Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-02
OF Miletus-The Teacher Of SOphOcles
and Companion Of Pericles, for
whom he Put away his Wife,
PreferriBg Intellect
To IgnOrance-The Part the Most Fa-
nous Woman of Greek Antiquity
Played in Affairs-The An
cient Advocate of WO-
mans Rights.


taken that no spurious offspring should be
palmed upon the State. The women could
not be trusted IN this matter to their own
sense of propriety. Means must therefore
DE devised 10 prevent the possibility OF any
thing going wrong, and accordingly the
citizen women had special apartments as
signed to them, generally In the upper story,
that they might have to come down stairs,
and men might see them If they ventured
out. Then they were forbidden to be present
at any banquet. The men preferred to dine
by themselves, rather than expose their wives
to their neighbours gaze. In addition to
These external arrangements, laws were
passed such as might deter the most venture
some. A citizen woman could not marry
any but a citizen. Association with stranger
never could become marriage. And after
she was married, infidelity was punished with
the most terrible disgrace. Her husband was
compelled to send her away No man could
marry her again; for if anyone veDtured on
such course, he was thereby DISTINGUISHED.
she was practically expelled from society, and
accommodated. To help farther to realize
the position of the Athenlan wife, we have
to add that she was generally married about
the age OF fifteen or sixteen. Up to this time
she had seen and heard as little as possible,
and mad inquired about nothing. Her ac-
quaintance with the outside world had been
made almost exclusively in religious process
sIOBS. When she married, her life was not
much more varied. Her duties lay entirely
within the house. They were summed up in
the words, to remain inside and be obedlent
to her husband She superintended the
female slaves who carded the wool; she made,
or assisted IN making, the garments of her
husband and children; she had charge of the
PROVISIONS, and she was expected to devote
some time 10 the infants. If she went out at
all It was to some religious procession or to a
funeral, and if old she might occasionally
= % Ia fob
her, or help her to some -four or meal. For
the discharge of the duties which fell to an
AthenlaII woman no great intellectual power
was needed, and accordingly the education
OF girls was confined to the merest elements
We E,ass from the citizen women of Athens
to The other class of free women-tke
strangers. The woman-stranger was not en-
titled to the protection of the city-State. No
laws were made for her benefit. She had to
look after her own interests herself, or get
some man to do it for her. The one object
that the State kept before it in regard to
these stranger women was to see to 1t that
tney did not In any way corrupt the purity
of the citizen-b blood. The statesmen thought
that great danger might arise from their
presence IN community. And the
gods might be fearfully insulted and
intiict dreadful vengeance if any
one OF these strang er-women were to find her
way into the secret recesses of ancestral wor-
tons which only the citizen women could per-
form. Laws were enacted which prohibited
any cltizen-man from marrying any stranger
woman. If the stranger-man or woman ven
tured on such a helnous offense any one
could inform against HIM or her. The cul-
prlt was seized, all his or her property was
eondscated, and he or she was sold into
slavery. The citzen-man or woman involved
suCn an Uhense mao 20 suHer very severe
penalties. The stranger-women therefore
could rot marry. Marriage was the only sin
they could commit politically In the eye OF an
Athenian statesmen. They might form any
other connections with men, temporary or
permanent, except marriage. The citizen
women were confined to their houses and did
not dine IN company with the men. But the
men wished to have women with them IN
their walks, in their banquets, in their mill
tary expeditions. The wives could not be
with them then, Bat there was no constraint
on the stranger women. Accordingly men
selected stran ger women as their C I'm paDions.
They were the only educated women in
Athens. They studied all the arts, became
acquainted with all new philosophical specu-
latI0ns, and interested themselves in politics.
Many of them also were women of high
moral character, temperate, thoughtful and
earnest, and were either unattached or at
tached to one man, and to all intents and
purposes married. One of these wo-
men came to Athens when So
crates was living, and he had no
scruple in conversing with her and discussing
how she could best procure true friends. One
of these, Diotima Of Mantinea, must have
been a woman OF splendid mind, for Socrates
speBks OF her as his teacher In love, when he
gives utterance, in the Symp JSiuDI, to the
grandest thoughts In regard to the true ma
ture and essence of divine and eternal beauty.
But of all these women there is one that
stands prominently forward as the most re-
markable woman of antiquity, Aspasla of Mi
letus- We do not know what circumstances
induced her to leave hes native city, MIletus
Plutarch suggests that she was inhamed by
the desire to initiate the conduct of Tharge.
Ina another Mliesian, who gained position
Of high political Importance by using her per-
suasive arts on the Greeks whom she knew,
to win them over to the cause of the king Of
Persia. This may have been the case, but a
good deal that is said about Aspasia must be
received with skeptclsm. Whatever brought
her to Athens, certain it is that she found
her way there, and became acquainted with
the great statesman Pericles. she made a
complete conquest of him. He was at the
time married, but there was an incompati-
bility Of temper between him and his wife.
Pericles therefore made an agreement with
his wife to have divorce and get her mar.
RED 10 another, and so they separated to the
satisfaction OF both. He now took As
pasta as his companion, and there
that they were not entirely faith
full to each other, and lived as husband and
wife till death separated them. Of course,
husband and wife they could not be accord
ing to Athenlan law, but Perlcles treated her
with all the respect and affection which were
due to a wife. Plutarch tells US, as an extra
ordinary trait In the habits of statesman
who vas remarkable for imperturbability and
self control, that he regularly kissed Aspasia
when he went out and came In. Her house
became the resort of all The great men of
Athens. Socrates was often there. Phldias
and Anaxagoras were intimate acqualnt-
ances; and probably SOphocles and Euripides
were IN constant attendance. Indeed, never
had any woman such a salon IN the whole
history of man. The greatest sculptor that
ever lived, the grandest man of all antiquity,
philosophers and poets, sculptorS and
painters, statesmen and historians. met each
other and discussed congenlal subjects In her
rooms. And probably hence has arisen the
tradition that she was the teacher of Socrates
IN philosophy and politics, and of Pericles In
rhetoric. Her influence was such as to
stimulate men to do their best, and they at
tTibuted to her all that was best IN them
selves. The cultivated men who thronged
her assemblies had no Hesitation In breaking
through the cOnventionalltles OF AthenIan So
ciety, and brought their wives to the parties
of Aspasia, and she discussed with them the
duties of wives. She thought that they should
strive to be something more than mere
mothers and housewives. She urged them
to cultivate their minds, and be in all re-
spects fit companions for their husbands:
Unfortunately we know very little more. Did
she come to any definite conclusion as to the
functions of woman? 1t is difficult to say.
The hints are very obscure. But in all prob
ability the conclusions to which she came
was that neither man nor woman can ade-
quately perform their mission IN LIE sepa-
rately; that man can never do his best with
out the inspiration and support of congenlal
woman, and that woman should seek her
work ID vigorous and sympathetic oo-opera-
ton with some congenial man. Probably
Plato has put into the mouth of Aristophanes
the sentiment which the philosopher had
heard often IN the Socratic circles, which re-
garded Aspasia as their instructress in these
matters. Referring to the myth that man
was split In two, and that his two halves go
IN search of each other, he says: For my
part, now affirm, In reference to all human