New-York tribune., 1908-08-01

rule, had leisure for such exercises. Hesiod.
the peasant poet. never speaks of the gamesi
neither is Piers Pioughman interested IN tour
neys. Mobiles of other races Joined in. The
wealthy nobility of Sicily and Italy not only
won horseraces-they had more money 10 buy
expensive horses-but actually distinguished
themselves in personal prowess. The games
served great purpose Ihey gave a harmless m s
and humane outlet to the hghting spirit OF many
conquering tribes. They kept up the Invaluable
tradition of periodic friendly meetings between
neighbor states, of the security of the public
roads, of the notion of a fixed international state
of peace and decent conduct even in the midst of
warning units. And they served intensely, al
most too intensely, to keep up that desire Tor
goodness" judged by competitive standards,
which is at the root Of many Of the best and
worst qualities of ancient Greece Like most
conquering nations, the classical Greeks were
good SpOrtSmen.' On the whole, one can see
that Pndars men neither cheat nor accuse
others Of cheating. and mostly take defeat IKE
men. 1t is only boys who are said to Jeer at a
defeated competitor, and those. suppose. were
the boys who looked on, not the boys VINO COM
peted.
The decline in the Importance of the games
came when the idea of goodness changed
Ar9te began to be identified, in part or whole,
with Sophia Goodness began to include Wis
DOM the qualities of the intellect, and the
old purely athletic virtues inevitably paled
True, a strong element Of wisdom in various
forms found its way into the Olympian festival
Herodotus read his wonderful book aloud there
The great fifth century sophists iectured there
Poets recited their poems. Hipplas Illustrated
how the wise was self-sufrclng, ana
should be the maker of his own cloak, tunlc.
boots and signet ring as we'll the author of
his own peace of mind When Hippoiytus
wished to stand high in the great games OF
HeIIas" he was probably thinking more OF wis
dom" than of pure athletics. But IN realty
wisdom had not much chance OF cutting
good figure at these contests Make the most
sympathetic arrangements you VIII, lecture 9s
Huxley and q recitation by TennySon Woulo
scarcely have "a far show at, say, the Henley
regatta or the Oxford and Cambridge sports
not to speak of EPSON The spiritually acCVe
part of Greece devoted itself more and more 70
''Wisdom'; the mere pressure OF the worid
worked as usual in the direction OF success ana
money making; and Pindar's Dorian nooies were
left to cultivate their splendid bodles ana thelr
avnensive horses somewhat in a backwater OF
the rationaI stream True they had more IN
fuence on ordinary adult life than athtetes now
have FuripideS though good athlete hlInSeII,
once or twice denOunceS their influence Win an
intensity which would not be too great III
modern public school Pato genuS ID tbi usi
Fashionable young Athenlans VINO shoWeu Lnel
admiration of things Spartan by acquiring; at
much inconvenience, broken noses ana prize-
fehter's ears And II remains Iue' anu 4"
rather important truth, that an the conpdTa-
tivelv simple conditions OF ancient society d
mans ho1v was much more with him ana more
Il11l i+at "a him than it is now. The tCothless
and short-sighted man had then no ocuIlst anu
dentist to put him, as matter OF course, on @ an
- hidden behind good tailoring; the obese man
did not fy lightly on motor car; ne Naduleu NJ
and perspired- And corresponulilEIg I I've it
tain1v was-the statues alone would prove I.
cat deal of sincere admiration for an ooJeSt
which has now been SO long and seduously Hiu- I3
den from human eyes that It mas WHlLGneu 5.I 5 nr
n carved plant out of the sun, the hea1thg anu
weIl-developed human body .,.,,-.oz Of
P-,+ IN the main though the concOurSes oI
but III Oi,rInia we're probably greater in the
peCple a eaTE,-+f, centuries than in the seventh
nItH :tL anu the invard meaning of the games
was passing rapidly away at the + NeIy 81 idaaI
~ o,Ir classcal period. They represent tAe ldeSi
OF our @ @cl<s9loe f.eaca which possessed already
or yCuts cbaracteris+ic qualities. the ir-
many OF ne5 $50 to excel and be praised the
tensi'y, the ts H. aversion to cruelty; but a
franknesS an @LJ hod not vet awakened to the pos
Greece which ~ mn an+eIIecf or a moral character
session OF an ,.t tbasa Qualities that the future
And II was win fter tho deaths Of Pindar and
of Greece IaE ~ -,,ore great poets thought it
BacchyhqeS ~ ~ caIehraTe boxing matches and
worth WINE WIlt ~ Jo..a ohariots or mule wagons
races OF ioue 60 o-t,IrI cicero anxiously con-
And by tre 49, ~ tbst he has gone 70 attend
tradicts tne ruiz s11cff thing would be be
the Olyinp!aiI scarcely even reputable