Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1891-09-17
Saint Nafg's Beacon.
Continued from LIST Page).

showing that the ancient Greeks
were not entirely free from the evils
of the present day.
The Matchmaker is represented
as an old woman who visits young
married lady whose husband has
been long absent on voyage to
Egypt, with the object of inducing
her to procure an Indiana divorce,
30 to speak, and then marry an es-
timable young man Of her acquain-
lance. 1t 10 gratifying to note that
the suggestion 10 decisively rejected.
In the "Schoolmaster" we have the
familiar spectacle Of mother drag
ging her scapegrace son to the ped
agogue to be whipped since neither
the father nor the mother has been
able to keep him in order The
mother tells, in the course of an
amusing dialogue, about her sons
mischievous pranks, his associating
with the worst boys in town and
his obstinate refusal to study his
lessons. Boys, it appears, were
boys as far back as the year $50 B.
G. "The Jealous Woman" reveals
to us a scene of Greek domestic
bliss in which an enraged wife in
flicts proper punishment on the un-
happy partner Of her lot, whom she
suspects Of attentions. to another
lady. To us the Greek tongue is a
trifle difficult, but Herodes repre-
sents the heroine Of this poem as
being very fluent in it,, lashing her
better half with a wealth Of epithet
worthy Of better cause. 1t is to
be noted that the husband fails to
get the last word, from which we
may infer that ancient husbands
were little superior to their modern
successors. In another poem two
ladies, after discussion of the in
EQUITIES of servants, 60 into rap
lures over some mysterious article
of female dress, unknown to our
present lexicons, the nature of
which our female colleges will have
to investigate. The result of their
conference is related in the next
poem, where the same ladies visit o
certain shoe store. With the cob
bier they discuss large variety Of
ladies' boots, the list containing
some twenty-five names, but wheth-
er they concluded by buying any
thing of his heaped up counter is
matter for conjecture, inasmuch
as the last part Of the poem has
been destroyed by inconsiderate
worms. ga Visit to Rsculapius"
gives an interesting account of the
church-going Of the ladies Of the
old Greek World. Two ladies visit
the temple Of Esculapius-their
preference for a medical divinity
may be bit Of Herodes' sly fun
and there go through the various
ceremonies Of their worship. In
cidentally they give q good deal of
attention to the handsome statues
and paintings to be seen there, in
Guiding one by Apelles. The last
poem describes graphically the trial
before a jury at Cos of an action
for trespass. A wealthy merchant
has forcibly entered the house Of
the plaintiff, who is poor man.
The equal rights of the rich and
poor are asserted in the most Wig
orous manner, and the jury is APP
pealed to not to permit itself to be
influenced by the superior social
position of the defendant.
The subjects, it will be seen, are
not those of poetry of a high order,
but they are in fresh, bright style,
and are often amusing. Herodes
is ''the funny man" in the panthe-
on of Greek literature, and as such
will receive from the present age
more attention perhaps than he got
from his own. Though native of
Cos, and familiar with Rhodes, Sa-
mos, Chios and Cyzicus, he spent
the better part Of his life, it is con-
iectured, at Alexandria, the great
literary centre of his day.-Balti-
more San.