The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-23
AsPASIA or MILETUS.
The Most Famous Woman ~ Greek Antiquity
The Part she Played In Affairs.

From ne Contemporary Rsrfee.
In Athens IL was OF supreme Importance
that in tho continuation OF tho State only true
citizens should be admitted and accordingly
the general principle was laid down that none
| could become citizens but those whose fathers
and mothers had been the children OF citizens
From this 1t followed that the utmost care
! should DO taken that no spurious offspring
| should be palmed upon the State. The wome
| could not be trusted in this matter 10 their own
| sense OF proprlcty. Means must therefore DO
| devised to prevent the possibility OF anything
| going wrong. and accordingly the citizen women
| had special apartments assigned to them. gen
| ernly In tho upper story that they might have
to come down stairs and men might SEQ them
| II they ventured out. Then they were forbidden
| to be present ut any banquet Tho men pre-
ferred to dine by themselves. rather than
pose their wives TO their nolRhbors Raze In
| addition to these external arrangements laws
| were passed such rs might deter the most VEN
| turesome. citizen woman could not marry
any but n citizen. Association with stranger
never could become marriage. And after she
was married. inndelity was punished with the
most terrible disgrace. Her husband was COM
| PEELED to send hor away. No man could marry
| her again; for II any one ventured on such a
course. he was thereby DISTINGUISHED. She was
| practically expelled from society. and oxcom-
municated. To help further to realize the posi-
ton OF the Athenian wife. we have to add tn Mt
| she was generally married about the ago OF NJ
teen or sixteen. Up To this time she had soen
and heard as little Ms possible. and had inquired
| about nothing. Her acquaintance with the out
| side world had been made almost exclusively
| in religious PROFESSIONS
| more varied. Her duties lay entirely within the
house. They were summed up IN the words.
To- remain inside and to be obedient To- her
husband" She superintendent the female slaves
who car,ed the wool; she made or assisted in
making the garments Of her husband and chill.
dren: sho had charge Of the provisions; and
she was expected to devote some time To the in
fanta. II she went out at ALL It WIS to some re-
llgious procession Qr TO q funeral, anu u Old
she might occasionally visit a female friend and
hour OF need. For the discharge Of the duties
which fell to an Athenian woman no grent in
telleciual power was needed, and accordingly
the education OF girls was connnedto the merest
elements.
the other class Of free women-the strangers.
The woman stranger was not entitled to the
| Tor her benefit. She had To look after her own
| interests herself, or get some man to do II for
her. The one object that the state kept before
| II in regard to these strnnger-women WIS to Soc
to II that they did not IN amy way corrupt tho
purity OF, tho citizen blood. The statesmen
thought that great dangers might arise from
their presence ia community. And the &, DIS
might be fearfully insullcd and innict dreadful
vengeance IL any one OF these stranger women
wore to ind her way into tho secret re-
cesses OF ancestral worship and perform
only the citizen. women could perform
Laws were enacted which prohibited any citi-
zen-man from marrying u stranger woman. II
the stranger man or woman yentured on such
heinOus offence any one could IN orm against
him or her. The cuprit was sci2ed, all his or
hcr property WIS connscated. aud he or she
WAS sold into slavery. The ctiZru-man or wO-
, man involved in such an offence had to suffer
very severe penalties The stranger-womcn
therefore could not marry. Marriage was the
only sin mat they could commit prp,,lucaliy In
. form any other connections with men, tempo
= rary or permanent. except marriage. The cit;
: | san m a hOnEna
did not dine In company with the men. But the
: men wished 10 have women with them In their
: petitions. The wives could not be with them
; then. but there was no constraint on the
| stranger-women rs their companions.
. They were the only educated women in
auanted with all new philosophical specula-
tons. and interested themselves IN politics;
9 ! Many OF them also were women OF high moral
I character. temperate. thoughtful and earnest.
!. and We're either unattached or attached to one
! | Socrates was living. and he had no scrupe IN
4 | conversing with her and discussing now sue
could best procure true ,riehu nSo Senn woman
a Of splendid mind for Socrates speaks OF het a.
his teacher IN love when nc safes u,Sn~gbts In
regard TO the true nature hna e17rhcs oi
and eternal beauty But OF al tnssS ,NrwarH
d as the most remarkable woman oil antiquity
n We do not know what circumstance induce.
3 Der to leave her native city Miletus. ilu!ate,
suggests that she was lnfamed oy me dvs Il ~, u
~ sian who gained position OF hlgh pontlSa
N Importance by using her persuasive arts on ~
~ the cause Of the King OF Persia, This may nav
been the case. but good deal that Is SAM anou
kRS as% 6reusEt her to Athens certain il
DID that she found her way there. ana became 4,
quaiated with the great statesin t9rlcles. IN
innIs "A complete conquest OF him. He was Al IN
r. time married. but there was lneompatlnlllB,
=. temper between him and his wife; Pericle
TO therefore made an agree uent with his wife
ly have "a divorce and get her married 20 hhoth1
MS and 50 they separated To the satisfaction OF Dpl
- lilo then took Aspasia as his companion. m
III, there is no good reason Tor supposng that the
ad were not entirely faithful each other and live
In ma husband and vile till death separated thet
- or course. husband and wife they coulu nor
lrs according to Athenian law but Psrlses 'rsSi'
IN were due to a wife plutarch tells US. as an G
ed traordinary trait in the habits OF q Itntesm.
Is who was remarks for impeTturbablilty III
)ut self-control, that he regularly kissed Aspas
ers when he went out and came IN her ho ,9 =
by Socrates was often there. Phidias and AnaK
nd Goras were intimate acqualntances' anu pto
ON ably Sophoces and Euripides were IN cohsu'
IDS attendance Indeed, never had any Wont
such a salon In the whole history OF man
in greatest sculptor that ever lived. the grand'
ges man OF all antiquity. philosophers and poe
est. scuptors and painters. statesmen anu hlsto
ans met each other ana discussed Songehh
subjects In her rooms. Ana proDapy hehHc" Il
arisen the tradition that she WAS the teacnrI
Socrates in philosophy and polite ana o. ~ IL,
able stimulate men to do their best. and they attr
req | uted to her all that was best in themselves
less The cultivated men who thronRed her asse
nv bles had no hesitation in breaking through
uch | conventionalities OF Athcnian society. a
brought their wives TO the parties OF Aspas
ldon and She discussed with them the duties
lsSu wives She thought that they should strive
.i Ky be- something more than mere mothers u
,int housewives. She urged them to cultivate IN
: TO minds and be- in all respects fl companions
ur-e their husbands Unfortunately We, know "
VIII little more. Did she come to any definite c,
am. cluson as to the functions OF woman ~ 1
sure ncult 10 say. The hints are very obscure
who in all probability tho conclusion 10 whl'h
heir came was that neither man nor woman can
uek, cquatcy perform their mission IN HE s.
non, arntely; that man can never do ms best WI
WIZ out the inspiration and support OF a congei
ID he woman, and that woman should seek hel W,
low. IN vigorous and sympathetic cooperation
9en some congenial man. Probably Plato ms
dt9p into tho mouth Of Arlstophanes the sontlme
ne which tho philosopher had heard often IN
'"' Socratic circles. which regarded Asp9sla
their instrunress in these matters, heierr
10 the myth that man was split IN TWO, ana
his two halves 20 in search OF each other,
says: For my part. l now aliirm. IN
,r I'm erence TO all human beings, both men
" " women that our race would become happy II
MI a love perfectly,