RIGI 53 RIMINI RIGI, an isolated rocky mountain of Switzerland, in the canton of Schwyz, be- tween Lakes Zug and Lucerne, 5,905 feet high. It affords one of the finest views in Switzerland, and is annually visited by numerous travelers. Two railways have been constructed to reach its sum- mit (Rigi-Kulm) from opposite sides. They are on the "rack-and-pinion" prin- ciple, there being a central toothed rail into which works a toothed wheel under the locomotive. There is also a short line on the mountain worked on the ordinary principle. Hotels and similar establish- ments are numerous on the Rigi. RIGOR MORTIS, the cadaveric rigid- ity or stiffness of the body which arises within seven hours after death. It begins with the muscles of the lower jaw and neck, then those of the trunk, next those of the arms, and, finally those of the legs. It ultimately passes off in the same order as it came. It is believed to be due to coagulation of fluid substance in the muscle. RIG VEDA, in Sanskrit literature, the oldest and most original of the four Vedas, and probably the oldest literary composition in the world. In all likeli- hood it was in course of composition about 1,400 years B. c, but was not committed to writing at that time. It contains no allusion to writing or writing materials, and Max Muller believes that for a long period it was transmitted orally from generation to generation. It consists of 1,017 short lyrical poems, with 10,580 verses. The religion was nature worship, Indra, the Cloud-compeller, being the chief object of adoration, and, after him, Agni, the God of fire. The Hindu Triad had not yet arisen. The Rig Veda does not recognize the institution of caste. Beef was eaten. Women held a high po- sition, and some of the hymns were com- posed by them. The rite of suttee was unknown; the conquest of India had only begun, and the Ganges, incidentally men- tioned, had not become a sacred stream. RIIS, JACOB AUGUST, an American author; born in Ribe, Denmark, May 3, 1849, came to the United States in 1870, and was for many years a reporter on the New York "Sun." He was identified with many charitable and social move- ments in conjunction with Theodore Roosevelt. He wrote "How the Other Half Lives"; "The Children of the Poor"; "Nibsy's Christmas"; "Out of Mulberry Street"; "A Ten Years' War"; "The Mak- ing of an American"; "Theodore Roose- velt" (1904) ; "The Old Town" (1909) ; "Hero Tales of the Far North" (1910) ; "Neighbors" (1914). He died in 1914. RILEY, JAMES WHITCOMB, an American poet; born in Greenfield, Ind., on October 7, 1849. Contributions to news- papers and magazines, appearing under the pseudonym "B. F. Johnson of Boone," first attracted public attention about 1875. His writings soon became so popular that JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY he devoted himself to literature and pub- lic reading of his work with great suc- cess. His poems are characterized by both humor and pathos and by their sym- pathy with the simplest phases of life. Those of the Hoosier type are especially popular. He published, "Old Swimmin' Hole" (1887) ; "After Whiles" (1887) ; "Poems Here at Home" (1893) ; "Green Fields and Runnin' Brooks" (1893) ; "An Old Sweetheart of Mine"; "Rhymes of Childhood"; "Flying Islands of the Night"; "While the Heart Beats Young" (1906); "The Girl I Loved" (1910); "Old Times" (1915). He died in 1916. RIMINI, a city of Italy, stands on the shore of the Adriatic, 69 miles by rail S. E. of Bologna; it is still surrounded with walls and contains many mediaeval buildings. The cathedral, the temple al- tered and built to commemorate the un- hallowed love of Sigismundo Malatesta and Isotta degli Atti, a beautiful Renais- sance structure, dates from 1446-1450; the Church of St. Giuliano is adorned with pictures by Veronese, and St. Giro-
