Page:A biographical dictionary of modern rationalists.djvu/259

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LIEBKNECHT


LINCOLN


of the richest men in the west. He gave away very large sums to charity (including a generous donation to the Paine Memorial Hall), and two years before he died he drew up a will in which he left three million dollars (more than 600,000) for charitable purposes. Out of a bequest to the California University of 125,000 was built the great Lick Observatory, with the largest telescope in the world. He left 110,000 to found and endow the California School of Mechanical Arts, 30,000 for free baths, 20,000 for a home for aged ladies, and so on. Few Christians of like fortune have equalled the generosity of this Mate rialist, as Lick was. Putnam includes him in his history of American Eationalism (Four Hundred Years of Freethought, pp. 762-64). D. Oct. I, 1876.

LIEBKNECHT, Wilhelm, German Socialist. B. Mar. 29, 1826. Ed. Giessen, Berlin, and Marburg Universities. Like so many of the continental Socialist leaders, Liebknecht was the reverse of the uncul tured worker that superficial people imagine. He was a keen and informed student of philosophy and philology, but he was won by the advanced ideas of his time, and took part in the Eevolution of 1848. He was imprisoned, and then fled to England, where he remained until 1862. In 1865 he was forced to leave Prussia, and at Leipzig he founded and conducted the DemoJcratische Wochenblatt. He was again imprisoned for two years (1872). From 1874 until he died he was a Socialist leader in the Eeichstag, and shared with Bebel the editing of Vorwarts. Like Bebel, he rejected all religion. D. Aug. 6, 1900.

LILIENFELD, Paul von, Eussian sociologist. B. Jan. 29, 1829. Ed. Petro- grad University. He entered the service of the Ministry of Justice, and was for many years a Justice of the Peace. In 1867 he was appointed Vice-Governor of Petrograd. In 1885 he became Governor of Courland and Senator. Lilienfeld had much cultural distinction as well as high 445


political honours. He was one of the leaders of " organistic " sociology and a powerful writer. O. Henne am Ehyn shows in his biography (Paul von Lilienfeld, 1892) that he was a Theist, with an ethical regard for Christianity ; but he rejected its supernatural claims, and did not admit personal immortality. D. 1903.

LIMA, Sebastiao de Magalhaes,

Portuguese reformer. B. (Eio de Janeiro) May 30, 1850. Ed. Coimbra University. While he was still at the University Magalhaes Lima published two Eationalist books (Priests and Kings and The Pope Before the World) which gave great offence, and he has remained to this day the out standing figure in Portuguese Eationalism. He is an enthusiastic Pacifist (0 livro da Paz, 1896) as well as a Eepublican and Eationalist leader ; and his journal, Van- guarda, a Lisbon daily, was often suspended before the Eevolution. The ripeness of the country for disestablishment at the time of the Eevolution was mainly due to his splendid efforts during long years of reaction.

LINCOLN, Abraham, sixteenth Presi dent of the United States. B. Feb. 12, 1809. Lincoln had very little schooling, and was all his youth engaged in manual labour, but he read much. His reading included Volney and Paine, and he became an advanced Eationalist and wrote a strong essay against religion, which is said to have been burned. In 1833 he became post master at New Salem, where he entered politics, and was returned to Congress. He studied law, was licensed as attorney in 1837, and practised at Springfield. He retired from Congress in 1848, and sot up a law business with W. H. Herndon ; but he was again elected to Congress in 1854. He was elected President of the Eepublic in 1860, and his strong and sagacious lead saved the Union. The veneration for the memory of Lincoln in America is so great that repeated attempts have been made to represent him as a Christian ; but there is 446