, 1874-03-15
ASPASlA AND pERlCLEs.
Further Responses to The Lecture Of
the Rev. lIr. Bartlett.
Tindfcations of the Character OF the Two
u1ustrious Greeks.
The mornl Character OF AspasIa.

The moral Character OF 4spasfa.
40 the Editor Of Tbs Chicago Tribune:
S1n: Yes, by all means let us be careful t
cal al things, "women Included by thei
right names ; and that il just Why tha Rev. Alr
Bartlett waa properly Is taken to task" for call
ing Asphsia courtesan~
We do not-at least jndicious people do not
thing 1t wise to call man who has beon guilty
OF defalcation thief; nor do We call thief
burglar In those matters most peop1o do cal
things by their right names.
Aspasla was not the wife Of Pericles undo,
Athenlan law, but she would have baen his wife
under the laws Of Illinois since our courts
have recently decided, that man and woman
who had lived together in the relation Of hus.
band and wife, neither party denying or al
tempting to conceal the relationship, were
legally married, and their childron legitimate,
although no ceremony had been performed.
ANY public announcement, Of nlan and woman
of suitable ago and free from other obligations,
that they uish to and do assume tbs relations ot
husband and wife to each other, constitutes a
legal marriage with us.
That Peric1es himself regarded Aspasia as
! really his wife scens certain when wc remember
that, although legally divorced from his first
wife, to whom he had been legally married, no
took no othor than Aspasia as her SUCCESSOR.
But Plutarch says Aspasia's busineas "waa
neither decent nor honorable" Plutarch is
| undoubtedly good authority upon ancient his
tory !" but the writer las had huge distrust Of
his interpretations OF the facts Of history where
women were concerned, Binco learning that, in
his prccepts to wives, warming them.
as is supposed. against the Christian 1aith,
then just beginning to offer its sublime conHola-
! tions to women, he says: IA wife should have
10 friends but thoee Of her husband, and, aa tie
| gods are the best of friends, sho should adore
no gods except those her husband adores" Add
ing still further, that ''no god can take pleas-
ura IN prayers offered by . woman without the
knowledge OF her husband"
Grote, who is good authority upon Grecian
history, says both plntarch and Atleunus men-
ton the story Ut Aspasla's dIshonorabe busi-
ness but he fatia to find any better
| which one OF them gives, VIZ. 4 passage
| in one OF the comedies Vt Aristophanes, about
| tho reading Of which passage there is some dis
pute, and which At best would be doubtful ayi-
| deuce.
Both Plutarch and Athennus wrote some
centuries}after tho tims of Pericles- Compiling
| from such manuscripts and traditions rs they
found, and putting upou facts their OWN inter
! pretations. Athnngus is described as writer uf
low moral:tono, fond Of gossip and scandal y;
and It is probable thai, in some instances, both
made precisely such blunders as we would OK
pect from a writer .who, 200 Joars from low,
in writing history OF tho Chicago pulpit OF the
an1t ~ ,.or1- ant;.Ied =. WnIks none ~
Gt..,-i 49, .,h9ioIaS aa.sasx.s1 a,as a su1
should copy calumnious ipnuendo, instead of
rasai1u, ~ LIZ 1ssss Guu
Us 49, 49, ~. ~ Aste
common sense to its reco,ds..
Aspssia's foreign birth and rare mental
powers made 1t but natural that other women Of
foreign birth, captiTes in war, or otherwise
tl;ns ~ aAsn5 sIGa4o aeoA uei euu susa ply
sue.loa ~ 10 ~! IT, Hhu Ap11 ne, e1u
stIa,;an ha,,.aboia'rnan INV - - ~
asnons1a ls @ s o;t ah Nv - nov
psonaus ~ ans S.'' ~ sno a3 a11 - nSaeEs,
~ NY ntase " docloly, eael9 "oulo 10 nauy
nousenoaus IL Mten WIZ nos ne'o e1 psranehay
= - 49, ~ uan5 5l5 ao,,s,a a1.
caslonai e1Isencaes "oulu oemaiu' sucn ue.
M mana "9uIa most naturally naa M ms s'ipply % At
.uo aaua ~ ,;t;son ~ ,a@a -
wives 1o1 atueil1an ca1'zens. Auo WIZ: nole
prooepls tuan Inat .ne ~ "psnen ~ aspasm e.
'ts tapIls'iens meta ~. ~ uoa a. uoMe4
sase, " ~ o1uo1 laoot ~
no4o1ng nessen iegauy iesponsto1e , tos nen; r.
taiAhe ueI Goo1toi ose1 sugu ~ n4ases, &aui u
Tea aesetpis uvm .uen, unu eonio
uo:s - nos su5 .e1y esa.Gu'ent ~ saat 1ue hn4s "ete
net estaolisnmenL ~ ssaee u society III
WHICH .ao oecauoAu1' " ".so1 aAa no'nuo 1, Ma9
80 asnor stas W oman no ~ sscirdad ;s ~
esltao.o t5n9enc5 - "uUTn ~ spGnus4 - ~
grow 1eeoe IN mina anu noay' 20 la1l . OF the1r
topea pIto aether ~ -. .uy a1o
.aG su1s sra,.ab ~ lao-. ~ ~ 80 io1.as
" pecue, no .1"s ~ n,.
1uano' hat, 49, 0s71'1s' 7ooaee VI ''.'4
- oo t,,at sc ~. +;noa ~ p.,;,,os
~ -eag,sn ~ Atha,o rg,o wnra ;1a1;o;h,a ~
legitimate a1raSe WIN tc tree Ashe1ian 1ln citizens
r1 .ia. 10y n'sh.1 s,,s
"noan ,;t "4sss ,.iea e. 49, 5e;nd - ~.
-rotant;a ~ hrah.nd fathsr hrother ~ -. ~