The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 3, 1902, Page 3

Ny THE SUNDAY CALL. who have been planning for ing a further diminution of strength. r for the com- There are records to show that sums the Knights « ranging from $2,000000 to $3,000,000 have tion has never been spent by Pythi in cities where rnia be benefited former conventions were held, and I see no good reason why S not be likewise benefited. In ern cities many visiting people convention pl. for one day, the parade, and return Here they will remain for a wes greater part of a week. of n Francisco sho the B of reputable rs may position the order. ted States and found among We have on our of States, three fifteen Congress- y State Supreme Judges and hundreds of leading State officials. B: clerg t, men of*all ssions to be numbe , and the of the order d in that substantial backbone the commonwealth—the prosperous idle clas But it will be to the status the ch members of the Uz be ed by prominent The best people provinces of Pythi: Governors tes Senators, th er: ‘men—in are p oud trengtt State hat the con- vention will prove most p able. Comi- out from the swelter crowc i the balmy climate of the Pacifi t will be a revelation to most of the scjourners and tial invitation to T remain. X Every county in the State has been ar- fheaan ranging to attract attefition to its r k clearings for B anowen T e oA e - 10 When we wen. Scurces, fertility of soil and proc . ana side £ . there will be m novelties in ti t of coin did not woped oo - e e s & interior localiti or in- - -, sno intends € up 100,006 e he extent of the Sty o et ne; < »xes of choicest raisins 3 sk ol buted free'to our guests, and - ill daily contribute a carload oper it to be given away. th rry nave there ill be a ma exhibit, surpassing any- heretofore seen in th Py will be a nt opportu capabilities. Th te ong h ing will offere be information burex judgin, t will be cor be furnish inquir ers with and excursions points of in- aving al- »wer than ever be- ire in connection with will be t H 1 rticul- number the thickly s ia, Ohio, I Miss conditions lonization oward ( convention of alifor out- hts of e it % Different Accounts That History Offers Us Cencerning the Story of Damon thenticat i i we g toa e TS VAEEL/ BOYFE FlHore. . ie LL.D., of Lowell, Massachusetts is what he has to say of the 3 ions of the story of Damon e . » to e tory an Pyth,ia.s ; How CALIFORNIA ILL DENEFITED BY The photos herewitl show the members of the K. of P. General Commit- = at Corinth, in the fourth be- fore Chri contem- poraneously with Damon and Pythias, and obtained his information directly from Dion the younger, who after second expulsion century ius from Syracuse lived at Corinth supporting himself by teaching. Philistus, the historian of §: racuse probably mentioned this episode in his history. He, like Aristoxenus, w: > s a con- temporary of Dionysius and the pair of pattern friends, but his writings, like those of Aristoxenus, have been lost for a thousand years. The oldest version now extant is that of Cicero, who lived about 300 years after Damon and Pythias, during the first cen- tury before Christ. His version Is as fol lows: Damon and Pythias, two of the follow- Pythagoras, ers of were so closely at- tached to each other that when Dionysius. the tyrant, ordered one of them to be put to death on a certain day and the party condemned begged for a respite of a few that he might go home to attend 1is own before he should die, the other [BE voluntarily bec: his substitute in his place if }:‘f' did not appear. At the time appointed the condemned returned to meet his fate. Thereupon the tyrant w much amazed at tk r ex Aor- dinary fidelity that he sought to be admitted a third in their friendship.”” — Cicero, “De Officiis,”” book 3, chapter 10. On another occasion. referring to this episode by w of illustrations, Cicero writes substantially as follows: “How low wa the estimate which Dionysius put ‘upon those friendships which he fca >d would fail, he shows hy he of those two disciples of Pythagoras, Damon and Pythias, for, when he had cepted one of them as a itutg for the other, who was doomed nd when the other, to redeem his ¥'s life, had promptly returned at the hoir appointed for his execution, Dionysius said to them, ‘Would that I could be enrolled as your third friend.’ How unhappy was Dionysius' lot, to be s depriv of the communion of riends, the social intercourse and fa- iliar converse of daily life."—Cicero, rusculan Disputations,” book 5, chap- The second oldest version now extant is that of Diodorus Siculus, who wrote his history a little after the time of Cicero and a little before the time of Christ, and who, like Cicero, probably read the works of Aristoxenus and cer- tainly read the works of Philistus. His version of this Damo-Pythian episode is as follows: “Phintias Pythias, a certain Pytha- gorean, having conspired against the ty- rant, and being about to suffer the pen- aity, besought from Dionysius previous opportunity to arrange his private affairs as he desired, and he said that he would give one of his friends as surety for him- self. As the despot wondered whether there was such a friend who would put himself in the bastile in his stead Phin- Vo WEISENHUTER Pri0T0 MATSO, tias called a certain one of his compan- (ons, who nothirg doubt- became substitute Phintias. Thereupon some commended . extravagant regard existing these friends, while oth- 1, condemned the rashness folly of tk sub tute. Now at the aopointed time all the . whether he immediately for people scmbled, ¢age who had made this nce would keep his pledge. - Indeed the hour was alr y drawir to 1¢ and all had given up Damon in despair n Phin- tias, having accomplished his purpose, came running at fuil speed at the turn of the critical momdnt, just as Damon Jeing led away to execution. At manifestation of most remarkab! 1ship Dionysius reveked the sentence, 1 allt 1 and called on the amon and Phin to receive him- into their chapter 4. ern friendship.”'— a third . book 10 Dic This history. which filied forty books oru : labor of thirty years, and much of it has ed (1 in Greek 1 emboc s writte W been lost he third oldest version now extant is that of Valerius Maximus, who lived con- temporaneously with Diodorus, and wrote very soon after him. He wrote in Latin, s did Cicero; though, like Cicero, he wa His account is ar with the Greek. fami “Damon and Pythias, having bcen ini- sacred rites of the Pytha- ated into the t gorean society, were united together by such strong friendship that when Dioay- sius, the Syracusan, propesed to kill one of them, and he had obtained from him a respite by which, before he should die, he might return home and arrange his the other did not hesitate to be- come surecty for his return. He who was set free from danger of death in this way submitted his neck to the sword; he who was allowed to live in security risked his head for his friend. Thereupon all, and especially Dionysius, watched the result of this new and uncertain affair. ‘When the appointed day approached and he did not return, every one condemned the rash surety for his folly; but he de- clared that for himself he did not at all doubt the constancy of his friend. How- ever, at this moment, even at the hour determined by Dionysius, he who had re- ceived the respite returned. “The tyrant, admiring the disposition of both, remitted the punishment of the friend; and, moreover, he requested that they would receive him into their so- clety of friendship as the third member of the brotherhood as the greatest kind- ness and honor. Such friendship, indeed, begets contempt for death, is able to break the charm of life, to make the vage gentle, to repay punishment with kindness and to transfer hatred Into affairs, It merits 3 rev wove. most as much as the sacred o the mmortal ; for while these p safety, t good: and as sacred temples are places of re- rites, so the faithful hearts of such men are like temple: filled by spec divine influence.” — Valerius jmus, Liber I, Chap. 7, Rxt, 1. e fourth oldest version now extant is that of Porphyry, who flourished dur- ing the latter part of the third century after Christ, and who avowedly follows the version Arist nus, as quoted by Nicomachus, a Pytha of Ge . who wrote during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. - Porphyry’s version is 1 translal nd no Engl in Greek, has ever before been published. It is as follows “Pity these all s (or Pythias), Now and tears, and such, and Phintia certainly Damon this men, admitted. of the flat- nd of the When, on excite; this is the account, as well and of the intreaty prayer as of all such as these. a certain occasion, some having said that when the were appre- hended, they did not stand to their pledge tery Pythagoreans to one ther, Dionysius, wishing to make trial of them, thus arranged: Phintias was seized and brought before con- con- then accused that he had he w he tyrant pired against him; indeed, victed of ‘this, and it was determined to put him to death. Then he (Phintias) spake, that since it had thus happened to nim, at least the rest of day should Le given to him t he might ange his own private affairs, and also those of Damon, who companion and co-partner with himself. and he, being the elder, much of what concerned the management of their business was re- terred to him. When asked that a sub- stitute be furnished, he offered Damon Dionysius, having consented to thi having heard what surety, should the in order ar| and sent for Damon, who, and re- return. happened, became mained until Phintias Then, indeed, Dionysius was astonished at th But they who from the be- ginning had prosecuted the 1 jeered Damon as having been entrapped. Yet, when it was about the setting of the sun, Phintias came back to be put to death. se results. At thi all were asty ied. Then Dionysius, having embraced and kissed the frier requested them to receive him as a third inth their friendship; but, although he very earnestly besought it, tbey would by no means agree to such request. This much, indeed, Aristoxenus declared = that - he had "heard {rom Dionysius himself (meaning Dionysius the Younger).—Porphyry, “Life of Pytha- goras.” Porphyry adds that Hippobotus —and Neanthus relate this story of Mylius and Timychia; but the story related of Mylius and Timychia is essentially different from this. The fifth oldest version now extant is that of Iamblichus, a pupil of Porphyry; who also wrote a life of Pythagoras in Greek, containing many matters from preceding authors whose works are lost Imablichus lived as late as the reign of Julian the Apostate, and he derives his version avowedly directly from Aristox- enus; it is as follows: “When Dionysius, having been expelled for his tyranny, came to Corinth, he often entertained us with the particulars touching the Pythagoreans, Phintias and Damon, and the circumstances under which one became surety for the other in case of death. He said that some of those who were familiar with him fre- quently misrepresented the Pythagoreans, defaming and reviling them, stigmatizing mpostors, that their \eir grav- confidence were as- would y one ress or Others yn arising om 1 to artifice. -used Phin- ed with of Dionysius, and se present and ngly probable. : 1 the accusa- Dionysius declared, un- investi- s should thew as and say + conspi the 1i ified to by t lly, that he had careful air and that Phint .d that since it had be- X s accused he desired the rest of the day might equivocs gated the af Pt die that at least be allowed to him, so that he might ar- range his own affairs and also those of Damon; for collected the vint- a 211 around into wine cellars and in common, and Phintlas, r, had assumed for the part the management of their do- ncerns. He therefore requested allow him to depart for and named Damon as his surety. Di fus was surprised at this request and asked whether there was such a man who would risk death by becoming surety for another. So Phintias requested him to send for Damon, who, on hearing what had taken place, said he would be- come sponsor for Phiftias and that he the this pur| tyrant to would remain there until Phintlas re- turned. Dionysius was deeply impressed by these results; but these who intro- duced ihe experiment derided Damon as having been left in the lurch and mock- at he would be as devoted fice. But when it was already about sundown Phintias came back to be put to death, at which all that were present were astonished and overpowered. Wherefore Dionysius, hav- ing embraced and kissed the friends, re- quested that they would receive him as into their friendship; but they by no means consent to such a Ithough he earnestly besought it. Aristoxenus relates these rned them from Dio- “Life of ing him, said ti as a stag to sa a third would havi himself.’ Pythagoras,” 223. In connection with the version of these writers it is proper to add that Plutarch, who flourished in the first century of our era, refers to Damon and Pythias in his Morals.” The reference is in his tract ““On the Folly of Seeking Many Friends,” whefe he asks, “What report does the record of antiquity make concerning true friends? They are always recorded in paffs; as Theseus and Pirithous, Achilles and Patroclus, Orestes and Pylades, Phin- tias and Damon, Epaminondas and Pelop- '—Iamblichus, idas. Friendship is a creatare sociable, including one's self d a companion; showing that two is the adequate and iendship.” —~Good- complete measure of /Slume 1, page win's Plutarch's Morals, 1465, It will be observed that certain altera- tions and additions b been made to this story, as successive versions of It have appeared. The translators of the Sreek and Latin versions have also em- bellished (or, rather, disfigured) It with other additions derived from their own imagination. :s Dr. Cockman, in his translation of f represents Phintlas as me “‘wherein he might provide fldran,” but the original text, dandorum suorum causa postu~ arcely warrants the inference as ever had a wife or chil- haps the fact, mentioned that Dameon and Pythias siness as copartners may inference that they were ve “comme lavisset, that Phin dren; and pe by lamblichu carried on b wasrant the bachelors. Again, Thomas Taylor, the new Platon= t, in his translation of Iamblichus’ ver sion of this Dame-Pythian episode say that Damon and Pythias “lived together and had all things in common.” But the Greek text of lamblichus contains noth- ing which indicates that they “had all things in common.” They were not so- cialists, although, with the help of their slaves, they carried on business as wine merchants and perhaps kept bachelor's ball together. Dramatists and other poets, like Ed- wards, Chettle, Barnes, Banim, Lessing, Schiller and Pates, and historical ro- ance writers like Soave may represent one of these immortal friends as a sena~ tor, the other a knight, and may sur- tound them with fathers, mothers, broth- ers, sons, sisters, sweethearts, wives and daughters. Poetic license permits this. But with history it is not s While the historian is bound to tell all that he kncws, he is equally bound not to tell any more than he knows; and the fore- soing fragments contain all that we know of this pair of pattern friends. “The rest is silemce.”