the entire conversion of the Laplanders. In the treaty of Friedrichshaven Sweden had to cede its Lappish territory to Russia, but in 1814, in the treaty of Kiel, it received another portion from Norway. The most zealous missionary wlio has labored among the Lap- landers was pastor Stockfleth (bom in 1787), who joined them in their nomadic Ufe, and preached to them in their own language, wliich it cost him great eflbrts to learn. At present divine sendee is held in the Lajjpish, Swedish, and Finnish languages. During the summer months the Laplanders, who during this time are mov- ing with their reindeer further into the mountains, are visited by clergymen of Southern Lapland. The Lap- landers show great docility for the reception of the Christian doctrine, but their Christianity is stOl mixed up with many superstitious views and pagan customs. The Roman Catholic Church established in 1855 the Prefecture Apostolic of the North Pole, which embraces Lapland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and the north- ernmost part of America. The apostolic prefect resides at Tromsoe, tlie capital of Finnmark; another Lapland- ish station has been established at Altengard. See Wig- gers, Kirchl. Stulistik, ii, 421 sq.; Neher, Kirchl, Statis- tik, ii, 406 sq. (A. J. S.)
Lapping (Pi?^, to lick up like a dog, 1 Kings xxi, 19, etc.) of water by " putting their hand to their mouth." spoken of as a test in reference to Gideon's men (Judg. vii, 5, G), is still in the East supposed to distinguish those who evince an alacrity and readiness which fits them in a peculiar manner for any active service in which they are to be engaged. See Gideon. Among the Arabs, lapping with their hands is a common and very expeditious way of taking in liquids. " The dog drinks by shaping the end of his long, thin tongue into the form of a spoon, which it rapidly introduces and withdraws from the water, throwing each time a spoon- ful of the fluid into his mouth. The tongue of man is not adapted to this use ; and it is physically impossible for a man, therefore, to lap literally as a dog laps. The true explanation, probably, is that these men, instead of kneeling down to take a long draught, or successive draughts from the water, employed their hand as the dog employs his tongue — that is, forming it into a hol- low spoon, and dipping water with it from the stream. Practice gives a peculiar tact in this mode of drinking; and the interchange of the hand between the water and the month is so rapidly managed as to be comparable to that of the dog's tongue in similar circumstances. Be- sides, the water is not usually sucked out of the hand into the mouth, but b)^ a peculiar knack is jerked into the mouth before the hand is brought close to it, so that the hand is approaching ^vith a fresh supply almost be- fore the preceding has been swallowed : this is another resemblance to the action of a dog's tongue. On com- ing to water, a person who wishes to drink cannot stop the whole party to wait for him when travelling in car- avans, and therefore, if on foot, any delay would oblige him to unusual exertion in order to overtake his party. He therefore drinks in the manner described, and has satisfied his thirst in much less time than one who, hav- ing more leisure, or being disposed to more deliberate enjoyment, looks out for a place where he may kneel or lie down to bring his mouth in contact with the water, and imbibe long and slow tlraughts of it" (Kitto, Picto- rial Bible, ad loc).
Lapse is a term used in English ecclesiastical law to denote the failure to exercise the right of presenting or collating a vacant ecclesiastical benefice within the lawful period. On such occasions, if the bishop be the patron, the right devolves or lapses to the archbishop, and if tlie archbishop omits to take advantage thereof, to the king. So also if any person, other than the bish- op, be patron, on his neglecting to present, the right lapses in the first place to the bishop, on the bishop's neglect to the archbishop, and from him to the king. The patron, the bishop, and the archbishop are several- ly and successively allowed the full period of six calen-
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