Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-03-13

x to oyerhear the debates; and she is seized with a
ng desire to harangue the assembly the welfare Of
State. The constitution of Athens at this time
A-democratic; its principle universal suffrage,
ufn The meetings Of the assembly held early in
morning The plan adopted was to steal their hus-
ds clothes before they awoke PIT CT ::.sS oears, re-
AZ to the PnyA and pass decree to transfer the Gov
lament to the women. To learn the art Of debate and
practice themselves III swearing manly instead Of fem
e oaths, they hold pyensnay caucus. The projected
p Fea is successfully executed They proceed to the
remb,y disguised in boomers and hurry the revolu-
mary decree through the preliminary stages to what
ey be called as third yeadmg. Meantime the husbands
gn to bestr themselves; and their wardrobes
with spare gnrrasnts they reduced
ious embarrassment. There is no help for it they
en u4cit wivest aHzussnts we'll as they can, oRcn
6ir doors, NJ and down a. street, ad
one after another come fortk Bls1sss ne hssbspd a.
Praxagora, first seen emerging in pair 81 woman's
boots and ashort yellow pettisoat Another citizen meets
him, and amusing Dialogue takes place between them
At length third citizen in from the assembly
and gives IN of the measures describing the
manner YwAch the popular orators who usually had the
of (people hustled out by the mob null
titudinotly white when they undertook to up an
opposith The law is proclaimed and the citizens obey
Praxag placed at the head of the order Of things
She is Allied upon by her constituents todae her p,sion
with It's difference that the call is made after and not
Jorehe election. She complies and proceeds to lay
down. PLATFORM the leading principles of which COM
munit Of goods community of women; the children to
be csiered and educated the children Of the State;
no MITE courts, more jns, and crimes the /
has justice to be converted into easng saloons for
the great social body and on, each supported by pre-
sel the arguments used by the Fourrertes
and Socialists our age not reform,
L~rl.
then The Lady President issues her edicts with much
rapiity and energy President of French Re-
pubic. The streets crowded with people, bring
ing pots kettles and all kinds of household stuff to the
stores One sturdy citizen only refuses to obey,
but Insists having his share in the grand banquet with
whichtbe reformation is to be inaugurated The play
closes Nth change Of scene exhibiting superb dining
room fifth long tables loaded with every luxury crowded
with H members of the regenerated society The feast
is desdbed by single word, filing ten dozen lines,
and chpounded rather agglutnated of the of
all theishe the table, represent phoogicaly,
what callei phlanhropcaly the solidarity of society
LECTURE SECOND.
Thdsecond Lecture opened with comparison between
the Gfek traedans and Shakespeare and some remarks
on tho cassic drama of France Then Arstophanes
compged with the modern writer's for the comic stage,
especially Molere who illustrates well the witty and hu-
comparison with the Athenan in breadth of view in yri
cal spirit public aims in infinite and unsating varie-
ty The Frenh comedy for the last twenty years, IN the
works Of the ist class of authors like Scribe in fneness
of exprss~on, kcenness Of Political anasion IN general
bearing upon social and circumstances, and Tie
characters of the contemporary world, Is excellent
partel the Athenian comic STAGE but in high poetic
qyfites even here the parallel ceases.
kThe character and fragments of Menander next
W. nf h;o ctv1a fha
kill with which, like his Theophrastus he caught
humors of society the pith of his sayings and the
leph of his observation made him universal favorite
|among his counrymen. These qualities illustrated
by several selections from the remaining fragments Of his
plays.
The lecturer next proceeded to describe the general
character Of the literature of the Aexandran age
tionng and chaacterzng the principal poets down to the
seventh century The state of Athens in literary point
Of view during this PERIOD also described The in
uence of the municipal institutions the schools Of phi
losophy the conflicts between christianity and paganism
and the popular tendencies of the former touched
upon The writings of the early fathers and the effects
Of the ritual Of the Greek church, alluded to.
The lecturer then proceeded to give general view Of
the state Of the Greek language and poetry during the
BYZANTINE period which lasted until the capture of Con-
santnope and the conquest Of Greece by the Turks in
the middle Of the fifteenth century The degradation Of
the stage in Byzantum and the attempts Of the ecclesa
tics to put il down. first by anathemas and secondly by
getting up dramatic entertainments sacred subjects in
the churches called Mysteries and Miracle plays-whch
IN all the countries of Europe precedc the modern drama
were treated at some length The hymns Of Synesius,
the Bishop Of Ptoemas at the end Of the fourth century
were noticed and transatons from them read 1t was
stated that they contain few passages Of vigorous imag
nation and are marked by much felicity Of expression
"a. l..44 IL. n
pous heart filed with love Of Cod and dephtinp in
endless ascrpons Of love sd glory and finally vanish
ing beyond all mortal comprehension into goldengow
ing mist Of Nee Patonc and upcrsubstantia
dentaism.
The lecturer next gave account Of the poctca works
of Paul the senary, official at the court Of the By
zanne emperor towards the end Of the sixth century
ransatons of two of his poems read George the
Pisdan poetcal chronicler in the seventh century
then characterized The effects Of the iconocastc fana
tcism and the violent feuds between the and
western churches described together with the de-
cay Of literature and the degeneracy of the language The
literary character Of the twelfth century exhibited in
the works Of Manassas Tretzes and Theodorus Ptocho
prodromus next discussed the writings Of the last
named criticized length and passages from
them read He chiefly remarkable for having writ
ten the first poem published in modern Greek This age
the age Of Anna Commena and the literary circle
bed in her palace the most brilliant society Of the twelfth
century-exhibted the extraordinary phenomenon that
the writers adopted either the ancient Greek language,