The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-09-18

stole. tOO--Or perhaps an EpiCufcdH,
since the two schools, SO different in
other ways. agree in the high value
which they set upon temperance and
tranquility in all things-in the
anecdotes which he relates with APP
prevail of the Roman Rusticus. The
latter was attending one of Plutarch's
lectures when a messenger brought
him a letter from no less person
than the Emperor. This he laid aside.
and declined to read until the close
of the lecture-"an example" says
Plutarch. .of serious and dignified
behavior which excited much adj
miration." In the same connection
Plutarch has this to say: I'VE should
habituate ourselves, when letters are
brought to US. not to open them in
stantly and in hurry. not to bite the
strings in two. as many people will,
IL they do not succeed at once with
their fingers; when a messenger
comes, not to run to meet him; not
| to jump up when friend says he
has something new to tell US" One
wonders what the old philosopher
would think of the hurry and worry
of New York life to-day.
If Plutarch seems like Stole or an
Epicurean here this is but a proof of
his eclectic tendencies. He believes
also in a strange class of beings in
termediate between gods and men.
whom he calls genii or daemons, and
to whom he gives a more distinct OBJ
jective. existence than Socrates as
signed to his own particular tutelars
daemon, who represented probably
much that we mean to-day by intui-
ton or conscience. Plutarch's dae-
mons not only live; they die. 1t Is
he who recounts the story of the voice
proclaiming the death of the great god
Pan--a story which has gained par
ticular fame because Christian writer's
have localized 1t at the time of the
birth Of Christ, and because Mrs.
Browning refers to the tradition In
her well known poem, THE Dead
Pan" Tales like this. and constant
references to omens, oracles, dreams,
and so on. show that Plutarch, for all
his Euphemerism, was not free from
the unscientific credulity of his times.
vet he earnestly attacks superstition
declaring that 1t entails even more
suffering than atheism. For my
part" he says, II would rather have a
man say of me There is no such per-
son as Plutarch than 'Plutarch Is un-
reasonable, passionate, vindictive--a
man who. IL you left him out of a sup
per party through inadvertence or
had not time to pay him visit, would
SANDER you and even ruin you.
Perhaps 1t is this common sense OF
quality. Of sanity and moderation
that has gone furthest to endear Plu-
tarch to the hearts of all men OF all
races and of all times. His very
thoughts are part OF ours. Even
without knowing IL, we know him. We
quote him when we talk about call
ing spade a spade" We quote him
again-or, rather. misquote him
when we say THE die Is cast"
Cmsar's real words were, Let the die
be cast" as Prof Perrin, of course,
correctly renders them. Uoebs Ii
hrary. VOL ". p. 273 also Vol. VII.
D. sea- The celebrated query as to
which came first--the chicken or the
eggs propounded In Plutarch. Many
well known anecdotes, such as those
that tell Of Demosthenes practising
oratory with pebbles in his mouth and
of Diogenes bidding Alexander stand
little out of his sun, have their ORR
gin in Plutarch. The inclusion of
these lighter touches OF human inter-
est, which gives Plutarch so much of
his charm, he himself justifies as fol-
lows alexander. Loeb Library, Vol.
yII.. ~ 225): 1T is not Histories that
! am writing, but Lives; and In the
most illustrious deeds there is not al
ways manifestation of virtue or vice;
nay, a slight thing like phrase or a
jest often makes a greater revelation
of character than battles where thou
sands fall, or the greatest ornaments.
or sieges Of cities. Accordingly, just
as painters get the likenesses In their
portraits from the face and the eS-
preston of the eyes. wherein the char