New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
srI,DIES WORTHY OF IMITATION BY
AMERICAN SCHOLARS.
CLASSICAL STUDIES IN HONOR OF HENRY
Pm viii Macmillan a. co.

memoraon of the fftieth year Of his oiticial con-
nection with Columbia College. For example not
little has been said of late years respecting "e
premonl:ions which the ancien; Greek philosophers
had Of the theory OF evolution. But Nicholas NUT
ray Butler taking up a little fragment OF Anax-
manders speculation. reported at third hama, SHOWS
how 1t implies the course Of Thought when -ed JONI"
Ffske to his conclusion that the long period oil III
fancy in man must be due to the necessity lot 'he
adjustment Of Increasingly complex physcaI anu
psychical adaptations. But while Mr.. FisKe Ioohed
10 a yelled purpose in nature. AnaXimander arsueo
backward from the present state Of things ii man
had been first such he Is now, ne coulu Ho'
have survived for the would have perished Tor
lack of food in the long and helpless perod OF Odp!
hood. Hence man must have had his beginnings III
a life different from that which is now peculiar 10
him. He must have had. to use the expressive
word attributed TO the old philosopher by MS cI'a-
tors, Plutarch and Eusebus. 'other-iooklns Great
ures than ne and his as his first parents lhere
may be those who will 20 far as 10 say tha'
AnaXimander was more scientific than flsKe' si'ce
he reason to bring final purpose as a means
of solving a problem in nature. Possibly ne mag
ined that the manlike creature was an accl-
dent a sport of nature which happened to be apie
10 perpesuate itself in new forms. Mr. Butler only
goes Mar to say, that which Is Tor AhaNi-
mander epercu. becomes with Mr. f1ske n scleh-
tifc discovery" Apropos of the doctrine OF evoIu-
ton Professor A c. Merriam presents a study from
the archaeological point of view of the dragon
under the title Of Hercules. Hydra and the Crab.
Not that he means 1t TO be taken in this way
But since the dragon-whether with one head or
eight heads like that famous creature In Japanese
shInto mythology which Susanowa intoxicated
with rice brandy and then kied-has been rehaoii-
tatcd somewhat by the differences OF BIOLOGISTS ana
the study of Chinese Chaldean and BIBLICAL an
tquity, is not quite sure but that even the
hydra may have had possible counterpart among
the strange creatures which geology continually
brings TO ones attention. In that case 1t would De
a link somewhat distorted and misunderstood III 'he
chain of ,fe. But Paaephatus himself couid not
take more practical and rationastic view OF
the many headed creature Of the fens thah lhat
adopted by Professor Merriam Ii Is, perhaps, an
illustration Of the effect of dominant tehuehc!
that he has turned the hydra into a feature oil
landscape. He magnes narrow strip OF coast
land hemmed in between mountain and sea- grad
ually formed by streams bursting from the loot
Hills and finally producing marsh and malarious
exhalations. This" he adds was enough ma
terial for poetic alembc 10 create deadly mon
ster with mu.tltudnous snaky heads and long, trail
ms snaky coils. of whose many mouths poured
so fou and poisonous vapor that II destroyed those
who approached its den passed that way. Now
Palaephatus makes Hydra feature OF the land
scape. Also in his way; for he supposes IL 10 DE
walled town with a tower defended by fifty strong
oowrnen and king whose name Is Lernos Nhef-
ever one of these bowmen killed two rose in his
place. The crab that came to the hydras ala was
only a neighborng village chieftain with MS bahd
Of warriors To illustrate how Individual MODES Oh
thinking aNect tne Interpretation VI my '"' "'''
cited the suggestion of Heraclides Ponticus that all
che heads of the hydra meant merely the repeti-
ton Of ignorance which could only be prevented
from springing up against the deadly strokes OF
knowledge by the fire Of admonton But neither
Professor Merriam's theory nor those of Palae-
phatus and Heraclides have anything 10 do with
mis- essay. which is really explanation of IA
NOUS fragment in the Metropolitan Museum or
Art by means of numerous vase paintings, Coins
and relief the Acropols at Athens II IS Gu
rous comment the sequence OF the hypothesis
proposed by Palaephatus in his Interpretation OF the
myth The Greek nationalist does not bring In
Ioaus the ally of Hercules. until after the latter has
failed repeatedly in his attack on the supposed
archers of Hydra. Now the works OF art described
by Professor Merrman classified by him In this
order: First those in which Iolaus Is present out
not vet engaged in the conflict; second. those In
which Iolaus is assisting in subduing the monster;
third those which, for the convenience OF the ar
fist or by the confinement of his space. abridge the
representation to Hercules and the hydra alone.
The third class should be first But the order OF the
other two is sufficient show that Palaephatus
was familiar with the pictured aspects OF the story
1t is possible imagine that the chariot inquired
with Iolaus suggested the whole of Palaephatuss
theory; for IL indicates something better organized
than the primitive civilization embodied in Hercules
and his club In Hesiad. Acaeus, Simondes, and
Euripides whom Professor Merriam cites. the allu-
sons to the conflict betoken hardly as advanced a
civilization as that described in the very similar
Mercian tale of Beowuf and Greudel But the
story as given by Apollodorus is manifestly de-
veloped the utmost limits of the hctile ana scup-
tural art which Professor Merriam describes He
has taken the literature at its most elaborate stage
and has developed the history Of the SUBJECT
from that point. He finds fragments In the
METROPOLITAN Museum which Illustrate the story.
One of these. which Professor Merriam dates from
800 B. c., gives some low-lyng parts of the hydra.
the feet of the two heroes and the crab In all us
inmicaI perfection. The other shows the hand Of
xyie' ding
fragment of the monster.
Professor Merriam has another delightful paper,
this time on Geryon, and he has no Interpretation
10 offer for the myth. In lieu of something which
he might have given. must turn again to Palae-
phatus, who never falls when the subject Is one
which neither ne nor any else knows anything
about What he says is in effect that 1t Is non
sense 10 talk about person having three heads
This is how the matter was he adds: There was
city on the shore Black Sea called Tricarena
where Geryon lived, noted among his neighbors for
his wealth and particularly for fine herd OF cat
tie. Hercules came there TO steal the cattle ana
killed Geryon, who naturally endeavored TO keep
possession of his property. Everybody wondered at
the size and appearance of the animals and those
who seemed to keep up with the news OF the day
said TO others that Hercules was driving off the
herd of a Trcarenian-a good Greek pun for chap
with three heads. But Palaephatus must not he
taken seriously. The fact Is that the myth was
troublesome enough in the form given 10 1t by He
siad and all the explanations that followed were
complicated by the pieces which belong to this le
gend, and in the Cypriote collection OF
the Metropolitan Museum. The conjectures as TO
the origin OF the pieces justify Professor Merriam
in his elaborate effort establish upon scientific
basis the facts relating TO the series comprising
fragments of a large statue of Geryon and two
small ones together with a bassrelief representing
the attack upon Geryons herd and its keepers.
julius Sachs presents brand new theory about
the "so-called Medusa Ludovisi' This is the head
In extremely high relief of beautiful dying woman.
Critics have called IL representation OF the Gorgon
Medusa But Mr. Sachs holds II 10 be the last num-
Der in the series representing the death of the Anna
- r,-....s,la. ,.o,,nhed In la ,tle by Achilles