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SiiPT. 15, I860] The Saturday Analyst an...
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PLUTARCH* T> IOGRAPHEES and moralists fi...
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• Oreek Iltffory from Themis/octet to Al...
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CHRONIC ALCOHOLISM.* MOST of us remember...
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„: zsrw^wws.z^B'Sz: =" V.tt,a., &o., &«....
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Db. Whewell's Plato.* Rf^He Popularity W...
" Crito , " the " Phsedo , " and the "Apology " ; and that here there grew . up , under the influence of Eukleides , a peculiar system of philosophical opinions . From Megara , Plato went to Cyrenc , tile Greek colony in Africa , to the . society of . Thoodbrus" the mathematician , of whom , he makes mention in the Dialogue entitled " Thesetetus . Thence he went to Italy , and conversed with the Py thagoreans , the influence of whose lore we see in the " Timseus , " and in other dialogues . Thence ho is said to have gone to Egypt , " to the propheis " : —a strange expression , probably implying his intercourse with mystical teachers who claimed supernatural knowledge . And after these travels , he returned to Athens , and taught in the Academia , a pleasure ground near the city , where lie had a villa ; the gardens of which were the scene of his teaching , that is , of his conversations with his admirers , and , ¦ perhaps , of his readings of the Dialogues .
There seems to "be no truth in the statement of Themistius , who wrote 700 or 800 years after the event , that the Athenians repented of having put Socrates to death , and punished his accusers . Miletus , he says , was fined , Anytus fled , and the people of Heradea in Pontus stoned him to death ; and that his tomb was to be seen in the suburb of that city , not far from the sea . Of all this Plato and Xenophon appear to know nothing . In the " Meno" Plato makes Socrates express pity for Anytus , as not knowing the value of a good education - and in accordance with this , Xenophon tells us that the son of Anytus , not having been initiated in any good pursuit , took to evil courses , and that the father was in evil repute on this ground . If a visitation such as that reported by Themistius had fallen upon him , it could hardly , concludes Dr . Whewell , have passed unnoticed in the works of Plato and Xenophon .
In his academic teaching , " a main object with Plato was a continuation of the -war which Socrates had carried on against the false seeming of -wisdom , and against the false pretenders to wisdom . He might go on to do in writing what Ms master had done in oral discourse;—expose the Svant of a real substance of science in men of note , und exhibit to ridicule their pretensions , their shallowness , their conceit and self-complacency . " Such was the noble revenge taken by Plato for the murder of his master . It only remains to be stated that both taught philosophy gratuitously . They held that it was a kind of prostitution of the mind ; inasmuch as it was a giving for hire that which a rightminded person can only give through affection and esteem . But , Dr * Whewell says , this lofty notion is contrary to the practice of all times and places . "We desire to suggest , however , one exception . To communicate truth without money and without price , is one mark of a Divine mission . .
Siipt. 15, I860] The Saturday Analyst An...
SiiPT . 15 , I 860 ] The Saturday Analyst and Leader . 801
Plutarch* T> Iographees And Moralists Fi...
PLUTARCH * T > IOGRAPHEES and moralists find a ready audience ; for life J 3 and manners are at all times interesting . Frequently , however , they do that service for others which they need themselves . Here in a pleasant volume , handsomely printed , we have What Plutarch had to tell of Themistocles , Pericles , Alcibjades , Lysander , Pelopidas , Timoleon , Demosthenes , and Alexander ; but what have we of himself ? Records of him , indeed , are few and ' brief . That he studied philosophy under Ammonius , at Delphi , in the reign of Jyfero , that some of his family held high civic offices in their native « ity , and that he more than once visited Italy and Rome is probable ; and likewise in the latter delivered lectures in his vernacular on philosophy , while Domitian was imperator , the substance of which is supposed , to be embodied in his moral writing \ s . During his residence in Italy , he states , himself , that he had been prevented from acquiring a knowledge of the Latin languago through having had so many commissions to execute , and . so many people coming to h } m to receive his instructions in philosophy ; but at a late period of his life he began to read latin authors , and otherwise indulged his taste , as he appears to have lived in honour and comfort in his native city , enjoying the dignity and emoluments of a priesthood , and holding various magisterial offices . We are also told that ho had four sons and a daug-htor , but the time and circumstances of his death have not been registered . "Well ! we must bo content with this , and seek his own life . in those " Parallel Lives , " where ho has forth-shadowed his own in six-and-fort y individualities . Many of his works have boon , unfortunately , lost ; among- them , fifteen other biographies , thoy sny ; but wo nave also a life of Hoimor , and four livos , not included in the Parallels , besides his " Moralia , " which so delightfully blond anecdotes with ethics . It is a pity that his historical accuracy whs not equal to his moral aim . Moreover , in these days , wo have , as Mr . Clough remarks , learnt the value of cotemporary statomentn , rl / l
_ 1 ___ £ } ,. „ .... n . mrllu »^ 1 m r rni . « if > at l /\' li it / tnj-kll It 4 < S % Y 1 Js ^ lt * / ilnu Itil ' MtMttilt and prefer , accordingly , Thucydide s account ot A ' ericiOH , us Jivuif ? in las ago . The want of ohronolog-y in Plutarch ' s work is Hcnrcely a defect , as he writes simply to illustrate character , and to compare , on certain points , the Oroclc with the Roman . ^ That the neglect into which Plutarch has fallen of late yours is undesirable wo are willing to acknowledge , und ready to udd that Mr . Clough ' s selection !* from his writing's are judiciously made . Mr . CNough hus placed the soloctod lives in a chronological serion ftwu ThemistocleH to Alexander irtul Demosthenes . The translations are taken from the American edition , lately published , in Boston , by Little " and Brown ; which was formed on the basis ot
the second English translation made by various hands , but with important and numerous corrections . The . editor observes that Plutarch is truer to antiquity from his point of view not being ' political . ., 'Mf , " he adds , " it were merely as an ancient writer giving the ancient Greek and Roman aspect of Greek and Roman history , he might well claim the attention of those who cannot conveniently read the whole series of original authorities , It is wonderful how different those arc from any ' modern account of them . They have been treated as . materials , and worked up into somethingentirely new .
The great Mosaic figures have been taken to . pieces , and the bits carefully preserved , put tog-ether again upon another design . This may be saying too much . But , certainly , there is a great tradition of ancient history * which Plutarch very fairly represents , which we are in some danger of forgetting " , and which it is essential to possess before proceeding to the commentary which explains , and the criticism which checks it . Criticism has , indeed , effected wonders ; but no knowledge of ancient history is sound which knows more of the annotations than of the text , and which does not rest upon an acquaintance witli the ancients as pourtrayed by themselves . "
Without hesitatation , we can indorse these representations , and appreciate the high merits of this issue . We trust that the editor will be sufficiently encouraged to venture upon a second volume . The present is uot only distinctly printed upon g-ood paper , but is lavishly illustrated . There are more than forty elegantly executed woodcuts , which really embellish as well as illustrate the work . It is exceedingly well fitted for a gift-book to youth , and one more welcome could scarcely be given to a son or nephew who held out promise of future excellence . Plutarch will teach him how to go through life heroically , if not happily ; . how . to deserve if not to command success .
• Oreek Iltffory From Themis/Octet To Al...
• Oreek Iltffory from Themis / octet to Alo . ramier , In ft norloa of Llvon from Plutiuoh . UovisoU und urmiigotl hy A , II . Clougli , Hoiuctlmo Follow of Orlol Uoltoitu . Oxford . Longninna .
Chronic Alcoholism.* Most Of Us Remember...
CHRONIC ALCOHOLISM . * MOST of us remember that when Mr . Bob Sawyer had but a . small practice he induced an extension of it by the simple , but excellent expedient of doing up bottles of physic , and ordering his boy to leave them at the wrong doors ; by this means making his name more fully known , and , at the same time , leading those Whom he desired as patients to ¦ . believe , that if the boy were forgetful the master ' s practice was extensive . As the usual vehicles of . ' advertising ' are disdained by all practitioners who are not quacks , there remains only three other methods of inaking oneself known ; . the first is suitable to a suburban neighbourhood , and consists in employin" -a footman or page---a maidservant is too nervous for the
operation—to call "the doctor ' . ' . ' out of'church in the middle of an impressive sermon , whispering at the same time the word " consultation " most audibly ; the second is expensive , but it is said to be serviceable , and is nothing less than setting up a brougham , and being driven , like Jehu " furiously " along the various squares ; the third is to publish a book of one ' s own or anyone else ' s writing , ( a translation from the French is often preferred ) treating of any particular form of disease which may be found in the thousands which grace hosology . Any of the more common forms will , of course , suit the practitioner in one way best , but he may choose one totally new , if such there bo ; give it a long name , and awake , and find himself famous . Almost any first-rate physician or surgeon will tell one of dozens of books
which have been produced iii this way . It stands to . reason—so much has the medical education of the laity been neglected—that when Dr . Hammer , or Mr . Parker Pepp . s , M . R . C . S . have distributed a thousand books which may lie , if treating of a decent disease , on a thousand drawing-room tables , that in due time thoy may count upon a good per centage of patients . Readers of medical books abound in , England . Almost every reasonable man , if not ¦ ten medecin tnalgie lid , is , according to the adage , a physician fcy the time he is forty ; if not we need not consult Ray ' s proverbs to say what he is j hence books upon this branch of science , with a taking title , command a large public . If not absolutely scientific , and it would bo lryperthotical to . demand a masterly treatise every
time , Mr . Churchill advertises a new volume , the best next thing is to bo harmless . That is a morit in itself , and . Dr . Marcet ' a book , which now lies before us , possesses the merit in no small degree . But beyond thin we can say little . Sometimes , whore the mind of the author is open and manly , n reader can discover the aim ot the volume on the title page , but Mr . Marcet is secretive , ami it is not till wo reach page 147 , almost the last , a table of cases , occupying the roxnaining twenty-five pages , that we find from Mr . Marcot , that ho ¦ " has endeavoured to bring prominently to li ^ ht the most frequent form of disease produced by excessive drinking , and it will be a sourco of satisfaction to mo should uwy of the libroffoinK observations utrongthon the hands of thoue
philanthropists who have dovotod their time and exertions to the repression of oxces . sos in alcoholic ¦ stimulants . " The fh-nt thing naturally to be considered is what i « " excess 1 Mr . Marcpt ' s table does not assist \ is , nor do the two books llio titles of which ho cites and the contents oi' which he avails hnnnolf ; Muonish ' rt well-known " Anatomy of Drunkennesw . s , " and Rooscli h " Do l ' abus don bowsona HpiritouaoH . " The synoptical table oontiuiw a ledger account of some very torriblo pains and penalties with winch the aTcoholio oxeeeaor is sure to be debited with , hIcopIoshuush . giddiness , headache , flying specks before the eyes ( muBow vtJunto * „ noisoH in tho ears ( tinnitus uurimn ) , hallucinations und want oIuh ordinations of tho voluntary motions , and u morbid condition ot u » o
„: Zsrw^Wws.Z^B'Sz: =" V.Tt,A., &O., &«....
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 15, 1860, page 9, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15091860/page/9/
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