New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-06-15
XANTIPPE.
Historic Justice to n Shamefully Abused
Woman.

| woman
From the Fa. Contributors Saturday Night
] Who can tell at this late day what annoy
| ances. irritations and insuttera BILE vexationl
resulted in rendering AantlPPe tAe scolt
she vast She might have been, and m
| doubtedly was, an amiable young woman
| when Socrates cOurted her. As good hu
! NOR implies sort of easy indifference te
| the cares of life, she must indeed have pos
| sessed good natured attributes or she
| would have inquired and found out how
poorly calculated philosophy is to support
! a family on. She probably knew very little
| of Socrates, except through reputation,
| when he asked for and obtained her hand.
She saw his name mentioned very freq uent-
~ in the papers as the great philosopher.
She had often heard him quoted as author
lty N philosophical matters; had known
half of Athens to flock together ter the
purpose of hearing him CAB, and bad, per
haps. gaped through one or two OF his lec-
lures herself.
Her vanity was naturally gratited at be-
coming the wife Of g the greatest philoso-
pher in the world ~ as the lecture asso-
Citations were accustomed to bill him. Per
haps in her girlish ignorance and romance
she thought he possessed the philosopher
stone che had read about, which transmutes
every thing it touches into gold ; or she
might have pictured him as some time fill-
ing the presidential chair. other well-known
philosophers having aspired to that exalted
station.
What waking up it must have been
when she discovered the sort Of man the
greatest living philosopher really was, and
what an improbable business he pursued
As a classic though eIDinentiy practical
Greek who shOveled on the canal remarked,
it was AL talk and NO cider, badad.' 1t
might have been most excellent philosophy
that he gave the people, winning much ap-
plause, but it rarely won bread.
Ii, overcoming his native repugnance to
any action that would appear mercenary,
he allowed his hat to be passed around afr
ter one of his philosophical bursts in the
market place. some one invariably ran OF
with the stamps, beside stealing his hat.
He lectured Young Mems Christian Asso-
Citations for nothing, finding himself (hun-
CRY and out OF pocket, and travelled around
the country on foot and at his own expense,
organizing schools in philosophy, thereby
seriously imparing his entire philosophical
apparatus.
Xantippe found that philosophers were
generally out OF money when rent was due,
and were only prepared to respond to de-
mands from butchers and bakers with sage
and philosophical disquisitions-clean
clothes they we're sublimely indifferent to,
and they were never regular to their meals,
No use to get up good dinner for Socrates,
as no one could tell when he would be home
to eat. He washed very rarely and let his
hair grow long, greatly to the disgust of
Nantippe, who was the soul of neatness
herself Wrapped up in philosophy, he
on the streets 50 often in his stocking feet
That the boys dubbed him "Old SOc."
He would come home at late hour of
the night, bringing a lot Of brother phiiO-
sOphers with him, and want Xantippe to
get up and cook hot supper for them.
Being spirited woman, she would tell him
to feed them on some Of lis philosophy, and
let them digest that. What wonder that
became cross and peevish! Such
things would sour tine sweetest disposition
IN the world. Had she lived in our day
she might have found an outlet for her
llhumor-as numerous testy and petulant |
females now doom the rOstrum: but wO-
mems rights were unknown in Xantippe's
time. so that she vented all her spleen upon |
her husband. She would have applied for |
a divorce, but, alas for her, chicago was
not then discovered She began to make it
very warm for him whenever he came |
home, and scolded. fretted and fumed both
day and night. She declared if she was to
marry again, and was obliged to choose be-
tween natural philosopher and natural |
fool. she would 60 for the fool, sure!
1t is not recorded, we believe, who made |
The nen!ock tea which Socrates was obliged |
20 drink, as a punishment for setting shift
ess example before tho Athenian youth |
they had rather hear Socrates talk than
saw wood; but we suspect it was Xantippe
lerselt. and can imagine the cheerful alac- !
'lty with which she did il. The sublime !
philosophy which sustained him as he took |
lis dose was doubtless equaled by the !
esignation with which Xantippe saw him
lepayt |