The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
MR.. DEPEW AND THE GREEK WOMEN.
His Description of Their Low Intellectual
Condition In Ancient Greece Combated.

His Description of Their Low Intellectual
Condition in Ancient Greece Combated.
To THE EDIToR OF THE SUN-Sir: Accord
ing to the reports OF a very interesting address
made a few weeks ago by Mr.. Chauncey NJ. De-
pew before the Women's College Club. he drew
a very dark picture OF the mental condition OF
woman in tho ancient Greek period before and
at the time OF Socrates. and also tried to show
that Socrates himself had n low opinion Of
women and thought them all incapable Of any
mental equality with himself. and generally
conveyed the impression. that only in our day
have women had any opportunity for high
mental or artistic culture or for any equality
with men In this direction.
Now. since these propositions involve serious
errors. and are not in accordance with histori-
cal data In either myth or fact. they should
not be allowed to pass uncorrected. l would.
therefore. remind Mr.. Depew. so far as myth
Is concerned, that. to the ancient Greek, WIS.,
dom or intellectually was itself represented
by a woman-the goddess Pallas or Minerva
and. as to fact, that Socrates has himself con-
fessed that he was instructed by a woman and
had a great opinion Of her mental power.
Thus. in the time Of Sappho. for example.
about 900 B. c.. 1t would seem that women GER
tainly were able to have their fling in a pretty
liberal style. which our day will find 1t hard
to equal. In that delightful little volume on
Sappho by Mr.. Henry Thornton Wharton, he
Rivos a picture Of woman's position in those
golden days so brilliant that It almost dazzles
us to contemplate i; Just look Mt this account
taken from pages - to 10 In the work cited:
The customs OF the Eolinns permitted more social
and l1 d0mG in Grd 6rssdo Ws 10 m their wf tTrsIy MA sfan m w1s
society. they we're highly educated. and accustomed
t. express their sentiments to an extent unknown
The Lesbian isiie4 apTpii't thems:lv"s succe fully
to literature. They formed club. for the cultivation
md sought to refine metrtcal forms and diction.
S SI%r = a. they 1nDrrnfn . i1 ,nS" SS r,b t. the 6Sin scientific srS
passionate for the beautiful. they cultivated their
passion. All III" Iuxnries and cleqances Of life
which hat climate AID The rich vail rs Of Lcsbos
dalLlinT picture Of an artistic paradise. which
s Omit per %hS9 we c Gia q th s1Gn Rdism and VI its sffm St h tS.s
luxurious land distilled. in verse, The !olnptuous-
Arabian AqS1b a art :" It ia Grosk in it. s"if.restraint. proper.
ton. tact: We hnd nothing hurdensCme in its sweet;
in the poems OF stppho that supreme art lends
solcmnity and grandeur to the expression of I'M
II we now consider the case of Socrates and
woman. we will find that In his day. about $50
b, c.. there were at least some women who had
attained great intellectual eminence in mems
eyes, and so far from it being the, fact, as Mr..
Depcw has alleged. that the ALTITUDE Of Socrates
hat he fho%sht al Women Imentsiiiyii imp SSH
his attitu mss to o. XfSSnn Ct. n iGnd tD d1 I6,,d bat it
certainty u wv MS tthlltu'lt " III NoHlt'u. III
tn" time Of Socrates there tiourished one Of the
most remarkable women that ever liyed-DIo-
rean phiiosopher-and Socrates confesses that
he sat at her feet and got from her some, of his
ply OF love. beauty. divinity and immortality.
Here. then, We have the fact that confessedly
one Q, 'T men gre WAS in ,snrlt.eri fbH b" a won woman an.S aed
she evidently an original thinker and %teacher
Socrates at the feet of the woman. Biotima!
founded on fact. that womankind could posi-
bly, hav" paid TO them and how Is it that the
EERi4 !'ftn mIk a. to q T fha yc 5oIIES@ GfnSF H There 2 Would "a
have been more ~fattcry in this TO the college
efforts to ingratlate himself with them by dis;
p~araglng or slanderings Socrates and his alleged
i" turning to Jowett's TRANSACTIONS OF Plato's
"S,mposiuln~ any one can see how much there
fcid his Intellect to be loftlly superior to
iiIss@ %t a T fPSm The !"Y Sym ]SSn,Sn1 "%E rs iIfu w!tn g
my point:
And now l will take my leave of You and rohearse
Diotima of Mantlneia, who was a wise woman in this
and many Ia nth Gthe s. sTanshc ,hs of n En9wle ID i,f She T ,sS
years by a sacrifice and was my instructress in tn"
art OF love.
describes the profound and beautiful doctrines
r,uglt hin 10y DiOtima and In which he evinces
teilcct and character, He closes with this par
agraph:
Such, phmdrns-and I speak not only to you. but
10 all men-were the words Of Diptima, and ] am
persuaded of their truth. And being persuaded of
them i ! Try TS,. to onp GGrsbT Snon ot n"tnrO ,E wi, m mot t .,sI Ht' ann
u better helper than Love, And. therefore, also. /
say that every man ought to honor him as l myself
honor him, and walk I'm his wayg, and eUhort Others
10 do the same. even as | praise the power and spirit
OF love, according to tho measure OF my ability. now
and ever.
Now. I think we have seen enough In these
little glimpSes to prove that Mr., Denew's de-
s%crIption OF the position Of women In ancient
Greece and the mental attitude OF Socrates to-
ward woman was hat distorted. Mod
ern women have every reason to be well salts
fed with tho position rOnched by women Ia the
days of Sappho ana with what Socrates
thought Of the capacities OF woman's intellect
from his own experience with II In the case OF
the great niotima. -,
| hope, Therefore, that modern women will
not forget what ,Socrat g and the old naganls
have done for them, and that Mr., Depew will
set Socrates right with the women Of America
the next time he has occasion TO address them
BROOKLYN. Feb. 4. CHAs. NJ. HIGGINS.
The Old-Fnshionel SnowEtorm,