Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-06-24
FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.

FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.
The Seven Wise Men of Greece.
"Nell. did you hear my little song?'
1t was Tom who asked the question
Tom, who did not know one tune from
| another.
What had he been trying? 'Old Hun.
dred,' or ''Hail Columbia or some
thing else that he had been hearing all
his life?
Nell looked at him, with merry
twinkle in her eye. She wanted very
much to laugh, but then it would make
Tom feel so bad to be laughed at! Nell
remembered the lesson she had learned
from Cleobulus. She said, very grave
ly:
'No, Tom, I did not hear your song.
What was it?''
lit was something that helped me
ever so much; it was made up of some
words of Fernandez.
'Periander!'' exclaimed Nell, laugh
ing. ''Heis the last of our Grecian
friends; do you hear, good pcople?'
Yes, they heard-Uncle Philip, Lou,
Ned, Frank and Tom. Frank had just
commenced on plate of Dinah's GIN
ger-snaps.
1--WE might as we'll have him now as
IT ~ I
saying that have read up about him. -
"Then you can tell the rest of u.s.
said Uncle Philip. ''You can begin
now, and talk, just as you would to a
parry of children. l confess that I have
no very clear idea about this Periander,
when and where he was born, and what
he did that was SO very remarkable. ="
''He was born III that grand old city
of Corinth, said Ned, delighted to play
instructor to Uncle Philip.
''You had better call it wicked old
cityr' interrupted Frank, who had been
reading a great deal about Corinth
He could tell one, of the wonderful
citadel, the Ancro-C orinthus; of the
harbors, the architecture, the statuary,
and the bronze work. He had read, too,
that the art of painting was invented
in Corinth.
''But we cannot stop to say much
about Corinth-only ten minutes, to
these talks you know-and what I have
to tell about Fernandez would take ten
times as long! l must tell you some
thing very queer about his father,
though, who was king of Corinth.
Did you ever hear Of the famous chest
of Cypselus?
No one seemed to recall anything
about it just then.
piece of handiw0rk, made of cedar, and
inlaid with a multitude of figures, in
gold and ivory.'
"Cypselus' mother hid him from his
enemies, in this chest, when he was an
infant. He became king of Corinth;
Fernandez was his son. When Cypsel-
us died, Fernandez became king, or
tyrant, of Corinth. But you must
know" added Ned, ''that the word
tyrant then had not the meaning we
give it, A tyrant meant merely a
ruler who was not res ponsible to any
one; he could do as he chose, and some
times he chose to do very wise, kind
things; Per ander took this course at
first. He had fine taste, and did all he
could to make Corinth a famous city.
He grew to be a real tyrant, though
perhaps because he took bad advice?
''The story is that he sent to Miletus,
to impure of the tyrant there the best
way to keep his power
Lou held up her hand! "May I inter-
rupt the speaker?' she asked, laughing
ly.
Hadn't that tyrant long name?
Wasn't it Thrasybulus?''
Eyes! What answer did Thrasybulus
make? You could never find out by
guessing Ned was allowed to tell.
''Thrasybulus led Periander's messen-
ger throug h a corn-field, cutting off, as
he went, the tallest ears of corn. He
then sent the messenger home, bidding
him tell his master how he found him
employed.
s'Periander understood what it meant
he began at once to put down all the
mobiles of his kingdom
"Well! Welt" interrupted Uucle
Philip: "may be permitted to ask a
question? This Fernandez has been
called one of the wise men of the world
for many hundred years. What right
has he to such honors?'
''Why, Uncle Philip, he was wise in a
certain way, was he not?' asked Nell.
''Perhaps people admire his skill in
the management of the affairs of Cor
inth.''
Eyes, I must admit that Fernandez
did great deal toward making Cor
inth fine mercantile city. He was
wise, two, in the help that he gave to
art
'.He didn't know how to govern his
own family, thought said Ned. ellis
son was disobedient, and he himself,
killed his wife in fit of anger
"He said one wise thing declared
Tom. II found it in my Webster's
Dictionary when 1 was looking for
something about the wise men: n 9TH
ing is impossible to industry I keep
singing that over and over again to my
self when have hard time over my
Latin translations! Somehow it helps
me wonderfully.
So that, after all, was Toms song!
Nell had heard the same thought hun
dred times! But, if it had come to Tom
now, as something new and helpful,
she was willing to forgive Fernandez
his tyranny, and to wish him and all
the wise men of Greece friendly fare
we'll!
Confusion in the Workshop.
Yes, sad to relate, there is confusion
in the clerical workshops. Tools
designed to work together in harmony
were, instead, grumbling and fault
finding, if not, indeed, actually set by
the ears.
Bishop Blacksmith smote his fore