The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1911-02-16

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IF you made a slave dress aud live
as you do he would run away"
sneered a rich Athenian And the
man he addressed was one Of the first
and greatest of Progress Makers-Soc-
rates.
This sage. who revolutionized re-
ligion. thought and education. looked
more like a comic-paper hobo than
genius.
Socrates was the son of a statue
seller and learned his fathers
trade. The Greeks OF his time
(471-399 b. c. worshiped a colony OF
gods who We're supposed to inhaoit
Mount Olympus. who led scandalous
lives and who blessed or cursed man
kind according to the whim OF the
moment. To these gods the Athen-
fans erected affairs. made sacrifices
and supported a body Of priests.
THE actions attributed to our gods"
said Socrates. would disgrace the
vilest of human beings. 1t is impos-
sible that the world can be governed
by such dieties"
Yet he saw that some ruling force
controlled human destiny. and he be
gan to preach the existence Of SUI
preme Being. an all-wise and benef-
cent Creator of
Substituted Truth the vast universe
Tor SUPERSTITION To this ne added
the belief that mans spirit is i'm
mortal and not the mere sport of
some man-made dweller Of Olympus,
and that a guardian angel Tor con
science) dictates all mortal impulses
He argued that men should labor and
pray TO become better and wiser in
stead Of making sacrifices OF sheep
and cattle on the affairs Of the Olym-
plan gods in hopes OF being favored
with luck in war and business.
This doctrine of higher ideals and
the discovery of conscience's existence
raised a howl from the hosts Of priests.
But Socrates did not stop there. He
attacked the narrow. stupid system OF
education in vogue in Athens and
sought TO rebuild II on broader more
modern lines. adapting the vague, alb
stract facts 10 practical value and
teaching youths to think for them
selves. He was. in a way. the founder
OF modern education He also assailed
municipal eraft and Incompetence
and tried to show his fellow Athen
fans their duty toward the state. II was
largely due 10 his opposition that the
tyrannical council of thirty, who ruled
with the iron hand OF injustice. was
deposed and a democracy. formed. As
an example in patriotism he served
for three years as a private soldier.
winning fame for his courage and en-
durance.
But he refused to accept promotion
in rank or public Office Of any kind.
He furthermore lived in abject pow
erty that he might teach others TO
think more OF the mind and soul than
OF the body. Rousing peoples dor
mant minds, teaching them to think
for themselves, fearlessly rebuking
public injustice and superstition. he
gathered about him so many disciples
and admirers that the government be-
came seriously alarmed. Prosecutions
and IN treatment became his reward
Not the least OF these came upon him
at home. He was married to a shrew
named Xantippe. who could not in the
very least appreciate him and who by
her seedlings and beatings made his
life a daily burden. He bore all this
with the patience of a true philoso
pher. But worse was in store for him.
The tyrannous council Of thirty
whom he had so often assailed had
not molested him. II remained for the
popular democratic government (which
he had helped TO restore) TO arrest
him and bring him TO trial for his life
He was accused by the authorities with
denying the gods. preaching the exis-
tence of new God and Of corrupting
the young by his teachings. Socrates
replied in effect
Death - pefies that he had mere,
Ns' truth for super
stitlon, and that his only "corrupting"
OF the young had consisted in making
them better educated than their IA
theirs. For doing all this, he claimed.
the city should honor and pension
him.
This speech naturally did not serve
70 pacify his judges. who next tried
TO brighten him with threats of death.
Socrates answered them that what
ever world lay beyond the grave II
could not be much worse than Athens
under its present rule, and that the
change could not be otherwise than a
benefit. The judges. in a rage, con
demned him to die He was led back
to prison. His friends thronged his
cell. One Of them secretly offered him
a means of escape. He refused, pre-
ferring to abide by the courts YER
dict In the presence of his disciples
he drained a cup Of hemlock poison.
Xantippe rent the air with cries of
grief. He asked his friends to remove
her from the cell so that in his last
moments he might enjoy in dying the
tranquility she had always denied him
in life Then while the Doison crent