The record-union., 1894-05-09
LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENqS.
An Interesting Meeting of the Unity
Club Last Night.
C. p. Massey's Able Treatment of the
Subject of Grecian Literature
of the Early Ages.

A good and intellectually representa-
tive audience assembled at Steinway Hall
last evening, the occasion being lecture
by c. p. Massey on Grecian literature.
The speakers treatment of the subject
mprehensiveness was not sacrificed,
considering the limit of an hour which
Mr.. Massey assigned himself for the dis
cussion of so large a theme.
The speaker dwelt largely upon the
philosophy of the Grecian nation, tracing
it from its beginning with Thales OF
Miletus, in the seventh century, &. c., to its
eliminating point with Plato and Aris-
totie, in the fourth century before our
era. Grecian philosophy, history, epic
and dramatic poetry were successively
passed IN review, and an effort made to
discover by an examination of each what
OF permanent yalue, intellectual, esthetic
and moral, can be said TO have resided in
| the crowning works of Grecian genius.
MIR. Massey's summary we print in full.
In accepting the assignment for this
evening, the speaker said, l did not feel
that useful purpose would be accom-
plished 10y simply giving you list of
Greclan authors, and of the works with
which they are respectively associated,
even If should have halted at many
prominent productions and furnished
you examples of the beauty they con-
tanned in much larger measure than |
have. felt rather that this useful pur-
pose could be best conserved by endeav-
oring 10 estimate this Grecian literary
production by what OF permanent value
1t contained, and while not questioning
the outward beauty OF its form and the
graees of the human Imagination therein
displayed, to interrogate it as to the
moral lesson it has furnished, in order
that it may be determined what intiu
ence 1t has eXerted towards making the
world greater and better and grander.
This element of moral greatness is quite
conSpicuouSly absent. Nor can the an
tiquity of the times be held to entirely
excuse the fault, for in still more ancient
times another people, lacking many of
the qualities which have made the Gre
cian nation illustrlous, and with the
esthetic sense almost altogether undevel
oped, made proclamation OF moral excel
lence and blind to all splendor OF form or
glory of color, detected the majesty of the
beauty of holiness and bowed the head
| before its awful throne.
The moral influence which the Hebrew
nation has thus eXerted, is lacking in
Grecian literary art. Even its philoso-
/ puy LAS U60li Ill Ill IllOu6Tu
| thought. With eo-Piatonism in the
| Alexandrian schools, with its vagaries as
to transcendental theories, its illumina-
! tions and emanatlonS, Platonism in any
| distinctive sense expired, and although
Aristotle may be said to Lave survived in
Bacon, and the inductive methods of
modern philosophers, induction to-day is
a severer process than Aristotle ever con-
ceived of itas being, while as to the ques-
| of q Org al hQ Il N IaHer nf
the fundamental by the way of the an
cient syllogism, our contemporaneous
speculation has no recognition WhatSo-
| ever.
A highly human interest must, how
! ever, attach to the accomplishments of
this people we have been considering.
The esthetic value of their achievements
as an elevating, refining, softening intiu-
ence, must not be disregarded. The
mold into which they have ever cast their
| literary productions must remain a con-
slant delight and art, considered in
this aspect of it, may have reached
its acme, forever AFTER to wane,
in those years when Minerals
armor flashed menacingly upon
| the promontory of Sunium, and the
| Acropolis YVES rich with the works of the
greatest sculptors of the world. But that
in everything else there has since been
retrogression or feeble and futile imita-
ton, as is sometime extravagantiy as
serted, / cannot admit. The glamor
which surrounds the products of Grecian
genius can hardly blind us to proper
appreciation OF the accomplishments of
after times, of how men have wrought
out for themselves better social and po-
litical conditions, have gained higher
ideals of duty, have made love passion
and not law, and SO honored woman
and made the home happy, holy place,
and how, also, through recognition of
the essential equality of man, they have
builded institutions of which Plato in his
republic never could have dreamed, in
which accident of birth or outward cir
cumstances are unconsidered in the dis
| tribution of civil rights.
| And, although the gertrude for which
the great Athenian philosophers so anx-
iously sought has not been vouchsafed.to
US, there is extant now at least more
abiding confidence than ever before in
the unity, the integrity, the moral pur-
pose and the ighteous end of this universe
of which we are component parts, and
in this belief neither Plato nor Aristotle,
but later and lofter minds, have instructed
us, and with the loftiest OF them all we
say
We have but faith we cannot know,
For knowledge is of things we see;
And yet we trust it comes from Thee,
beam in darkness, let it grow.