Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-12-20
ERRORS OF HISTORY
FIcTIoNs THAT FOR CENTURIES HAVE
POSED AS FACTS.

have proved myths, but |
in spite Of the efforts Of the iconoclasts
these mistakes of history still pass
current with many people.
Probably one of the most affecting !
scenes connected with the making of
literature is that described in the oft
repeated story of the blind poet Milton
debating paradise Lost" to his daugh.
ters. DR.. Johnson, however, has been
quoted as denying 1t. He said, further
more, that Milton never even permitted
his daughters to learn to read and
write.
A favorite "piece" with western and
southern schoolboys on recitation and
exhibition days was a set of verses tell
ing of the heroic stand of Leonidas aud
his brave "300' at Thermopyla. The
Abbe Barthelemy, who asserted that
he had inquired minutely into the sub
ject wrote that, according to Diodorus,
Leonidas had 1000 men under him and
that Pausanias gave the number of Le-
onidas' army as 10000.
Did Caesar say to the pilot:
"why do you fear? You have Cmsar
on board
Many trustworthy historians declare
that Caesar never used the words
quoted.
The inside of cigar box covers are
sometimes ornamented with picture
OF the Colossus of Rhodes, with ships
In full sail passing between the out
stretched legs Of the gigantic statue.
These pictures reflect the popular and
what for centuries was the historical
idea of the Colossus. which was nc
counted one of the seven wonders Of
the world. 1t may be interesting to
Snow that all drawings Of the statue
are purely imaginary and. what Is
more. are modern not ancient, efforts.
The Colossus was erected in 305 B. Q.
The most trustworthy of ancient ac-
counts OF 1t Is contained. In manu-
script dating about 100 b. c.. in which
the height of the statue is given as 105
feet. The entrance to the harbor of
Rhodes is $50 feet across so that it
was manifestly impossible that the legs
of the Colossus should span the en-
trance to the port or that ships should
sail beneath 1t.
AS q matter of fact the Colossus was
not built across the harbor but on an
open space of ground near it; but. for
all that. II was wonderful statue.
People whose sympathies are easily
aroused have wept over the wrongs
of Belisarius, the conqueror of the
Vandals, who. many were taught,
begged his bread Mt the city gates"
after having commanded victorious
armies and been of much service to
the state. The good old general was
unquestionably an unfortunate and
much abused man. but there is no
proof that he begged his living Mt the
city gates or elsewhere. Yet Van Dyke
engraved him and David, the great
Frenchman, painted him. and trage-
dies and romances were written
around him in the belief that he did sit
at the city gates n forlorn and dlscon-
solate object with palm outstretched
for aims.
The facts are, conspiracy against
the Emperor Justinian being discover
ed, two of Belisarlus officers confessed
| under torture that the old general was
iu the plot He was condemned with
out further hearing, his property Sc
! questrated. and he suffered imprison-
ment for six months. His innocence
being established, Bellsarius was re-
leased, and he died about year later.
But that he ever was reduced to the
extremity of begging is declared to be
absolutely untrue.
The schoolbook tale of william Tell
Is also without foundation In fact.
Tells name doesn't even appear in the
chronicles OF Zurich and the most an,
client writing In which the story is
mentioned bears date some 200 years
after the event 1t pretends to describe
The story is variation of an old Scan,
dinavian' saga. A similar bit OF "his
tory" issrelated Of william OF Clouds,
ley In England In the twelfth century.
II Is denied also that Emperor
Charles V. OF Spain on his abdioation
adopted the habit of monk and occu
pied himself In the manufacture OF
clocks. 1t is declared that he never
ceased to be emperor de facto and he
never surrendered control OF affairs OF
state
Coming down to later times, the peo
pie of three different countries claimed
three different men as inventors of the
steam engine. In America there is O
popular belief to this day that Rober'
Fulton built the first successful engn,
and steamboat. In England the Mar
outs OF Worcester. who published nj
account OF a steam engine In 1868. hai
received credit for the invention, II
France Solomon de Caus Q8l5l was re
garded as the genius who had given t.
the world new motive power Eaci
OF them may have conceived and work
ed out the iden OF steam engine with
out the slightest knowledge of wha
had been done In that direction befor
S their day, but none Of them nigh
!. rightly lay claim TO being the first Il
h the Geld.
! On April IT, 1913. Don Blasco d
d Garay launched boat of 200 tons bun
!, den ut Barcelona In the presence OF TN
|, Emperor Charles " The boat was pro
q PEELED by steam and made ten miles u
u hour. She was called La Sanctlsslm
y Trinidada. The emperor gave to DO
n Blasco handsome present but did nj
" regard the invention as practicable
4" and nothing came OF IT, From this
L..