The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-21


it, for the history of the Persians led
back into that of the Modes; the con-
! tact of the Median empire with Egypt
made necessary a full account of the
country of the Nile; later Persian expe-
dftions suggested an account of the
ScythlanS, as also of the Libyans, and
finally there followed necessarily the
story of Ionian Asia Minor and the re-
volt from Persia, which had prepared
the way for the conflict between Per-
STA and Greece. Herodotus was a great
traveller, and most Of the world which
he wrote Of he had himself visited.
ThoSe who few years ago listened
with eager ears 10 Stanley'S account of
the country and the peoples in Africa
can have some faint idea of the inter-
est with which the Greek world re-
celVed HerodotuS story of the great
countries beyond the seas All the
world loves new stories. Herodotus
found an endless supply Of such in con-
nection with the various peoples of
whom he wrote, and these stories he
told in fashion that no historian since
has ever had the art to equal. And
when he came to tell of Marathon and
Thermoplyae. Salamis and Plataea
even the veterans of those battles must
have felt that the narration was ade-
quate. The whole remains perhaps the
most interesting history in any litera-
ture
The next great historian was an
Athenian of the Athenians. Even about
Al Thucydides was in his prime when
the great conflict broke out between the
two foremost states of Greece. He was
a public man Of great wealth, an ais
tocrat, and, connected with the family
OF the hero of Marathon, had had the
ho
est period could furnish. He belonged
10 the best circles at Athens-doubtIes
to that of the great Pericles himself
He had foreseen from the beginning the
significance OF this great struggle, and
ne spent twenty years in collecting the
material for its history. His concep-
ton OF history was in many respeets
different from that of Herodotus. Per-
hapS he had the other in mind when he
wrote: Very likely the strictly histor-
zeal character Of my narrative NAV he
disappointing. But if he who desires
to have before his eyes a true picture
OF the events which have happened. and
or the like events which may be ex-
pected to happen hereafter in the or
der or human things, shall pronounce
what have written to be useful. then
l shall be satisfied. Ny history is an
everlasting possession, not a prize COM
position, which is heard and forgotten"
He regarded the great struggle between
Athens and Sparta, which lasted TWEEN
ty-seven years (4S1-40D, "the greatest
ever known down to that time, and he
considered it his duty not simply to
narrate the events of the war. but To
set forth the causes which led I'D to
these. and so he became the first phil
Osophic historian. He died before his
great work was completed. leaving his
account broken off at Al q. @. b11r
even thus some of the chief of succeed
ing historians have pronounced him the
greatest historian OF the world. The
Earl Of Chatham called the work 'ftbe
eternal manual of statesmen" and di-
rected that it should be the
hrst book which his son, VIII
liam Pitt, should read after entering
the university. Macaulay put the
seventh book above even the DE Co
roma OF Demcsthenes, as the me plus
ultra or human composition" and Peri
cieS great funeral Grafton in hook
may we'll be expected to keep its rank
as one OF the greatest Orat0rical com
positions in all literature One passage
OF TINS Grafton may properly be quoted
here, as setting forth, in the words OF
him who did most to create the Athens
OF the fifth century, the spirit that an
mated the city and people of Athens
at the acme Of the Attic period: "I
say that Athens is the school of HeIlas
and that the individual Athenian in
his own person seems TO have the pow
er or adapting himself to the most va
ried forms OF action with the utrnos4
versatility and grace. This is no pass
ing and idle word, but truth and fact
and the assertion is verified by the DO
sltion 10 which these qualities have
raised the state For in the hour OF
trial Athens alone among her contena-
poraries is superior to the report Of
her. No enemy who comes against her
is indignant at the reverses which he
sustains at the hands of such a CITY:
no subject complains that his masters
are unworthy of him. And we shall as
suredly not be without witnesses; there
are mighty monuments of our power
Which Will make US the wonder of this
and of succeeding ages. We shall not
need the praises of Homer or Of any
other panegyrist whose poetry may
please for the moment, although his
representation of the facts will not
bear the light of day. For we have
compelled every land and every sea
10 open path for our valor, and have
everywhere planted eternal memorials
Of our friendship and of our enmity."
Thacydides' history was completed by