Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-01-05
Socrates in the midst Of the Athe.
nian Crowd.

nian Crowd.
; All other teachers, both before and alter
ward, ''either took money for their lessons,
or at least gave them apart from the multi.
tude in priyate house to special pupils,
with admission or reflections at their own
pleasure" The .Academus grove Of Plato,
the Garden Of Epicurus, the Porch or Clois-
ter OF Zeno, the Lyceum or Sanctuary, with
the Peripaletic shades of Aristotle, all indi-
cate the prevailing practice. The philoso-
ply Of Socrates alone was in every sense
the philosophy of the market place. Very
rarely he might be found under the shade
of the palm tree, or the caverned rocks of
the lllissus, enjoying the grassy slope ofits
hanks, and the little pools Of water that col.
ect in the corners of its torrent bed, and
the white and purple flowers of its agnuss;
castus shrubs. But, ordinarily, whether in
the city, or in the dusty road between the
Long Walls, or IN the busy mart of Piraus,
his place was among men, and with man,
in every vocation of life, living not for him
self, but for them, rejecting all pay, con:
tented in poverty. Whatever could be ad,
ded to the singularity of this spectacle, was
added by the singularity of its outward ap-
pearance, What that appearance was has
been already indicated. Amid the gay life,
the beautiful forms, the brilliant colors of
an AthenaE multitude and an Athenian
street, the repulsive features, the unwieldy
6gure, the naked feet, the rough, thread
bare attire of the philosopher must, have
excited every sentiment of astopIshment
and ridicule which strong contrast can pro.
duce. And if to this we add the occasion-
al trance, the eye fixed on vacancy, the to:
tai abstraction from outward things-or, a,
gain the momentary outbursts of violent
temper--or, lastly (what we are told at
times actually took place. the sudden ir-
ruptions of his wife Xanthippe to carry off
her eccentric husband to his forsaken home
we shall not wonder at the universal ce-
lebrity which he acquired, even irrespect-
lively of his great powers or Of his. peculiar
objects. Every one knows the, attention
which an unusual diction, or even an unu.
sual dress. secures Cor teacher so soon as
he has once secured hearing. A Quaker
at court, or Latter-daY prophet speaking
in the language of Mr.. Carlyle, has. other
things considered, better chance Of being
listened to than man in ordinary costume
and Of ordinary address. And such, in, an
eminent degree, was Socrates.i IT was $50
his disciples described it) as if one of the
marble satyrs, which sat in grotesque atti-
tudes, with pipe or flute in the sculptors'
shops at Athens, had left his seat of stone;
and walked into the plane-tree avenue of
the gymnastic colonade. Gradually the
crowd gathered round kim., At fist he
spoke of the tanners, and the smiths, and
The drovers, who were plying their trades
about him and they shouted with laughter
as he poured forth his homely jokes; But
soon the magic charm of his. voice made
itself felt The peculiar sweetness of its
tone had an effect which even the thunder
Of Pericles fallen to produce. The laughter
ceased; The crowd thickened !; the gay
youth, whom nothing else could tame, stood
and awe.struck. in his presence;
here was solemn thrill in his words, such
Is his hearers could compare to, nothing but
ss he u df9m aSa ssapsSNSHa IL Worship
,f the great mother of the gods; the head
swan the heart leaped at the sound Tears
rushed from the eyes; and they felt that
unless they tore themselves away from that
fascinated circle, they should sit down at his
feet and grow old in listening to the marvel
ous music of this second Marsyas.
But the excitement occasioned by his APP
was increased ten-fold, by the purr
pose which he had set before him. when to
use the expressive comparison of his pupils,
he cast away his rough satyr's skin, and
disclosed the divine image which that rude
exterior had covered. The object to which
he thus devoted himself was to convince
men of all classes but especially the most
distinguished, that they had the "concelt OF
without the reality.'-euartsr'
y ReUiew.