devoted himself to literature; his 

 best-known books, besides two histories of the 

 United States, were Out-door Papers, Army 

 Life in a Black Regiment, Common Sense 

 about Woman, On Writing and Speech-Making 

 and a memoir of Longfellow, whose friend he 

 was for many years. 



HIGH POINT, N. C., a city in Guilford 

 County, situated near the west-central part of 

 the state, is seventy-eight miles northeast of 

 Charlotte, and is on the Southern and the Caro- 

 lina & Yadkin River railroads. Furniture and 

 wood-working mills, car shops and manufac- 

 tories of furniture, buggies, safes, cotton, silk, 

 hosiery and tobacco are leading industrial es- 

 tablishments. High Point was settled in 1840, 

 was incorporated in 1858, and has adopted the 

 commission form of government. The area is 

 four square miles. In 1910 the population was 

 9,529 ; in 1916 it was 12,896 by Federal estimate. 



HIGH PRIEST, the head of the Jewish 

 priesthood, whose duties were the oversight of 

 the sanctuary and all that belonged to the sa- 

 cred service. On the Day of Atonement he 

 alone was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies 

 in the Temple. Besides these especial duties, 

 he presided over the Sanhedrin when religious 

 questions were being discussed, offered sacri- 

 fices on special days and was qualified to dis- 

 charge any priestly function. He was always 

 shown the highest honor. 



A high priest could not assume the office 

 until he was twenty years of age, and his con- 



duct was governed by special laws (Lev. XXI, 

 1-15). His official garments were rich, com- 

 prising a blue robe partially covered with an 

 embroidered vestment, called an ephod, a cap 

 and a square breastplate made of gold, set 

 with four rows of 

 precious stones, 

 three in a row. 

 This costume was 

 laid aside on the 

 Day of Atone- 

 ment, for he wore 

 pure white linen 

 to enter the Holy 

 of Holies. Aaron 

 was the first to 

 be appointed to 

 this office after 

 the establishment 

 of the Covenant 

 at Sinai, and for 

 a long time the 

 office was for life, 

 but Herod and 

 the Romans grew 

 jealous of the 

 priestly power, so 



they appointed JEWISR HIQH 

 high priests when- 

 ever they wished and deposed them at their 

 pleasure. 



HIGH PRIEST'S BREASTPLATE 

 The illustration is that of the breastplate of 

 the second Temple, as distinguished from the 

 The precious stones were 



Mosaic breastplate, 

 arranged as follows 



(1) Emerald 



(2) Chrysolite 



(3) Carnelian 



(4) Onyx 



(5) Lapis lazula 



(6) Ruby 



(7) Amethyst 



(8) Banded agate 



(9) Sapphire 



(10) Jasper 



(11) Beryl 



(12) Topaz 



