Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-08-18
THE CITIZEN
Was Cesar a Mean Man?
Punxsutawney Spirit.


Judge Christopher Heydrick, Ex-Solici-
tor General jerks, Colonel Rose, Hon.
Norman Hall, and number of citizens OF
Punxsutawney were sitting on the yeranda
of the Hotel Whitney last Friday evening,
when the subject of great men was incl
dentally brought up.
Mr.. jerks said the world had never pro-
duced greater man than julius Caesar.
'FViewed from all standpoints," he contln-
aed, Caesar will measure up with the best
of them. As a commander of armies, an
organizer of governments, polished citi-
zen, an eloquent orator. delightful COM
panion and the master of model literary
style, he had no superiors. He was a
many sided, great souled, magnanimons
statesman, and Shakespeare knew what he
was talking about when he called him the
foremost man OF all this world"
Il look upon Julius Caesar" said Judge
Heydrick, las cruel, ambitious tyrant,
full of vainglory and meanness. He came
very close to being the 'meanest man of
all this world"
''Why so What did he do :" asked Mr..
jerks. "His exploits are filed with deeds
of magnanimity. The chiefs of many con-
quered tribes became his warmest friends
and allies because of his generous conduct
towards them"
Eyes, replied Judge Heydrick. 'He
was magnanimous to some OF those petty
barbarian chieftians, but when he met
foeman worthy of his steel he was mean
and cruel. In one instance, after severe
struggle with barbarian prince, who came
very nearly being a match for him, and
who delivered himself into Caesars hands
alter the battle, Caesar magnanimously cut
off his hands and put out his eyes"
Where do you find that 2" demanded
the Ex-Solicitor General.
81 find it in the works of Napoleon III,
who wrote learned and entertaining
sketch of Caesar"
''But Napoleon was no authority" pro-
tested the ex-Solicitor General. 'He sim
ply wanted to say something startling-to
tell something that nobody else had told
and he invented that lie about Caesar be-
cause it was such an outrageous lie that
none of his enemies and defamers had ever
thought of it. Caesar relates all OF his ex-
ploits in his commentaries with great frank
ness, and he makes no mention of that"
mo" said Judge Heydrick. Caesar
told everything that would rebound to his
credit, and carefully excluded all that was
disgraceful. He violated the laws of hos
pitality and decency by holding two am
bassadors sent into his camp to treat with
him and for this he was publicly censured
by Cato in the Roman Senate"
Caesar had envious and jeslods enemies
at home and abroad" answered Mr.. jerks,
''who attacked him with savage mendacitY,
but he was more than match for them all,
and it is admitted by fair and judicious
historians that these things were the in
ventions of malice, and unworthy of Gre
dence. The object of Napoleon IIPs work
was to glorify Napoleon l. and himself in
cidentally. He wanted to make out
close parallel between Napoleon and Caesar
and he had to make an Internal mean man
of Caesar in order to carry it out"
Here the discussion was interrupted, and
Caesars greatness remained an open ques-
ton. "The evil that men do lives after
them. The good is oft inferred with their
bones; so let it be with C9sar."-Punxs'y.
Shirt