Part 245 (2/2)

HOLY ALLIANCE, an alliance of the sovereigns of Russia, Austria, and Prussia on the fall of Napoleon, professedly for conservative ends, but really for the suppression of political liberty and the maintenance of absolute power.

HOLY COAT OF TReVES, a seamless coat alleged to have been deposited there by the Empress Helena, and to have been the one worn by Christ.

HOLY FAIR, a rural celebration of the Communion once common in Scotland, attended not only by the people of the parish, but by large numbers of strangers from far and near; described by Burns.

HOLY ISLAND or LINDISFARNE, an islet of Northumberland, 9 m.

SE. of Berwick; is separated from the mainland by a stretch of sand bare at low water, and some 3 m. broad; has interesting ruins of a Benedictine priory church where ST. CUTHBERT (q. v.) once ministered; there is a small village and fine old castle.

HOLY OFFICE, name given to the INQUISITION (q. v.).

HOLY WARS, name given to the CRUSADES (q. v.).

HOLY WEEK, the week before Easter, so called as consecrated to the commemoration of the Pa.s.sion of Christ in view of His death on the Cross.

HOLYHEAD (9), an important little seaport of Anglesey, North Wales, on the N. side of an island of the same name, 25 m. W. of Bangor; is the chief mail-packet station for Ireland, and has excellent harbourage, &c.

HOLYHEAD ISLAND (9), a rocky islet forming a part of Anglesey, from which it is separated by a narrow strait, dry at low water, and crossed by an arched causeway.

HOLYOAKE, GEORGE JACOB, an active propagandist of advanced social theories, born at Birmingham; has lived a busy life as an agitator, lecturing and writing; he espoused the cause of Garibaldi, edited the _Reasoner_; was the last man to be imprisoned in England on a charge of atheism (1841); was a zealous supporter of co-operation and all movements making for the betterment of the social condition of the working-cla.s.ses; his numerous works embrace a valuable ”History of Co-operation in England,” ”The Limits of Atheism,” ”Sixty Years of an Agitator's Life,”

&c.; _b_. 1817.

HOLYOKE (45), a city of Ma.s.sachusetts, 8 m. N. of Springfield, on the Connecticut, whose rapid current supplies the water-power for the many large paper-mills, cotton and woollen factories.

HOLYROOD, an abbey founded at Edinburgh in 1128 by David I., and dedicated in honour of the Holy Cross, a casket of gold shaped like a cross brought to the country by St. Margaret in 1070; a palace was afterwards attached, which became the chief seat of the Scottish sovereigns of the Stuart dynasty; the parks around were at one time a sanctuary for debtors.

HOLYWELL (3), a market-town of Flints.h.i.+re, has an elevated situation, 15 m. NW. of Chester; the princ.i.p.al industry is the smelting of lead, iron, copper, and zinc ores obtained from the surrounding mines; the famous well of St. Winifred (whence the name of the town) is over-built by a fine Perpendicular chapel.

HOMBURG (9), a fas.h.i.+onable watering-place in Hesse-Na.s.sau, Prussia, beautifully situated at the base of the Taunus Mountains, 8 m. NW. of Frankfort-on-the-Main; has fine chalybeate and saline springs.

HOME, defined by Ruskin as ”the place of Peace; the shelter not only from all injury, but from all terror, doubt, and division. In so far as it is not this, it is not home; so far as the anxieties of the outer world penetrate into it, and the inconsistently-minded, unknown, unloved, or hostile society, the outer world, is allowed by either husband or wife to cross the threshold, it ceases to be home; it is then only a part of the outer world which you have roofed over and lighted a fire in.”

HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS, a noted spiritualist, born near Edinburgh; became widely known as a ”medium,” was presented at Courts and to the Pope; was expelled from the Catholic Church for spiritualistic practices, and latterly became involved in a lawsuit with a Mrs. Lyon, who had bestowed upon him 60,000 and forced him to return it; he is supposed to have suggested to Browning his well-known poem ”Sludge--the Medium”; wrote several books (1833-1886).

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