OBANGE 35 Including West Haven borough, (1910) 11,272; (1920) 16,614. ORANGE, a city in Essex cc, N. J.; on the Lackawanna railroad; 4 miles N. W. of Newark. It is built on the lower slopes of the Watchung Mountain, and in its vicinity are Eagle Rock, 650 feet above tide-water, Hemlock Falls, a wild mountain attraction, and Llewellyn Park, which comprises 750 acres, and contains many costly residences. Here are the Orange Memorial Hospital, House of the Good Shepherd, a Masonic temple. Or- phan Home, a public library, National banks, daily and weekly newspapers. It has extensive manufactories, and indus- tries of importance. Pop. (1910) 29,630; (1920) 33,229. ORANGE, a city of Texas, the county- seat of Orange co. It is on the Sabine river, and on the Intercoastal canal, and on the Orange and Northwestern and the Texas and New Orleans railroads. It has important lumber interests. It is a shipping center for rice, cotton, and live stock. Its industries include the manu- facture of lumber, paper, and oil. Pop. (1910) 5,527; (1920) 9,212. ORANGE, FORT, an old fort built by the Dutch in 1623, on the site of the present city of Albany, N. Y. ORANGE, PRINCE OF. See WIL- LIAM THE Silent, Prince of Orange: William III., King of England: Maurice. ORANGE FREE STATE PROVINCE, formerly Orange River Colony, a state pf the Union of South Africa. It has Cape Colony on S. and S. W., Bechuana- land on N. W., Transvaal Colony on N., Natal on E., Basutoland on S. E.; area estimated at 50,389 square miles, divided into 19 districts; pop. Europeans about 200,000. Native and colored, about 400,- 000. Capital, Bloemf ontein. Lying about 5,000 feet above the sea-level, the coun- try, chiefly vast undulating plains, is cold in wanter, with violent thunder storms and long droughts in summer. It is, however, very healthful, and favor- able to European constitutions. Agri- culturing and pasturing are the chief occupations, and wool, hides, and ostrich feathers the principal exports. Dia- monds and other precious stones have been found in paying quantities, rich coal mines exist, and the State is said to abound in other mineral wealth. Gold was discovered in 1887. The Dutch Re- formed Church is the dominant religion, and a Dutch dialect the language of the country. The country may now be ORATORIO reached by railway from Port Elizabeth. The colony was founded in 1835-1836 by Dutch settlers from Cape Colony, an- nexed by Great Britain in 1848 in order to put a .stop to the Boer outrages on natives but in 1854 it was recognized as an independent State. The great discovery of diamonds on the banks of the Vaal river, in May, 1870, led to conflicting claims by the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic but in October, 1871, the Brit- ish annexed the disputed territory (See KiMBERLEY). In the summer of 1899, the relations becoming strained between the South African Republic and the British government, the Orange Free State declared its intention of supporting the latter in the event of war (See Transvaal Colony). After the defeat of the Boer forces, a military governor was appointed over the Orange Free State (March, 1900). Its annexation to the British empire was formally pro- claimed at Bloemfontein, May 28. On Sept. 5, Lord Roberts issued a proclama- tion defining the policy of the British government in regard to the conquered State. See Boers. ORATION, an elaborate speech or dis- course, composed according to the rules of oratory, and delivered in public, and treating of some important subject in elevated and dignified language; an elo- quent speech prepared beforehand and spoken in public. ORATORIO, a kind of musical drama, consisting of airs, recitations, duets, trios, choruses, etc. The text is usually derived from some Scriptural subject; as, for instance, that of the "Messiah," of the "Creation," and of "Elijah." The origin of the oratorio is somewhat ob- scure. The most probable account is that which attributes its intention to St. Philip Neri, who, in 1548, organized, at the new chapel at Rome, certain musical performances, consisting of poems on sacred subjects, sung by first-rate sing- ers, accompanied by the best instrument- alists, for the purpose of attracting large congregations. It was entirely success- ful, and these performances, which at first were only poems in four parts, were, in less than half a century after the death of Neri, in 1595, developed into those splendid compositions called by moderns oratorios. Italy, though the birthplace of the oratorio, has produced very few of any note. The Germans, on the contrary, excel in this species of composition; as a proof of this, it is only necessary to mention the names of Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, and, greatest of all Handel.
