Raab (20), a town in Hungary, 67 m. NW. of Buda Pesth, manufactures
tobacco and cutlery.
Raasay, one of the Inner Hebrides, belonging to Inverness-shire, lies between Skye and Ross-shire; bare on the W., picturesque on the E.; has interesting ruins of Brochel Castle.
Rabant de St. Étienne, a moderate French Revolutionary; member of
the Constituent Assembly; one of the Girondists; opposed the extreme
party, and concealed himself between two walls he had built in his
brother's house; was discovered, and doomed to the guillotine, as were
also those who protected him (1743-1793).
Rabat (26), known also as New Sallee, a declining port in
Morocco, finely situated on elevated ground overlooking the mouth of the
Bu-Ragrag River, 115 m. SE. of Fez; is surrounded by walls, and has a
commanding citadel, a noted tower, interesting ruins, &c.; manufactures
carpets, mats, &c., and exports olive-oil, grain, wool, &c.
Rabbi (lit. my master), an appellation of honour applied to a
teacher of the Law among the Jews, in frequent use among them in the days
of Christ, who was frequently saluted by this title.
Rabbism, the name applied in modern times to the principles and
methods of the Jewish Rabbis, particularly in the interpretation of the
Jewish Scriptures.
Rabelais, François, great French humorist, born at Chinon, the son
of a poor apothecary; was sent to a convent at nine; became a Franciscan
monk; read and studied a great deal, but, sick of convent life, ran away
at forty years of age; went to Montpellier, and studied medicine, and for
a time practised it, particularly at Lyons; here he commenced the series
of writings that have immortalised his name, his “Gargantua” and
“Pantagruel,” which he finished as curé of Meudon, forming a succession
of satires in a vein of riotous mirth on monks, priests, pedants, and all
the incarnate solecisms of the time, yet with all their licentiousness
revealing a heart in love with mankind, and a passionate desire for the
establishment of truth and justice among men (1495-1553).
Races of Mankind. These have been divided into five, the
Caucasian (q. v.) or Indo-European, the Mongolian or Yellow, the
Negro or Black, the Malayan or Tawny, and the India or Copper-coloured.
Rachel, Eliza, a great French tragédienne, born in Switzerland, of
Jewish parents; made her début in Paris in 1838, and soon became famous
as the interpreter of the principal characters in the masterpieces of
Racine and Corneille, her crowning triumph being the representation, in
1843, of Phèdre in the tragedy of Racine; she made a great impression
wherever she appeared, realised a large fortune, and died of decline
(1821-1858).
Racine (21), a flourishing city of Wisconsin, U.S.A., capital of
Racine County, at the entrance of Root River into Lake Michigan, 62 m. N. of Chicago; has an Episcopal university: trades in lumber, flax, and the products of various factories.
Racine, Jean, great French tragic poet, born at La Ferté Milon, in
the dep. of Aisne; was educated at Beauvais and the Port Royal; in 1663
settled in Paris, gained the favour of Louis XIV. and the friendship of
Boileau, La Fontaine, and Molière, though he quarrelled with the latter, and finally lost favour with the king, which he never recovered, and which hastened his death; he raised the French language to the highest pitch of perfection in his tragedies, of which the chief are “Andromaque” (1667), “Britannicus” (1669), “Mithridate” (1673), “Iphigénie” (1774), “Phèdre” (1677), “Esther” (1688), and “Athalie” (1691), as well as an exquisite comedy entitled “Les Plaideurs” (1669); when Voltaire was asked to write a commentary on Racine, his answer was, “One had only to write at the foot of each page, beau, pathétique, harmonieux, admirable, sublime” (1639-1699).
Rack, an instrument of torture; consisted of an oblong wooden frame, fitted with cords and levers, by means of which the victim's limbs were racked to the point of dislocation; dates back to Roman times, and was used against the early Christians; much resorted to by the Spanish Inquisition, and also at times by the Tudor monarchs of England, though subsequently prohibited by law in England.
Radcliffe (20), a prosperous town of Lancashire, on the Irwell, 7 m. NW. of Manchester; manufactures cotton, calico, and paper; has bleaching and dye works, and good coal-mines.