New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-21
CREEK RELIGION.
TIE STORY OLE PROMETHEUs.
III.

THE STORY OF PR0METHEUs.
BOsToN May 1.-THE Spring comes slowly
ND this way"-very slowly, In TINS region OF east
Withstand meantime, Mr. Weiss goes on in an lrresst-
ible manner converting to Paganism Jean Ingeiow
in Brothers and Sermon the most wonderful of her
poems wrote of a good man, "who would not 20 to
heaven alone" I am similarly reluctant to go back
alone to the Grecan glory the poetic heaven OF the OLD
Titanic days-so hear for my cause and let me DO
printed in THE TRIBUNE that you may hear.
In the story of Prometheus says Mr. Weiss the Greeks
gave their version of the development and reconcia
ton of humanity and divinity In almost all religions
we have at the beginning some rendition OF the conflict
between the Divine Personality and sense of absolute
Power and the passionate, striving individuality, the
free-wil Of man. We told that Brahm the supreme
divinity Of Central India occasion fell asleep
that is, fell off from his incessant watchfu
ness During this interim Of careessness the reoelous
and aggressive human mind undertook to absorb into It's
own substance the sacred books of Brahm. Themind
swallowed the booksfor swallowing was the symbolic
action to denote the assimilation OF one thing into an
others substance When Brahm, coming to himself, saw
that the human mind had undertaken to monopoize oil
reason and order he projected the first Incarnation OF
Vishnu to repair the accident Yishnu exists in the
nature of the allpervading Brahm, as his creative
agencya second Person. Identical yet separable into
an attribute The human mind gorged with the fulness
of its meal sinks for safety and convenience OF dges
ton to the bottom of the allgermnatng ocean Thther
divine supremacy, but at the expense OF the human
mind The fish swallows it.; and thus, according to the
Indian philosophy, the individuality OF mankind Is aD-
sorbed into the infinite, and Brahm Is all IN all IL was
the myth of religion most natural to people not yet
capable Of being individuals. The Hindu mythoogy
could devise nober way OF getting rd OF eV IMAM ny
swaowingthe man.
In Genesis we have the attempt Of the early Hebrew in
teect to deal with the question The race is rep
resented as born in state Of innocence without knowl-
edge civilization. forethough or afterthought but sim
ply characteress and void enough that God walks
with il and assumes the whole responsibility lie for-
bids the use of fruit which would endow man with free
will and lead him to the assertion OF Individuality and
consciousness that things good and others evil
God would preserve him innocent and useless But Win
some instinct Of the freewi atentin him, man swallows
the forbidden fruit whose seeds plant civilization ana
the arts The Divine Mind therefore curses the labor
and the culture which it foresees will flow from mans
free act but adds the promise Of Deliverer to
The Greek myth, growing also out of this same early
notion of struggle between Gods absoutsn and mans
individuality, is more heroic. Before the Greek nina
had learned in Zeus the ordainer and protector
and while as yet they believed him only powerful
tyrant they found four tans stalwart children Of ee
menary nature ready to help them. These were Atlas
1lind endurance), MenOctus (ungOvernabe impuse),
Prometheus fOrethOught), and Epimetheus tafter-
thought These four quite ready to assist man
kind in their struggle For the primitive idea
Of life in the Greek mind was always
struggle against opposing forces. Their art SYM
bOlized it by clothing Minerva in complete piano.
ply, and giving her a shield Hercules can only be
trained 70 immortality by undergoing great hardships
There is risk in Staying the GOrgon and the Mnotaur-
a hero must release Andromeda-JasOn must plow with
rebreathing bulls Even Ulysses has himself dashed to
his mast an early Farragut to the batteries of those
confederate SO there was plenty Of work for the
friendly T1tans.
For NIGHT Oes Greek philosophy
until it necessary to prepare the earth for the
reception Of mankind. Then 1t is the first weinten-
toned Titan who becomes Of great service to Zeus In re-
ducDg the other elementary powers so that some kind
Of order might be established and Zeus himself seems
poweress while Prometheus about With the help of
this benehoen Titan, the higher powers acquire just
enough ascendency to lead them to consideration of
the division of the provinces Of Nature among them
selves Then the beginning of the Olympic series
OF gods But presently Prometheus perceives that the
gods determined to get than their just share OF
authority. Man at first desires only TO he permitted
i've protect himself against unsettled Nature and
TO develop the powers which begin TO agtate his breast
Zeus insists upon initiating the rite OF sacrifice as sym
Dol Of mans allegiance and dependence Pr0metheus
undertakes to offer up the first sacrifice in behalf
OF man but ne I'd does 1t o IN manner which
by withdrawing the use Of fire, which Forethought
and the arts Promotions steals the sacred flame from
the of light, and conveys It to the earth in the
dried pith of the fennel reed The gift cannot BIO re-
called but Zeus interests all the celestial elements in his
project of making being that can live continuously
with man. and his fancy just enough to deceive
and betray him. A human form is built Of moistened
clay; and after Minerva has made its hands adrot and
put shifty talent into it, and Venus has clothed IT with
penetrating charms 1t wakes to life in the semblance Of
womanhood; the gods cal! her Pandora, because each
Pause for a moment, While the gods are looking at
their " maiden fair 10 see" to notice how universally
temptation and misfortune to the Oriental mind in
the guse OF wOman 1t not alone the Indian Prince
OF the Old tale who asked whenever any misfortune was
epoch busy asking the question In Genesis
the woman is first tempted and becomes the tempter.
throws mud at her and il the great men OF the age
could be cynical what must have been the merTimcnt
on the little meni IL the age when brute force ruled,
and scOm Of what physically weak was the natural
growth circumstances.
But the gods knew what they were about. They
watched for moment when FOrethOught gone from
home, leaving only his brother AterhOught Epmeheus
IN charge Of affairs having previously most earnestly
cautioned him against receiving any gift from the gods
But alas IL PrOnetheus be absent mans VIII il
not entirely ree and IN the moments when Afterthough
does things which meet only for repentance the spite
Nature creeps into the house. and the gods wait
their opportunities. With Pandora smiling at tho door
Epimetheus is perfectly fascinated and be he does
keep her long outside Now there had stood in the
house for long time great chest OF baked clay with
which PrOmetheus had sOlenny warned his brother 10
let no medd for in il he had packed various evils
which by dint OF care he had hitherto succeeded in keep
ing eOnfined-pan, sickness, travail, age, discomfort
battle and anger, contempt and death. But Pandora |
had been gifted with much curiosity by Mercury, the
deity that plots, devlses ana Keeps dark prince OF
She lifted the fatal lid, and the whole |
swarm of cares settled upon poor Afterthough who
stricken al the suit of prying and full Of
dread of the first approach OF PrOmetheus Pandora caps
TO the lid ia time TO keep Hope secretly treasured Not
yet in spite OF all the evils thus brought by woman
upon mankind, does PrOmothcus find Zeus appeased The
king OF gods and men is still determined To punish the
agnanmous Titan for the robbery OF the hre Since
with IRE III their possession the children OF men can con
tIIYe many comfort WbCIeNIt " protect themselves