The Rise and Fall of Greek Supremacy.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume I, Issue 59, 6 October 1893, Page 4

The Rise and Fall of Greek Supremacy.

Ilf TJkJU All constitution- *arry within them •elvev the -**•* d* or permit of their own destruction. Sometimes the evil 1* of fiw* alvart latent in >hc jystnu. IW.-f.vrt* the «•*—*l« of de-truction hwi to Gr%* ks w**re w truly wonUerful raw. ckrwl« r mod th* Giv«l(»'exaiW the worhl. N> amt lh< pitch of |»-rf' ction Attain- ft in th* so th w«»rld »' <iee«> am rH-.mlol history, with them. The most astonishing pb*-*e itf their character was the their im<i« rstsTMliug, their versatility «ui.i ti*» »r woinieifui »l« p.h «>f mind. iivetopiii. They wftnwi born xtuleu*w, iflwnini, anti phil«>sophers, aud excellence a th«- professions cam as ualural -to them »- mediocrity dues tfr us. There U Very little iouht that thi ir genius ue duo in the high. degr. *• to the natii** of the education ami training they received. The character and ills mill) of their institution**, surrounded athey w. re by warlike races, th* ir -ituatkiu. was peculiarly favorably to th* growth or development i»f the manly virtues or qualities. The Greeks in their habit* were simple, frugal. Uin Is rate th* \ despirfru -bow, luxury, and yet wr.hal ill th*. tut ions, ami p. eutiar enjoyment", turn (for there is w.-alth for the luiud as w* u as tor th*- Ikhlv), aiiil they neglected no part of their education, no side of their character. The stately Greek could liev* r leave his dwelling without having some of his faculties or senses gratified Then- wen* sports lu the fields in which. not horses. bill men. contested in f«-tu of endurance, *p**d and agility ; for the development of the muscles and sin* .gth there Were th. public baths ,uid gymnasiums. lor the intellectual faculties lb* n- wen- public diacuaaiuna, enquiries. argument*. and .iebates. For tin artistic sale the* had exercises in art. workmanship from vanous an«l living model*. with something of inn-rest tor everyone. For the contemplative sale they were -ur-rouud*-*l by ]uluu->. tempi*-, forkof art, and beauty which in profusion, • l.gaiu*, an*l richm-.-, almo*t outnv ailed nature. They had music, comedy, the drama, philips>pby. w ith the example of nu 11 born artists in their profe-.-ion*. in -bort the lives of th«- Greeks were one long roumi of wxercise. appl.tu-e. » njoyiueUt. happilies-, and entire * xlnlaration of -pint. It is male- ahnost to euforc** th* operation of small causes. However' the woudt rfui effects or achievements •tag ui institutions which serve a and winch afford a with the Greeks the l»riti-h in public luxuriously. They live a| bLm' alid institutions. Tiny ar» coulrv alive, Id ihvir^hanicU ****{ >i,l< p viali.st.-, not full men. Their arti—aimost avert hing is entrusted to caiculatKMi. or -uUMxliimu-d to < gain. Th* ir religion is mostly , a>-uiu*si. their character a mass of ! ■rmmstensiea or contradictions; a> a ] race tiny are not patriotic, and they j have little or show no desire for ; justice, and they lack all th* qualities : which entitle it nation to be called | trulv gnat. The qualities wh* r« in the Greeks excelled, ate in th.* British character almost deficient, while the j opposite is tru. also, and th*- qualities I wherein the British excel. the Greek [ w» re to some extent deficient. Th. arts of p.oct or industry the Greek- ! partlallv negh cud. The Knglish an j in two points in moving slowly and I -licking like grim death to the smallest j (vantage gained: and in this they J - uibie the teiuuntyof their bull-dogs j huh. <mee they get a hold, never let I •'». r.iigiishnieii are inclined to be | I qiecialists and scientist-, not ! nlosopheni. Shakespeare excelled j draiuatu writing poetry,! richs a- a >;aiptor, a general, a and a poet. Dr Johnson compared with Socrates falls i ,r: - kater was <4 warrior and i’ptor also: while Thucydides, j * au>. and Aristotle w* re artUu in th ir »f»-s-ion-. To somewhat compcn- | an astronomer New turahst Darwin, as a ballad r trns. In Australia the comfi.ion. vv Dot ripened sufficiently to ; i "'ace any galaxy of great : n»« , n. Gordon ami Marcus ( larke, ! Hgguibotbam and John Balianc’-. ! ffomer of , . mowi r or .Austraia-ia, may slid !•> have bloomed liefore thill* t une and to h 1 their beauty, *’ ti "pl. ndour, ..Hir u-fuimss cur- j u..i* •. by their short life and th* j ' »• I?/ of th.- condition iu which | v found th.mselves, by the lack o* •p*n in other- * ng* udered by tn i •linat. ru-h f*>r gol«h by the ilib a id « m». unium upon overwork os j S i Uur Was mvrnd by two great ; u us. 4 ry. The coii;ra*hction, th.*

I inconsistency, tlic tlliU'ialitv. the in • justi e of slavery and warfan with their own high character, g.*Uiu an«l institution 1 have already | mk! ptswed unnoticed until it had i e\Unde*! ami laid its octopu3 clntv |or tcuaclcs cv* rywkerti and under I mim'd the whole constitution; for r j nation winch has not th* hardihood to I pitiduiv ita own f <kkl will by and In 1 iu»t have th** hardihood todo their own I I excm s. till by arid bye when luxury land i!itcfn|»>ranc«* have fulfilled tb it I functions, the nation will topple and I fail to pieces. It wmt so with th | { Greek-*. They a: first could aco m ; .ncon-istcncy or d*:ng**r in their con : f I I "truck them that one small unknown •*rror would be th* cause* of everything going wrong, and that it would bring .h* w bol*-of their gr* atciviiisalioutothe I ground. 1 low could they ? From the I arlic-i dawn of civilisation, down to heir own time, men had subsided by ! plundering, by bunting, by warlik- ] i pursuits, by taking captives, by slavery■. 1«» their minds slavery was natural, j ; They could -eo no evil in it as long us • hey treated their slaves well. It had sever occurred to them it was utterly ncompatible with justice. However, his * mscioosness dawned upon them i vt la-t and at the prospect of eniauI jipatiou. of the extension of tin ighu of ( ltizenship to ail, especially I hose intellectualiy, and as they con I -udered, naturally inferior, their inject, or rather their prejudices, f ** volt. *l. There were some, however, | who wvre determined they should have heir freedom, viz, the best intellects | >f both faction-. The struggle be- ! v. 11 b* two factions was so strong I imi but* r ami tong maintained that :>-twv. il th* in the constitution praetiI 4»ly fi ll to pieces. The failure of ih | ! h« clem* uts of success within it, j -h \v> th.- eternal truth of the mcaiur* I hat evil is wrought by want of I bought as well as want of heart. The •wl was not of the heart. As a nation * ih y wen* intensely feeling, sympathetic. Hut let us not speak too | irreverently of the failings of this noble I rac* a rac«- which has set an example !to the world a race of people of uii«loinitable energy, determination, per- | s* vera ice, faith and force of character, ! a rat-** who raise*l themselves above nearly all the evils, misfortune and c4Miiiiiou prejudices of the time, and im<-««1 through life tu a scale of I grandeur, moral excellence, purity and virtu** unrivalled by any other nation, : jhtkkl or age of the world. But rather j ier H" profit (if we can) by the lesson ! I learn* *l, and jxnnt the moral to >ur own institutions, to our ouu vharucter, and to our own lives. With the fail of tin* Greek States and I ( • ris k l iviii-ittion fell, or was broken | iipal-<> -lavery sla v« ry as a r» cognis* d 1 { iiat* institution. Slavery, it was j I discov* r*-d, was synouiiiious with j sc*fishm--s'* iiniiin liig* lie*—and based | upon savagrve barbarism—that nothing j great, permanent, or lasting could U* I j built upon it —that it was an intolerable