Show romances of 0 Pro P gres by albert parson n terhune SOLON the ma man n who populace of athens ered to hear bear a had bad gath crazy poem the nan man recite a poets the athenians name was solon insane regarded the violently as inspired of the gods poem solon a e to recapture incited his fellow countrymen cou en the rich island mis of sala which had bad been wrested from them in a recent war believing the mouthpiece him of the obeyed and the expedition they was a success then solon suddenly became quite sane again the ing how people really cleverly he had tricked them into doing their country so great a service made him archon ruler of the city and state of athens this was what solon had planned for he ile found himself at once so popular that he might declared readily have himself absolute and have monarch ruled as a tyrant instead be he bent hia his genius to the betterment of hie his fellow men athens at this time was in wretched condition A few of the wealthiest families held the relna reins of power and wrung unjust taxes from the people the rich were dally daily growing richer and more arrogant the poor door dally daily waxed poorer therefore people left the country by hundreds moreover Alore over the criminal laws las dictated years before by a judge ruler named draco were so harsh as to render life lite most uncertain death first friend of was the penalty the plain peo for nearly every jle il offense the man who stole an apple suffered the same fate as he who murdered a whole family under all these conditions agriculture commerce and manufacture were at low en elb 44 ills first act of power was to free every debtor and cancel every debt all mortgages were weve declared void and people who had bad staggered on tind r a weight of poverty and oppression were set on their feet again lenient just criminal laws were framed this drastic course pet classes aghast that any archon should act as defender of the peor man was a thine thing unheard off of but solon was as too strong with the grateful people at large to be overthrown too wary to ba be assassinated so be he bad had his way now that the stress of poverty was relieved solon set to work building up the state he lie made education corn com and forced every ever young man to serve two to years in life trie army reserves he lie next created a political system that gave every citizen a share in tho the government the poorest man discovered is coveted democracy was 23 given a vote and had a as s much voice in affairs of state as had h ad much the he richest thia this was the foundation fou n dation of modern democracy a gover government n ment tor for and by the people such a a scheme was regarded as sheer madness by many but its instant success proved its lt worth popular election elections limited terms of office and sad a cubus rendering of accounts by every officeholder were the three chief feature features of these laws the people at large were put in in complete control of public affairs any man over 30 could vote sol solon a al also 10 appointed a senate to which which were eligible only such men as had bad acquitted themselves highly in public of flee fice this body a duty was to advise the state but the people had full power to veto its commands ecta mands thus el ei ing senators authority oaly only as lorg aa as they held the voters confidence popular government without anarchy liberty without license fair play for rich and poor alike and the general uplifting u 0 of people and country these were scions aim and ho he the doctrine of achieved them p the first time fair r play for all the e plain people received freedom and justice thousands of athenians under the former unjust rule bad had emigrated to restore this deficit solon tried to in duce these expatriates to return and also offered inducements for foreign ers to settle in athens to avoid in discriminate immigration he lie forced each newcomer to pay par an annual tax and to provide himself with a bonds man who should be responsible for his good behavior commerce and manufacture were also revived and greatly improved most alost men would have been satisfied at all this solon was not to learn more about government be he left greece in his old age and traveled for ten years in the various best governed counties count countries Ves of tha the world trying to acquire new ideas for the aggrandizement of athens on these travels he was welcomed everywhere us the greatest man of his day king croesus of lydia the mo monarch 1121 ach in the world and other sovereigns delighted to do him honor he ile returned at last to athens and strove to put into effect the new reforms ho he bad had gathered during his pilgrimage in 59 D C at the age of SO 80 the father of democracy died having accomplished more for the people and for posterity than any other man who had ever lived copyrighted L LYCURGUS YC UR G US father of equality patriot patriotism ism and an d Socia socialism lim A young nobleman had just come back to sparta lie ile had bad left home years before for what bis his friends deemed the most foolish of reasons he ile had actually been dissatisfied with the wild barbaric lawlessness of S spar P r ta and bad had gone to egypt india and 0 other ther civilized lands to study the art of good govern government ment now that he had gained euch such knowledge he pro ceedee to put his learning to instant use thanks to his high rank and the favor he enjoyed from king tabotha of or sparta this returned traveler ly curgus by name had a tree free field for work 1 he lie found sparta groaning under misrule ignorance and barbarism I 1 the he nobles ground down the people the people hated bated the nobles the 9 nt was lax the country poor lycurgus first step waa was to t 0 confiscate all property prop erty divide it into equal portions and distribute it fair fairly ly among the spartans he lie next broke up the old tyrannical system of arbitrary and ordained a senate sena te of 28 men inen elected for life all qt them over CO go years old instead d of one king he chose ch ose two these were to rule jointly more as high priests than as sovereigns were to serve in the senate and itro invested d with le lead power than baa has tho the president of ale fb united states every citizen was a voter the senate was elected by br the tho pe people opie and ita its commands could be set aside side by them senators were at 0 once nee law makers under ay ik alt all men equal i and gret secret government by direction of ly the people curgus cur glis and judges in civil and criminal trials in add tion to these were appointed a board of magistrates known kno a n as ephord ep hors bors whose duty it was w to protect the peoples p rights and to act aa a restraining influence on the kings lycurgus also divided the populace into three classes warrior trades folk and belots helots or slaves assigning especial duties to each nov ow that he be had arranged for the peoples temporal and political welfare of socialism and popular by a sylton lycurgus turned his st attention to still greater need sparta waa wg a email small rather barreit country cpu sandwiched in AM among ong larger richer lands lycurgus saw law it was as only a question of time before one of should fieck seek to an stronger powers nex sparta against aga dinst this be he guarded by bir making inking his country so dangerous foes that aone none dare da re attack atuck to any of her her only hope waa was in ber army 80 he made practically all the populace pon one vast army A alny it wa was a clear case of the survival of 0 f the fittest attest from the age of C it even seven boys boy were placed in the care car of the state elate and anda were thenceforth subjected to an end less course of discipline pain and work they were taught to go for days without food or sleep to tortures perils pertle and hardships that would kilt kill an ordinary man T they her were trained by the severest system ot athletics and instructed in the use of every weapon As a result every spartan lad by br the time ho he reia rad clied elied manhood oan hood was lot only an id mehl al soldier but consid red tred it childish to give edgna of pain or fatigue he lie was a perfectly developed human buman machine there was little or no home life for him ills future was at the service oc of the state lotof not ot sickly children were put to death A stupid man had bad no chance in life power rower of body and shrewdness of mind alike were necea sary for to success or even eil existence stence in that stern community sobriety and f strict temperance wom great and integrity debt to spar were the e watch tan reformer words ds of the country boys were made to pare gaze on the antics of a drunken helot to dis gurt gust them with tippling they were shorn n pie phe rod reasons tons for other nations aalf to w warn arn teem them against the same faults to promote personal equality every spartan was obliged to contribute his share of toy SAo to 1 common table at classic public tables on terms of familiarity hn were forced to eat from king to commoner women in olden times were looked an 00 as little better than slaves ly curgus changed all this to him women owe much of their present high position for he gave their sex its first impetus toward betterment by declaring women the equal of men As mothers of future warriors be he demanded that they be treated with al reverence girls were taught wrestling boxing running and other ath letic sports and acquired the more rugged virtues of courage and self sacrificing patriotism A A spartan mother never wept at her sons death dut but if it he were a coward ehe she went into mourning having lifted bis his country from barbarism to high civilization and set it on the roas roaf of dt progress lycergus an that he was going on a long journey and made uw the spartans take a S 5 solemn 0 lemn oath to abide brimi ills laws aa and 1 reforms until le should return then sacrificing hims if for the land and find people he loved toyed lycurgus left he lie never returned no one knows 1 what became of him whether he be killed himself or hid bid somewhere nome where in voluntary exile until his a death in 14 order that sparta might forever keep the oath to obey bis his precept precepts until he came back to take up again the rein relm ot of government vp |