Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-01

member, n lad of 80 when, like a
Colossus. he bestrode the world. He
had been led on to victory by ina gina
ton: and by imagination he was to be
destroyed.
Alexander as God.
His plan for the unitication of
East and West was as romantic as
youth-he would marry Darius
daughter and encourage similar adj
ventures among his soldiers and his
generals 1t was true that he was
already married, but this was IA con
sidcration unworthy Of an emperor;
he now took two wives more; he was
resolved to give generous impetus
to that ethnic fusion by intermarriage,
which he hoped would make at last
one nation of a thousand tribes. At
the same time he adopted for himself
the Persian robe of state and the dia'
dem. Persian symbol of supreme au-
thority. Instead of conquerins the
Orient, the Orient had begun to con-
qucr him.
Finally. in his endeavor to HeileniZe
the East. he introduced to Europe the
oriental ideal OF the omnipotence and
divine right of kings. He withdrew
the cities Of Hellas and assumed alb.
solute power He astonished Greece
by revealing that the oracle of Jupiter
Ammon. in Egypt. had named him
god. Two thousand years later Napo-
leon was TO complain that the people
of his time were too clever, OF he
might have tried the same plan. But
even in Alexander's day they were
too we'll informed: it had not seen
Sophisis and Plates and Aristoties Tor
nothing. When il heard that AleNan-
der had become n god Greece merely
laughed.
II Alexander had been a mature
genius Of thought. as we'll as boy
of limitless courage in action. he. too,
would have laughed and made it plain
To his friends and TO the Greeks that
this sudden divinity was solely for
oriental consumption, Instead OF that.
the new god issued an edict requiring
all who came to him on affairs of
state to kneel and kiss his feet. To
make himself little more seductive.
he shaved his face. SO introducing an
other nuisance into Europe. tie
dreamed Of having Mount Athos
carved into a vast statue of himself.
with a town of 10 900 people living In
his hand When the Greeks about
him smiled at his new dimensions he
sent them away and surrounded him
self with Asiatics accustomed to sub
| servience He scorned the old adeis
ers who Rad led him to victory, and
ordered several of them killed on a
charge of conspiring TO depose him
When Caliisthenes, nephew Of Arts
totie, refused TO acknowledge Aiexan
der's divinity Alexander condemned
,Ax.k7 ysssia xsf
the fact that this brutality brought
his old friendship with Aristotle Il
an ignoble end. When ciitus uht
same who had saved him at Ora nIcus
objected to his surrender to the Orien
and dared TO quote Euripedes:
Are these your customs?
Shall one man claim the trophies won
BY thousa nds?"
Alexander ran him through with n
spear. and spent the next three days
In bitter tears.
Greek life" said Hegel. lis essen.
tally youthful: 1t was begun by one
youth tAchillesl and ended by an
other" TO understand Alexander II
| In necessary to see him as IA boy s'sus
Cling with the problems Of statesman
ship: boy brave v.tiaou' limit. tut
iiiimitabiy vain. Energy Ii ,ne halt
of genius, harness In the other. and
Alexander was all energy. lie iacFed
the balance and moderation idealized
By Aristotle and .ealiZsd by Socraies
Aristides and Epaminondas. letter
| far III, instead OF going 10 Jupiter
Ammon To learn that he was a. god, he
had gone 10 the Delphic Apollo ant
| learned meden agan.
BY the age of 80 he was used up
having lived many years In every
year The arid climate Of Asia - no,
| helped 10 weaken him. Neither he
/ nor his soldiers could drink without
! danger the water Of the hostile regions
| which they traversed: more and more
| they relied on win. and soiaced tht n
| hoIneaickneas with drinking bouts
| Alexander could not be second in any
| thing. even I'm drinking. At chal
| ienge from another youth .e empttet
| ten times the great goblet of hercules
| The next day though feverisl. III
| riosed and drank again. Then he
| took tn his bed. and after hree days
| Of sickness during which he continued
| To give orders for his army and his
empire. he died, a*ed 3D.
| His last words were in reply 10 the
! question In whom did he nave hi,
| power. His answer WAS "A summary
| Of his time and prophecy ~ The
/ chaos that would follow him. "fo the
! strongest he said.
/ The strongest were tho Romans
| tIopssight. 1877, by WIN iiufant.i
| ~~~y~re-a~~e-e aa~~rzv-r~7~
| Womau .Vefo Wins uonnrs