HOHENLOHE, höh'en-löh"e, ALEXANDER LEOPOLD FRANZ EMMERICH, PRINCE OF: German Catholic; b. at Kupferzell (37 m. n.e. of Stuttgart), Württemberg, Aug. 17, 1794; d. at VSslau (19 m. s.s.w. of Vienna) Nov. 17, 1849. His scientific and theological education at Vienna, Bern, and elsewhere was frequently interrupted. In 1815 he was ordained subdeacon and became domiciliarus at Ohniltz. In 1816 he was ordained priest and undertook a journey to Rome which seems to have decisively influenced him. After his return to Germany he lived at Munich, and in 1819 went to Bamberg, preaching and writing and everywhere finding popular response and esteem. In 1821 he appeared at Würzburg where he made a great sen sation as preacher, and it was here that he met Martin Michel, a Franconian peasant, who performed miraculous cures by means of prayer. Prince Alexander himself wrought miracles, but yet he had so many failures that his whole undertaking had to be restricted. He retired to Austria and in 1825 was made canon at Grosswardein in Hungary, in 1829 grand provost, and in 1844 bishop of Sardica in partibua. Driven from Hungary by the revolution of 1848, he went to Innsbruck, in 1849 to Vienna, and finally to V6slau. Of his numerous writings may be mentioned his LichtNicke and Erlebniase alts der Welt tend dem Priesterleben (Regensburg, 1836).

(Paul Tschackert.)

Bibliography: His life up to 1822 was written by C. G. Scharold, W OrsburL 1824. Consult: G. M. Pachtler, Biographieehe Notisen über . . . Prinsan Alexander, Augsburg, 1850; S. Brunner, Aug dam Nachksa des . . . HohenWe, Regensburg, 1851; ADS, xii. 883-884; KL, vi. 163-188.

HOLBACH, höl"bah', PAUL HENRI THYRY, BARON D': French philosopher; b. at Heidelsheim (13 m. e.n.e. of Carlaruhe), Baden, 1723; d. in Paris June 21, 1789. At an early age he went to Paris, where he Tesided till his death. As he was a man of wealth and a good host, he was able to make his house the meeting-place of the most eminent thinkers of the time. Among his friends were Condorcet, Diderot, Helvtstius, D'Alembert, and Rousseau. Holbach was himself one of the cleverest and most influential men of the group of freethinkers that assembled about him. He had much in common with the English deists and translated into French many works of deistic writers. He was one of the Encyclopedists (q.v.), and is known particularly as the champion of naturalism, or Materialism (q.v.). Adopting the current egoistic and sensualistic ethics of the period, he opposed Christianity and all positive religion as an impediment to the pursuit of happiness. Of his numerous antireligious and materialistic works, which were printed in foreign countries and published anonymously, all have now passed into oblivion except one, the famous Syst~me de la nature (2 vols., London [Amsterdam], 1770; Eng. tranals., Nature and her laws, 2 vols., 1820; The Syatem of Nature, London, 1884), which has been called the Bible of materialism. It should be added that in his personal life Holbach was better than his books. Despite his theories he was a man of the most unselfish benevolence: He was an egoist and materialist in the interest of humanity. See Deism, II., § 2.

Bibliography: A Brisf Sketch of as Life and Writings of the Baron d'Holbarh, London, 1834; C. Aveseo--Lavigne. Diderot et la socifi du Baron d'Holbach, Paris, 1875; J. Morley, Baron Holbach's ' System of Nature,' in Portnighay Review, xxvifi (1877), 257-284. The Eng. traneb. named in the text contain memoirs, the second by Charles Brad. laugh.

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