The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-01-23
rHE rIRsr eAosT STORY
A skcptioul Athenian philosopher Con-
frontcd BY the Conventional spook.


fronted by the Conventional spook.
II antiquity is any guarantee Of respect
ability. we have DO need 90 De ashamed of
the belief IN ghosts. Tho FIRST ghost story
was ttid so long ago that mo- record of its
telling remains. Ever since there were
men there were ghosts. Savage natious
who have no other truce Of civilization or
even OF religion believe IN spooks. The
belief is so universal and 20 elementary that
there are those who derive all religion
from primitive ghost worship. The fear
Of God, they say. q nothing but "a season
cd and developed fear 81 ghosts. IT, the
dawn Of Greek civilization, when the
"Odvssyn was written. men believed that
the spirits Of the departed came sometimes
back 60 earth. Odysseus, during bis wan
behring's. I'm which he "saw the cities az
many men, p had also some dealings with
the world below. by the aid Of sundry
bloody rites he called up the phantoms OF
the heroes who had persisted before Troy.
His mother. too. appeared, and thrice
Odysseus essayod 90 embrace her, and
thrice she eluded his grasp like shadow
OF a dream
But the first absolutely conventional
Ghost story that l can call 90 mind comes
from Athens. IL Is recounted 10y Latin
author. who seems TO believe In &c. and
is somewhat as follows. There was In an
cient Athens certain house which no one
would occupy. Mysterious sounds were
heard in it by night-sounds as of chains
being dragged along the ground. When
the house had been empty a long time,
philosopher, who would have been a mem
Der OF the psychical society had he lived
IN our days. determined 60 investigate
the matter. so one night, armed only with
q book and a candle, he took mp his posi-
tion at a table in one Of the rooms, and
having dismissed all his attendants began
20 read Presently sounds were heard. IL
seemed ~ though some one was rpttling
chains The philosopher went ON reading.
Then steps were heard upon the stairs, and
the clauking OF chains grew louder. still
the philosopher continued reading, with
ont raising bis ewes. Then the footsteps
halted at the door The philosopher read
on. soon he was conscious Of figure adj
vaucing toward him, standing by his side
and waving its arms. loaded with chains,
over his head. Then the philosopher, who
must by this time have required all his
philosophy, looked up. He saw an old man
with a long beard and shaggy hair. Ris-
ing up. he took his candle and followed
the dreadful apparition, which had begun
TO retreat toward the door He followed
it down 10 the courtyard and saw it, as IL
reached one Of the corners, sink suddenly
out Of sighr into the earth
Tho next day he had excavations made
in the courtyard, and beneath the spot
where the figure had disappeared heap
Of human bones was found. They were F.
taken up aud buried with all the fitting ]
rites Aud from that time the house re-
gained its reputation as a desirable family
residence. Nothing could be more com /
pletely conventional than this ghost story.
But il is interesting on account Of its very
conventionality. For the ghost is the most
conventional of things. 1t is only in nov
els that it lends itself TO the dramatic lu-
cidation Of a plot.-LOndon Queen.