The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-14

NAluAiy '"''.
The domestic relations ~ Pericles throw
light upon the position Of women In tho Atlc-
man City-State. In his youth the great AtNenian
statesman had married the wife OF tie rich
Ulpponicus. bv whom 10 had two sons, Nan
tlppus and Parclus BY what arrangement
the lady's divorce from her first husband was
brought about We know not. but the harmony
OF the two great families 10 which h"r two hn'-
bands belonged seems not TO have been IN any
way disturbed In such matters Nthenian
feeling was widely different from our own Tho
connection thus formed did not prove lasting
Whether PeriClcs failed 30 engage N" a'''-
lions Of his wife aS Hipponicus had failed DO
fore him or whether he was overcom" by n new
passion. they separated. and tho nigh-horn
Athenian dame consented 10 hecom" tie wifi"
Of q third husband Pcricl"- was now M lib
erty 10 bring TO his home the celebrated As
pasta, a MileSian lady, who seems 10 ha'" como
10 Athens not long before tho Slmjan War
which ended IN u G $50 She belonged To the
class Of Hrtdirr. or companions. hut hy gen
eral consent she was tho 0r-t ~ her class. Al
ancient writer's agree about hor beauty. her
genius and her accomplishments. and, when
she became associated with rerIol"-. her circle
was in some respects the loading circle AZ
Athens Socrates listened eagerly 10 her con
versation. ~AnavaROraS, an lonlan Ike h"r-
eplf, entered into discussion with her on sub
jects religious and philosophical. and tho
friends Of Pcricles even brought their wives
10 listen 10 the wise savings Of the Milesian
beauty That she ever became the wife Of
pericles is neither proved nor credible By n law
which no had himself proposed before he met
her, PericleS had mad" marriage between nm
Athenian and a Mile~ian impossible. and her
son. Periclas tho Younger. was regarded a.
Legitimate. although, after the death Of his two
legitimate half-brothcrs. he was made an Athe-
nlan citizen
I, has been susscstcd that Periclc- in forming
this connection with Aspa-ia was cndeayoring
70 establish a better position for women in
Athenian society Thus Holm in his History
Of Greece" queries: is it likely that a serious
minded and highly educated Imam like Pcrtc!es
would not have come to the conclusion that his
own example ought 10 be generally followed
I'm Athens II the social life Of SO gifted a people
was 70 be placed on a satisfactory basis" Il
Is certain that the Athcnian wife, although A.
the mistress Of tho house and the mother Of
children she was treated with the greatest
respect and was influential in her own sphere,
was restrained within narrow limits. Sh" was
taught to read and write aud instructed in all
manner Of household duties, but she seldom
ventured beyond the precincts of the house or
was seen in any society but that of her relations.
IN tho country the wives Of nrighbors visited each
other. but in the city II was only on some public
occasion, a festival or a funeral. that a woman
OF position left her home. Mixed society was
unknown among women Of reputation. they
were vigorously excluded from all entertain
ments. and for n man To enter the house Of a
friend in his absence was contrary To custom,
Mr.. Abbott. for his part, deans II impossible
o. Judge Of the motives which induced PertcleS
70 take AspaSia into his house. II seems clear.
however. that il Athenian society stood in
need Of reformation, he did not go the right way
to reform IL. Undoubtedly he laid himself open
20 attack 10y this new connection. while he lost
the sympathy ~ what was SOuudc,t and best
at Athens. The old-laShioncd people who gave
their sons the education which Aristophanes
has skctchei in the Clouds" could not fail to
regard with horror Aspasia and her circle. For
a number Of years the writers Of comedy amused
themselves At the expense Of the Mlesian lady
who was an inmate Of the house Of the great
statesman. She was the new Omphale." the
"conCubine Of the Olympian pcricle,. the child
Of Lewdness At last IcrInippu-, q comedian
whose power lay in tho cuar-cuc~> ut his satire,
weary perhaps Of his own abuse or believing
that the ground had been well prepared, ven
tured TO bring a public charge against Aspa~ia
She was accused al lmuicty, "a subject on which
the Athenians were easily aroused but IN her
case the impiety was only the cover for a still
more odious imputation. She was brought be-
fore the court rs an atheist and a procur",s.
A an alien could not appear AZ the trial
her cause was left in the hands Of Pcricle,. and
the AthenianS looked on with malicious delight
while their matchlesS orator. overcome with
emotion, pleaded for his mistress with the
entreaties and tears which Atheniau custom
permitted in a court oflaw A,pa-ia was ac-
Quilted.
II was not only with regard 10 his choice
OF a feminine companion that PeriCles came
into conflict with the prevailing sentiment
AT Athens. We are apt to regard the Greeks
as audacious thinkers whose mines wandered
freely over everyd epartmcnt Of human thought.
and this Is to a great extent true Of eruauCi-
pated Greek literature. but II Is bv no means
true Of normal Greek life, The ordinary Greek
was religious 10 an extraordinary degree, in
every action he felt himself dependent on the
gods, whose support no was therefore anxious
To Obtain In all his plans and purposes. He ap-
pealed to tho oraCleS about the most trivial
matter-about n contemplated purchase. about
a straycd sheep or "A stolen OK nothing I'M
common occurred but II was regarded as a
I"lN'l' ' WI A'i''' ~ VII ''NAl NV
Thus an earthquake caused an adjournment
Of an important assembly. With such modes
Of thought the emaucipatei circle ~ Pericles
and Aspasia had nothing IN common. Early
In life he seems 20 have fallen under the liz
fuence OF AnaNagoras Of Clazomeue. a phil
osopher Of the Ionian school. from whom he il
said to have acquired tho stately reserve which
was so remarkable n trait in his character.
From him pericles learned 70 fepudiate the
current opinions Of his day, and To subSti-
tuto natural causes for supernatural. in the
teaching Of AnaNagoras, the world is the work,
not Of chance or OF necessity. but Of an organic
ing intellect, which, out Of n preceding chaos.
brought together similar particles capable
OF combination, and thus formed The world
as We know il. Such a philosophy could not
fail to COM into collision with the religious
beliefs Of the Greeks. There was no room
In it for that variety Of powers with which
they had peoplei earth, and sea, and sky The
sun In the eyes of the Greeks was a holy God,
a living. personal deity. who traversel the
heavens daily from east to west in his bright
chariot; but AnaXagoras openly affirmed that
the sun and stars were rei-hot stones, and
nothing more. Such vi w. were regarded