New-York tribune., 1874-07-17
APAssAGE IN TIE ODYSSEY.

by PROF. LEWIS II. PACKARD OF YALE COLLEGE.
The passage referred TO is in the Tenth
book OF the Odyssey lines $780, Its obscurity has
dered Il the theme Of frequent comment and conjecture
1t probable that city is referred tO-Lamos-Do
person. but it may be either is City of Lamos
whion does the question Ifit be city, the
adjective applied describes it having high gates
or gates apart, distant from another;
mentatOrs making it the long-streeted city. On the
whole it that the data are insufficient 10 deter
mine the relative merits OF these views. The
further describes it as "A city where shepherd
coming I'm halls another, and he going forth answers;
there, a man who needed not sleep could have earned
double wages, by herdng cattle another by tend.
Krates, the grammarian of Perginos, In the second
century c. suggested that the whole account referred
to some region short nights. He Is quoted as saying
that they lived "abOut the head Of the Dragon"-that
named" of which," Krates continues, "Aratus says,
that head will move there where rlsings and settings
are closely Joined together This seems TO be the
earliest suggestion IN the right direction. Krates
ON 10 amply the phrase OF Aratus ~ the DHsry
country explaining that the OutgOngs OF day and
mint arc SO near each other the night must be very
short; aud so, man who could dispense with sleep
cond earn double the pay him who spend part
of every twenty-iour hours Ia sleeping
Among modern scholars NOcker supposes That the
Iasry CONAN city lay sunset the entrance to
Uadcs and on "a high mountain where sunrise would
como earlier and sunset later But this position OF the
city inconsistent with the subsequent story in the
Odyssey kasen has suggested that the day and night
spoken OF not periods OF time; that the western
home of DAY close 10y the Lestrygonlan land and
that the day II must he always hight This is
i'm direction. Mich discusses the
saae in simple thorough way, explaining the whole
as whole, regarding the shepherd coming at the enu OF
htliug me cOwhord going out at the begin
ming hs-that the cattle driven out earliest In the
morning the sheep coming home latest at night. Prof
Packard think there rs any evidence or THIS
practice IN Homer LIuef suggests tnat t1e pace ld-
far west that the day extended by the pro-
longatOu OF evening and that the notion OF the day
being prolonged at the west was natural One 1t
not occurring the Greeks of that that the hour OF
sunrise would be equally changed 20 as to make the
length OF the day the same. The myth o. the
return OF the sun in golden boat On the ocean
stream Is OF "a later date than Homer.
Prof Packard assumes that herdsmen and n0cks
usually spent the night the cities and the day
pasture. But If could dispense with sleep and
there was continual daylight or very short interval OF
darkness he could double wages by bringing IN al
ternatey the cattle aud the sheep paSurug one or the
translate 10 the homes OF TIE LGStrygOnIdns are
the paths OF day and night" Following the narrative,
we fnd next place 10 winch the adVentHrers
cone is the Kpan Island, home vi hrke, caugbter OF
Helos and not more than "a day 5 sail rOm Lbstiy-
gOua On tins island are the home aud dance rings OF
Eos the dawn, and the nsings oil Helos Less than a
day sail thence but the further side OF OceanOs, is
tue land OF the KimmerI where perpetual night pre-
ocean stream. The whole vicinity ls region of mafVes
on the confines OF the known world. There IN tue eX-
IRENE west aud sunrise not Tar apart as IN
ordinary experience. 1t Is not, however, impossible
Greek navigatOrs who had gone Tar enough
north in the Euxine outside the pllars OF
Hercules TO observe the shortening OF tnc nights
and the lengthening OF the days IN mgher Iatl-
agiaation aud take form which is suggested. lne
points in which this explanation differs from recent ones
are Q) The accounting FOR the mention OF bOth
sheep and cattle b. the general habit of having each
tiOn Of near as applying 10 L@suygoAia Instead of
near " another.