THISTLE 



5793 



THOMAS 



large downy seed balls after the blossoms wither. 

 The seeds are scattered far and wide by the 

 winds, and so thistles multiply rapidly. They 

 also produce vigorous rootstocks, and the com- 

 plete uprooting of the plant is often a difficult 

 matter. Fragments left in the soil may cause 

 the growth of new 

 plants . The 

 eradication of 

 thistles from 

 grain fields is thus 

 a serious problem. 

 Annual species 

 must be cut down 

 before the flowers 

 bloom. 



It is supposed 

 that the plant 

 adopted by the 

 Scotch as their 

 national emblem THE THISTLE 



is the species known as cotton thistle, so called 

 because it has a covering of white down. Va- 

 rious other species, however, have been given 

 this honor. A number of plants similar to 

 thistles are sometimes called by that name. 

 Conspicuous among these is the Russian thistle, 

 or tumbleweed, a spiny-leaved plant of the 

 goosefoot family that has caused farmers in 

 Western United States much trouble. 



THISTLE, ORDER OF THE, a royal order of 

 Great Britain, conferred only upon peers of 

 Scotland. Frequently a considerable antiquity 

 is claimed for it, but according to trustworthy 

 records it was founded in 1687 by James II. It 

 was dedicated to Saint Andrew and bears the 

 alternative title of Order of Saint Andrew. At 

 the time of the revolution of 1688 the order 

 lapsed, but Queen Anne revived it in 1703, and 

 to the eight knights companions who with the 

 sovereign made up its original membership 

 four more were added. In 1827 the number of 

 knights companions was fixed at sixteen, and 

 no subsequent change has been made. The 

 thistle is prominent on the badge and collar of 

 the order, which has as its appropriate motto 

 Nemo me impune lacessit (No one injures me 

 with impunity). 



THISTLE-BIRD. See AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. 

 THOMAS, torn' as, AUGUSTUS (1859- ), a 

 foremost American dramatist, author of several 

 plays that show his mastery of the technique of 

 the drama. Notable among these are his Ala- 

 bama, Arizona and In Mizzoura, which also 

 illustrate his fondness for using local color, and 

 The Witching Hour, which deals with the power 

 363 



of hypnotism. Thomas was born in Saint Louis, 

 Mo. Before he became a playwright he had a 

 varied career as page boy in Congress, law stu- 

 dent, employee in a railroad freight house, 

 newspaper writer, and editor and proprietor of 

 the Kansas City Mirror. His first play, Ala- 

 bama, was successfully produced in 1891, and 

 thereafter he gave his whole time to dramatic 

 work. In 1915, after the death of Charles Froh- 

 man, who was lost on the Lusitania, Thomas 

 became art director of the Frohman theatrical 

 enterprises. Among his plays not mentioned 

 above are The Man Upstairs, Mrs. Leffingwell's 

 Boots, The Harvest Moon, As a Man Thinks 

 and Rio Grande. 



THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-1870), an 

 American military leader who gained the title 

 "The Rock of Chickamauga" for his steadfast- 

 ness in one of the most desperate battles of the 

 War of Secession. In that battle his unflinch- 

 ing courage saved 

 the Union army 

 from total defeat 

 (see CHICKA- 

 MAUGA, BATTLE 

 OF). 



Thomas was 

 born in South- 

 ampton County, 

 Virginia. After 

 his graduation at 

 West Point, in 

 1840, he fought 

 in the Mexican War, served as instructor at 

 the national Military Academy, and for five 

 years commanded (as major) the Second Cav- 

 alry in Texas. When the War of Secession be- 

 gan he remained loyal to the Union, though a 

 Southerner by birth, and early in the war was 

 conspicuous at the Battle of Mill Springs, dur- 

 ing the siege of Corinth, and at Perryville and 

 Stone River. It was in September, 1863, that 

 he became a Union hero through his gallant 

 conduct at Chickamauga. Soon after this he 

 was made commander of the Army of the 

 Cumberland. When, in December, 1864, he 

 crushed Hood's army at the Battle of Nash- 

 ville, Thomas was promoted to be major-gen- 

 eral in the regular army, and given a vote of 

 thanks by Congress. During the rest of the war 

 he commanded the Military Division of the 

 Tennessee. General Thomas was one of the 

 most reliable officers in the Union army, and 

 he was thoroughly trusted both by his soldiers 

 and by his superior officers, not only for his 

 skill but for his sterling character. 



GENERAL THOMAS 



