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Show ' Till- STORY OF ALCOHOL I low It Has Spread Through the World How It Has Been Conquered ' ' ,'v C. 'X- '; Vv " ' x ' - , . ,-' Si -,VT L I i 'a K' 4 n ' -V ,(,; i, ' , , t-.s 'vvy.-M Yv' ;xz-x.x ! I 'o. 9 A C.KKKK S1MPOSIIM. j I Wine played so important a part In (ia civilisation of ancient Greece that ..o most popular private entertaln-cnt entertaln-cnt seems to have been the symposl-n. symposl-n. The character of these festive nf- irs depended upon the desire of the t lests and especially upon the person irresponding to the modern toast-aster toast-aster at a banquet. He had much - -ore authority than a toast master. ;iwever. for he not only directed the . -mversation but he also determined w much water should be mixed with e wine and hoV large cups should : used. : .The symposium was a drinking par-and par-and followed the last meal of the , - y. The dinner tables were removed, d before the guests were spread taller tables with cups and bowls. 1 th perhaps light desert dishes and :rlty or highly spiced dainties to stim- : ite thirst. Except for the hired en-" en-" '. tainers singers, dancers and mu- sictans only men intended theso gatherings. The symposium was a much more informal nf.iiir than anything that we have today. Any Athenian citizen strolling past a house and hearing laughter and talk within could enter and ta.e hi? place with the other gust.-. Apparently it did not make any difference if he did not know the host. Libations to the gods were always drank at the opening of a symposium Thereafter they differed widely in tone. Sometimes they were grave affairs without music. This was apt to be the case if the guests included men like Socrates aud other philosophers. Some subject to be discussed was proposed pro-posed by the leader of the assemblage and those present took turns in speaking. Even at these gatherings a great deal of wine was poured down thirsty throats, but as the favorite drink appears to have been two parts of wine mixed with five parts of water. It took longer for intoxication to set In. l'lato describes one of thcs symposia sympo-sia at r.'.eat length, and b tells uu that even at this assemblage of philosophers philoso-phers there waa much drunkenness. At the end of the parly, which had lasted all night, many of tho guests had departed and most of thu rest had fallen asleep over their wine. Only Socrates. Aristophanes and Agathon remained discoursing. Finally Aristophanes Aristo-phanes nodded and v;as soon asleep. Agathon soon followed his example.. And then Socrates, as fresh as though he hf.d been sleeping Instead of drinking drink-ing all night, walked out of the house, went to the bath, and spent the day In his usual manner. The usual symposium was probably much more of a debauch than this one tViat Plato tells about. There was a good deal of singing and music which was orderly at first, but which becamo very disorderly, as the wine went to the heads of the irucRta. TTjO Oreks seem to havo been fond of playing a great many trivial games at thso parties. par-ties. At a lato hour of a symposium, an admirer of Greek culture who looked look-ed in upon orre of these gatherings would probably have received a rude shock. He would have seen a number of able looking men lolling upon couches in various stages of intoxlca- tion. A few of them might be discuss- ! lng learnedly and soma might be play- 1 ing games of skill. Hut most of those j present would probably be seen cheering cheer-ing the feeble Jokes of professional en- ' tertalners or trying to upset nutshells : floating in water by throwing upon them drops of wine. Sometimes the guests at one of these sjmp:)sla would form a procession and march through the streets, singing and dancing with the girls who furnished the music, playing all sorts of noisy practical Jokes and often getting Into fights with reputable citizens. |
