SELAH 



fiber. A point of light is reflected/from the 

 needle on photographic paper, black, zigzag 

 lines appearing when the photograph is de- 

 veloped. Modern seismographs are so deli- 

 cately adjusted that scientists in any part of 

 the world are able to study and record earth- 

 quakes occurring at any other point on the 

 globe. Quite often shocks are recorded of 

 which the world never hears particulars; such 

 occur in islands remote from civilization or 

 under water near coasts. See EARTHQUAKE; 

 VOLCANO. 



Consult Milne's Earthquakes and Other Earth 

 Movements; Button's Earthquakes in the Light 

 of the New Seismology. 



SE'LAH, a Hebrew word of uncertain origin 

 occurring seventy-one times in the Psalms, as 

 well as in Habakkuk III, 3, 9 and 13, and re- 

 tained in the English authorized version of the 

 Bible. It is supposed to indicate a pause or 

 natural break in a hymn. One authority has 

 suggested that it is a direction to the singers 

 to "lift up their voices." 



SELECT 'MEN, the chief executive officers 

 of the New England town, corresponding to 

 aldermen of a city or councllmen of a village. 

 They are usually elected annually and serve for 

 one year, although in Massachusetts they are 

 elected for three years, one being chosen each 

 year. The number of selectmen varies from 

 three to nine, according to the population, but 

 the usual number is three. 



The selectmen compose the administrative 

 board of the town and put into effect the in- 

 structions they receive from the town meeting. 

 They conduct the more general affairs of the 

 town, as minor officers are elected for specific 

 duties. They have limited appointive powers 

 and may fill vacancies in town offices. They 

 are sometimes paid salaries, but more often 

 receive only the equivalent of the expenses of 

 the office. The name is not employed in any 

 state west of New England, nor in any other 

 country than the United States. 



SELF-DENY 'ING ORDINANCE, awr'di 

 nans, an enactment passed by the British Par- 

 liament in 1645 which required all members of 

 that body to resign who held any civil or mili- 

 tary office during the civil war between Charles 

 I and Parliament. The ordinance was named 

 from the remark made by Cromwell that "all 

 Parliament members should deny themselves 

 and their private interests for the public good." 

 This measure had a twofold object: first, the 

 removal of inefficient commanders, and the 

 substitution of vigorous men that the times 



SELKIRK 



demanded for the remodeled army; second, to 

 give the control of the army to the radical In- 

 dependents, rather than to the Presbyterians. 

 The lords finally passed the measure, with altera- 

 tions, after a new army had been formed by 

 the commons with Cromwell as lieutenant-gen- 

 eral of the cavalry and Sir Thomas Fairfax 

 general-in-chief . Cromwell was made an excep- 

 tion to the new ruling. See CROMWELL, OLIVER. 



SELJUKS, seljooks', the Turkish dynasty 

 with which the nations of Christian Europe 

 came into conflict during the period of the 

 Crusades. The cruel treatment of Christian 

 pilgrims on the part of the Seljuks is described 

 in these volumes under the heading CRUSADES. 

 This dynasty established itself in Syria and 

 Asia Minor in the latter part of the eleventh 

 century, setting up several independent sultan- 

 ates. The last of these sovereignties endured 

 until the close of the thirteenth century, and 

 out of its ruins the present Ottoman Empire 

 rose. It was during the period of Seljuk su- 

 premacy that Omar Khayyam (which see) 

 lived. See TURKEY, subtitle History. 



SEL'KIRK, a town in Southern Manitoba, 

 on the Red River, near its mouth. It is twenty- 

 four miles north of Winnipeg, with which it is 

 connected by an electric line and by a branch 

 of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Selkirk is at 

 the head of navigation for steamers on Lake 

 Winnipeg, and is the center of the fishing in- 

 dustry on the lake. It is estimated that about 

 7,000,000 pounds of fish are shipped from Sel- 

 kirk each year. In addition to several large 

 cold-storage plants, the chief industrial estab- 

 lishments are a saw and planing mill, box fac- 

 tory, pulp and paper mill, iron rolling mills and 

 a nut and bolt factory. The government main- 

 tains a shipyard and dry dock. The Selkirk 

 district is famous for the fertility of its soil, 

 and because of its proximity to Winnipeg is 

 admirably suited to dairying and the cultiva- 

 tion of fruits and vegetables. Population in 

 1911, 2,977; in 1916, 3,399. 



SEL'KIRK, ALEXANDER (1676-1723), a 

 Scotchman whose experiences as a castaway on 

 a lonely island are said to have inspired the 

 story of Robinson Crusoe (which see). While 

 sailing in the South Sea on a freebooting expe- 

 dition he had a quarrel with the captain of the 

 ship, and at his own request was left upon the 

 island of Juan Fernandez, 360 miles west of 

 Valparaiso, Chile (1704). Here he remained 

 in solitude for four years and four months, 

 until rescued by Captain Rogers of the British 

 navy. Selkirk died on board the Weymouth, 



