Show THE WORLDS GREAT EVENTS ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE J r T g w do doald d acad me company alexander the great TWENTY TWO arar OLD boy A undersized rod red beaded set get out more tann 2240 years ago with the modest intention of conquering the world rid and lie did it IL the ehg boy was alexander king ot of the little northern greek state of macedonia lie he Is known as alexander the great in fa spite of the brave resistance at marathon and elsewhere the barbarous world power of persia after conquering practically all of asia had bad again turned its hordes against greece the whole luckless country and ad well weil nigh stamping ait oat oit tile the last sparks of civilization this mirage alexander determined to avenge ills his father xing king philip had bad made himself practical master of greece and id alexander himself coming to the throne at the age of twenty tad bad completed that subjugation then he be set get himself to the task of crushing ler persia sis the plan was laughable in its audacity alexanders army of invasion consisted of barely men tile the persian emperor empo darius could put into the field millions of soldiers nevertheless with ills his well drilled alexander crossed the ile I 1 jesmont in G B 0 and marched arched in boldly into persian territory yom from tle ILA first he be thrust aside the mighty but ill III organized resi resistance stanco of 0 the persian armies and es as he advanced ills his name spread terror among tig his foes and made his progress easier ile be arrived at tile the ancient city of Gord iura there lie was shown a chariot whose pole was fastened to its yoke by a curious and intricate knot ile he was told that according to prophecy the man who could undo that knot should become lord of all asia many jany had tried and tailed failed with one blow of ills his sword alexander slashed the gordian knot in two the prophecy was considered fulfilled and he be was hailed as the coming asian ruler meantime darius with a host of men marched the youthful conqueror alexander lured him into the narrow valley of esus issus end and there where there was no room for the huge persian army to deploy he be fell upon and routed it onward marched alexander conquering everywhere seizing syria and egypt and pushing ahead toward tile the persian capital darius with another incredibly huge army opposed him at arbea but the persian host fled at alexanders first charge the conqueror continued on ills his triumphant way capturing all persia find and pushing forward to india after stubborn resistance si st from the native king porus he subdued the whole land persia as in the time of marathon was rag a more or less barbarous country greece was still the stronghold of culture and education wherever alexanders ful ders conquests went civilization and learning went also alexander was tor for continuing his onward march after the conquest of india but tits wearied soldiers refused to go fart farther her into the unknown when reluctantly he turned back envoys from nearly every country in III the world mot met him offering submission now that as master of the world he could rest the less worthy side of alexanders nature cropped out lie he declared that no mortal man could llave have achieved all that he had and that be must therefore be a god the son of jupiter lie ile went on to assert that fig as mankind must after his death worship him as a god they might as well be begin in at once Callis thenes one of his big maest counselors opposed the plan declaring it blasphemous alexander had bad him tortured and killed As a n and ad alexander had had three tutors one had taught him to believe himself a deity another had bad disciplined him bill severely and had striven to teach allm ill humility the third aristotle had imparted to him the love of learning having practiced the precepts of tile the beconi and third tutors and thereby winning the world lie ho now turned to the mad teachings of the first ile he declared himself hiew if a god and believed or it lie ile tried to make his army ar knowledge liim jilin as son of jupiter lie ile took to drinking heavily and in his cups would boast loudly of ills his own greatness on OB one of these thene occasions he claimed credit not only for what he himself had bad done but for heroic feats performed by others long before he be wai born ills dearest friend lend clitus remonstrated with him for these there lies iles and alexander snatch ing og a spear from a guard ran jilin him through sobered by his own terrible deed the unhappy mon monarch declared himself im self with some truth not fit to live and tried to starve himself to death soon eter after lie he wits was fo found u rid weeping violently A courtier asked why should divine conqueror of the world shed tears because bebau there are no more worlds worl fla to conquer sobbed the king A three day drunken orgy at baby ion on in n B C threw him into a violent fever and after a brief illness lie e tiled died ile he was barely tb thirty lity two years sears old and had reigned but twelve years yara in that hat time lie had brid conquered everything except himself the monarch of the world was tile helpless hel plesa flare ave of his own vaulty vanity and violent passions ite ile died and the world empire he bit M his built up P was torn to pieces furlong among generals 11 but t the civilization id and M ing e that lle lie fostered were des de eto survive through nil all ages agea |