ECKHEL. 627 ECLIPSE. zcrsfold. He was odiicatod at llio Jesuits' College in Xieiiiiii, and in 1751 eiiU'ivd the soeietv. His knowledge of numisnialies soon won him the place of keeper of coins and medals in the col- lege. In 177- lie went to Italy, where for two years lie was engaged in tlic study of coins, and i>n liis return to ieiina he was made director of the Imperial Cahlnct of Medals and professor of arclucology at the university, lieginning with !77o. ho published numerous works on coins and gems, but his greatest work is liis Doctrina Su- morum yctiriim (8 vols., I7n2-US). A supple- iiKMit was added in 1S26 from papers left by Kekhel at his death : this volume also contains an account of liis life and writings. By his great work Eeklicl became tlie foumler of scientific numismatics. ECKHOF, eklit^f. Koxr.^d. See Kkiiof. ECKMUHL, Ok'mul, or EGGMUHL. A vil- lage of Bavaria, on the Grosse Laber, 13 miles south-southeast of Ratisbon. noted for the battle fought there on April 22. 1809, between 7.').000 l-"reiich and 40.000 Austrians. The Austriaji Archduke Charles had taken up his position on the right bank of the Danube, near Ratis- bon. From this point, at the head of four divi- sions of the -Vustrian Army, ho threatened the French position at Donauwiirtli. Davont. how- ever, succeeded in keeping him in check, while Xa|K)lcon, swinging round to the southeast, inter- posed himself between the road to Vienna and the Austrian Army, with which he came face to face at Eckmiihl. The action on the side of the French was <'ommenced by Lannes. who drove back the Austrian left, while at the same time the village of Eckmiihl was stormed by the Wiirttembergers. Shortly afterwards the high grounds between ]*>kmiihl and Ljiichling, also occupied by the Austrians, were .abandoned after an heroic struggle, and the Arcliduke ordered a retreat on Ratisbon, which was admirably executed, though at the sacrifice of the entire Austrian cavalry, who were cut to pieces at Ey- lofstein while covering the movement. The Austrians lo-t nearly 30.000 men at Eckmiihl and in the two days' fighting that preceded it. The French loss was much less. ECKSTEIN, ok'stfn, Ernst (1845-1000). A ver-:itili> (Jirni.Tn humorist, poet, and novelist, born at (iips^en. His first literary work. Scliach dcr Kiinir/in (1S70), and Pnrisrr l^itliouetten (187.3). was done in France, as were the grote-que Die (Irspemttcr von Tnrziii (1870), and Vrr f>tuinme von Serilla ( 1871 ) . His travels in Italy and Spain resulted in the stories ilar- ijhrritn ; Am Orabmal des Ccstius; and Die Momhre ron Cordova. He returned to Oermany, lived for several years in Leipzig as editor of a literary journal and of a comie Avcekly. and wrote many brillianlly humorous sketches, of which I)rr lirmirh im f'nrrrr is typical. In 188.5 he moved to Tiresden. and afterwards wrote several serious novel* of classical life, among which Die rinudicr (1882). Pniaias (188.3). Aphrodite (ISS(i). Pin 08871. and .Ycro (1880) are note- worthy. ECLECTICISM ffrom rrlrrtlc. from Ok. fK- eKTit. rl;hl:lil;nt. selecting, from ik{yciv, ck- Iriicin. to select, from !k, ik. out + X^eii', Irfiein, to gather). In jdiilosophy, an attempt to piece together from various competing systems such elements as may, to superficial view, appear fairly compatible. The prevailing motive is usu- ally practical, being a desire to get a set of opinions which shall lend their support to moral and religious life. Ecleclicisin appears wher- ever great speculative power is wanting at the same time that the conllict between traditional schools is vigorously carried on without much appreciation of the reach of the principles in- volved. L'nder such conditions many thinkers prefer to keep out of the strife of the schools, and endeavor to satisfy thcli- not very exacting intellectual demands by selecting here and there what apjiears to go together to form a satis- factory intellectual foundation for the needs of this life. In ancient pliilosophy. Cicero was the most cons])icuous if not the greatest represen- tative of this tendency, adopting elements from the Sl<ei>tic, the Stoic, and the Peripatetic scluxds without obtaining any systematic out- come from this combination. From his day to this, eclectics have been numerous. Cousin (q.v. ) is often called the great modern eclectic, but perliaps this characterization fails to do justice to his desire to get a consistent system rather than a merely edifying one. Every great philosopher gathers his materials wherever he finds them. He is not troubled by the fact that he finds them in mutually hostile territories. But what distingTiishes him from the eclectic is liis desire to know what is true rather tlian to believe what is helpful, and above all his ability to weave his materials together into a consistent fabric. ECLECTIC SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, Amebic.vx, or Nkw Sciiooi, of JIedici.ne. The modem representative of a school of medical thought W'hich existed as early as n.c. 200. Its adherents contended that the wisdom of the various schools was a vain thing, and that the individual could choose for himself between the good and the bad. They, therefore, rejeeted all knowledge gained by the experience of others. The modern revival took place in America in the early part of the nineteenth century. The mod- ern eclectic professes still to take what is best in medicine, and is still an individualist. In 182G an eclectic college was founded in New York by A"ooster Beach, who was the author of several textbooks for the school. Soon after- wards schools were established in Ohio and other States, and at a later period regular colleges in New York. Chicago, and other cities. State so- cieties were formed, and in 1870 the N'atioiial Ec- lectic ^ledical Association was incorporated by the New York Legislature. In 1897 there were 22 eclectic medical colleges, with approximately 750 students. The prominent feature of the school is the theoretical rejection of mercury and most other mineral substances in medicine. .•Xnother distinctive point in modern eclectic prac- tice is the use of native medicinal plants, and from the studies of some .American eclectic teach- ers much useful information has been gained respecting these plants. Consult: Beach, The Awrrican Practice of Medicine (New York, 18.38) : Wilder, ffifitorij of Jledicine (New- Sharon. iMaine. 1001 ). ECLECTIC SCHOOL OF PAINTING. See Boi.(ii.i:sK Sciiooi. or P.vinttm.. ECLIPSE (Lat. ccIipKis. from Ok. litXeii^ii, eklcipnis, eclipse, from iKXtiTtif, ekleipein, to for-
