The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-12-04
GREAT LOVE
STORIES
of HISTORY
PARIS AND HELEN and
THE SIEGE OF TROY
ScepyrSs. ~ ne As,ass1
BY Albert Parson Terhuns

Gloriously beautiful red-haired
Greek princess. Helen OF Argos.
was called upon. about 500 years ago.
to choose a husband. She was the fair
est woman in all Greece. Nearly every
Greek king and nooleman was sutton
for her hand
Greece in those days was cut up
into many small safes. each with n
king of its own IL needed little To
set these states at war with one an
other. So Ulysses. wisest of all the
petty monarchs. suggested that each
suitor not only pledge himself to sub
init to Helen's choice. but vow also
to defend her land the husband she
might choosel against any foes. This
plan was meant To ward OF war. II
had just the opposite effect.
Helen's choice fell upon Menelaus.
king of Sparta. The other suitors
went back TO their homes in anger;
but kept their oath not TO modest the
lucky man A short time later a royal
visitor came to the court OF Meme
laus This was Paris, one Of the j
sons of old King Priam Of Troy. Meme
laus was q rough soldier. Paris was
handsome. graceful and what would
now be called a "woman's man. He
and Helen fell in love with each other
at sight. In those days there were
several ways in which a man might
legally win a wife. He might ask the
hand Of an unmarried girl; he might
marry another mans wife by chAl-
longing her husband and killing him
SV fosr A1h ne
$500 he might carry on
such a wife. mar.
~ her and defend her and himself
against her pursuing husband. Paris
chose the last named course. Fight
ing was not his strong point.
He kidnapped Helen and took her
by sea to his fathers great walled
city of Troy. in northwestern Asia
Minor. at the mouth OF the Hellespont
He knew that the warlike Trojans
could easily protect him from any
Spartan army But he did not reckon
upon the oath sworn by Helen's suit.
ors. BY the terms of this oath nearly
every monarch in Greece joined Meme
laus in avenging the theft OF the lat
ter's wife The combined Grecian
armies, under command Of Menelaus'
brother Agamemnon. King of Myce-
nae. sailed for Asia Minor and laid
siege to Troy. The debt incurred By
Paris in stealing Helen was destined
to be paid in the blood Of thousands
of innocent men.
Helen. meanwhile. had been cor
daily welcomed at Troy. She and
Paris were married there with splen-
did ceremonies. They embarked on .
life of Oriental luxury that delighted
the frivolous girl. who had hitherto
known nothing more gay than the
meagre. rigorous pla:nness OF the
Spartan court. But their dream OF
bliss was short lived. An army Of
$50. 900 Greeks encamped outside the
Trojan walls about 1854 d. c.. and
laid siege to the city. The Trojans'
admiration for their princes pretty
Greek bride suddenly changed to
wrath. For they saw she had brought
upon them q deadly war. Neverthe-
less, they Loyalty refused to give up
Helen at Menelaus' demand. and pre-
pared to defend their city against the
invaders.
For ten long years the war dragged
on with varying fortunes. CTo while
away the time between conflicts the
game OF checkers is said to have been
invented during the siege by one Pal.
amedes, a Greek) Menelaus more
than once urged Paris to end the use
less bloodshed by coming forth and
fighting him. man to man. It was far
v,14 To- 81 RNA - a.
beautiful wife than face the man he
had wronged. At last. urged by his
| elder brother, Hector. Paris consented
to the duel He and Menelaus fought
| in the presence of both armies, Helen
looking on from the city wall Paris
was overcome and barely escaped
death at the hands of his foe
Not long afterward while lowering
| in the rear ranks Of battle Paris was
| struck and slain BY an arrow His
brother Deiphobus then married Helen.
! who does not seem to have grieved
greatly over Paris death. The Greeks.
failing to carry Troy by assault. re-
sorted to tragedy. They pretended to
| sail away, leaving on the seashore q
| huge wooden horse. The Trojans,
| thinking this horse an idol. bore IL In.
to the town. Whiting the wooden an
The Sack Of I'm al several
| Greeks we're hid.
den That night
they crept out and opened the gates
OF Troy to their returning comrades
| The city was sacked and utterly de.
| stroyed by fire. The Inhabitants were
! massacred, men, women and children
! alike.
| Helen was rescued and carried back
to Sparta by Menelaus. who freely for.
/ gave her desertion- But the other
! Spartas were less merciful to the WON.
! an who had brought such misfortunes
/ to their country. When Menelaus died
they drove her away. She ned to
/ Rhodes for refuge The queen of that
island. jealous OF Helen's lovelinesa
and fame, murdered her.
Thus ended the strange career of q
woman whose beauty had destroyed
one nation and nearly ruined another
Seek Trade in Turkey.
Germany. Austria and Hungary
have established museums in Com.