Document Text Contents
Page 1
FROM EPICURUS TO
CHRIST
A STUDY IN THE PRINCIPLES
OF PERSONALITY
BY
WILLIAM DE WITT HYDE
PRESIDENT OF BOWDOIN COLLEGE
"Be a personi and respect others as persons?
HEGEL
gorfc
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD.
1904
All rights reserved
Page 2
COPYRIGHT, 1904,
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1904.
Norwood Press
J. S. Gushing Sf Co.
Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
Page 146
138 FROM EPICURUS TO CHRIST
cardinal virtues. In the state it is the ruling
principle, and its agents are the philosophers. As
Plato says in a famous passage :
" Until then
philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of
this world have the spirit and power of philosophy,
and political greatness and wisdom meet in one,
and those commoner natures who follow either to
the exclusion of the other are compelled to stand
aside, cities will never cease from ill, no, nor
the human race, as I believe, and then only will
this our state have a possibility of life and behold
the light of day." Precisely so, no individual will
attain his true estate until this philosophic prin
ciple, which sees the good, through training
has been so developed that it can bring both
appetite and spirit into subjection to it, as a
charioteer controls his headstrong horses.
RIGHTEOUSNESS THE COMPREHENSIVE VIRTUE
We now have three of the cardinal virtues :
f temperance, the subjection of appetite to reason j
1 fortitude, the control of the spirit by reason ; and
wisdom, won through education, the assertion of
the dictates of reason over the clamour of both
appetite and spirit. But where, amid all this,
Page 147
PLATONIC SUBORDINATION 139
Plato asks, is righteousness ? In reply he re
marks, "that when we first began our inquiry,
ages ago, there lay righteousness rolling at our
feet, and we, fools that we were, failed to see her,
like people who go about looking for what they
have in their hands. Righteousness is the com
prehensive aspect of the three virtues already con
sidered in detail. It is the ultimate cause and
condition of the existence of all of them. Right
eousness in a state consists in each citizen doing
the thing to which his nature is most perfectly
adapted : in minding one s own business, in other
words, with a view to the good of the whole.
Righteousness in an individual, then, consists in
having each part of one s nature devoted to its
specific function : in having the appetites obey,
in having the spirit steadfast in difficulty and
danger, and in having the reason rule supreme.
Thus righteousness, that subordination and co
ordination of all the parts of the soul in the
service of the soul as a whole, includes each of the
other three virtues and comprehends them all in
the unity of the soul s organic life, "For the
righteous man does not permit the several
elements within him to meddle with one another,
but he sets in order his own inner life, and is his
own master, and at peace with himself ; when he
Page 292
284 INDEX
Omar Khayyam, 15-17, 38.
Opinion in our power, 74-75, 87.
Optimism, superficiality of mod
ern, 82.
Otherworldliness, 36.
Pain, 2, 4.
Parasitic character of Epicurean
ism, 40, 44-45.
Patience, 128.
Perfectionism, 92-93.
Pessimism, 37-38.
Philosophers as kings, 138.
Plato, completed in Christianity,
273-274.
Defects of, 120-122, 162-168.
Merits of, 159-162, 278.
On
Athletics, 136.
Cardinal virtues, 123-131.
Democracy, 147-149.
Education, 131-138.
The good, 130, 137.
Literature in education, 132-
135.
Philosophers as kings, 138.
Riches and rich men, 145-147.
Righteousness, 113-123, 138-
142, 153-159.
Play, 26-28.
Pleasure, 2-4, 20, 39, 50-65, no-
iii, 169-175, 234-235.
Politician, 117-119, 150-152.
Polytheism, modern form of, 222.
Poverty, 4.
Power, things in our, 74.
Present, the time to live, 6, 36.
Procrastination, 6-7.
Profanity, Christian definition of,
222-223.
Prudence, 5-6, 20, 200.
Puritanism, 279.
Reading Gaol, 227.
Religion of Stoics, 95-100.
Reverence, 215.
Rewards and penalties not essen
tial to virtue, 112-115.
Riches, 4-5, 67-69, 89, 145-147,
221-222, 235-236.
Righteousness, 113-123, 138-142,
153-159.
Romola, 46-51.
Sabbath, Christian keeping of, 223-
224.
Sacerdotalism, 245, 279.
Sacrifice, 254-256.
Salvation, Christian way of, 220,
232-333-
Self-regard and excessive self-sac
rifice, 10-15.
Self-righteousness, 217.
Seneca s pilot, 77.
Sexual morality, 202-204, 227-229,
240-241.
Sin, 93, 231.
Sleep, 22.
Social nature of man, 60-62, 176-
179.
Socrates prayer, 159.
Sorrow, Stoic attitude toward, 76-77.
Spencer, 10-15, 268-269.
Spirit, one of three elements in our
nature, 126-128.
Stealing, Christian definition of, 229.
Stevenson, 18, 19, 201.
Stoic
Acceptance of criticism, 103.
Attitude toward sorrow, 76-77,
78, 80, 101-102.
Cosmopolitanism, 94-95.
Doctrine of no degrees in vice,
90-92.
Equanimity, 103-105.
Fortitude, 105-106.
Indifference, 71-81.
Paradoxes, 90-95.
Perfection of the sage, 92-93.
Religion, 95-103.
Resignation, 97, 104-105.
Reverence for law, 82-86.
Solution of problem of evil, 87-90.
Stoicism, coldness of, 107-109.
Completed in Christianity, 269-
273-
Page 293
INDEX 28 S
Stoicism [continued]
Defects of, 106-109, JS9-
Permanent value of, 101-106, 278-
279.
Two principles of, 101.
Temperance, 200-204.
Theatre, 27.
Therapeutics, Christian, 256-266.
Tito Melema, 46-51.
Tranquillity, 75.
Travel, foreign, the paradise of
Epicurean women, 42.
Trial, Stoic endurance of, 75, 89-90.
Tyranny, Plato on, 149-153.
Tyrant, most miserable of men, 153.
Unrighteousness the greatest evil,
140-141, 154-157.
Vanity, 249.
Vexation, Stoic formula for, 78.
Virtue, 87-88, 110-116, 199-208.
Wealth, 4-5, 67-69, 145-148, 182,
221-222, 235-236.
Whitman, Walt, 17, 18, 216.
Wisdom, 129-131, 199.
Work, excessive, 10-15, 23~25>
Christian attitude toward, 242-
243-
Worry, folly of, 24, 29-30, 33.
FROM EPICURUS TO
CHRIST
A STUDY IN THE PRINCIPLES
OF PERSONALITY
BY
WILLIAM DE WITT HYDE
PRESIDENT OF BOWDOIN COLLEGE
"Be a personi and respect others as persons?
HEGEL
gorfc
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD.
1904
All rights reserved
Page 2
COPYRIGHT, 1904,
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1904.
Norwood Press
J. S. Gushing Sf Co.
Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
Page 146
138 FROM EPICURUS TO CHRIST
cardinal virtues. In the state it is the ruling
principle, and its agents are the philosophers. As
Plato says in a famous passage :
" Until then
philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of
this world have the spirit and power of philosophy,
and political greatness and wisdom meet in one,
and those commoner natures who follow either to
the exclusion of the other are compelled to stand
aside, cities will never cease from ill, no, nor
the human race, as I believe, and then only will
this our state have a possibility of life and behold
the light of day." Precisely so, no individual will
attain his true estate until this philosophic prin
ciple, which sees the good, through training
has been so developed that it can bring both
appetite and spirit into subjection to it, as a
charioteer controls his headstrong horses.
RIGHTEOUSNESS THE COMPREHENSIVE VIRTUE
We now have three of the cardinal virtues :
f temperance, the subjection of appetite to reason j
1 fortitude, the control of the spirit by reason ; and
wisdom, won through education, the assertion of
the dictates of reason over the clamour of both
appetite and spirit. But where, amid all this,
Page 147
PLATONIC SUBORDINATION 139
Plato asks, is righteousness ? In reply he re
marks, "that when we first began our inquiry,
ages ago, there lay righteousness rolling at our
feet, and we, fools that we were, failed to see her,
like people who go about looking for what they
have in their hands. Righteousness is the com
prehensive aspect of the three virtues already con
sidered in detail. It is the ultimate cause and
condition of the existence of all of them. Right
eousness in a state consists in each citizen doing
the thing to which his nature is most perfectly
adapted : in minding one s own business, in other
words, with a view to the good of the whole.
Righteousness in an individual, then, consists in
having each part of one s nature devoted to its
specific function : in having the appetites obey,
in having the spirit steadfast in difficulty and
danger, and in having the reason rule supreme.
Thus righteousness, that subordination and co
ordination of all the parts of the soul in the
service of the soul as a whole, includes each of the
other three virtues and comprehends them all in
the unity of the soul s organic life, "For the
righteous man does not permit the several
elements within him to meddle with one another,
but he sets in order his own inner life, and is his
own master, and at peace with himself ; when he
Page 292
284 INDEX
Omar Khayyam, 15-17, 38.
Opinion in our power, 74-75, 87.
Optimism, superficiality of mod
ern, 82.
Otherworldliness, 36.
Pain, 2, 4.
Parasitic character of Epicurean
ism, 40, 44-45.
Patience, 128.
Perfectionism, 92-93.
Pessimism, 37-38.
Philosophers as kings, 138.
Plato, completed in Christianity,
273-274.
Defects of, 120-122, 162-168.
Merits of, 159-162, 278.
On
Athletics, 136.
Cardinal virtues, 123-131.
Democracy, 147-149.
Education, 131-138.
The good, 130, 137.
Literature in education, 132-
135.
Philosophers as kings, 138.
Riches and rich men, 145-147.
Righteousness, 113-123, 138-
142, 153-159.
Play, 26-28.
Pleasure, 2-4, 20, 39, 50-65, no-
iii, 169-175, 234-235.
Politician, 117-119, 150-152.
Polytheism, modern form of, 222.
Poverty, 4.
Power, things in our, 74.
Present, the time to live, 6, 36.
Procrastination, 6-7.
Profanity, Christian definition of,
222-223.
Prudence, 5-6, 20, 200.
Puritanism, 279.
Reading Gaol, 227.
Religion of Stoics, 95-100.
Reverence, 215.
Rewards and penalties not essen
tial to virtue, 112-115.
Riches, 4-5, 67-69, 89, 145-147,
221-222, 235-236.
Righteousness, 113-123, 138-142,
153-159.
Romola, 46-51.
Sabbath, Christian keeping of, 223-
224.
Sacerdotalism, 245, 279.
Sacrifice, 254-256.
Salvation, Christian way of, 220,
232-333-
Self-regard and excessive self-sac
rifice, 10-15.
Self-righteousness, 217.
Seneca s pilot, 77.
Sexual morality, 202-204, 227-229,
240-241.
Sin, 93, 231.
Sleep, 22.
Social nature of man, 60-62, 176-
179.
Socrates prayer, 159.
Sorrow, Stoic attitude toward, 76-77.
Spencer, 10-15, 268-269.
Spirit, one of three elements in our
nature, 126-128.
Stealing, Christian definition of, 229.
Stevenson, 18, 19, 201.
Stoic
Acceptance of criticism, 103.
Attitude toward sorrow, 76-77,
78, 80, 101-102.
Cosmopolitanism, 94-95.
Doctrine of no degrees in vice,
90-92.
Equanimity, 103-105.
Fortitude, 105-106.
Indifference, 71-81.
Paradoxes, 90-95.
Perfection of the sage, 92-93.
Religion, 95-103.
Resignation, 97, 104-105.
Reverence for law, 82-86.
Solution of problem of evil, 87-90.
Stoicism, coldness of, 107-109.
Completed in Christianity, 269-
273-
Page 293
INDEX 28 S
Stoicism [continued]
Defects of, 106-109, JS9-
Permanent value of, 101-106, 278-
279.
Two principles of, 101.
Temperance, 200-204.
Theatre, 27.
Therapeutics, Christian, 256-266.
Tito Melema, 46-51.
Tranquillity, 75.
Travel, foreign, the paradise of
Epicurean women, 42.
Trial, Stoic endurance of, 75, 89-90.
Tyranny, Plato on, 149-153.
Tyrant, most miserable of men, 153.
Unrighteousness the greatest evil,
140-141, 154-157.
Vanity, 249.
Vexation, Stoic formula for, 78.
Virtue, 87-88, 110-116, 199-208.
Wealth, 4-5, 67-69, 145-148, 182,
221-222, 235-236.
Whitman, Walt, 17, 18, 216.
Wisdom, 129-131, 199.
Work, excessive, 10-15, 23~25>
Christian attitude toward, 242-
243-
Worry, folly of, 24, 29-30, 33.
