Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-02-15
THE ANCIENT GREEKS
THEY WERE MASTERS IN The
SCIENCE OF GOVERNMENT.

Many sturdy Qualities Had the Null
tftude, but the individual Cousd
Not stand Pro.perity-One Brilliant
Exception 60 the Rule
The statues and literary master
pieces OF Hellas. whose themes were
mainly legendary. are responsible for
the impression that the ancient Greek
was cast In the heroic mold. The he
roic Greek was a turbulent master
full, egotistic demigod. He had no
counterpart I'm any historical figure ex-
cept Alexander the Great. who deem
ed himself a descendant OF Achilles.
the sea nymph's son. and acted very
much like him.
The Greek OF history was an uncom-
monty consistent republican. In the
tolerance he gave to individualism and
the capacity be showed-inside his city
state-for collective action he carried
the science OF government and OF po-
litical self control in some respects to
a height from which all subsequent
history is a descending slope While
1
did not enforce nor bow to that tyran-
nous and narrowing public opinion
which I'm our own time threatens to
cast all men I'm much the same mold.
He found n place i'm his scheme Of
things for diversities OF natural bent
for the effeminate dress Of Alcibiades.
the tub Of Diogenes. the ratings OF
Cleon. the austerities OF Arlstides. the
satire Of Aristophanes. the arrogance
Of PhOciOn. The democracy Of Athens
was never the democracy OF the dead
level II meant opportunity. not a
steam roller.
AS creditable a story IS told on the
side OF collective action. Greek politics
implied, as Mahaffy has observed. the
reasonable discussion Of the public. the
final decision OF the majority. the sub
mission Of magistrates and rulers 10
the will Of the people" The Greek
multitude" was tolerant patient. 10y
al 10 its leaders and capable. as il
showed In the PelopOnncsian war OF
making exemplary sacrifices and OF in
/ itiating and maintaining q course OF
action for a protracted period The
whole population OF Athens, for in
stance. abandoned the country and
took TO their ships. leaving the enemy
10 destroy their city and their posses
sions while they sought him and finally
conquered him on the sea. For that
fOrutude II would be impossible 10 end
a modern parallel.
The civic qualities are uppermost IN
the great period Of Greek history-a
keen appreciation OF humor that acted
as 4 safety valve 10 the turbulence Of
assemblies. an aptitude at public
/ speaking which was useful I'm battle as
in council. Every free Greek was at
once a legislator. an orator. potential
admiral or general.
There was one capital defect in the
Hellenic character. The Individual
Greek could not stand prosperity. As
Grote put it. The effects OF a coplous
draft OF glory on the temperament OF
an enterprising and ambitious Greek
were perfectly maddening" He was a
good loser. but nearly always q bad
winner. Almost every conspicuous
Greek OF history became at the end a
cOrruptionist or 4 traitor. Nliltiades,
victor Of Marathon. became n pirate
and died in Imprisonment. Themisto-
cles was negotiating TO betray the Gre
clan armament 10 the great king the
day before he destroyed the Persian
feet at SalamiS. Alcibiades betrayed
IN turn the Athenians, the Spartans
and the Persians. Demosthenes was
banished for embczZlement. The syria
cusan leaders became tyrants when
they could. or all Greeks only limo
leon, the Corinthian who freed syria.
cuse was at once honorable, fortunate
and acclaimed.
Although the Hellenic world fringed
the Mediterranean and the Black seas
from end 10 end. the significant politi
cal history OF Greece IS almost alto
gether the history OF Athens and Spar
n. The great places or heroic legend
Ithaca and PylOs and Phthia and Ar.
cadia and Argos and Corcyra. the
Phaeakes' land" figure but family In
the historical period. Ithaca was only
a barren rock, Arcadia a recruiting
ground for rustic mercenaries and Ar
COS and COrcyra and such states as Ae-
, tOlia. MeSsena. Thessaly and the Achae-
an League ancient prototypes Of the
rude an6 turbulent Balkan states OF TO
/ day The transitory pre-eminence OF
Thebes was the pre-eminence OF its
, one great soldier. Epaminondas
Between them Spartans and Atheni
ans wrote the great story or political
Greece The Spartans were more o
J military brotherhood than q state, the
Z men dining in barracks and visiting
r their families by stealth and all free
I men despiSlng wealth and any toll ex
> cept that OF the gymnasium. the drill
Z ground and the battlefield. They were
- n proud. shy, self contained. home
= keeping people. so 81 at ease and un
= practiced in public speech that the
: | word "laconic" has become Il proverb
; Their cautious political sense. theil
! military discipline. their long lived dy
: nasty and their unbroken maintenance,
= Of one form Of government secured
: them the instructive Difference of othe-
, Greeks
/ What the SpartanS were not tn,
q Athenians in their best period were
@ eager wanderers over the earth. traf
: fickers. imperialiSts. orators. scholar
and artists. They were always get
I ting forward" As the slower PelopOn
h nesians complained, every acquisition
g was made by them the basis OF
l. new venture. and when they meas
: ured arms with the cOmplainants the,
}. showed that they could be as cOnstan
o in misfortune and as elastic in risin:
\ from crushing disaster as they wer
}. aggressive IN pressing an advantage