The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1921-06-06
Fla t h ers of
Th Ough II
Blu Maubert st, GEORGES
Copyvisht. 1871. By Tue Pre-. Publishins c.
THE New York ESeniDs World.
Iv-PYTHAGoRA6
The First PhiIosopher.

Pythagoras was born at Sennos n.
easily defined by the words Of
friend Of his. ''Of all men he was tn.
most assiduous inquirer" From hisl
earliest youth he had an fnsatiab,as
thirst for knowledge. He was tho :
first to reject the name -Sophos."
wise man, and to claim that he was
merely a philosopher, lover OF
learning.
At twenty-five, convinced that hsc
had learned all the Samian teachers
could tell him. he begged from
Amasis, Pharaoh of Egypt, who
greatly loved the Greeks, permission
to study the secrets of the priesthood
of Egypt and be initiated into thar
mysteriea The priests, who loathed
barbarians, as they called roreignens,
tried to discourage him by delays. He
was made continually to travel be-
tween distant cities. Years were
wasted in learning the different
Egyptian languages. Finally his con-
stancy triumphed and they acknowa-
edged him one of their number.
He remained twenty-five years In
Egypt, and in SIS b. c.. when tho
country was conquered by Cambysess.
King of Persia, ut his own request I
he shared the fate of countless
Egyptians and was transported to
Babylon. He spent years there study ,
ing the principles OF Zoroaster, Chal-'
dean astronomy and medicine
From there he visited the Islands
Of the Aegean Sea, Sparta, Athens
and Delphi. Deciding that Greece
divided against itself was bound to
fall sooner or later, he made up his
mind that the Greek colonies in Italy
held the future Of the world and.
went to settle in Crotona
Here, word of his wonderful learn
Ing having preceded him, he received
a royal welcome. Rapidly he gained
an extraordinary influence over all
who met him. BY his manners, which
were copied, and which he himself had
obtained from the Egyptian priests.
he established a sort OF aristocracy
in the city.
At that time the Democrats Of Sy-I
baris, Crotona's neighbor and enemy.
brought about a revolution and MUIR
dered all the aristocrats in that city
In spite Of their greatly superior
numbers, Pythagoras persuaded the
Crotonians to attack them He led
their expedition and was entirely
successful.
In return the Crotonans bufft him q
wonderful estate, in the gardens Of
which he established his school,
which in many ways was as much re-
ltyious as philosophical He taught
the transmigration Of souls. which he
had learnt in Egypt, and even claimed
that he remembered some of his Tor.
mer incarnations. Many of the things
he taught (for instance that the sun
is in the centre OF our system) haR1
since been accepted.
Strangely, however. his popularity
waned and gradually he becams
hated, because of the aristocracy he
had founded and because OF tho So
crecy he maintained about his teach
ing. In 4T3 there was a riot in Gro
tona, in which most of his pupils wene
murdered and he himself driven from
the city. For some time he could
find no asylum, but finally Matapen-.
turn received him There he fingered
for a year or so, and died finally in
47o, a helpless, forgotten old man
who had been perhaps the greatest of
all Greek philosophers.