The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-05-05
THE ANCIENT GREEKS
THEY WERE MASTERS IN tbs
sobGNcE or GOVERNMENT.

00v0VOS W 0Ov9tSV00NT.
Many Sturdy Qualities nad the lsuI.
tatuas, bat the Individual CouIS
Not StanA PresDsDity-OnsB BrilliAnt
Exceptaon 20 the Ruls.
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.
ful egotistie demigod. He had no
counterpart In any historical figure ex-
cept Alexander the Great, who deem
ed himself descendant Of Achilles,
the sea nymph's son, and acted very
much IKE him.
The Greek Of history was an uncom-
monty consistent republican. In the
tolerance he gave to individuansm and
the capacity hs showsd-snsids his city
stats-foe collective action hs carried
the science Of government and Of DO.
ftical ssk control in some respects to
q height from which all subsequent
history is defending slope. While
maintaining demoeretie standards, he
did not snfoscs nor bow to that tyran-
nous and narrowing pubae opinion
which In our own tma threatens to
east an men In much the same mold.
He found a place in his scheme Of
things for diversities Of natural bent
for ths e0eminate dress Of Aciblades,
the tub OF Diogenss. the ratings Of
CIeou. the austerities Of Aristides, the
satire Of Aristophanea the arrogance
Of Phocion. The democracy Of Athens
was never the democracy Of the dead
level It meant opportunity, not q
steam roller.
AZ creditable a story II told on the
side Of collective action. Greek politics
Implied, az Mahafry has observed, ''the
reasonable discussion Of the public, the
nnaI decision Of the majority, the sub
miss6on Of magistrates and rulers to
the win Of the people" The Greek
'mutt1tuds" was tolerant patient 10y.
al 70 tn leaders and capable, a. Il
showed In the Pelop6unesian war Of
making exemplary sacrifices and Of In
ithting and maintaining q course OF
sct1ou for q protracted period. The
whole population Of Athens, for In
stance. abandoned tho country and
took 10 thsir shipa leaving the enemy
70 Destroy their city and their posses
stoos while they sough< him and finally
conquered him on the sea. For that
fort1tu1e Il would b impossible to flnd
. mo0sru parallel.
The ctvSs qualities ale uppermosk In
the sregt period Of Gpsek history-a
hsen appreciation Of hurnoe that acted
a. safety valve 10 the turbulence Of
assemblies. an aptitude at pubic
speakhg which was useful In bot43e u
In council. Every fyes Greek was at
onoe q begisiator. an osaaos. poteutial
admiral or general. t
ThsSs was one capttal defect In tho
HsiSsne charactes. Ths Individual
0Ssok could not stand psospee4ty. Al
0yotD put T. 'The eNects Of q cop6ous
draft of glory on The tempsramenk Of
an en4egpristng and auubitious Greek
wsss perfset1y naddenin0" Hs was a
good UseS. bot nearly always a bed
wfmne& Almost every oonsptcuou
0seea Of history became st the end a
cogTuptjonigt o. q tyat4oe. Niiuades,
vioeor Of Marathon, became q pirate
and d1ed IN imprisonment. Thenisto-
cles wa negotiating to bstyay The Gre
cfsn armament to ths great king the
day before b Destroyed the Persian
nset at 6alamis. Acibtades betrayed
IN turn the AtheoAana the Spartans
and the Persaans. Demoochenes vus
bauished for embeaEjement The Syra.
cuSan lsadsss became tyvsuts when
they could. OF al GREEKS only Timo-
leon, the Corinth1an who freed Syra-
cuea wa at Qoos booorabss. fostunate
and acclaimed.
Although the Hellenic world frfnged
the MeditsgPanean and the Black seas
from end - end. the significant politi-
cal history Of Greece Il almost alto
GetheI The hietory Of Athens and Spar.
IA. The great places OF herolc es9nd
Ithaca and Pyios and Phthia and Ar.
cadia and Argos and Coscyra, ''the
Phseakss' land" figure bot family in
tho historical period Ithaca was only
q barren rock. Arcadia q recruiting
ground for rustie mercenaries and Ar
goe md Corcyra and such states a. 40
tolia, Messsna. Thessaly and the Achse.
an League aness0t psototpyes Of the
rude and tusbuleot Balkan states Of 10
day. Ths tsanseeoey prs-eminsnos Of
Thsbss was the psseminencs Of its
ono great soedSss, DpAminondaG
Bs6W~so them spaEtans and Athen&
ans wso>s the great seory Of poetical
0Nsea Ths spertans we1e moss a
mfnnry bso<Asshood than u stata, the