New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-09

derivation Of the Spartan polity It IS plain that
the roval aristocratic and popular succession in
other States be accounted for. hypotheticaily
a. least without going back to primitVism Inc
kings who figure in a shadowy way, much Hhe
those Of Rome in the background Of history, with
each state. might have been the suooruild'e
lords Of a system such as Homer describes. While
Sparta retained her kings. in other states me
aris.ocracy was too powerful to yield the point.
For the si.ke OF permanencc the initial weakness
Of The Spartan aris.ocracy was good thing ior
tho state The warrior class was able To main
tain itself intact for ages. But in other states
the growth OF the populace finally oNcrwheiiHed
the nobility and the result was the PERIOD OF inc
tvrants when one rich or ambitious man sel"e"
the power and used 1t TO stamp out MS che''ie9'
To inpoverish his friends. and to ensaVe 'he
multitude As a rule the tyrant was AT the o"'
CO, q nonular leader He had the majority at MS
hack until il weared Of him. The story OF 'hesc
rulers is a monotonous one, they are al 50 "o"i'H
alike The main difference Is that some i''ai"sV"
n live out their days, while the rest SUFFERED III
the end the fate which they had me'ed OUT 10
others c,
This method Of restoring the history OF ure'ce
osnores the necessity of relying overmuch on the
personality of men whose fame may be more OF
Lose mythical. Such an one was Lycurgus. Not
grea, deal in the traditions about him when mas
tie narallal in the stories told OF Soloh anu '''c
author Of this book holds IT to be evident that
everything in the life of Lycurgus Which mas d
counterpart in that Of Scion Is more or less uncef
,t II is not ONLY impossible TO fix the age IN
u.bicb I vcurgus lived. il is even NOR" 50 10 give
him any definite traits. lie remains shauoW
Tho only argument which Holm brings against
tho econtics Is conveyed In his question Whe'her
srcb q well-planned constitution as the one At
trihu,e1 70 Ivcurgus was not in reality the re-
sr,t of a special act Of legislation. which III
Greek antiquity woul always Imply the eN'S'-
once Of a lawgiver He is himself g'neraiH 80
dubious about Greek personages OF the prehistoric
nar,od that this query does not nave aS H''1"
force as 1t might But his principles OF crl''''S"
as applied In this case are worth r't"e""'''''7'
Generally and al the outset he thinks al i'''o"7
names in the early traditions Of Greece 10 ~ III
doubt. simply because the prcdllectlon oil inc
people of that ry for personal he'"'9 III
ducod them to create these when lheN dli "''
already exist on the other hand. TINS pr"Su'nP-
tion against Greek certainty in such matters Is
no, nroof Each personal legend must be c'h"h-
cred on its own merits. So he votes MOI 90 sum-
ont I,vcurgus. not even to rclegate nm 10 d"
,1aco among the gods rs an impersonat!on II
Apollo or Zeus But it must be mentioned mat
no &c not fixed in his belief that tn" spartan
Constitution was the result Of special leSisld-
tion. promulgated at a given time. on the con-
trarv he gives credit t. a remark OF ATiS'''''
who assorted that the Ephors were not created
fill long after Lycurgus. and then adds the IN
florence that there was an evolutionary process
IN snartan law Even if such a man az LycurSNS
did once exist there is no telling now what T."
did for Sparta, what was law before ms time
! or what was added afterward. Thus. while N"'-
ing not 10 strike GU; Lycurgus, ne leaves MN
scarcely more than an enacting clause. lhlS
process repeated with notifications over ana
over again reduces the Greek story 10 a mere
skeleton Of what used to be read with unoouhdcd
faith Nevertheless the old legends have 70 De
told They have a meaning apart from their
nersonal interest They interpret Greek thought
and the way Greeks wished 10 have things done
more clearly often, than the ascer'ained facts OF
later history.
The Indifference " the author 10 every grace
excant clear and practical statement Of his views
is initiated by his translators. who have modestiy
kept back their names. Eloquent essays on char
! acter and event and the epic flow Of sustained
! narrative are neglected. The book Is the Dusi-
nesslike production # specialist.