, 1896-11-14
An ANCIENT ORATOR.
Continued FROM Page H.

act up 10 the luhl measure OF the de
mands OF the orator.
h three Olynthiacs relate to 9
crisis in Grecian history, at which, il
Philip had been checked. the result,
m.snt have Influenced the entire future
tt Greece JLc destruction of Olynthus
in spite of the thrilling addresses OF
Demcsthenes, urging his countrymen
to go to its relief. is a sad chapter in
Grecian records. There was left scarce,
ly any token of the existence of the
great city OF O%lynthus and of more thar
30 towns, its dependencies. They are
in the dust, but the eloquence which
survives them is an eternal monument
of the unquenchable spirit and relent-
less training of its author. AS Demos
themes had predicted. it became clear
that Philip could now no longer be con-
fined to his northern kingdom and the
question became how much of Greece
would fall into his power.
The speech against Midas was called
out by the elimination of a long series
of hostilities and prosecutions inflicted
on Demosthenes eve since his early
contest with his guardians. Midas had
attempted to shield the fraudulent rela-
tives and had followed up his conduct
by an act of violence in breaking into
the house of DemOsthenes and using
improper language before his sister,
than a nr ri,.l E,. thi. trn un
Demosthenes obtained judgment
against Midas, which could not be col
lected, in spite of the ~well-known
wealth of the augmentation. But
Midas learned how ccnacious of his
purpose the great orator was and out OF
bafI!ed rage struck him when he was
exercising the sacred office of choregus.
He was Immediately convicted of i'm
piety. and Demosthenes also began an
action to recover damages. This speech
was intended for the trial of that ac-
ton, but. according TO Aeschines, the
suit was compromised and the action
discontinued. The address is full of
abuse, and it is questionable whether
it would have added to the renown of
Demosthenes. if it had been delivered.
1t remains a bare sketch and might
have been pruned into a form that
would have rendered it more acceptable
to modern taste. The description of the
insecure seat of Midas when he at
tempted to figure as a cavalryman pre-
serves his appearance for everlasting
ridicule. That Demosthenes should
have been beside himself with wrath
at the INSULT that was put upon him is
not to be wondered at, nor that he over
flows the banks in vituperation. foI he
was then a comparatively young man.
Enough appears In these references
to the topics which received the atten-
ton OF Demosthenes to show the varied
nature of his powers as an orator and
public man. His life is full Of dramatic
interest. and from this point onward.
it fast approaches its climax Of trag-
edy, as Philip. the enemy OF Grecian
independence. winds his serpentine
folds about Greek liberty and brushes
the life out of state after another.
Olynthus fell first; and after the extinc-
ton CT Phocis. it vas easy for the
northern victor to get possession of
Thermopylae: then he entered the
P~eloponnesus as the protector of Ar
Cos, Mcgalopolis, and MeSsene against
Sparta. For a time Perinthus and
Byzantium were spared from the
clutches OF the cunning foe by the in
domitable energy and resolution OF
Demosthenes. He was an obstacle
which Philip must expect to
and srrmount at each step of progress
toward the conquest OF Greece. With
great foresight he OWNED the plans OF
the enemy and with matchless elo-
Uuence he reused his countrymen n
the citizens of the other states to re-
%sistance, until at last Athens and
.Thebes met the Macedonian father and
son on the fatal field of Chaeronea.
Demosthenes was then fighting in The
ranks. The Greeks displayed wonder
full valor, but they lacked training anu
a skillful leader.
To this lamentable end the great
statesman had brought his country,
but. distressing as was the condition
of the state and of her leader, he made
IL the occasion Of the sublimest burst
Of oratory that the world has ever
heard, He demonstrated to a subjugat-
ed nation that the course which vt a
been persuaded to pursue was not alone
the best policy that was visible. but
that it was, even in he light OF defeat,
absolutely the wisest craftsmanship.
For the moment he led upward an en-
shaved people till they breathed the air
of freedom on the heights of moral
principle, where he h~abitually dwelt.
He lifted them from their degradation
and gave them a comprehensive view
OF the honorable place which they had
occupied in history and which they
would always continue to occupy
through having followed his advice.
The occasion of the delivery OF that
Grafton was the motion i'm 1896 B. G. of
Ctesiphon, a close personal friend, that
Demosthenes be awarded a golden
crown in attestation Of the wisdom OF
his statesmanship and as a reward for
his services to Athens. Aeschines. his
nraato.t r,,ol and according to Demos