Morris tribune., 1897-06-23
EPCURLbS.
He Lived Chiefly on Bread and Waite
Was a Philanthropist.

| He Lived Chiefly on Bread and Wa:SS s~.>,
Was q Philanthropist.
The Quarterly Reviewer, who con-
tributes an essay on Epicurus and
his sayings, reminds us once more
how easily the label of sect or of a
school may come to mean exactly
the opposite of that which it orig
inally conveyed. 1t is a melancholy
reflection that Christian may often
appear to Christ as utterly opposed
to his ideas as the idea conveyed in
the word "epicure" must appear to
Epicurus. Epicurus, according to
The Quarterly, was the last man in
the whole world to be described as
an eplcure.
So far from being a disciple of
gluttony and indulgence, he prac-
ticed severe asceticism and lived
chiefly ON bread and water.
1.-THE disciples of Epicurus follow-
ed closely in their masters foot
steps, They lived, as Diogenes tells
us, upon the plainest food and were
contented with half pint of wine
daily, but, as rule, their drink
was water. Their temperance was
noted and often ridiouled. T"
So far from sacrificing everything
to the selfish pleasures of the plate,
"Epicurus appears to have been
man of boundless sympathy and
practical benevolence. There are
plenty of witnesses of his unsurpass-
able kindness to everybody says
Diogenes Laertius, who also speaks
of his gratitude to his parents, his
benefcence to his brothers, his gen
t1eness to his slaves, as is evident
both from his will and from the fact
that they took part in his studies of
philosophy, and his universal kind
ness to all men. His three brothers
cherished toward him the utmost
reverence and were among his most
enthusiastic disciples. In respect
of his kindness and self denial the
life of Epicurus, when compared
with the lives of other men, might
pass for fairy tale. His notion of
pleasure is the reverse Of sensual
in the ordinary meaning of that
word. y
Epicurus, however, undoubtedly
endeavored 10 emancipate mankind
from the belief In the gods. His
mother is said TO have been eor-
ceress or priestess of some oriental
rite, and the notion is that the force
Of the recoi1 from what he saw in
his boyhood carried him into a pas
sionate crusade againstsuperstition.
Care and fear seemed to him 10 be
the great curses of existence and to
emancipate mankind from their
yoke, and especially to break the
power of superstition, he PROFOUND
ed two doctrines by which he be-
ieved he would break forever the
letters In which the human soul had
been chained:
First The blessed and incor-
ruptible nature neither has trouble
of its own nor causes trouble to 9TH
ers, so that it feels neither anger
nor favor, for all such emotions be-
long to that which is weak.
Second. Death is nothing to us,
for that which is dissolved has no
consciousness and that which has
no consciousness is nothing to us.
Yet, Notwithstanding this antag-
onism to religion, he seems to have
anticipated in some respects more
of the essential features of the Chris
tan religion. The Reviewer says:
''Other philosophers addressed
themselves specially to the well to
do and the cultivated, but Epicurus
takes as much thought for the poor,
the untaught, the suffering, as for
the fortunate. Indeed he seems to
have the former most in view. Of
his slaves he made fellow students
and friends. It is not too much to
say that he regarded all men and
women as his fellows whom he
would gladly help. We do not won
der that no head of any school Of
philosophy in Athens was so loved
as Epicurus. "-Collier's Weekly.