The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1908-07-10

Phoenicians, Etruscans. Macedonians,
Romans and all other nations, except
their own, were, by the Greeks, stig
matized ny the contemptuous name
barbarian. Socratesgave expression
TO the sentiment of his countrymen
when be thanked the gods daily for
being man, not beast, male not female,
Greek and not barbarian.
The Roman considered all who did
not Eelong to his state an enemy.
Where there was no league between
Romans and those who we're not Ro-
mans the only law was that of force,
they therefore had right to plunder
subdue and make slaves of all whom
they chose. CELSIUS said: "The man
who can believe it possible for Greeks
aud Bar barians, in Asia, Europe and
Libya TO agree in one code of religious
laws m ust be utterly devoid of common
sense"
But Jesus Christ broke down the
strong black wall. conquered human
ignorance. set up the shining standard
of universal brotherhood, and revealed
God as the common Father of all the
! essential equality of man, and his re-
sponsibility to God, the germs lay hid
of great and grand truths, but yet i'm
perfectly realized, even at this late
date. To this we owe the conception
of the rights of individual conscience
as against outward authority. There
was no such thing before Christ came
in the flesh.
In Greece the will of the state was
enforced on the individual. Morality
was limited to what was voted by the
majority. The state was everything,
man really nothing.
Zone is your Teacher and all ye are
brethren" These words were destined
to create mighty revolution in the
affairs of men.
Before Christ was born slaves were
mere chattels. An old Roman law
punished the one who killed plough
ing OK with death, but the murderer
of slave went scot free. Crassus,
after the revolt of Spartacus crucified
10000 slaves at once, and Augustus, in
violation of his word, delivered $4,000
to their masters for execution. Trajan
continued the massacre of 10000 more
for 1873 days.
The doctrine of universal brother
hood was the ak laid at the roots of
this foul tree of the desert, this detest-
able crime of the centuries, until,
thanks be to God, the rattling of the
chains and cracking of the whips
around the often bleeding and weary
body of the poor slave is no more heard
in all the ends of the civilized world.
The Son Of God no less distinctly
lifted up his voice against the horrors
of aggressive warfare, proolaiming it
revolt abhorrent to nature and in
square conflict with the law of univer-
sal brotherhoo 'Peace on earth
good will to men has echoed nightly
down the centuries, and though war is
not yet entirely past it is greatly less
ened and good indications exist show
ing that at no very distant time the
nations will learn war no more.
The poor in antiquity were in almost
as bad plight as the slave. "How can
you let yourself down so low as not to
repel poor man with soorn?" Is
question asked in the Imperial days of
Rome. Hospitals and Inflrmaries for
the poor and sick were unknown.
There were herds of beggers and Seneca
observes, that most men fling an aims
to one of them with repugnance and is
careful to avoid all contact with him.
The Jews thought the poor were
justly bearing the penalty of some sin
of their own or their fathers. The
forlorn and downtrodden of earth
surely received precious charter of
human rights when Jesus Christ pro-
Gained that all men are brethren.
The condition of woman in olden
times was not much better than that
Of the slave. She was the property of
her husband and il single she was a
mere plaything of man. but Christ has
lifted her burden and lighted her path
way.