The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-07-15
Children Cry
 FOR FLETCHER'S GAS SToRIA PUBLIC OPINION

WHAT MADE ATHENS GREAT.
 Editor of the Farmer:
 Sir-Ancient Athens under Pericles may be called the most socialist1c city of the world-at least so far as its free citizens went How socialfSt1c it was, we shall see in a. moment: but let us consider first what opportunity, what Individuality it produced. Fran cis Galton, one of the highest author1- ties in anthropological science, asserts that the average ability of the Athen- ian race was about as much above the English race as that race is above the African negro, while J. A. Sy- monds. of the highest standing in art, says that the Athenian was as super for to the Anglo-Saxon asthat race is to the Australian bushman. These are very strong statements, even Ii half true: but what individualities Athens produced-Plato. Aristotle, Soc- rates; surely in the history of thought there are 10 greater names than these. In the drama, Aeschylus. the divine; Sophocles. the kingly; Euripides. the human: Aristophanes, the father of laughter-here are the founders of the worlds drama. U In history. Thucy- dides has, perhaps. no rival: in Sculp- ture, Phidias and Praxiteles stand su- preme; in architecture. the builders of the Parthenon and of the Prophylaea produced works that modern science cannot even copy. In oratory, every school boy knows of Demosthenes, every college boy of Aeschines. In statesmanship, Pericles. Themistocles and Miltiades, the hero of Marathon, can never be forgotten. These are but few of the great names of Attn ems. Yet notice that all these great names appeared in the 150 years be- tween the Battle of Marathon and the Battle, of Chaeronea- Apart from these 150 years, Athens produced near Ivy Iii n1,fh ret of nm equaHed genius? The cause was not in race. because the Ionic race existed for far more than these 150 years. and reopled many cities besides Athens with no such result.
 Some have thought that the slave basis of Athens enabled her free cit1- zens to devote themselves to the higher life; but many cities besides Athens had such a slave basis with no such development. What was there peculiar in Athens in these 150 years? It was the fact that Athens time, guaranteed to her free citizens economic support. We are told on the best authority that Athens. under Pericles. gave to any free citizens who would do a little jury dut&in the city, money enough to support himself and family in responsibility. according to the standard of the day. 'This was," Mahaffy says. "the income on which most of the poorer citizens lived" This was given, not in charity, like the panis ct circus of the Roman I'm perialism, but in justice, in payment for work done. Athens was not pa ternal. but fiercely democratic.
 Thucydides makes Pericles say that her government was committed, not to the few but to the whole body of the people, The city gave to each accord ing to his need. The money that made this possible was also gained in socialistic ways, by the ownership of the silver mines at Lauriun, by mu- nicipally owned and leased land and houses and markets. She was thus, to very large extent, during this per- iod, a truly socialistic city. and hence her individuality. No Athenian was compelled to hustle for a living: he could live for money if he wished to; some did, mainly slaves. Her bank CTS were largely slaves. Athens -four hundred'' represented art, and literature, and philosophy. Guaran- teed an economic basis. her citizens were free to compete for the most per- feet art, the greatest plays. to discuss and develop philosophy. Her social ism thus meant opportunity. But her socialism did not last. Greece herself was not socialistic, but at best a loose federation of competing republics. Socialism to endure must be universal not local.
 R VpGJJ,ANT