The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-05-31

IN HIS description of the ten years
siege, Homer unfolds before our
eyes picture so enchanting and
phenomenal, in conception as we'll
as in execution, that no one, having
ever read it, will forget as long as he
lives. There is not dull verse in his
entire work, Notwithstanding the old
Latin motto: "AliQat0aado bo'aats DORM
itol Honaerus :" Even the good Homer
sleeps OCCASIONALLY His theme, tho
attractive, is not extraordinary in itself.
The Greek army, come to bring back
Helena and to punish her abductor,
found Ilium so strongly fortified, and
so we'll defended by valiant heroes,
that they could not take it by assault /
The Trojans even scorned to hide
themselves behind their strong walls, |
and came out boldly to fight their ene-
mics on open ground; but were gener-
ally worsted in these encounters |
Several times the Greeks were driven
back to their ships, and the final con-
quest was accomplished by the en-
ployment of deceit and trickery. 1t
was done in this manner: The Greeks
built gigantic wooden horse, in the
body of which twelve of their bravest
and strongest heroes concealed them
selves. Then the Greeks broke up
their camp, took to their ships, and
sailed away; thus creating the belief,
that the long siege had at last been
) abandoned Overjoyed, the Trojans|
poured out OF their city, and soon dis
covered the wooden horse, which was
at once declared an image consecrated
to Zeus. In spite of many warnings to
the contrary, they hauled the horse in
to the city, tho they had to tear down
part OF the wall in order to get it in.
Then the whole town commenced to
been calculated on by the Greeks. At
night, while the Trojans were carous-
ing, the twelve Grecian heroes came
out of the horse, killed the sentinels
and all that came in their way, and
admitted into town their countrymen
who had returned at nightfall
Of the warriors, participating in the
great struggle, we shall mention only
the most renowned. The commander
of the Greeks, Agamemnon, was, like
Menelaus, son of Atreus, and is fire.
quently called Atride by Homer. In
order to honor the father in their sons,
Homer often calls them by their
fathers name; thus: Achilles pet
reide) Odysseus Naertiade) Ajax
(Telamonide), Ajax II. (Oileide), etc
The bravest and most celebrated OF
all Greeks was Achilles, king of the
Myrmidons, and son of::Peleus and the
goddess Thetis. As he came unscathed
out of many terrible combats, it was
said that, when a little child, his moth
er had dipped him in the River Styx
thereby making him invulnerable
But, while doing so, she:had held hin
by his left heel, which, consequently
had not been touched by the sulphuer
GUS water. An arrow shot by Paris
near the end of the siege, pierced thi
heel, thereby killing Achilles. Th'
old king of Pylos, Nestor, was yer!
wise man, much skilled in the art o
war. He was venerated by all tn
other Greeks, and nothing was under
taken without his advice. Ajax I. wa
the strongest of the Greeks, and dis
tinguished himself by many valian
feats. Odysseus, King of Ithaca, wa
celebrated for his ingenuity, which OF
ten produced greater success tina
many a brave deed. He 1t was, WHIT
among other skillful contrivances, cor
ceived the idea Of the wooden hors'
which played such prominent pal
at the supreme crisis. Ajax II. an
Diomedes were also brave and impo
tant factors in the siege. Homer hs
made it plain to his readers, that SUI
cess could not have been achieve
without the help of any of the ju
mentioned heroes.
BY far the most renowned warrior 9
the Trojan side was Hector, who q