Prime

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Prince

thropoidca. The Anthropoidea are divided!
into five families: (D the Hapalidie, or}
marmosets; (2) the Cebidae, or New World/
monkeys; (3) the Cercopithecidrc, or Old i
World monkeys; (4) the Simiidae, or anthro- j
poid apes; and (5) the Hominidae, including!
only man. See MAMMALS. '

Prime, Samuel Irenaeus (1812-85). Am-
erican clergyman and editor, was born in j
Ballston Spa, N. Y. Becoming editor of the i
New York Observer, his 'Irenaeus' articles, I
published weekly, were one of the features
of the paper. 1

Prime, William Cowper (1825-1905).!
American writer on art, was born in Cam-1
bridge, N. Y. In 1874 he was appointed first
vice-president of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, and in 1884, as the result of his ef-
forts, the authorities at Princeton established
a chair of the history of art, of which he be-
came the first incumbent.

Prime Minister, or Premier. In constitu-
tional countries haxing responsible ministers,
the prime minister is that member of the
parliamentary body who is chosen by the
sovereign or chief executive to form and as-
sume the leadership of the cabinet or min-
istry, which is composed of the heads of the
administrative departments of state. The
prime minister usually takes for himself the
portfolio of foreign affairs and in Great Brit-
ain is leader of that House of Parliament of
which he is a member.

Primer, any device for igniting the pro-
pelling charge of small arms or cannon.

Prime Vertical, a great circle passing
through the zenith at right angles to the cel-
estial meridian, and hence through the e. and
w. points of the horizon.

Primo de Rivera, Miguel (1870-1930),
Spanish soldier and political leader. He was
appointed to the difficult and dangerous post
of Captain-General of Catalonia, which was
in a condition of chaos, due to a breakdown
of the parliamentary regime. In 1923 he be-
came Dictator of Spain. He resigned in Janu-
ary, 1930, going into exile voluntarily, and
died soon after.

Primogeniture, the rule of law under
which the eldest son of the family succeeds
to the father's real estate in preference to, and
in absolute exclusion of, the younger sons
and all the sisters.

Primrose (Primula), a genus of plants of
the natural order Primulaceae. There are
more than 100 species, mostly perennials and
many beautiful hybrid forms have been de-
veloped and extensively cultivated as orna-

mental plants. The name primrose ('French
Prim ei* ere, Latin Primula) is derived from
the Latin primus, 'first,' and refers to the
early appearance of the flowers of some of
the mo?t common species in spring. The com-
mon primrose (P. vulgaris}* abundant in
woods, hed^ebanks. and pastures in most
parts of Europe, has obovate-oblon^, wrink-
led leaves, and single-flowered scapes; the
flowers about one inch broad, yellowish
white.

Primulaceae, an order of plants containing
more than two hundred known species, most-
ly inhabitants of the cooler parts of the
world. Among; its best known members are
the primrose, cowslip, polyanthus, auricula,
pimpernel, cyclamen, and soldanella.

Prince, a title originally used to denote
the person who was entitled princeps sena-
tus in the Roman state. Subsequently it be-
came a title of disunity. In the course of time
it came to be applied to certain sovereigns of
smaller states possessing more or less political
independence. It is now very generally ap-
plied to the sons of kings and emperors and
persons of the blood royal, sometimes with a
territorial title (Prince of Wales, Prince of
Orange), or with an addition, 'crown prince,'
or 'prince imperial/

Prince, John Dyneley (iS6S- ). Ameri-
can educator and diplomat, born in New
York City; professor of Semitic languages
(1892-1902), dean of the Graduate School
(1895-1902) at New York University; and
professor of Semitic languages (1902-15) and
of Slavonic languages (1915-21) at Columbia
University. He was envoy extraordinary and
minister plenipotentiary to Denmark (1921)
and to Yugoslavia (1926-33). His writings
include, Mene, Mene, Te k elf Upharsin
(1893); Assyrian Primer (1909); Practical
Grammar of the Lettish Language (1925);
Grammar of the Serbo-Croatian Language
(1929).

Prince Edward Island, a province of the
Dominion of Canada. The island is the shape
of a crescent, with its concave side toward
the n. Its coast line, particularly on the s., is
very irregular, and deeply indented with
arms of the ocean. The climate is milder than
that of New Brunswick, and is not subject
to such extremes. The soil is extremely fer-
tile, and its great productivity has given to
the island the popular name of the 'Garden
of the Gulf.' The fisheries form an important
source of revenue. Agriculture is the most
important industry. Manufactures are not
important and are mainly seasonal, being al