The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-20
Philosopher
And King
BY F. A. mitchell

learned philosophers ana wheh ne was
sixteen employed much of his leisure
time in working out military problems
q some persons in these days contend
with an imaginary enemy at cheSS.
He would set up imaginary enemies
only to attack and overwhelIl theni.
Then he would set them up again anu
conquer them by another method Vi
campaign.
This bows name was Paulus, and lie
was destined to accomplish great feats.
Indeed from the time he was lVe
vears old he seemed imbucd with TINS
idea During his youth his only mt
mate friend was philosopher named
Heraclitus who was sort of Dog
enes placing small value on anything
mundane. Heraclitus told Paulus that
even if he conquered the world II
would avail him nothing. Whatever
goes up" he said, must come down.
and the higher it goes the greater the
ruin when it falls
But Pauus being young this peSsl-
mistic statement had little effect upon
him. Il feel" he said. IAN impulse
to climb and climb. | will. and | shall
accumulate power as rise. The high
er | climb the greater my power, /
cannot escape death in the end, but |
can establish myself so strongly that |
shall die at the summit of my career.
When paulllS was twenty years old
a war broke out between his country
men and a neighboring kingdom In
this war pauluS so distinguished him
self that he was made a general All
the other generals on his side were
whipped, but Paulus by his genius
made up for all their defeats and with
his own army alone conquered a peace
He was then transferred from the
army to the kings cabinet, and soon
by his recommendations gained so
much credit that he was made prime
minister. The king meanwhile was
growing old and relied more and more
on PauluS. Nanthus the prince who
would inherit the crown, was q weak
ling, and the king, realizing that after
his own death Paulus would be the
only man able to protect the country
against its enemies, gave him the hand
of his daughter in marriage that he
might reign as king.
When the king died the people in
sisted on Pauus and his wife assum-
ing the reins of government, and
Paulus yielded. He became king, and,
since the presence of the legal heir to
the throne was not desirable. he was
banished.
Paulus then began a career Of con-
quest, by which he subdued many
neighboring kingdoms. When they
were all brought under subsection he
called his old friend Heracltus to him
and said:
Behold my power. l am now an
emperor instead of king. l have
accomplished all | set out to accom-
plish. 1t ,a"a remains to be seen
whether | shall retain what | have or
lose it.
1.-THE stone that is thrown in the air
| must come down. replied the philoso-
pher. I'm your youth you were strong.
You have passed the building up of
your powers. and from this point you
will begin n process of decay"
Il have provided against that" re
piled Paulus. Il am so strongly in
trenched that my enemies cannot pre-
vail against me-"
For several years all went well, and
Paulus again sent for the philosopher
and said to him:
Am | not as powerful as ever?"
NO. replied Heraclitus. You are
In the position of the stone when il
has finished its ascent and before II
begins to fall"
What will be the cause of my fall?''
Nothing in nature stands still. If
we are not advancing we are retro.
grading"
The king dismissed his old friend
with sorrow, for he felt that vigor had
gone out of him. If called upon ia
defend his empire from enemies he
could not do what he had done in
building it up.
Meanwhile Cheros, the son of Kan.
thus, had been growing to manhood in
exile and in the knowledge that his
lather was king and he heir presump
i've to the throne. His fathers death
was the signal for him to begin secret
" to dissatisfy the peoples that King
faul had brought under his SWAY, TIL,
prince had the advantage of legitima.
cy, and he not only pleaded this, but
promised the conquered that if the,
weuld make him emperor he would
give them their freedom.
Here was an opportunity that ha6
not been given them before. The con
quered peoples formed a league to de-
throne Paulus and put Cheros on the
throne. When all was ready the holt
was shot. Paulus, now an old man. m,
himself at the head of his armies. bu,
ne had lost the courage of youth and
finding his joints stiff. was not only
unable to lead, but to keep pace with
MS subordinate commander. He wa,
beaten in one battle after another an5
at last obliged to fee in order 70 say,
his life. Being hunted, he sought safety
In an island where were no human no
ings except himself. His only compan
ions We're the beasts.
One person only visited him thero