New-York tribune., 1874-03-16
GREECE AT ITS ZENITH.
ALECTuRE BY CANON KINGSLEY.


Dom OF THE GREEKS IMPRESSED UPON THEIR
| INTELLECTUAL PREDICTIONS.
FRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBuSE.l
| POUGHKEEPSrE, March 13.-1he lecture OF
! the Rev Charles Kingsley the Zenith OF Greclan
Culture" delivered last night at Vassar College
before very large audience comprising beside the Fac
ulty and students Of the College number oi inVlteu
| guests.
Let me take you said the lecturer, 1880 years
back to look with me upon people excelng all others
In physical grace az well intellectual power charac-
by for heroic deeds its love TOT the
native land both expressed in their dignity ana grace
funess their selfrespec and noble thoughts people
remain ilustrous apart from all Others TOT the
| work OF such times and such men is eternal
The modern drama. such we know IT, In sensational
plays and combinations OF low intrigues, not worthy
OF respect therefore, prefer to say to You something
| about a time when IT both respectable ana ele-
waiting. | shall take you 10 the Athenian lheater,
erected the southeastern slope OF the Acropos, law
| ishy decorated with masterpieces OF Grecian art,
statues by hand Of Phdlas, cleaning white and pure
agnnst the blue sky. with the glorious Minerva tower
ing above them beneath the vast dusty plain studded
with olive groves beyond blue with Salamis OF
| immortal renOwn. This theator was altogether I'M
covered; in Summer an immense awning
was stretched over the $4,000 spectators,
all wearing garand their heads, sometimes protects
ing themselves from the ardent sunshine by broad
brmed straghats taking refuge from hidden storms In
the ample porco and at all times gathering together
with the purpose OF feeding from sunrise to sunset
upon the glories OF the stage On tho upper ana re-
mote seats OF the amphitheatre sat the slaves beneath
the free citizens the lower OF seats the more
distinguished Athenians" the fair and good men OF
! the state together with foreign ambassadors, and
! foreign visitors Of eminence.
But what an audience this what gathering OF cui
tivated apprecatye minds in this crowd from cooDIes
and mechanics the ustrOus groups, graced by the
presence allie keeling PerIcles, an alacoompsheu
Asparia, an allwlse Anaxagoras and behind these'
| on the back seats. pugnosed boy, some two years
old looking on the bright scene below. Of whom the
pythian oracle has predicted that he should be at
once philosopher hero, patriot, martyr; anu ueS-
tined 10 fulfil the prediction, for his name is socrates
That beater was built with the purpose Of showing TO
men the beauty whatever Is Great and Good rather
than the ugness OF EVIL. True, heiFuries were miro
duced on ,bcattng occasions Tracking the evldoei'
driving him TO his fatal retrbution but chiefly Justice
mercy herosIn in men and women. The spectator was
not dragged below raised above by the speclace
This is especially true OF the theater IN the DAYS o
EschyIus before Euripdes impaired novel charae'eS
tics TO the drama; central object was mportoo 10 IL
not existing with us, with the elder Romans nut
| concerning tho deepest relation Of to the unseen
Tho space extending the stage and the seats
remained void on the platform rose the altar OF Bac
chus which crcled the chorus, chanting yrcs such Ss
we're never sung before except IN he pdihy uaFs vi
Jerusalem That chorus represented what schlege calls
rho ideal spcctator Incorporated by the author in the
| drama AZ spokesman OF the entire human race com
mssioued to give the emotions of the crowd for
what we now call public opinion the very spirit OF
the Greek race The chorus was sometimes composed OF
elder men as in the Agamemnon OF Eschylus; OF sena
TORS as 10 Autgone OF Euripides, those greatest
poems ever written until Dante or of birds frogs
or clouds to-w the caprice Of Aristophanes anon as
truly comic as sancbo QliXoe, but always, always
| embodying public opinion.
1--WE shalt now let the poets speak little while Tor
themselves" continued the lecturer, and he read rag
ments from OF the most ustrious one from the
Chorus OF Agamemnon, In the spirited translation OF
Prof Backe, evoking grand picture OF the lmpacaole
| Eumendcs, in the dread exercise or their aVenging
| mission adding: "YoI who love your country as the
Athenians loved theirs must feel the power OF these
| mighty strains" lie next gave a specimen from
that genter Sophocies, the Colonnas where
| he leads his O3dipus to the welcome awaiting HIM
his native olive groves. Again @chorus OF village
elders will blessings TO the gods for the favors
showered upon their country 10 Neptune for his 1ngy
Gifts Of the horse or OF the ships which made these
Greeks like the famed Morse vikings monarchs OF the
restless waves. What a combination ot beauties in
these uerances when It is borne In mind that each OF
these old men a soldier sailor, patriot, and
n cultivated gentleman, II ever there were one in this
world Of ours. I must name one drama at least
acted in the year AO. b. C., beioIe TINS
| Atheuian audience II l. one You know wei,
the AutizOne which In times Mendelssohn has again
set TO music, though probably very different music
from the original These Athenlans were so exact
ing OF their poets eager for novelty that there was
cry for a new drama every festival ana general dis
pleasure when the same play happened to be acted
| second time Tragedy and comedy were to these men
the spell calling forth the highest the greatest emo
tions. How much have we lost Ia the appreciation oi
their drama byuntng not only the music but even the
meter Of those strains one thing AZ least can
conceive from the oratoros and operas OF our times
| the supreme power OF the Greek drama uniting these
two grand elements for rousinG emotions OF the no0est
! knd--the truly divine and the truly human. The
heroes Of their tragedy dear 10 the Greeks not
only they had been the founders on one naon
but because they like themsclveT only WIN
mghtier sorrows, IDigher talents, migher gores' or
! even mghiler crimes Aud perhaps this was no unit
| preparation for the coming of One who was
at once perfect God and perfect From the idea Of
like to the Gods expressed IN the Honeric poems
these Greeks degencrated to the idea or God like
Yet they lost sight OF a truly god-like power.
enthronod In the idea of being similar 10 those worked
out by Teutonic forefathersa beng IN whom all
these scattered rays OF Divinity correate supreme
perfection Take Antigone. devoting herself TO be
enombed alivea sacrifice to the memory OF her brothers
how pursues.he ful6ment OF her holy purpose un'
shaken by enreaties unswayed by fear proving at
once godkc courage and her womanlike nature in
that beautiful wall her wasted youth and beauty The
deIineation Of such feelings drew TO the
Cross the faed stie teaching them how to
| love and 10 suffer in yet holer cause
THIS setting before the Oftest phases OF human
! ity was accomplished altogether Independently OF the
accessory resources OF modern acng-no play OF the
physiognomy, for the actor wore a mask. The thick
soed cOUrnus increased their stature to more impOs
ing hght, but they had assistance from scenic ef-
fects the Illusion which Ia the triumph OF the mod
gers. The action wac ever simple, borrowing
its gra ndeur from that simplicity worthy OF Mcdea's
magnificent reply, when asked what remains 10 her in
| the absoluteness OF her woe.
| Ny self,-and thus enough"
The very of Greek art lies in the one Greek
| tt.y, in nf