The sun., 1915-06-20

In the July l0ie Rertetc Professor
VIDA DUTroN SoUDprs has an article
on "Plato az a Novelist" The essay
Is ingcniouA brilliant and suasive, ~
that even we listeners In Babel may
BE- cha rmed; and moreover. PLATO IL
new to most of " a. q novelist, how
ever much his poetry, rhetoric. allie
CORY, musician and % on may have
been dwelt upon by the Instructors of
youth condemned to read the "Apol.
ogy" and the Critic" not without fire.
quent trotting Of the pony" II We
remember old forgotten things, PLATO
invented a too celebrated character In
SOCRATES, a person Of Tartar beauty
and excellent thirst, and had him put
to death a. . matter Of poetic Justice
for asking questions everla stinsly.
But this ending 10 romance. 1t Is
impossible. II man has not essen.
TALLY changed the Greeks would have
bonored SocRATEs. 40 the Americans
would and do honor his numerous rep
resentativea He was busybody. He
seems to have had the delusion that
he was census department. He was
bore. lie was the original high.
brow unredeemed by his opposition
to prohibition. He was an examina-
tion paper on legs. He ought to have
been ''hurled" from Sunium's marble
steep. In this country he eouldn'.
have kept out Of high office.
But did PLATo-the best Joke Oh
whom is Mr.. EAE2soN's saying, II 1t
was his, that old droning BRONSON
ALcorT was "a muddy Plato"-tiid he
invent SOCaATEs? How about KENO
rHoN. the Hamilton w. Mabie Of
Hellas, brother XENoPHoN Of the par
asangs and the well watered and
populous city? And how about n
sturdier philosopher. HANS BRETT
MANN? 20, wot ish everytings?"
But never mind SOCRATES. of whom
we need only say that we don't believe
there Is NO sich a pusson. Let us re-
turn to the Robert W. Chambers Of
the Grove as Professor SCuDDER sees
him:
He 10 tho match Of DICKENS for por-
traiture. OF MEREprrf for dramatic dia-
logue; of BROWNING for situation. with
BALzAc or ToLsroY ne Ia competent to
quicken us by tho spectacle OF existence.
now to tragic passion. now to the laugh
ter OF the gods"
We must record our surprise at a
balanced and chary praise such as Is
given every day in the week to mas
ters" like OWEN JOHNSON. SOCRATES Is
In the palaistra, which seems to be
the Athens Athletic Club. One CHAs-
MIDEs, the Jim Ham Lewis Of Attica,
enters. Likewise PLATO as novelist:
"I must admit says socRArrs, that
] was quite astonished at his beauty
and stature. All the world seemed TO
be enamored Of him. Amusement and
reigned when no entered. All
the boys. even to the very least child,
turned and looked at him. as II he were
4 statue. CHAEREPHoN called to me and
said:
What do you think of him, Soc
RATEs2 Has he not . beautiful face,
But you would think nothing of his face
II you could SEQ his naked form"
"'"By HrRAcIEs," I said. 'vhsre
never was such paragon. II hs has
only one other slight addition"
What IL chat?' said CMrIAs.
"''lf ne has a noble soul; and beinr
9f your house. CRITIAs, he may be OK
pected to have this"
"'''ie Ia as fair and good within A
he is without" said CRITIAs.
Shall we ask him. them" ! said.
ITO show US not his body but his soul ?
He IL Just of an age whom no viii like
TO talk"'"
We aren't good enough or Greek
enough to be stirred by this; for that
matter many Of the works of e. p.
Roe, and even that masterpiece The
Of Finchley Com.