well-field system Communal land organization supposedly in effect early in the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 bc). It is mentioned in the writings of Mencius, who advocated it. In the well-field system, one unit of land was divided among eight peasant families. A shared field was surrounded by eight fields, each worked by an individual family. The field in the cen¬ tre was worked jointly by the families for their lord. Later reformers referred to the concept to justify their land-redistribution systems or to criticize government land practices.
well-made play French piece bien faite Play constructed accord¬ ing to strict technical principles that produce neatness of plot and theat¬ rical effectiveness. The form was developed c. 1825 by Eugene Scribe and became dominant on 19th-century European and U.S. stages. It called for complex, artificial plotting, a buildup of suspense, a climactic scene in which all problems are resolved, and a happy ending. Scribe’s hundreds of successful plays were imitated all over Europe; other practitioners of the form included playwrights Victorien Sardou, Georges Feydeau, and Arthur Wing Pinero, who brought the form to the level of art with The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (1893).
Weller, Thomas H(uckle) (b. June 15, 1915, Ann Arbor, Mich., U.S.) U.S. physician and virologist. He studied at Harvard Medical School. For culturing poliomyelitis virus, which led to the development of polio vac¬ cines, he shared a 1954 Nobel Prize with John Enders (1879-1985) and Frederick Robbins (b. 1916). He was the first (with Franklin Neva) to culture rubella virus and to isolate chickenpox virus from human cell cul¬ tures. He served as director of Harvard University’s Center for the Pre¬ vention of Infectious Diseases (1966-81).
Welles Vwelz\, Gideon (b. July 1, 1802, Glastonbury, Conn., U.S.—d. Feb. 11, 1878, Hartford, Conn.) U.S. politician. Cofounder and editor the Hartford Times (1826-36), he founded one of the first Republican Party newspapers in New England, the Hartford Evening Press (1856). In 1861 he was appointed secretary of the navy by Pres. Abraham Lincoln, and in the American Civil War he built a large Union navy from a few ships, supported development of the ironclads, and helped form the strategic naval blockade. His Diary of Gideon Welles (published 1911) contains valuable insights into the Civil War.
Welles, (George) Orson (b. May 6, 1915, Kenosha, Wis., U.S.—d. Oct. 10, 1985, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. film director, actor, and producer. He began acting on stage at 16 and made his Broadway debut in 1934. He directed an all-African American cast in Macbeth for the Federal The¬ atre Project. In 1937 he and John Houseman formed the Mercury Theatre, creating a series of radio dramas, attempting to mount Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock in the face of determined opposition, and winning notoriety with their panic-producing broadcast of War of the Worlds (1938). Welles then moved to Hollywood, where he cowrote, directed, produced, and acted in the classic Citizen Kane (1941), noted for its inno¬ vative narrative technique and atmospheric cinematography and consid¬ ered among the most influential movies in film history. His other films include The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Stranger (1946), The Lady from Shanghai (1948), Touch of Evil (1958), and Chimes at Mid¬ night (1966). His problems with Hollywood studios curtailed future pro¬ ductions, and he moved to Europe. He was also notable as an actor in Jane Eyre (1944), The Third Man (1949), and Compulsion (1959).
Wellesley (of Norragh), Richard Colley Wellesley, Mar¬ quess (b. June 20, 1760, Dangan, County Meath, Ire.—d. Sept. 26, 1842, London, Eng.) British statesman. He inherited his father’s Irish title as earl of Momington and sat in the Irish House of Lords from 1781. He served in the British House of Commons (1784-97). As governor of Madras and governor general of Bengal (1797-1805), he used military force and annexation to greatly enlarge the British Empire in India, but he was recalled by the East India Co. for his vast expenditures. In 1809 he went to Spain to make diplomatic preparations for the Peninsular War; he served as foreign secretary (1809-12). As lord lieutenant of Ireland (1821-28, 1833-34) he tried to reconcile Protestants and Catholics. Despite his own achievements, he became increasingly jealous of his younger brother, the duke of Wellington.
Wellesley College Private women’s college in Wellesley, Mass., char¬ tered in 1870. Long one of the most eminent women’s colleges in the U.S., it was the first to provide scientific laboratories. It grants bachelor’s degrees in humanities, including Chinese, Japanese, and Russian lan¬ guages; in social science, including African studies, religion, and eco¬ nomics; and in science and mathematics, including computer science. Among its facilities are an advanced science centre and an observatory.
Wellington City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 165,945), port, and capital of New Zealand. It is located at the southern shore of the North Island, on Port Nicholson. Founded in 1840, it became a municipality in 1853. In 1865 the capital was transferred there from Auckland. It is the financial, com¬ mercial, and transportation centre of New Zealand. Wellington produces transportation equipment, machinery, metal products, textiles, and printed materials. It is the site of the major government buildings and the head¬ quarters of many cultural, scientific, and agricultural organizations.
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of (b. May 1, 1769, Dublin, Ire.—d. Sept. 14, 1852, Walmer Castle, Kent, Eng.) British gen¬ eral. Son of the Irish earl of Mornington, he entered the army in 1787 and served in the Irish Parliament (1790-97). Sent to India in 1796, he com¬ manded troops to victories in the Maratha War (1803). Back in England, he served in the British House of Commons and as chief secretary in Ire¬ land (1807-09). Commanding British troops in the Peninsular War, he won battles against the French in Portugal and Spain and invaded France to win the war in 1814, for which he was promoted to field marshal and
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Wellman ► Wen Zhengming I 2045
created a duke. After Napoleon renewed the war against the European powers, the “Iron Duke” commanded the Allied armies to victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815). Richly rewarded by English and foreign sov¬ ereigns, he became one of the most honoured men in Europe. After com¬ manding the army of occupation in France (1815-18) and serving in the Tory cabinet as master general of ordnance (1818-27), he served as prime minister (1828-30), but he was forced to resign after opposing any par¬ liamentary reform. He was honoured on his death by a monumental funeral and burial in St. Paul’s Cathedral alongside Horatio Nelson.
Wellman, William (Augustus) (b. Feb. 29, 1896, Brookline, Mass, U.S.—d. Dec. 9, 1975, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. film director. He was a flying ace in World War I and later a barnstorming stunt pilot. He acted in Knickerbocker Buckeroo (1919) with Douglas Fairbanks before turning to directing. Known as “Wild Bill,” he made the aerial dogfight classic Wings (1929, Academy Award), setting standards for documentary real¬ ism, and he launched a gangster movie trend with Public Enemy (1931), starring James Cagney. The Ox-Bow Incident (1942), considered one of his best films, examined frontier justice in the American West. In Track of the Cat (1954), Wellman experimented with the minimal use of colour. His other films include A Star Is Born (1937), Nothing Sacred (1937), Beau Geste (1939), The Story of GI Joe (1945), and The High and the Mighty