VOLTAIRE

2029

VOODOOISM

ductors of the first class, which become electrified by contact, but in such a way that equilibrium is at once established without any permanent current; and conductors of the second class — what we now call electrolytes. Volta's discovery is that, whenever two conductors of the first class are joined in series with a conductor of the second class, an electric current flows through the closed circuit. This phenomenon was first reported by letter to Sir Joseph Banks, then president of the Royal Society, on March 20, 1800, and was read before the Royal Society on June 26, 1800. The centennial of this important discovery was recently celebrated by an electrical exposition at Como. Volta is also the inventor of the electrophorus and of an absolute electrometer. See Electricity.

Voltaire (vol-târ'), François Marie Arouet, a famous French writer, was born at Chatenay, France, Nov. 21, 1694. His father's name was Arouet. After studying at Paris and in his father's law office, he began his career as a literary man. He spent a year in the Bastile imprisoned on suspicion of having written some verses which reflected on the government,, and there finished his Œdipe. On leaving prison he changed his name to Voltaire, which is probably an anagram on his original name. His tragedy was successfully brought out in 1718, but Artémire was hissed off the stage. On a visit to Holland he met Rousseau, of whom he made an enemy by a sarcastic reply to Rousseau's question: "What is your opinion of my Ode to Posterity? " "It is a letter that will never reach its address" was the answer. His visit to England, which was an exile, introduced him to the literary men and the literature of England. Through the favor of Queen Caroline, who headed the list of subscribers, his Henriade brought him nearly $40,000, making him independent of the great men in France whose patronage had been so injurious to him. In 1729 he was allowed to return to France where BrtUus, Ériphile and his best play, Zaïre, were produced at intervals. His English Letters, reflecting on everything in church or state in France, under the pretense of praising England, brought out in 1733, was condemned and burned, he himself being safely out of the way in Lorraine, where he lived for 15 years with Madame du Châtelet, writing and studying Newton's Principia. His Mérope and Mahomet, among his best plays, belong to this period, as does his Age of Louis XIV.

His life at the Prussian court, as the friend of Frederick the Great lasted three years, with the jealousies, squabbles and court-quarrels which Voltaire always succeeded in falling into. Being refused permission to return to France, he bought Ferney, an estate four miles from Geneva, which was his home for the last 20 years

of his life. Here he was visited by many of the most celebrated men of Europe, carried on an immense correspondence, rescued from want and educated a niece of Corneille, interfered in several cases of oppression and injustice, and adopted a young girl whom he had rescued from a convent. After the death of Louis XV he was permitted to return to Paris, and on Feb. 10, 1778, he entered the city after 28 years of exile. He was received with enthusiasm, and crowned with laurel at the theater where his new play Irene was produced. He died at Paris, soon after, on May 30, 1778. His works fill about 90 volumes, including the tragedies Zaïre, Mérope and Mahomet, which give him a place with the best French dramatists; historical works, which embrace Charles XII, Louis XIV and Peter the Great; and philosophical works, poems, criticisms and miscellaneous writings. See Life by John Morley.

Voltam'eter, an electrical instrument, of galvanometer type, for measuring in volts the differences of potential between different points of a circuit of electricity. The various forms of the voltmeter are adaptations, more or less, of the D'Arsonval galvanometer, in portable form; and in experiments with it it will be found that, with a high resistance in the circuit, the current will be proportional to the difference of potential. Vol'unteers' of America, The, an organization, on the model of the army of the United States, was founded and incorporated in 1896 by General and Mrs. Ballington Booth foi religious and philanthropic work akin to that done by the Salvation Army. The Volunteers seek affiliation with the churches and religious denominations of the country, and many Volunteers are practically engaged with the churches in their good and laudable work in most of the chief cities and larger towns of the Union, which are grouped by the organization into sectional or regimental divisions under the control and oversight of 30 principal staff-officers. The scope of the work undertaken by the Volunteers may be gathered from the fact that they maintain reading-rooms in the chief centers, whence Christian literature is distributed in prisons, hospitals, soldier's and children's homes, besides supplying these with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. They also maintain boys' fresh-air camps and girls' sewing classes, furnish hospitals with nurses: and, where there is need, afford temporary financial relief. For this good work the Volunteers have organized and maintain philanthropic institutions in the principal cities of the United States, in addition to their chief centers of labor in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Denver, Chicago and San Francisco. See Salvation Army.

Voo'dooism, a term referring to beliefs and practices currently considered to pre-