, 1880-05-16
MARCUS .AUREIIUS,

| ERNEST REMAINS LECTURE UPON THE PfOCs EN-
| PEROR-
| London Correspondence Philadelphia 4tlroruph.
i wish." said n. RGnnn, addressing his audi
| ence, " to speak to you about a book hold in
my hand It sparklcs with Divine thought. It
Is the. manual Of life of resignation left us by
the most pious of men, Marcus Aurelfus There
have been men exetttng a more lasting influence,
but none were 50 perfect as he" 1t is the glory
OF soverrigns that the most biameIess model Of
virtue should be found in their rnnks. ,
The hereditary descent Of wisdom upon the
throne is very raro. know of but two striking
examples,-the two admirable reigns of Antoni-
nus and Marcus Aurelius. The goodness of An
toninus did not make him commit faults; he was
untormented by the inward wound ever con-
suming the heart Of his adopted son, who was
the victim Of feyerish self-examinatiou. The
finest thoughts are those left uuwrttten, and on
this score Antoninns triumphcd over M.Aurelius;
but must add that we should know little Of
Antoninus but for the portrait painted by his
adopted son. rs If his humility urged him to por-
tray one better than himself In the book Of
his Thoughts VIC find the noble figures Of his
family and his masters. Thus VIC get an in
sight into those old Roman families who had
lived under tho bad Emperors, but who had
sternly preserved their republican virtues. They
were admirers Of Cato and the fine old stoics
whose souls had not bent under tyranny. Domi-
IAAA AG46A TdS uAAGu Ill LQOSE EiTElGS Inc
sagcs who had passed through 1t without yield
in:. were honored Us heroes" II. RGnan OH
served that the wholesome principle Of adoption
had made the Imperial Court Of the second CEN
tuFy nursery Of virtue. Ncrva, by this desire,
gave mankind q hundred years Of the greatest
progress known to history. Tho working Of the
system was illustrated by the instance Of Marcus
Aurelfus himself. The throne WIS reached with
out appeal to birth or to any kind Of fright
divine The Empire WIS civil burden, to
be accepted when the hour struck, and
the hour was not to be hastened. Marcus
Aurelius was but Is when the Empire was as
sured to him. The evening on which Antouinus,
when he felt he was dying, caused to be carried
into hls adopted sons room the golden statue
Ct Fortune, the proper place for which was tho
Emperors cabinet, the new ruler was neither
surprised nor re1oiced. He had long been sur
feitcd with oil delights without having TASTED
their vanity: The great drawback which mukes
practical life unbeurnble to the man of hIeh
principles is that, If he brings to it his ideals,
defects that the egotist or the man of rottine
often succeeds better in that line. Three or
four TT times mes the virtue Of Marcus Aurelus was
q q i1rst laise step by persuadng him to take as |
his partner i'll the Empire yerus, to whom be |
eq 1S eaRgaof of kpess s ~na sha
were needed to hinder him from committing |
acts Of folly. The wise Emperor, diiigcnf
4SEu " OIHH WILL Qlm INTO Dis cab. ]
met the doltish colleague ho had chosen. |
He always persisted in treating the man
as serious; he did not once revolt ngainst this |
been well brought up, Marcus Aureiius felt list
less; his manners were the result Of detcr1ni-
nation to be polite and digniticd. Souls Of this
through their respect for human nature, are not
willing to own they sec the evil. Their life ia
SOME, be- was himself the victim Of bis OWE dis
stimulation, since In his infinite converse with |
thc gods, spcaking of spouse unworthy Of him,
and anan hm w
that the weakness of Marcus Aurelfus us to |
Faustina had been exaggerated. The scheme
ae developed. New colleges for free education
we're established the alimentary procurutors |
became funcdonaries OF the first RINK, and were
chosen with care; provision was made for the
education OF poor women by an institution
1amed after Fausttna- The principle that the
state has duties Of somewhat paternal kind
oward its members was proclaimed for the first
1Me by the Ant0nineS.
1t was when encumped on the plains Of Hum
,ook Which has re revealed I to % US bis whole i SOUL
1e seems to have kept, when young, diary Of
lis thoughts. He recorded his favorit ma1ims
md inscribed passages from the moralsts who
poke most to his heart, the principles which
lad sustained him during the day, sometimes
nc self-reproaches PROMPTED ~ bis conscience.
vening all the limoges Of his pious youth cqRne
,ack again IT, his memory, and he passed some
ffnc III TEcOunttuX WAat nc owed TO each OF the
ood beings who had environed him. "Ex-
implies set by my grandfather verus: Sweet.
eSs Ct mann manners M 1mmnta9le F1thsn: patience"
disposition" .'To initiate my mothers piety, |
cr kindness, to ref.ain as she did, not only
rom doing evil, but even from thinking it; to
end her frugal life, which was SO unlike | ,
cared to him in turn Diognetus, who ,
be- Hellenic discipline; Junius Rusticus, who
aught him to avoid az at1ectation OF elegance
l style: Apollonius OF Chalcis, WHO realized the
r1nce he learnt from Ftonto what envy, du-