"The supreme government of the Franciscan order, which is commonlj' said to V)e the especial embodiment of the democratic element in the Roman Catholic Church, is vested in an elective general, who resides at Rome. The subordinate superiors are, first, tlie 'provincial,' who presides over all the brethren in a ]irovinee; and, secondlj', the 'guardian,' who is the head of a single convent or community. These offi- cers are elected only for two years. The provincial alone has power to admit candidates, who are sulijected to a ])rol)ation of two j'ears [see Novitiate], after whicli they are, if approved, permitted to take the vows of the order. Those of the members who- ai^ advanced to holy orders undergo a preparatory course of stud}', during which they are called 'scholars ;" and if eventually promoted to the priesthood they arc styled ' fathers' of the order, the title of the other mcmlicrs being 'brother' or 'lay brother'" (Cham- bers, ( 'llclojKrdi't').
2. IStd/is.'irs. — At present the number of Frarcis- cans is much smaller than it was in former times. It exists in Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Eng- land, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland, Prussia, Bava- ria. Poland (54 convents in 1843), Russia, Turkey, Ionian Isles, Greece, Jlexico ((50 convents in 1843), in most of the states of Celitral and South Amer- ica, China, India, Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, Morocco, in Australia, and Polynesia. In the United States of
America there are Observants in the dioceses of "Neyfr York, Buffalo, Phiiadelpliia, Alton, Cincinnati, and Louisville. The principal convent of the Regular Ob- servants is Ara Coeli ; that of the Reformed, St. Fran- cisco a Ripa — both at Rome. The Conventuals have convents in Italy, Austria (45 convents and 455 mem- liers in 1843), Bavaria, Switzerland, Poland, and the United States of America (in Philadelphia). Their principal convent is at Rome (the Twelve Apostles'). The superiors now residing in Rome are a general of the Observants, a minister general of the Conventuals, a procurator general of the Reformed Franciscans, a procurator general of the Alcantarines, a general of the Capuchins, and a general of the Tertiaries. Together, all these branches of Franciscans had in 18C2 about 3G0O houses and 50,000 members.
See Herzog, Jieal-l'Jnn/klojmdie, iv, 4CG ; Wetzer u. Welte, Kiirhen-Lejikon, iv, 126; Henrion-Fehr, Gesch. der Monchso7-den, vol. i; Helyot, Ordres Relii/ieux, s. V. ; Wadding, Annates Minoriim (Rome, 1731-41, vol. i-xvii, reaching to 1540; continued by De Luca to the year 1553) ; Dom. de Gubernatis, Orhis Seraphicus, s. lustoria de trihiis oi'din. a S. Frmuisco insti/itlis (Rom. 1G82) ; Ozanam, Lett Pontes Franciscains en Italie au 13c su-cle (Paris, 1?52) ; P. Karl vom heil. Aloys, Jahr- hurh der Kirche (Ratisbon, 1862), gives an alphabetical list of all the convents. (A. J. S.)
Francisco de Vittoria, a Spanish theologian, was born at Vittoria, and died at Salamanca August 14, 1549. He completed his studies at Paris, enter- ed the order of St. Dominic, and returned to his na- tive country to teacli. His Theolrgicm Preleciiones (of which there have been several editions; last one, Ant- Averp, 1604, 2 vols. 8vo) embrace divers treatises. He published also Confessionario, etc. (Salamanca, 1562, 12mo): — Instniccion y Rofvgio del Anima (Salamanca, 1552, 8vo) ; and left in MS. Commentaria in universam Siimmcnn Thenlofjvx Sancti Thomce el iv lib. Senttntia- rwm.— Hoefer, Xouv. Liog. Gin. xviii, 540. (J. W. M.)
Francke, August Hermann, an eminently pi- ous divine and philanthropist of Germany, was l.orn at Lubec March 23, 1663, and studied theology and phi- losophy at the universities of Erfurt, Kiel, and Leip- sic ; and Hebrew, with great success, at Hamliurg. In 1685, in connection with Paul Anton, he established at Lcipsic tlie CoUeglum Fhilobiblicum, for the study of the Bible with practical exegesis. It met with great success, but made him many enemies. In 1687 he went to LiJneburg to study exegesis with Sandhagen, and here he imbibed a deep spiritual experience. The aims of his whole life from this time were purely Chris- tian ; all his labors and studies were consecrated to the glory of God. In 1688 he taught school in Hamburg, and laid the basis of his subsequent mastery of the art of teaching. After visiting Spener, from whom he de- rived comfort and strength in the Christian life, he re- turned to Leipsic in 1689, whore he gave exegetical lectures on St. Paul's epistles. Crowds attended them, and.a new impulse was given to the study of the Bi- ble. His instructions developed also a new religious spirit among the students. Opposition was soon awak- ened, and he and his friends were stigmatized as jne- fists. In 1690 his lectures were arrested by the facul- ty. He then "accepted an invitation to preach at Er- furt, where his sermons attracted such numliers (among them many Roman Catholics) tliat the elector of Jlentz, to whose jurisdiction Erfurt then belonged, ordered him to leave the city witiiin twenty-four hours. On this he went to Halle (1692) as professor in the new university, at first of the Oriental languages, and af- terwards of theology. At the same time he became pastor of Glaucha, a suburb of Halle, the inhabitants of which he found sunk in the deepest ignorance and wretchedness, and for whose benefit he immediately began to devise schemes of usefulness. He first in- structed destitute children in his own house, and gave