The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-11
PROMETHEUS.

HOW THE ATHENIASs TREATED THE ANCIENT
MvTH-LEcruEE BY TIKI REV. JOHN WEISS.
The nth and concluding lecture of the present
course delivered by the Rev. John Weiss yester-
day afternoon IN the parors of the American Geo.
graphical society, his subject being the --latest Form
OF Promeiheus." In beginning Mr. Weiss said
The latest form OF Promeheu has its ancient root IN
nature worship and the old antithiscs which the
earliest men and noticcd--ght and darkness,
night and morning, summer ana winter the birth OF
child and the death OF an old man. The old myth Is
referred back TO this nature worship and worked up TO
the form IN which the Athenians know II; but
at the time that Eschyus wrote his tragedy-"Pro-
methsus Bound'-tbey knew nothing OF the origin Of
the myth, and tho Atncnians, who sat upon the
benches OF the theatre and witnessed The performance
Of the tragedy, had idea OF the ancient root OF
what they For that we are indebted TO the com.
parave nythologsts Of the present century. who
have Sraced to It's origin this story oil fronetheus;
and thus enabled to form conception OF this
myth which was not shared by Socrates, Pericles,
Plato-nay, oven the author Escbyus himself In
the process Of time the primitive significance Of she
old sansxrit names entirely changed. The personh-
cation OF natural things, their development TO SYM
boc characters and from that into personal immor-
taiitics, was all forgotten, aud when the Greek mind
took hold OF the system OF sods they (the gods)
business with human beings and actuated with
human loves and hates but sthe few broad
phases OF the earth and SKY, in their primitive SIM
plicy were entirely lost. .Eschyus, in taking his
Prometheus. absolutely ignored the cosmica origin OF
tho lnyth and its latest form purely ethical among
the Helenized Greeks. What WAS that eventually be-
tho tragedy he continued, Is the subject that
wish 10 OF. do not enter here upon the vcxed
question OF the origin OF the name although privately
think that Il from the Sanskrn prdmatd, which
signifies extort by force Prdnl0fd was the stick
which the old priests used TO rovolve and
m ed n rs
although this unknown the Greeks the Idea OF
IRE always chung TO Proncthcns. II Is peculiar that
ght-myth became developed IN personality and then
entered literature IL Is because nature Is nothing but
metaphor-the simple elements OF nature can be
translated into the symbols OF the physical world.
Everything can be traced TO the old antlheses between
light and Darkness
TUE ORIGIN or NAN
Old nations differed US 10 the origin of man, but the
Greek was always clear on one point, that being
born has career constant succession OF struggles
against hostile powers. his was symb0lized by cloth
ing Athene (he Greek M,nerva) in complete panoply
and giving her a shield, thus showing that one who
builds must always be ready TO resist and battle for the
protection OF what has peen built 81. Paul refers
this panopy and resistance when he says Put on the
whole armor OF God" The Greeks thought that strife
the parent OF symmetry ami that pay ex.
acted on the spot fo- every lie enterprise Mr. Weiss
here spoke OF the abors OF Hercules ana the trials of
Ulysses, and said that there was always Penelope
waiting Tor the one who success uy resisted the trials
and temptations Of life. When the time came Tor
Eschylus To write his ''Pronetheus Bound' no took
up the old myth IN the state In which II then
known the Greeks. Zeus represented in the drama
Zeus OF the Athenians who sat in the theatre
and witnessed tho play. 1t was rather picture OF
with mankind. Zeus had still within himself the
OF natures exacng order. The Ahenian audiences
rose to religious enthusiasm Tor the superiority OF
Their conception Of Leus to that which was pictured
~ the play. Greek tragedy not theatrical
ment, but high argument and appeal 10 the best eie
ments OF mans nature Nothing like IL ever
known until the Christian Church put the narratives
OF Scripture into dramatic FORM and then again the
same emotions stirred aud the same tears wed that
ne be u
heus represents the orethought and Epemstheus the
aiterlhought In the play the idea OF autagonsm is
never lost sight Of but the warfare transferred
from the stage OF nature to the human stage When
rromethcus said that the gods bcnt on monopo-
lizng all the gifts TO man he laid plan to thwart HIM
and ut the same time enunciatcd the grea. modern
Truth that man free will must, at ali hazards, be
specied.
The creation OF Pandora and her fatal curiosity In
opening the fateiul chest which loosened all the Ills
OF the world but retained Hope blessing, then
dwelt upon " considerable length.
HERCULES ON THE
The play goes OIL, he continued. Prometheus Is |
chained 10 the rock and the vuure Is gnawing his
vtals but he has secret, and Zeus knows ana
10 discover H. ana, in trying. grows relentng just
here Hercules Is introduced siguy,pg that strength
should cOvet tho alliance OF foretnoughL The position
OF Hercules Ia the drama Is worry Impressive, very
religious. He is the man who liberated by strength
and endurance tho Greek type OF power devoted TO
the service OF the common people Hercules makes
himself divine through work and suffering, and It Is
he who delivers the bound Promotions. mo Greeks
celebrated the virtues OF Hercules by annual foot
race, run by night, the runners carrying lighted
loren ana passing u from one 10 another.
Tho Greeks had later myth about the
generous Titan (Promctheus) which represented him
rs creating mankind This later myth which Is not
puro myth, because II runs into allcgory, shows
taxing clay and moislcning u with his
tears, fashoning 1t into the form Of perfect man,
while Psyche, he Greek for butterfly, and typical Of
the human sou movers tho ciayey statue OF the
finished man, and lighting upon IT cndows It with I'm
mortal lie. During the lecture Mr. Weiss gave utter
ance 10 the grand sentiment thai when receives
gratis which he ought to have earned, IL
ravages his house. II harms his household. Pandora
git unearucd, and she had all mans rage Tor
pryng into things untempered by mans prudent
system OF observation. Next fall Mr. Weiss will
deliver series Of lectures la this city the female
characters Of Shakespeare, which Will be all entirely