, 1879-01-04
Prof. Shedd's Essays---The
Coiored Cadet at
West Point.
The Riverside Edition of British
. P0ets..-Now Edition Of
Macaulay's England.
Arotic-American Birds-~-The Nature
Of the Elements---Emissive
Light---Soience Notes.
LITERATURE,

LITERATURE,
SOCRATES.
Plato Vas the reporter, the editor, aud the
bio2raphcr Of Socrates. The Apology, tho
Crto, and tho PhHdo contain the most authentic
account HOW in c1!stcnca Of the latter
philosophers life and death, and Of his views
on certain subjects. II wns happy idea which
led nn American scholar to translate these
works, and connect them together with
sufficient Biographical sketch Of Socrates. Tho
name Of tho Translator is withheld; but, as he
makes acknowledgements for assistance re-
cciged 10 Prof. Goodwin, he IL presumably
graduate Of Harvard. Tho suppression Of tho
name ia. under the circumstances, q mistake.
Tho work has been In all respects so admirably
done, and It is 30 valuable a contribution 10
American scholarshp. that tle author might
justly take pride In it.
Socrates tells tue stor1 OF his own lilo In tho
Apologs. Aorc, Prof. Goodwin remarks In M
Introductory note, "Wo find Tho same pla.n,
unprctendIng inquirer whose portrait has been
drawn from another point Of yscw. by
Xcnophon In ILLS Memorabilia. We
ind something moro thun this. The
charm ot tho Apology consists In tho 'act that 1t
ally nj circumstances would permit. 1t gives
US, In Socrates own words, the story Of hls IT,
sistanco to popular c)anor on several occasions,
his experience Of ali Inner spiritual sense, bis
Ing men In public to seo whether they were visa
Or ouly thought themselves 30, the causca Ut
the popular hatred toward him, and hts sincere
effort to make his feli2w.e'tlzsns i'appy. "ln
the hum Of the rc:l 4aaay (as Bocrates called
.himseli) which buzIed about tho ears OF tho
venerable Dumas OF Athens, and stung TINT
'te4ty old man to maducas. Bocratea nossr
ot that word; he called lmscEf an examiner.
He felt that tie great enemy OF truth In Athens
was not 'Gnorancc,--plIr and smpic,-thts hs
could leave to sghoolnasters to enlIghten,-but
Ignorance pnflcd up with the concet Ut know-
cJge." Let aa turn to tho Apology, and seu
how tile translator has succeeded with This part
OF socrAtca' defense:
fwent t. enc Of those who wcre reported utsc.
10 anis 10 seints the oraeIs,, aid say ioit 'sYoa
1a,d was ths wiscst man. Jet hers - une visor
tan q. nd
] had tais experience, lit aeomsd ID mo that this
unn had tho appearanee Of being w!se in tho eyes
reality wa* not vss. waafsapaa . tr1sa trioa 10 10
convince lin, That ho only thought himself wise.
but ~. n9s y, n a
xss fsss e.. e @ sss saa ifa IT,
LuAIlf tnF ~ 1llAy We'll Hebluof III us
that il :. know something wien | h.
ao9 ao9w' sK geKa'as Tlstf' Know neither .n,sS hnnw
do. thssstors. seem TO b. wiser than uD'is. IL.
At .e.st in this small particular. that what know
vent 70 ons of tnoso who had thu reputation II Ss:
Ing wen wlset nan thia man. aud hcru i ,sas tao
eas oo h:Saa IL aSy oss.. h
=. :. !. FROM tho statesmen wont to The poets.
Now Lam s.nsgsd 70 tel, YOU shs ruth. citizens.
sAndars. may say, used to talk batter Than thcae
very rosts did shout what they themselves had
80. Finally went to tho artisans, for hero
waa conscious that kaow nothing. 70 to sneak,
whlIo wa. suro that ahould hnd them versed ii
mistaken, for stsy knew whit did sot know. w. Ind nd
were IN no ear wiser than !. Int it seemed n.e,
h.hen!an estas thas tho god made TIT
wurkot we'll In his own art, thonaht hta,self w.sest
~ TO matterAo Of ahother md higher nature and Ibis
acssed.
Tho work OF oxamIolng aud questiouiug any
ona who appeared to bo Wise Bocratea cuusld-
cred . suprumu uuty, 10 that he refused to
preferred death.
Tho Apology contains two references to tho
lanonion or inner spiritual scnae OF Socrates,
The value Of which Is moro fully rcveaicd III tl,e
''bleMosablllah u than IN any Of the present writ
tugs. These references Rrc valuable as belnG
motH authentic tl!an any OF tbs others. Oi,
pagv 81 0t this translation 6ocrates speaks OF
his daimonfan as ''a volca which lrotn childhood
has frequently calna to Mt, and which makes
ITSELF heard only To turn tne back ttom what
sln abuut to DO. but ne,xr 10 fsaiR M {orxurd-'
Again on page Al, wheu giving hls reasons utter
The scuscnce for accepting death, ho ssyG'
monitor has hitherto ever constantly opposed mu
tsen In tho 1neteat tsare, II wcse about to makt
.ps 1no noT ess asa ~
be, end. tndset, IL c0natdcged-hss cOnlu upon