Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-29
PERSEVERANCE.

!
three times this afternoon, and now h,
says that | do not speak it well enough
to suit him. I'm tired of trying"
Patience and perseverance conquer
all things" said grandfather. as hs
shut his book. What fault did Mr.
Stanton find with you?"
"Oh, he said did not speak distinct.
ly enough, nor make good gestures, no,
recite the piece as though cared much
about it. said Harry. Anyhow, ]
said it as well as any of the bows would
any except Frank Colby" he added
after minutes thought.
Would he say it hetter?" inquired
grandfather
why, of course he would" said
Harry. why, he is the best speaker
in the class. Mr. Stanton ALWAYS
praises him.
And why are you not the best speak.
er in your CLASP asked grandfather
Gould not you do as well IS Frank il
you tried?"
Il suppose could" admitted Harry,
''but | should have to work hard. T."
Whatever is worth doing is wortl,
doing well, returned grandfather.
land do not believe You would have
to try so hard to speak well rs the man
did who wrote the orations in this
book, : and grandfather put his hand
on the volume he had Just been reading.
"Who was he?" asked Harry.
''Demosthenes, replied grandfather,
'the greatest orator of Greece
''Why, of course, he could speak well
if he was a great orator." said Harry
at was not SO hard for him as il is foi
men
Eyes, indeed, it was" said grand
father. ''He had more difficulties in
his way than you have. He was sick
ly boy, and his lungs were weak SO that
his breath was short, and he could not
get through a defamation without
painting. Then he suffered dreadful.
ly, and some writers say that he lispeG
so that he could not pronounce the let
ter r."
II don't see how he could ever have
expected to become an orator, then,
said Harry. 81 should have given VI
in despair"
Those were not all of his troubles, y
said grandfather, who always remem.
bered everything about the Greeks SC
well that Harry once told his sister that
they seemed as though they were some
old neighbors that grandfather used tC
know when he was boy. "Dcmos.
themes made some very awkward gest.
ures, and he had bad habit of shrug.
ging up one of his shoulders while he
was speaking"
"Why, what a time he must have
had!' said Harry. "How did he be.
come an orator."
"By persevering," said grandfather
1.-THE Greek boys used to mock him and
call him Batalus, which meant the Of
Terminate, but Demosthenes, in spite OF
his feeble body, was determined to be sue
cessful. So, to strengthen his voice, he
used to run up hill, and while he was
painting from this eXertiop, he would re-
cite part of an Grafton or poem. In stormy
weather he would go down to the sea
shore of Phalerum and try to declaim
loud enough to be heard above the noise
of the waves. He practiced his gestures
before looking glass, so rs to correct
all errors, and he hung a sharp sword
above the shoulder that he was in the
habit of Struggling, SO that if he hap
pened to move it, he would be pricked' .
"What deal of pains he Took said
Harry.
"Well," said grandfather, "Demos-
themes showed his perseverance in yet
another way. There was an under
ground cave that he used for his study
and in which he sometimes spent two
or three conse cutive months practicing
day and night in oratory. At such
times he would shave one side of his
head, SO that, even if he felt like run
ming out away from his studies, he would
be too much ashamed of bis appearan g
TO do So
what did he study asked Harry.
.'He studied Thucydides history a
great DEAL" said grandfather. Zone
writer says that Demosthenes copied
this history eight times over with his
own hands, and another writer says
that he learned it all by heart so as Ia
be able to rewrite it from memory when
the manuscript was accidentally de.
stroyed."
swell. did Gemosthenes really sue.
ceed?' asked Nellie, from the corner
where she had been so quiet that no one
had noticed her.
Eyes" said grandfather, The sue
ceeded at last. When he was about
twenty eight years old he became one
of the political leaders of Athens. The
King of Persia at this time was coming
against the city, and Demosthenes de-
livered very patriotic Grafton against
him. The next year he began the de-
livery of that series of orations known
as ''the Phillippics."
t.What were they2" asked Harry.
"Speeches against King Philip, Of
Macedon," said grandfather. '.Demos-
themes tried to rouse up his people to
fight FOR their liberties, but the Athen-
ians had lost much of their former
independent spirit. Demosthenes, in
one of his speeches. asked of them:
When. therefore, o. my eountrymen.
will you exert your vigor?' and, speak
ing Of their forefathers, he said: They
had the spirit to reject even life, I'M
less they were allowed 10 enjoy that
life with freedom King Philip tried
to bride the brave orator to be silent
and allow his city to go TO ruin, but he
said of this: As to his brides, reject
ed them. And in this I conquered
Philip. for, as the purchaser conquers
when man accepts his price and sells
himself, so. the man who viii not be
sold, who disdains to be corrupted,
conguers the purchaser and be com
planned of the Athenians because they
no LANCER thought it wrong TO be hribed,
but laughed at snch actions and readily
pardoned them"
efhen Demosthenes was o pretty
good man, wasn't hep asked Harry.
VERY good for those times said
grandfather, s.and that Is one reason
why his death was 50 sad.
Glow did he die?n asked Harry.
well" said grandfather, latter
Alexander the Great died, his General,
Antipater, who had been left in charge
of Macedonia, came south into Greece,
and the Afhcnians were compelled to
surrender themselves to him. Demos
themes, as we know, had made > great
many speeches against the Macedoniane,
- ~ ho was afraid and fed from