The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03

T.
Lucian was born at Samosata on the Euphrates
between 100 and 1870 A. D.. He died In Egypt
where he held a Government appointment.
some time after iW A ID. On leaving school
about i4O A. D., he was bound in appre itioeship
to his maternal uncle, a sculptor o. maker
ofimages. Having received, however. I, beating
for breaking a model. he left his master ana
poturned to his parents. There are In his WORKS,
nevertheless, manv nassa1as which exhibit
4 cultivated taste for sculpture and painting
and II may he to his early technical training that
the awakening Of his aesthetic faculties should be
ascribed. Having renounced art and possessing
no taste or aptitude for trade, he turned to
the vocation Of philosopher or rhetorician.
which. In the second century OF our era. was a
freauented and often lucrative profession.
The study Of philosophy, however. exacted
an amount of quiet and continuous thought
that was by no means congenial to I~.ucian's
restless mind. For the calling of a rhetorician.
on the other hand, all that was needful was a
comparatively superficial course Of reading in
oratory. history and imaginative literature,
together with a smattering of law. So. after
some hesitation. the young Syrian made his
way into Ionia. which was, at that time. full OF
90 called schools of art and eloqnence. The
kind OF rhetoric taught, however, was o, a hollow
and artificial character. the merits OF the ques
ton argued were nothing; the phraseology
and theatrical delivery were everything. The
professional rhetorician's business was TO utter
the longest possible string OF sonorous words
and elaborate sentences. Talk without ceas-
ing" SAYS Lucian's rhetorician; say at hap
hazard whatever occurs TO you. But. OF all
things. do not hesitate. talk on and on. Never
omit to have friends at hand to applaud you"
Although Incian went to Ionia for the pur-
pose OF studying rhetoric As I was taught In
his tine. yet. from the fact that he was poor
and from the absence Of any specific allusion
70 his teachers in his works the inference seems
warranted that Lucian was more or less self.
educated However lie acquired II, there is
no doubt about the 9 tent and the accuracy
Of the knowledge he displays of the Greek
orators and poets, especially Of Homer. He
was well read also in the Greek historians.
conspicuously Herodotus but he regarded
history exclusively from the literary point Of
view. OF the concentration Of events and tho
evolution OF society ne had no notion. 1t would
be. OF course, absurd to expect himto. anticipate
tas modern conceptions Of tn" philosophy OF
history. but. as Col. Hime points out. he failed
to rise 10 the viewpoint of Herodotus, and much
...sh, 10 hs ,rao,T History should
n u,.,,.,n. Inoi., a-rI,ins bs liars uror
a.. II, =, .nn.,dlraha ,or,,b The bis-
.u - .ho,lI noss.ss noli,iool ir,eI,i.
- 49, xa,nrsssir, bimsel, and Al,
-. go Tho lila shou,d he cloor and
49, A. onos,,,on tho ,r,th a, m.
.-.io,. .,.,o,Dsrts sbou,d no es,a h,ished erst.
~. tac,s shh,,,d ,hon no marsb.l,ed in order
an, rs shor,d ,o urouch, toes,he, into a
h,,,o.. yThora "a ro,h,n, 20 .bov thu, no had
, any no,ior of m. s,is,apce NJ TIM, c.usation In
hi.tory vhich Thucvdides recosni,ed No admits
that Thucvdides uas ,rutbfu, hut he does not
...m IN ha ve cornrehsnded tha, as Freeman has
said -there is hardly n prohlem In tho SCIENCE
NJ governm an, which the statesman will not
ana I, No, so,ved n, anv rate handled IN tina
n..e. NJ the universal master In his com.
ments on Herodotus Iucian ridIcules that his
torian,s credu,itv and blunders but ia Hind
to the Judgment frequently shown by him.
Notwithstanding his imperfect information.
and fails to appreclate his perception of the
confederation of events. Lucian's education
WAS defective also on the Mathematical side
Ne failed IN master the ers, principles of peome-
trv and science. He ieers at the "points with
out parts" and lines without breadth" Of seome-
tiers. laughs AT the belief that the sun Isl flaming
mass. and derides the attempt to measure the
distance OF the heavenly bodies. Fellows. "
he saws who don't know the number Of miles
between Athens and Megara can tell YOU the
number Of yards bet ween the sun and the moon.
the height OF the atmosphere and the depth Of
the yea. Such jests might come naturally
enough ir,m n writer living In an ignorant
age. but as a matter Of fact they were penned in
Greece by a man who lived $50 years after