The Labor enquirer., 1883-10-20
A Most Interesting Tale of the
Ancient HeIotS of
LIALaeonia. 10 ldia
The Condition Of Laborers 300
Years AgO7-A Graphic De- ~ +,
scriptiOn of
The Ancient Aristocrats Amusing
Themselves by Killing s""
Men. .

Its men and women did no labor but de-
voted themselves to war and the chase
Stern and simple in their habits they
enforced perfect equality and community
among themselves. Their captives in
war were held slaves, forced to labor and
to suffer. Dozens of times they rose
against their cruel masters, each time
only, however, to win failure and death
Here among these poor slaves, the He
lots Of Sparta, are found traces of labor
organizations, of socialism, of heroic and
divine abnegation and deed
The masters had but one way to keep
their longings for liberty in check. They
established what was called "cryptea,"
or scouting expedition to which they de-
voted every Spartan when. he reached
the age of manhood It became the
young aristOcrat's duty to watch upon
the plain and amid the wretched Iielots,
to spy upon their snfferings, to take aC-
count of their groans, and if one more
manly than the rest dared to mingle
curses with their misery, to mark him
for the slaughter as wolf that threat
ened danger to the fold to lurk, as an
hOpOred assassin, about his home, to dog
his walks, to fall on Him unawares, to
strike him from behind, to tilch away
his life, to bury him in ravines, so that
murder might leave no trace, this was
the initiating campaign, the virgin trial
uf every Spartan youth.
write the tale now Of one of these
hero, leader Of the EIelots one Gylippus,
hose name and fame, should teach his
brother slaves Of this the modern world,
quality Of character they must needs
don and wear to make their cause Sue
coed. Fl Z
Pausanias the Spartan, speaks
well remember, O, Gongylus. the day
when | first set forth, 1t was my mother
Who gir,led me with my grandsire's
sword. go FORTH" she said, 'as the
yDnug hound to the chase, to wind; to
double, to leap on the prey, and to taste
Of blood. See, the sword is bright, show
NE the stains at thy return
Barefooeed, unattended, through cold
and storm, performing ourselves the
most meAial offices necessary to life, we
wander for a certain season daily and
nightly through the rugged tarritoues of
Iaconia We 20 as boys-we come back
as men. The avowed object is inure-
ment to hardship, but with this is con.
nected the secret end of keeping watch
on these half-tanned and bull-like herds
of men whom we call the ElelOts. If any
be dangerous we mark him fOrthe knife.
One Of them, Gylippus, had twice been
a rngeader in revolt. He was wary as
well as fierce He had escaped in three
succeeding crypteas. And now, to me as
one Of the Heraclidie5 was assigned the
honor cf tracking and destroying him.
For three days and three nights |
dogged his footsteps for he had caught
the scent of the pursuers and hed)
through forest and detle, through valley
and crag, stealthily and reientlessIy. l
followed him close. At last, one even
ing, having lost sight ofalb my comrades,
| came suddenly upon him as emerged
from a wood 1t was a broad patch of
waste land, through which rushed
stream swollen by the rains, and pIung-
irg with sullen roar down deep and
gloomy precipice, that to the right ana
left bounded the waste, the stream IN
front, the wood in the rear. He was re-
clning by the stream, at which, with the
hollow of his hand, he quenched hls
thirst. paused TO gaze upon him, and
as did so he turned and saw me. tie
rose and fixed his eyes on mine and we
examined each other in, silence. The
Helots are rarely of tall stature, but he
WAS giant. His dress, that of his class
of rude sheepskins, and his cep, made OF
the hide of a dog increased the savage
rudeness of his appearance.
Stand ?" said L, and he moved not.
approached him slowly.
Thou art Spartan" said he, in
deep and harsh voice, ''and thou comes
for my blood. Go, bov, go, thou art moi
melNwed to thy prime, and thy com
rades are far away. The shears of the ia
tai dcities hover over the thread not o
my life but thine"
Twas struck, Gongylus, by this address
for it was neither desperate nor das
tardly, as |. had anticipated; neverthe
less it beseemed not Spartan to ny
from Heot, and | drew the swort
which my mother had girded on. INT
Helot watched my movements, ane
seized rude and ,knotted club that la!
son the ground beside him,
"Wretch," said |, "darest thou attacl
fpce to face the descendant of the Herr
chse?l In me behold Pausanius, thu
son oi7Cleombrutos. ~
BE 1t %; in the city one is godborn
the other $ man-enslayed, On thu
mountains We're equals" =. / . :