The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-08-12

apple, inscribed ''To the most beauti-
full" Surely apples, the goddess Dis
cord and the fair Eve will have much
to answer for on the final day. The
result of this movement among the
fair ladies of antiquity-or antique Ia
dies-was soon apparent in the burn
ing rivalries, petty jealousies and
weary heartaches which envelOped the
aspirants for the possession of the
golden apple. 1t was soon apparent
that there were but three entitled to
the possession of the treasured article,
and these were Juno, Pallas and
Aphrodite, of whom the first was the
wife of Zeus. TO him now repaired
the three beauties, that he might de-
eide their rival claims. But he was a
wise old fellow, in his day, and did not
propose to decide any such question
as would have lasting effect on his
own domestic tranquility, which he
wisely valued as "above rubies and
fine gold" He told them that their
judge of awards would be found on
Mt. Ida in the person of a young, hand
some and fearless shepherd. Truly
it's said, "mortals rush in where angels
fear to tread
Thither then repaired the three la
dies and stated their case to the young
shepherd, whom we find to be Paris,
the supposed dead son of Priam, king
of Troy. Now it seems that these fair
ones to procure decision favorable to
their individual self, resorted to meth
DDS of great potency in all periods of
the worlds history, i. e., to feed their
judge on sugar, in the form of prom
ises by each to Paris, as follows: Juno
promised him for the decision great
kingly power; Pallas offered him
worldly wisdom and martial glory;
while Aphrodite, with the wisdom prob
ably born of experience, offered him
the worlds fairest woman. The world
knows his choice.
Soon after, Paris, while attending
the athletic religious services offered
to Pallas, in the city of Troy, defeats
his brother Hector in the contests; is
subsequently recognized by the proph-
etess, Cassandra, as the son of Priam,
and is received by Priam into his house
hold, not at all dreading the foretold
fate of Troy at the hands of this youth,
his son Paris.
About this time came to Troy great
rumors of the wonderful beauty of
Helen, wife of King Menelaus of
Sparta. Paris, mindful of the promise
given him, set out from Troy, on a
visit to Thessaly, but really to visit
Sparta and see the famous beauty.
Well might Paris have uttered the
words of Caesar, "veni, vidi, vici,"
for he came, saw and conquered. Helen
fled with him to Troy and by this act
produced those portentous events of
dawning history.
Menelaus gathered together those
who had sworn to protect him in his
possession of Helen, set sail with his
fleet for Troy, and after many misfor-
tunes appeared on the coast of Troas.
From all portions of the Egean, the
Mediterranean; from Africa's heated
sands came the Ethiopian race to join
with the fairer Greeks in battle against
the famous "King of the Orient"
Pick up the Illiad and read over that
list of kings and princes which exhib-
its such profound knowledge of the
world then known and the people that
inhabited the various isles of Greece.
1t had been decreed that he who
first set foot on Trojan soil would die
at once, and Protesilaus, king of Thes-
sally it was who willingly leaped on
shore from the advancing fleet and
whose life blood was freely offered as
sacrifcial libation to commemorate
the natal day of that historic siege. On
the plain in front of Troy the Greek
tents were pitched, their fleet drawn
up the beach behind them, and here,
says Homer: "Upon Scamander's flow
cry mead they stood"
On this plain between the city and
the sea, phalanx after phalanx rolled
back and forth leaving behind the dy.