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5/>e MIRROR A | IPuWished WeeKly | A Dnesotft. gt&te' | Yol. XIX.-NO. 45 AT THE time of Christ’s birth, France, Germany, England and all other European countries, Greece and Italy excepted, were inhabited by barbaric tribes. The first reliable information, we have of the existence of these tribes, has come to us thru Julii Caesaris Commentarii de Bello Galileo. Still more reliable data were transmitted to us thru the Roman historian Tacitus. While, for centuries after Christ, the history of those northern countries is consider ably shrouded; Greece pnd Rome, in the five centuries preceding Christ’s birth, had already passed thru an era of.culture, refinement, literature and art, the like of which has never been surpassed in the succeeding years. Commencing about 500 B. C., the his tory those two countries is well authenticated by manuscripts in book form, written on the skin of goats (parchment). About 800 B. C., Lycur gus made the Spartan laws, and those for Athens were made a century later by Solon. None of these laws were put down in writing previous to about 550 B. C. The Old Testament, com piled from verbal transmissions, seems to have been written 300 B. C., as is plainly indicated by the language em ployed. The oldest authentic manu scripts in book form, are the two epic poems by Homer/who lived about 700 B. C. Whether the author, said to hare been blind, wrote those poems himself, or not, is immaterial. The two great works, each consisting of a large number of books—tho the whole of them, in print, give but two medium size volumes—are the oldest preserved to posterity; yet, they have never been equaled, either in point of elegant lan guage, or in point of elevation of thought in reference to epic poetry. This does not necessarily say that Homer was the greatest of all poets, tho he is considered so by many. The general opinion seems to be, that Homer, Shakespeare and Goethe, were the three greatest poets; closely fol lowed by Virgil, Horace, Dante, Schiller, Milton and a number of oth ers. '• The work of all poets loses consid- < erably by translation; each can be i fully appreciated only in the language | in which it was written. Still, an 1 Englishman can obtain a fairly correct conception of the beauties of Goethe’s, i Dante's, Rousseau’s, etc., works, by < reading a good translation. As far as ] Homer is concerned, a well-defined ; knowledge of Greek mythology, as ( well as a synopsis of the subjects treated in his works, is indispensable to a proper appreciation of their beauty. Perhaps, many readers are tolerably well posted as to the two matters. Still, we should have them constantly before our mind while dis cussing Homer, and, for that reason, both shall be briefly explained. From the Christian standpoint, the belief in a multiplicity of deities is paganism. The Greeks and Romans had a god, or goddess, for almost every thing. What makes this conception of religion specially preposterous in our eyes, is the fact that these gods were believed to be imbued with human in stincts, passions and frailties. In fact, the majority of these immortals are pictured to us as being very naughty indeed; sometimes even as absolutely wicked. For all that, it would hardly do for us to pooh-pooh the entire be lief, and to stigmatize it an absurdity. The Greeks and Romans were our superiors in intellectual penetration, and we cannot presume that they would have worshipped anything that was not deserving of being worshipped according to human reason. Even admitting that the supposed jovial and congenial community of deities exer cised a charm over the minds Of the poetically-inclined Grecians, we must HOMER’S LEGACY TO MANKIND. IN THREE PARTS. Part I.—lntroductory STILLWATER, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1906. always take into consideration that, not only Christ, but also the Jehovah of the Israelites, were in those times unknown to Greeks and Romans. On the other hand it is easy to understand that the fortunes and/adversities of life, befalling alike the wicked and the righteous, should have led those an cients to conclude that their destiny and actions were controlled by powers, often in conflict with each other. As we are dealing with Greek literature, and aB the deities of that nation did not in all respects possess the same attributes as those of the Romans, we shall call them by their Grecian names; as Zeus (Jupiter), Hera (Juno), Fallas Athene (Minerva), Ares (Mars), Aphrodite (Venus), Poseidon (Nep tune), Hades (Pluto), etc., etc. Gre cian names shall also be used for the mortals, as Odysseus for Ulysses, etc. The first of Homer’s works, the “Iliad”—-from Ilium (Troy or Troja)— treats of the ten years’ siege and des truction of that ancient city, which took place sometime between 1200 and 1000 B. C. Tho a number of Greek authors, living later than Homer, referred repeatedly to this siege, several modern, would-be authorities have questioned the authenticity of the occurrence. This caused Dr. Heinrich Schliemann to investigate in person, and he commenced excavations on exactly the same spot, so minutely de- scribed, by Homer. A mistake was ’ hardly possible, as the small bay with 1 island (Tenedos), furnished excellent indications to the explorer. Homer already told us, that the city had been completely razed after its capture by the Greeks, and over thirty centuries of rain, heat, dust and wind, are not pro ductive of leaving traces, even of stone. For all that, Dr. Schliemann has proved beyond doubt, that a large city really had existed on that spot; for, after tons of accumulated sand dust bad been removed, the founda tions of the city’s walls, and of numerous large halls, or castles, were plainly discernible. Tho the work at the time had not progressed very far, the writer has seen part of it with his own eyes, as he stopped two days with the Schliemann party in 1883, when he traveled from Egypt to Constantinople via Asia Minor. The cause of the war was the abduc tion of Helena, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta (?), by Paris, one of the many sons of King Priams of Ilium. Helena, a daughter of King Tyndarus and the goddess Leda, was the most beautiful woman in all Greece, and there were so many ardent suitors for her hand, that her father was afraid to bestow her on any one, as he antici pated that the favored one would be slain by his many rivals. In this di lemma, he invited the suitors, includ ing practically all the heroes of Greece, to his castle, and told them that the oracle should decide which of them should have his daughter. But before consulting the oracle, he made every body pledge himself to protect Helena during her life with all the strength and power at their command. When, therefore, Helena had absconded with Paris, the noblest and bravest princes of all Greece were bound to come to the rescue. A large army of warriors was gathered, King Agamemnon of Lacedaemon, a brother of Menelaus, was chosen as leader, and the expedi ■ tion set sail for Ilium. The entire matter, however, as usual in Greece in those days, was attributed to a primary and ulterior cause—to an action taken by the gods. This is the story: Hera, Pallas Athene and Aphrodite, were conversing in one of the halls of Olympus, the seat of the gods. Prompted by mischief, Eris, the goddess of quarrel and discord, threw an apple amongst the three goddesses named, remarking that this apple be- “IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND.” longed to the most beautiful of the three. It appears that the goddesses of those days were fully as vain as her sisters on earth. Each wanted to be the most beautiful, and a quarrel at once commenced. Finally, the matter was referred for decision to Zeus, the god of gods. But that cute old duck— excuse the slang and irreverence—who had been engaged in more love affairs than he had hairs on bis head, was far too smart to get himself unnecessarily io trouble with ladies. He had had experiences—lots of them. Besides, one of the contestants, Hera, was not only his sister, but also his spouse; while Athene, one of the most power ful of all goddesses, had been born in his own (Zeus) brains, and Aphrodite was his daughter-in-law and, what probably counted for much more, his special favorite. So he commanded that the decision should be left to Paris, who just at that time was en gaged on Mount Ida in Thracia, in herding sheep, an occupation which appears to have been quite common among princes,, provided they were not engaged in warfare, love-making, or carousing. To him the goddesses went, and Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite, because she had promised to help him to the most beautiful woman on earth. This proves that bribery flourished in those days—as it does now. Trivial, even silly, as this story may appear, it is yet necessary for an understanding of Homer’s work, as that great author made al most every single deity a direct or in direct participant in the siege, either for or against the Trojans, and, later on, for or against Odysseus in his eventful wanderings. In fact, evftry action of those times, was attributed to the initiative of some god or goddess. Homer’s entire works are written in hexameters, verses of six metrical feet, in which the accentuation is placed on either two long syllables, (spondees) or on three syllables, one long, and two short, (dactyls). Such verses do not rhyme; but, if properly read, which re quires some practice, they produce a sound fully as melodious, and far more harmonious, than verses in which the end syllables correspond in sound with those of subsequent verses. Not only all the other Greek, but also the Latin poets, especially Virgil, Ovid and Horace, have used the same verse meter, and many of our modern poets have also resorted to it occasion ally. A condensed description of Homer’s work proper, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey,” will be given in parts II and £ll of this article. 1680. Niagara, “Thunder of & Waters.” ONCE upon a time, in the long ago, when this old world of ours was young and smil ing, and long before the des olating foot of the white man set itself on the virgin soil of this continent, an adventurous band of Indians travel ing thru the vast and unexplored for ests of what is now the Empire State of this mighty western nation, was attracted by a swelling murmer which, as they proceeded, grew into a great roaring, the earth itself fairly trem bling. Attracted by this unusual phe nomenon the hardy redskins pushed on until, emerging from among the trees they found themselves on the bank of the mighty river which al most at their very feet hurled itself with a mighty thunder hundreds of feet into a chasm below from which arose great volume's of mist which, when played upon by the sunbeams, evolved itself into, wonderful prismatic rainbows which unfurled to their en chanted eyes the most beautiful pic ture they bad ever rested on. The choosing by the whites of the Indian name Niagara for this wonder of the world was most happy. The thunder of the waters is so full, so entirely all-enveloping that one is utterly unaware of it until he tries to make bis voice heard by his compan- j ions. It really seems as tho the senses ; were overwhelmed. It is always with a feeling of relief and thankfulness that one turns from the roar of the falling waters to seek other scenes, but the magnetic sight is too strong to be denied and one finds one’s self resist lessly drawn back, only to be soon driven away again by the all-envelop ing thunder of the cataract. Niagara River, half a mile above the falls is, I should imagine, about half a mile wide. Here the bed of the river begins to slope downward steeply, and here the placid waters begin their wild rush thru the rapids. The rapid cur rent becomes a seething, foaming tor rent, rushing madly over rocks and all other obstructions to the brink of the precipice where it drops in a solid sheet sixteen feet thick, on the Cana dian side, sheer down a hundred and fifty feet where it lies literally smoth ered by its own weight, a veritable seething, writhing cauldron, with miniature waterspouts and jets of spray springing from its surface. Just at the brink of the falls is a wooded island, called Goat Island, which separates the Canadian or Horse shoe Falls from the American Falls. Goat and Luna Islands are reached from the American side by an artistic stone bridge which spans the rapids at their swiftest point. Since the Table Rock has fallen into the chasm the best point from which to view the falls is found on a ledge of rock on Goat Island, called Prospect Point. Here can be seen the rapids, both the Horseshoe and American Falls, as well as the rocky abyss below. It is said that forty years a go a wealthy man, accompanied by his wife, little daughter, and a young man friend, stood on this rock viewing the scene when in a spirit of fun the young man caught up the little girl and playfully tossed her in the air. She, in her fright, turned and plunged over the railing into the cauldron be low. With a horrible cry the young man also jumped, neither was ever seen again. A small steamer, called the Maid of the Mist, leaves the Canadian side hourly and steams almost to the foot of the falls. Passengers are equipped with oil skins, and while all come in for a good wetting, yet the trip well repays one. Here one can, in some measure, appreciate the awful power and grandeur of the cataract, altho I must confess that until I am away from it, can I really begin to ap preciate the scene. On the American side means are provided for visiting the Cave of the Winds under the falls, and while it takes some nerve, yet one is always glad he visited this spot after he is safely out. Here the übiq uitous photographer gets in his work, add for a dollar one may be seated on a rock and have his picture taken. From the falls to Lewiston the river flows in a deep, rocky channel, called the Gorge, and a trolly line skirts it on both sides, giving one a twelve mile trip up and down one of the most won derful rivers on the globe, excellent views of the whirlpool and the foam crested breakers of the angry, leaping waters of the lower rapids. Taking the car on the American side you at once cross the river to the Canadian shore. Here the car backs up to Victoria Park where a beautiful and inspiring view of both falls can be had. Leaving the Park the car skirts the gorge until a stop is made at Queenstown Heights, where aa oppor tunity is given to visit the monument erected to the memory of General Brock, the British, commander who fell in battle at that point. Crossing the river, which is now a placid stream, we again enter the United States and skirt the gorge back to Niagara, pass ing many points made famous by Indian legend and Revolutionary his tory. During recent years a portion of the water finding its way from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence to where it can feel the solemn surges of the broad Atlantic, have been diverted from their Tcrma-1 sl.ooa year, In advance.. i C.KMO. -j glx Montlls g,, centg course and put in harness and made to bend to the will of man by furnish ing power to drive electric machinery in Niagara City and far-away Buffalo. Just at this moment a great wave of sentiment looking to the abolition of this vandalism is sweeping over the nation, and the result will be that this wonderful freak of nature will be saved to posterity. In this sordid age there are men who can see nothing beautiful in anything unless it can be made to grind out dollars. For such there need be no blue in the sky, no stars to dot the firmament with twin kling beauty points, no flowers, no mountains, no mighty cataracts, no art, no books, no music; nothing but stocks, bonds, trusts, tickers, dividends and work. I am glad to note, however, that there are plenty of men and women in the world to whom money is not the all-absorbing theme, and they are as serting themselves and Niagara will be saved. Concessions have been granted by New York and the Dominion gov ernment sufficient to draw all the water from the American Falls, which is only four feet deep, but a way has been found to bring the Canucks to time. A channel can be blasted from the head of Goat Island out into the channel of sufficient depth to divert one-half of the sixteen feet of wa£er from the Horseshoe to the American Falls. A bill authorizing this channel will be introduced in Congress, uniess the Dominion withdraws its conces sions. I wish I had space to tell you how the power is developed. It is most simple, yet interesting. Canals are dug in the bank of the river and a deep well, called a penstock, is sunk in the rock. At the bottom of the penstock lies a great turbine water wheel. A tunnel conveys the used water to the gorge below the falls. C. A. Y. Do Your Beit. . You may say what you please, You may fret, you may tease, After all, it won’t help you, my friend. Let your mind be at rest; If you’ll but do your best, “It will all come out right in tbe end.” When ’neatb clouds of distress, You dlspair of success, And the fates no encouragement lend, Do but act well your part, And keep up a stout heart, And “’twill all come out right In tbe end.” Tbo we oft look ahead To the future with dread. And obstacles grave apprehend, Brave them all like a man, Work as hard as you can, For “’twill come out all right in the end.” _ —Ex, His Kir\cj Game Irv Bunches. Some time ago, in New York City, a man was wakened in the night to find his wife weeping uncontrollably, relates Harper’s Magazine. “My darling," he said, in distress, “what is the matter?” “A dream!” she gasped. “I have had such a horrible dream.” Her husband begged her to tell it to him, in order that he might comfort her. After long persuasion she was induced to say this: “I thought I was walking down Broadway, and 1 came to a warehouse, where there was a large placard, ‘Hus bands for Sale.’ You could get beau tiful ones for 51,500, and very nice ones for as low as $100.” The husband asked, innocently: “Did you see any that looked like me ?” The sobs became strangling. “Dozens of them,” gasped the wife, “done up in bunches, like asparagus, and sold for ten cents a bunch.”—Ex. “Bridget, you’ve broken as much china this month as your wages amount to. Now, how can we prevent this occurring again ?” “I don’t know, mum, unless you raise my wages.”— Ex. BeJinks—“Punston is certainly a witty chap, isn’t he?” Leßllnks—“Yes. Every time he opens ’ his month a funny crack is noticeable.”—Chicago Daily News. . r .% 3sf