, 1879-07-05

from tt.c!r prescnee in n community. Political
peril might threaten tho very existence Of u.e
foreign intercsrs, were to take escn the sls1ncst
part In the management Of public affairs: AMu
tlIc gods might l'n fearfn1ly insnltc nn't tntict
dreadful vengeance Il my ono Of theso stranger
women wcra TO find her way into the secret rc.
cessea Of ancestral worsllip and perform aolno Of
thc sacred functions Which only the citizen
neiy did moi permit any strangers, 1nalo or
female, to reside In their cttv. These atra10crs
might coma 10 certain festivals fur a few daye
i'nated. Tni d. hten, , . pursued t dreront policy
Shc vat n commercial city. Rho was at The
head. and ultimately ruler, OF n lnrga con-
tcderacy q ureok States which sent their l tazes
fractions for the stranger With ts innumerable
works Of art. tts brilliant dramatic exhibitions,
It's splendid religious proccssions its gay icstt-
political life. Athens conld not exclude
strangers. It lad, therefore, 10 take the most
stringent precautions that tils roncourso Of
strangers
SHOULD NOT CORRUPT THU PURE CITIZEN
nLooD.
Accordingly. laws wcre enactcd whicl. prohib-
tied any c.ttzcn.man from marrying stranger
woman, or my strangorman from marrying q
cftizen-Wolnar. II tho slrRuGer-man Dr won,nn
could inform against him or her. The cufprrt
wns suizcd, ali Ills OF her property was con1s-
xated, nnl he or s,c was sold Into slavery, The
ctize.lman or woman involved IN acI.,as suct an
The strnugor-woman therefore could not marry.
Marriage was tfle only. sin that they. could
commits politically in The eya OF an Atheni.
an statesflan. They might do anything else
that they liked. Now, It Ia not conceivable tl,nt
in such circumstances numerous class Of wom-
sn would botaka themselves to peri'ethnt Yir~
RtnttY. II my one had propoundcl such sen.
ttment, the Greek mind would hive recoile1
from II as unnatural, and plainly contrary to
tho will Of the gods. And accordingly these
women might form any ofl.er connections WIN
and the Greek saw nothing III ttlis but tt!e or
dinary outcome Of human nature Under ttle PC
eullnr circumstances of the case. l'esltlts, in
Athens d special sphere lay open for them to
al. Tie ciitzen-worncn wcro conHncd to their
houses, and did mt dine y, company With tho
mop. but ths men refused to limit their a,so; ;
to harn woman with them in thur. wnlks,
IN their banqucts in tleir military expeditions.
The wives could not bc with them then, but
tl!cro was no constraint On the strangor-wonlel1.
The 0scek tncn did mt care whether the of
spring Of strangcr-W0men was pure or not. 1t
matscrcd mt either to tho Stntc or to religion.
There was no reason for conanlng thc1n. A1nl
accordingly thUy selected tlles9 stranger'~ofaelI
- their companions; anu
"nETA1nA," Or COMPANION,
was the name by which the whole class wns dcs-
tgnRted. Tins arose most unnatural division
ot functions among the wonen Of tlosu daYs;
Tho cItizen-wonlcn Ind to bc motilers and
housewives nothing morc;. the stranger
wonon had to disc,arge the lutics Of cotnpan-
Ions, but remain outside the pals Of the priyl-
women applied ihclr minus to their ,faue-
ton, with various ideas Of II, unA VII
rous methods. Many adopted, tha lowest
possible means Of Ealntng the good vii o. men
panionB for tho lnost intellectual a,nl most cc-
VhtGd among men.
They were tho only educated women In
quatntcd with all now philosophical specua'
t1ons, and interested themselves IN politics.
Women who thus cultivated their minds wvrc
Greece. Many Of them also wcro .sornen oi
high moral character, temperate, thoughtful,
antl earnest: aud were either unattached Or Ut
taehed TO 9ns man. a',;l t3 all intcnls n,d pur:
attachments, but brhasafl In otllrr rrspsetst"sttl
temperance aht. sob:ictyA such was tto Greek
feeling in regard to thclfspcc,al!ar position tlu
consuro from cyeu the sterncst ot t;rcuk moral
lists. Dno of these women ca,la to Atllrn.
when socratcs was living; aud he lnJ
art, a,nl discussing iu,w SIG could hest prorurt
truo friends AMI, In tact, tlWsa were nll!os
tho only Greek wonlcn u1''' exlllbitcd what WI
bss M nh Go!est M II ,nr, MGmns ns1 ms9Ss ; @ ons
wnInan OF splcndld mind-,,for Socrates apeaks o
her a1nts teacher IN lqyt, when tic sses uttcrance
III the "sympos!un,," TO tte graudcst thoug,t
III regard to tbs trllo natusu md csacnce Vt I'll
vinu Ali etornal bGauty. Almost every one o
,ie. great mcn of Athens had such cosIpanton
aud these women seonled To haye symuathizc.
found Iaed!tations. Many u tlrln wero aIs'
courageuuslY truo to their loydFs. Wt1en til
"; yersatils A'elDalcs had .,, TO- lec for III hl
s Wh h @'s sua ps,ss pfs.tat Ut it hs ss ss
performed the fltcral.fitcs over hiu!. but, =
all thcso women, thGsc IL one tint itanl
prominently forward ~ the most retnarkabl
wolnau Of antiquity
AspAslA or nrLE7us.
We do not linow wllnt circumstance induced lie
to leave her natiyG city, Mitetua, PIutarch SUI
EestF THAT she was tntlamed by tie desire to tn'
t'ate The conduct Of 1hargrlia, as,otlur MIlcslan
;bortance BY 1lsin; her persuasive urts on II,
Greeks whom slie knew, to win them over Il
tn Cause Of the King Of Pcrsla. THIS n!a na!
is!t is sa!d "a about Asoss1e mast N be r r
ceiyed with considerable skspilclsnl.. Iltk
Eappho, she became tho suolect, Of c"medies
but unlike suppl!o, she was bitterly att3ske.l b
the conl3c poGts u.Mt Others during 4cr llfGtlul.
T4u later Greck writer's we're ln tiiu hAhIt III tu'
thug down tho jests Of tho coinc writer's yur
table history, a1n! 1noAurn commentator and hi.
tu1ians have nut been entirely free frot tla prat
tIce. Whatever brought ller to Athens, certain
is that size found her way thcrc, nl oreatae It,
quaintod viii. The great statesman rericlcs. 81
titno Inasrlel, hut there WIS incolnpatihIltty {
temper between him u. his wlfo, rurIrlr
therefore 1nntlo m agreement with his wli0 /
huva divorces urld yet har married ta another
ul,d 10 they aeparnten to The satisfaction Of bott
lie then took Aspnstn as hB companion; IN
there ts no good reastn for suppoissg Tint tiIc
were not entirely faithful to cart other, asl live
Us husband and Wits Til death setaratud tlicl.
Ut couree, husband md wifa they could not
accordlny to At!'cuian taw;, hut Pertclcs trcstte
hor with all tho reslect md Affection which wu'
due to Wlfc. F!utarch tells us, "a ai G1trpu
dinary trnit fiji tic lu(itE nf n 81 nj mi " In vi