"Walker, "William (2), a Baptist minister, was born in Dighton, jMass., Sept. 19, 1817. When a young man he resided in New Bedford, where he learned the trade of a shipwright. While thus engaged, he became a hopeful Christian, and his attention was soon turned to the Christian ministry. He was prepared for college at the Academy in Middleborough, and was a graduate of Brown University in the class of 1843. He pursued theological studies at the Newton Institution for six months, and then went to the West, where he found everywhere an open field for ministerial labor. For a year and a half he preached at Dixon, 111. While at- tending a meeting of a Baptist association at Peoria, 111., he was attacked by a fatal disease, and lived only nine days, dying Oct. 2G, 184G. See the Walker Memo- rial, p. in. "(J. C. S.)
"W"alker, "William H., a preacher of the United IMetliodist Free Church, was born at Liverpool, !May 21, 1810. His pious parents gave him a good education, and as a boy lie joined a Methodist class meeting. In 1835 he separated from the Wesleyans and joined the Asso- ciation. After careful preparation, he entered the min- istry in 1840, and began a mission at Hamburg, where he labored for seven years, both Jlnglish and Americans joining his Church. He returned to England in 1847. In 1856 his health gave way, and for twenty-one years he acted as chaplain to the Salford Cemetery. He served his generation faithfully, and died of aj)oplexy, Aug. 25, 1878. See Minutes of the 22,d A nnual A s- sembly.
"WalkinshaTW, Hir.ii, a minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, was born in the (Jounty of An- trim. Ireland. June 15, 1803. He removed with his fa- ther's family, in 1819, to Belmont County, 0., and was
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afterwards educated in Franklin Collesf, where he grad- uated in 1827. He studied theolooy under Dr. Black, of Pittsburgh, and Ur. Wylie, of I'hiladelpliia. He was licensed to preach in l!So2, and in the spring of 1S35 was settled as pastor of the congregations of Brookland, North Washington, Union, Pine Creek, etc., Pa. In 18-11 the charge was divided, and he remained as pastor at Brookland and North Washington, where he contin- ued to labor until his death, which occurred April 19, 1843. See Sprague, Annals of the Amtr. Pulpit, ix, 83 sq.
Walkyries (Anglo-Saxon, Vdlcyrigear, from val, the battle-tield, and Icjora, to choose), in Norse mythol- ogy, are two iicautiful young maidens in the service of Odin, as his cup-bearers, called llrist and Mist — the for- mer name signifying a black cloud, the latter a watery, floating vapor. In general, they are imagined as hover- ing over battles, or even participating in the conflict, marking with the point of the lance the heroes who shall fall, and whom they shall conduct to Walhalla. They somewhat resemble the Hours or Destinies, but never attain that lofty and unapproachable dignity which characterizes those deities. The Walkyries, though superhuman, are not guddesses. Thej' fall in love with men, and then confer their favors in battle as they are prompted by their own passions. For this Odin expels them from Walhalla, dooms them to mar- riage, or drives them into a trance, where they lie sleep- ing until the warrior comes who understands how to break the spell. — VoUmer, Worterb. d. Mythol. s. v.
"Wall (prop, "i'^p, as a defence, or ITOin, as a har- rier; sometimes "ilttS perhaps from its rocky character; also various forms from the root "''^^, to enclose ; occa- sionally 5'^n, from its stremith ; V'l'n, from its exterior position; V^~n, from being diir/,etc.; Gr. reT^oc). The walls of ancient cities and of houses were generally built of earth, or of bricks of clay mixed with reeds or straw and hardened in the sun. When any breach took place in such a mass of earth, either by heavy rains or by some defect in the foimdation, the conse- quences were serious ((ien. xlix, 6; Psa. Ixii, 3; Lsa. XXX, 13). It is not surprising that walls which were often made in such a rude and perishable manner could be easih' destroyed by tire (Amos i, 7, 10, 14). The ex- tensive mounds on the plains of Mesopotamia and As- syria, marking the sites of ancient cities, show that the walls were principally constructed of earth or clay. The thickness of the wall surrounding the palace of Khorsabad is fixed by B<itta at 48 feet 9 inches; a very close approximatiiin to the width i)f the wall of Nine- veh, upon which three chariots could be driven abreast. The wall of Babylon was 87 feet broad, and six chariots could be driven together upon it. Not imfreqnently stone walls, with towers and a fosse, surrounded forti- fied cities (lsa. ii, 15 ; ix, 10 , xxvi, 1 ; Neh. iv, 3 ; Zeph. i, 16), See Fortification.
Houses abutting on the city wall frequently had windows which communicated with the exterior (Josh, ii, lo; 1 Sam. xix, 1'2; Acts ix, 24, 25; 2 Cor. xi, 33: see Hackett, Illiist. of Script, p. (57 sq.). See Window.
In Scripture language a wall is the symliol of resist- ance or separation. See Fknce. The Lord tells the prophet Jeremiah (i, 18; xv, 20) that he will make him as a wall of brass, to withstand the house of Israel. Paul says (Eph. ii, 14) that Christ, by his death, broke down the partition-wall that separated us from God, or rather the wall that separated Jew and (ientile; so that these two people, when converted, may make but one. See PAitniiON.