Gassing

(Manuf.) The proce of singeing net, lace, ., in order to remove the hairy filaments from the cotton; -performed by pa ing the material between two rollers, and exposing it to the action of a large number of minute jets of flame. Gas/sinville, or GASSENVILLE, in Louisiana, a village of St. Charles parish. Gas'sy, a . Full of gas; gaseous; -hence, inflated; bom- bastical; full of empty and insincere talk, Gas-tar, n. Same as COAL-TAR, q. v. Gas'teropod, n. [ Gr.gaster , stomach, and pous , podos , foot; i. e., belly-footed.] ( Zool .) One of the Gasteropod a . Gasterop'oda, n. pl . (Zool.) A cla of molluscous animals which move from place to place by means of a fleshy disc, or foot situated under the abdomen. The greater part of these mollusca consist of animals in- habiting a univalve shell, which is cone-shaped and rolled into a spiral; and of such the snail is a familiar specimen. Some species, on the contrary, have no shell; of which the slug is an example. The body is elongated, and terminated in front by a head, more or le developed, with a mouth provided with from two to six tentacula; the back is enveloped in a mantle, which secretes the shell; and the belly is covered on its under side by the fleshy ma of the foot. In most aquatic Gasteropod a whose shell is spiral, there is a horny or calcareous disc, called the operculum , which is attached to the hinder part of the foot, and is used for closing the entrance of the shell when the animal withdraws itself. Some of the Gasteropod a inhabit fresh waters, but most of them are marine animals. The cla is composed of three orders: GASTEROPOD A PROPER, HETER- OPODA, and PTEROPOD A. Gasterop'odous, a. Belonging or relating to the Gasteropods. Gas'ton, in Alabama , a post-office of Sumter co. Gas'ton, in North Carolina , a S.W. co., bordering on S. Carolina; area , about 340 sq. m. Rivers. Great Catawba aud S. Catawba rivers. Surface , diversified; soil , fertile. Cap. Dallas. Pop . (1890) 17,764. words of Tennemann, the most learned among the phi--A village of Halifax co., on the Roanoke river. Its P. O. losophers, and the ablest philosopher among the learned, of the seventeenth century. In speculative thinking, G. represented the Sensational School, of which he may be considered the founder in modern times; as such, he may stand against the Meditations of Des cartes. In the eager polemics between these remarkable men, the critical question of Sensationalism, almost in the form in which it still presents itself, was fairly raised; it must be conceded that the temper and moderation lay with G., although, in the estimation of the writer of this notice, the weight of argument belonged to his illustrious opponent. During the disputation, Gas send i had the merit of insisting that every mental conception of Prin ciple is nece arily preceded by the fact of an Experience, an a ertion by no means sufficient to establish his philosophy, but remarkable as having first given expre ion to a maxim now held alike by Sensationalists and Idealists, that in sensation is the beginning or the occasion of all knowledge: a maxim of which Des cartes himself, perhaps, saw enough to render unjustifiable Locke's subsequent singular misrepresentation of the doctrine of innate ideas. This proposition granted, however, it in no wise follows, as G. contended, that the content of sensation is the measure of human knowledge; or that an Absolute and Nece ary Truth is a mere generalization. Rational Psychology, according to Des cartes, contradicts this: the attributes of universality and nece ity cannot attach to simple generalizations; and these attributes belong to many of our ideas. It is hardly requisite to say that the dispute thus raised exists still; nay, the student desirous to master it will scarcely find better instructors than Des cartes and G. - G. was one of our most distinguished reformers, at a period when many great minds pushed forward the work of reform. - claiming independence for thought. may be forgiven, perhaps, that in his early work against the authority of Aristotle he was not careful to separate the true doctrines of the immortal Stagyrite from wretched and saple formulæ deduced from him by the Schoolmen; or that in his youthful zeal he failed to approach with rightful respect that great Shade to which so many ages have done willing reverence. His attack on Aristotle is the weakest of his writings, and cannot be acquitted of rashne ; neverthele , he was not wanting in respect for antiquity, - witne his treatment of Epicurus. His life of this philosopher is one of the best and most appreciatory memoirs, among the many that have been given of him he wrote it con amore. The Atomic Philosophy suited G.'s predilections; and one respects the just ardor with which he vindicates the character of his master, and clears his doctrines from vulgar misapprehension. G's attachment to physical inquiries was strong; although not an original discoverer, the labors of no man of that day contributed more to diffuse right principles regarding the method of physical inquiry. In this department, his superiority to the Cartes i ans cannot be questioned; Des cartes himself knew too little of that sphere of pure Induction, within which what we term Law or general Truths can be nothing other than generalizations. As might have been ex It is SOUTH GASTON. Gas'ton, in Oregon, a post-village of Washington co., on the Southern Pac. R.R. Gastralgia, ( -je - a ,) n. [Gr. gaster , stomach, and algos , pain.] ( Med .) Impaired appetite, with gnawing or burning pain in the stomach or epigastrium.