STADTHOLDER 



5519 



STAFF 



where athletic contests were celebrated. It was 

 usually enclosed by terraces having the general 

 shape of a horseshoe, which afforded the spec- 

 tators a clear view of the field. Occasionally 

 these terraces had seats. The ancient stadium 

 at Athens was recently restored and served as 

 the scene of the Olympian games in 1906. The 

 stadium was also a measure of distance among 

 the Greeks. It was the distance between the 

 terminal pillars of the stadium at Olympia, and 

 was the equivalent of 606 feet 9 inches in Eng- 

 lish measurement. 



In modern times structures similar in type 

 to the Greek stadium have found favor on the 

 athletic fields of universities. Such uncovered 

 buildings, with seats arranged in tiers, have 

 been erected on athletic fields, notably at Har- 

 vard, Yale, Princeton and Syracuse universi- 

 ties. The Harvard stadium is a huge structure . 

 of reenforced concrete, built in the form of the 

 letter U, and capable of accommodating over 

 40,000 spectators. The "Yale Bowl," which has 

 a still greater seating capacity, is built in the 

 form of an ellipse, with seats enclosing the field 

 on all sides. Although these modern stadia, 

 like the ancient ones, are designed chiefly for 

 spectators attending various athletic contests, 

 it is not uncommon to utilize them for dra- 

 matic performances, especially those which are 

 elaborate and spectacular. 



STADTHOLDER, stat' holder, the title for- 

 merly given to the chief executive of the 

 United Netherlands. The term is variously 

 translated to be the equivalent of chief magis- 

 trate, lieutenant, governor, viceroy and dele- 

 gate. The name was first applied in case of 

 one who was appointed in stad or in stead of 

 the sovereign that is, one who represented the 

 ruler as head of a state or province. 



After the union of the six states which 

 formed the confederation in 1579, the term 

 stadthouder, or stadtholder, came to be inter- 

 preted as meaning one who holds a city. With 

 this significance it was applied to the office held 

 by William the Silent, Prince of Orange, who 

 was chosen by the people for their ruler. This 

 title was used by his descendants for three 

 generations, and continued to be that of the 

 ruler of Holland until that country was an- 

 nexed to France in 1802. In 1814 the term 

 ceased to be used, when the title of king of the 

 Netherlands was given to the Prince of Orange. 



STAEL-HOLSTEIN, stah' el hohl'stine, 

 ANNE LOUISE GERMAINE (1766-1817), generally 

 known as MADAME DE STAEL, a French writer, 

 daughter of Jacques Necker, who was minister 



of finance to Louis XVI. She was by nature an 

 unusually bright child, and her association with 

 the brilliant people who frequented her father's 

 house increased her interest in matters intel- 

 lectual and in the affairs of the times. At the 

 wish of her parents she married the Swedish 

 minister, Baron de Stael-Holstein, who was 

 much older than she and with whom she was 

 far from happy. The marriage terminated in a 

 friendly separation, and Madame de Stael con- 

 tinued to live the independent life for which 

 she was fitted. 



In 1788 she published her Letters on Jean 

 Jacques Rousseau, a very enthusiastic com- 

 ment, and in various ways showed her approval 

 of the sentiments and events of the early 

 months of the Revolution. Later, however, 

 when she felt that the reformers were becom- 

 ing extreme, she was active in defense of the 

 royal family, and carried her advocacy so far 

 that she was obliged to flee from the country. 

 She returned in 1794 to Paris, but nine years 

 later was banished by Napoleon, whose suspi- 

 cions had been aroused. During the years of 

 her exile she lived in Germany, and there be- 

 came acquainted with the greatest literary men 

 of the time, Goethe, Schiller and Schlegel. 



Her works of importance include the novels 

 Delphine and Corinne, once very popular but 

 now comparatively little read ; Literature in Its 

 Relation to Social Institutions; On Germany, 

 and Thoughts on the French Revolution. More 

 important than any single work was her influ- 

 ence in introducing the romantic movement 

 into France, which up to that time had never 

 freed itself from classic formalism. In this 

 great movement she may be regarded as the 

 foremost figure, and is thus ranked as one of 

 the notable literary personalities of France. 



Consult Birch's Secret Societies and the French 

 Revolution. 



STAFF, a military term referring to a body 

 of officers whose duties are connected with a 

 regiment or army as a whole, and not attached 

 to any particular subdivision. In the hands 

 of regimental staff officers is left the arranging 

 of all details concerning the routine, equipment 

 and discipline of the regiment. The staff offi- 

 cers see that the orders of the commanding 

 officer are carried out and that the regiment is 

 always supplied with all things necessary to 

 the efficient performance of its duties. 



The Staff in the United States. The forma- 

 tion of a general staff is modern, and in the 

 United States is based much on the same prin- 

 ciples as the general staff of the German army. 



