New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-08
AFTER ALEXANDER.
NEW LIGHT ON GREEK HISTORY.
GREEK fIrH AND TuOuGHr, From the Ace or AleN
aatcr to tho Roman ConQucst By J. l., MAuhi,
my Macmillan 4 Co

inal work The time Of the Diadochi. the lieu
tenants Of Alexander. has certainly never pstore
been described so lumiaously nor has any o'h'r
scholar succeeded in bringing out what Is really
one Of the most remarkable features OF TINS age
OF Ncllcnism namely the frequent appearance
Of what we are accustomed TO consider essen
TALLY modern policies and the incongruoas inter-
weaving Of those modern policies with the most
archaic customs and supcrstitons> The death
OF Alexander at the top of his meteorc flight lett
che Greek world radically changed. confused and
helpless. Old Greece could not reconcile itself TO
the innovations which the young conQueror had
wrought Athens was unable for long time
10 realize that her power and prestige were some
forever The general uncertainty WAS increased
by the efforts Of the Diadochi 10 set
up KINGDOMS for themselves: TO partition the
empire Of Alexander among them. The wars which
inevitably sprang from these conflicting ambitions
prevented any settlement Of Hellenic affairs and
Kept the world in turmoil and vicisSudc for years
The three great powers were then Egypt Mace
donna and Syria, and these entered into nearly
all tie quickly shifting combinations which were
Effected in the usual ways, through trickery, dl-
rect or indirect subsidy. community of interests, or
fear In the policies adopted by the contendlnS
satraps and governments, there was little TO DIS
tngpish them from those Of the present day
A certain willingness 10 accept the logical con-
sequences Of any situation, which characterized
the statecraft of the period led 20 occasional
notions which strike the nineteenth century reader
ms cruel or trcachcrous But in the making Of
war the Greeks and AsiatiCs simply applied those
principles from the least To the greatest which we,
nlogically sentimental endcavor To contine TO the
latter Modern opinion sanctions unlimited de-
struction of life In war. provided II be effected
hy masses Of men upon masses OF men. The an
uQuo code saw practical distinction between
the unit and the mass and held the killing OF
the one 70 be precisely rs legitimate MS that oil
the other. in dypaStic struggles the conqueTor
almost invariably practiscd the Oriental mode of
cxterminating the family OF his rival, ana 50
necessary was this held 10 he tina, the friends
cf the victims while lamcn,ing their loss, seldom
thought Of charging the dcstroycrs with inhumanlty
nr Injustice blood feuds always and everywhere
result in the adoption Of this drastic method and
Kentucky and Missouri can exhibit in this year Of
grace some striking examples Of tho ethics which
rrcvailcd three centuries before the opening OF
the Christian era
During this period Of transformation, when the
civilization and dcStinics of Athens seemed IN the
course OF single generation 10 have undcrgone
changes sufficient in normal circumstances 10 have
filed a century, il WAS natural that philosophy
snd rclsion also should he influenced The
schools Of Ilato and Aristotle consequently found
Themselves thrust 10 the wall ana Acno ana
Epicurus came 20 the front rs leaders. Professor
Mahaly's chapters on StoiciSn and EMcur@hl>m
arr deeply interesting and suggestive, and ms
spcculations rs 10 the relative influence OF the
new lines OF thought upon the different clements
of society are most ingenious Snd plausible lie
maintains that the age of the hadocm WAS
not that Of dccadcncc. hut IL Spcador IN the
practical philosophy Of thc GrcokS.T And first IN
The causes Of the expansion Professor Mahany
would put the fermcntng element OF eoSmopoHtah-
ism The old isolation and iusnlarity was broken
down and swept away. Fresh ana strong currents
Of thought were pouring in from all Asia The
lcnrnins tho ancient wisdom Of tho Otlcht WIS
snncrimnaScd upon purely Hellenic philosophy
And there was another influence in operation Inc
popular power extinct. lyrintS pr'\"i1'u
Politics were no longer the means of government
10 the pecplc. They had ceased 70 govern SycN-
infancy hid taken the place ot persuasion ana
argument Public affairs consequently dd hN'
interest the strongest and the puTeSi minus ih'S'
Withdrew into themselves and turned 10 philosophy
,,r consolation. The philosophy Of Xcno WAS we'll
aamptc~i 10 the spiritual needs Of III" proud
patriotic. but imp0tcnN Greeks II taught 'h'"
n meas lrcd contempt for earthly things ana n
r,>olptc ra;icncc IN suffering adversely which has
ALWAYS been the recourse ol fallen ariSioctaoi's
The French marQuiScS who went to the su'Io'lh'
a century aSo with polished indifference were
driven 70 S:oiciSm by almost exactly the same
c,ncral influences which gave Vogue at Athens
e. the teachings Of Zono.
Professor MahaiTy writes very Interestingly on
the rise II Alexandria under the auspices oi the
lasiloc The impetus given by FTolemy Softer
10 thc growth Of the city carried Il On beyond the
pcslhihiy oI failure, and the natural aoN""."SVs
al the place coming into pay '""'
!, ma with astonishing rpidity 10 an
r. san Of ~ Y.
TENNIS Of the FOlcmicS 70 found an AleAandrlan
school Of philosophy were less successful and Tor
obvious rca>oas The philosophers first brought
and induced to take up residence in the Museum
wcrc hiSc-hound pedants> incapable q rslnS ~ the
new lights and content 10 potter over ssSi'u'a'T
cal points and rhetorical discussions pTrpS'u"iN
The external circumstances wc-c NOT iaNerAo!' %
The DEVELOPMENT IL free thought IN any alNV''h'
Tho rule Of the lAgid0c Was an ANauc co>!N'>'"
~ the most thorough. golng character lac PrN
suup,iOn ~ the Roman EmpcroTs WAS lo1N
matched hy thai 81 the lrOlcmicS. Inc a>oE'V''Va
~ ,her ~ divine qualities and hoaovs Was not too
rraSs na,,cry. and The Language which found most
favor az the court, and therefore was most eaSVfH
studied. was that Of >ycoYhAncy. - W. find the
Nexanarian philosophy and poetry Of this period
,nu 81 adulaiion and. consequently. 10 gToS'
x,n harycn Of intellectual force and ircsAnesS q
conception.
VIVA; Alexandria became SUBSEQUENTLY, VII" is
magnificent libraries lis hats '' 'e"sn'"s' ~
nixca pr,ud. tickle and iercc popalaeo. It's palace
,r,r,rucs and instructions. its surus iermca;lne
philosophie movements. its tvaScliSs On STcH'
s,ale its rcSsimistlc. fcvcriSh brilliant democrat
sr,ux life, is shown powerfully IN further chap
tcrs Of pro!csSar MAhafy volume and TIC picture
deserves careful study, Neither then nor al any
time Was Alexandria Egyptian IL was an amen
city in mind and tendencies and YET II Was COM
pciled - pretend acceptance II the Esyp;1an il'-
oso;,ly and % observe the ceremonial Of Trl1Si"A
A, which il laughed in its sleeve. Commerce WAS
suarSsns then and with wealth came a sSIa'-oas-
taric r<,ap and dispsy. The examination 81 Mex