The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-09-12
Philosopher
And King
By F. A. Mitchell

Old he could dispute with the most
learned philosophers and when he was
sixteen employed much of his leisure
time III working out military problems
rs some persons in these days contend
with an maginary enemy at chess.
He would set up imaginary enemies,
only to attack and Overwhclm them.
Then he would set them up again and
conquer them by another method of
campaign.
This boys name was Paulus, and he
was destined to accomplish great fcats.
Indeed, from the time he was five
years old he seemed imbucd With this
idea. During his youth his only init.
mate friend was philosopher named
HeraclituS. who was Il sort Of dog
enes. placing small value on anything
mundane. Heraclitus told Paulus that
even il he conquered the world it
would avail him nothing. "Whatever
goes up he said, must come down,
aud the higher it goes the greater the
ruin when it falls"
But Paulus being young this pessi
mistic statement had little effect upon
him. Il feel" he said, IAN impulse
to climb and climb. l will, and l shall
accumulate power as rise. The high
err l climb the greater my power.
cannot escape death in the end, but l
can establish myself so strongly that
shall die at the summit Of my career"
When Paulus was twenty years old
war broke out between his country
men and neighboring kingdom. In
this war Paulus so distinguished him.
self that he was made a general. All
the other generals on his side We're
whipped, but Paulus by his genius
made up for all their defeats and with
his own army alone conquered 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 PauIus. Nanthus, the prince who
would inherit the crown, was a 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 Paulus 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 snbdued many
neighboring kingdoms. When they
were all brought under subsection he
called his old friend Heraclitus 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 now remains to be seen
whether shall retain what 1 have or
lose it."
1.-THE stone that is thrown in the air
must come down." replied the philoso-
pher. "In your youth you were strong.
You have passed the building up of
your powers, and from this point you
will begin a 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:
Gam l not as powerful as ever?"
no." replied Hcraclitus. "You are
in the position of the stone when it
has finished its ascent and before it
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 to
defend his empire from enemies he
could not do what he had done in
building it up.
Meanwhile Cheros, the son of Nan.
thus, had been growing to manhood in
exile and in the knowledge that his
father was king and he heir presump-
tive to the throne. His fathers death
was the signal for him to begin secret
Iy to dissatisfy the peoples that King
Paul had brought under his sway. The
prince had the advantage of legitima-
cy, and he not only pleaded this, but
promised the conquered that if they
would make him emperor he would
give them their freedom.
Here was an opportunity that had
not been given them before. The con.
quered peoples formed league to DE-
throne Paulus and put Cheros on the
throne. When all was ready the bolt
was shot. Paulus, now an old man, put
himself at the head of his armies, but
he had lost the courage of youth and,
finding his joints stiff, was not only
unable to lead, but to keep pace with
his subordinate commander. He was
beaten in one battle after another and
at last obliged to flee in order to save
bis life. Being hunted he sought safety
in an island where We're no human be-
ings except himself. His only compan-
ions were the beasts.
n -ss