The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-02-28
From the South Carolipian. !
Ancient VS. Modern Wisdom.

Ancient VS. Modern Wisdom.
"seize. seize the helm, the reeling vessel
s. guide, < r.. - >.
With aiding patriots. stem the raging tide"
- When the public disorders at Athens
growing out of the oppression. Of the
poor by the rich, had become so great
rs to threaten sedition, The oracle of
Apollo was delivered. to Solon in the
language which heads this article. We
are told that " so greatly were the poor
indebted TO the rich that they were
obliged to pay them sixth part of the
produce Of the land, or else 10 engage
, their persons to their creditors, who
might seize them on failure Of payment.
Accordingly some made slaves OF them
and others sold them TO Foreigners
Nay, some parents were forced TO sell
their own children, We are also told
that some citizens who were seizable by
their creditors and had fed their coun-
try, wandered SO long in other lands,
g that they had forgot the attic !dia-
lectr'" their mother tongue. Il was at
that time that, In accordance with an.
Athenian custom, ;billets of wood were
fixed up at nearly every mans door, TO
show that his home and lands we're
mortgaged. As a remedy for these
evils, and to save the State from an.
arcby and bloodsbed, Solou, in obedi-
euce to the oracle Of Apollo, placed him.
self at the head of affairs, and introduc.
ed reforms in the laws aud in the ad.
ministrstion Of the Government. which
gave him the name of law-giver, and
entitled him, in the opinion Of his con.
temporaries, to rank among "the seven
wise men '" Of Greece. The-frst Of his
public acts was, that all debts should be
, forgiven. q. He is the author of. the ex>
preston discharge, which is now a
technical. word in the law. The cancel
ling Of debts was called by him q dis.
charge, as a debtor is now said 10 get q
'disshdyge under our insolvent or bank.
rnpt laws He caused the billets which
had been set up as mark of mortgage
lands to De removed he liberated those
who were held in bondage at home on
account Of ftheir debts, and recalled those
who were wanderers in foreign coun.
tries from the same cause. BY these
acts he gave great offence to creditors
at first, but afterwards. the people be.
, came sensible Of the utility and necessi-
~ Of his DEGREES, as cure for the disor.
ders Of the Stale offered a public sac
rifice to the gods, which they called
the sacrifice of the discharged" and
with one accord constituted him "law-
|. giVer and superintendent of the CONS
monwealth, making call magistrates,
assemblies, courts Of fjudicaturs and the
Senate,H subordinate to his authority
and power. '... =. - ,
= Fortunate Athenians J that the court
Of 4reopdgus- did not like our Court of
Errors has done with our laws, interfere
to prevent the laws Of Solon from being
carried INTO effect. Thrice happy. be:
. cause, II the latter had then existed
With its present wisdom in foil pigor, il
wonld have thwated the great law,giy.
er, II copstitutions bad mot been 10
!, the way prohibiting the enactment of
laws impairhg the obligations Of con.
'tfacts,S that court would have disinter-
red the precedents Of a still more re-
sifsote age, or discovered Ia ancient writ.
ere on ethics q Sufficient reason to set
aside his laws. The. amorality.n and
sanctity !" Of CONTRACTS, the duty ofey-
cry person TO pay bis debts, whether he
IS able or not. would have been -yindi
Gated. II may be. "a some have sup.
posed that solon derived -ha idea Of
"a discharge, Of absolvine debtorsfi om
the payment Of their dsbts, from The;
yewishs polity. . The trumpet Of the
Jubilee, when itso,,nded every ,fitisth
year, proclaimed ..slibertys throughout
: all the land.r IT, spnounced that OF,
that year" every man should return no.