The Story of Mankind [22]
character. He tried
to improve the condition of the peasant without however destroying
the prosperity of the nobles who were (or rather who
could be) of such great service to the state as soldiers. To protect
the poorer classes against abuse on the part of the judges
(who were always elected from the class of the nobles because
they received no salary) Solon made a provision whereby a
citizen with a grievance had the right to state his case before
a jury of thirty of his fellow Athenians.
Most important of all, Solon forced the average freeman
to take a direct and personal interest in the affairs of the city.
No longer could he stay at home and say ``oh, I am too busy
today'' or ``it is raining and I had better stay indoors.'' He
was expected to do his share; to be at the meeting of the town
council; and carry part of the responsibility for the safety and
the prosperity of the state.
This government by the ``demos,'' the people, was often far
from successful. There was too much idle talk. There were
too many hateful and spiteful scenes between rivals for official
honor. But it taught the Greek people to be independent and
to rely upon themselves for their salvation and that was a very
good thing.
GREEK LIFE
HOW THE GREEKS LIVED
BUT how, you will ask, did the ancient Greeks have time
to look after their families and their business if they were
forever running to the market-place to discuss affairs of state?
In this chapter I shall tell you.
In all matters of government, the Greek democracy recognised
only one class of citizens--the freemen. Every Greek
city was composed of a small number of free born citizens, a
large number of slaves and a sprinkling of foreigners.
At rare intervals (usually during a war, when men were
needed for the army) the Greeks showed themselves willing to
confer the rights of citizenship upon the ``barbarians'' as they
called the foreigners. But this was an exception. Citizenship
was a matter of birth. You were an Athenian because your
father and your grandfather had been Athenians before you.
But however great your merits as a trader or a soldier, if you
were born of non-Athenian parents, you remained a ``foreigner''
until the end of time.
The Greek city, therefore, whenever it was not ruled by a
king or a tyrant, was run by and for the freemen, and this
would not have been possible without a large army of slaves
who outnumbered the free citizens at the rate of six or five
to one and who performed those tasks to which we modern
people must devote most of our time and energy if we wish to
provide for our families and pay the rent of our apartments.
The slaves did all the cooking and baking and candlestick
making of the entire city. They were the tailors and the carpenters
and the jewelers and the school-teachers and the bookkeepers
and they tended the store and looked after the factory
while the master went to the public meeting to discuss questions
of war and peace or visited the theatre to see the latest
play of AEschylus or hear a discussion of the revolutionary ideas
of Euripides, who had dared to express certain doubts upon
the omnipotence of the great god Zeus.
Indeed, ancient Athens resembled a modem club. All the
freeborn citizens were hereditary members and all the slaves
were hereditary servants, and waited upon the needs of their
masters, and it was very pleasant to be a member of the
organisation.
But when we talk about slaves. we do not mean the sort of
people about whom you have read in the pages of ``Uncle
Tom's Cabin.'' It is true that the position of those slaves who
tilled the fields was a very unpleasant one, but the average
freeman who had come down in the world and who had been
obliged to hire himself out as a farm hand led just as miserable
a life. In the cities, furthermore, many of the slaves were
more prosperous than the
to improve the condition of the peasant without however destroying
the prosperity of the nobles who were (or rather who
could be) of such great service to the state as soldiers. To protect
the poorer classes against abuse on the part of the judges
(who were always elected from the class of the nobles because
they received no salary) Solon made a provision whereby a
citizen with a grievance had the right to state his case before
a jury of thirty of his fellow Athenians.
Most important of all, Solon forced the average freeman
to take a direct and personal interest in the affairs of the city.
No longer could he stay at home and say ``oh, I am too busy
today'' or ``it is raining and I had better stay indoors.'' He
was expected to do his share; to be at the meeting of the town
council; and carry part of the responsibility for the safety and
the prosperity of the state.
This government by the ``demos,'' the people, was often far
from successful. There was too much idle talk. There were
too many hateful and spiteful scenes between rivals for official
honor. But it taught the Greek people to be independent and
to rely upon themselves for their salvation and that was a very
good thing.
GREEK LIFE
HOW THE GREEKS LIVED
BUT how, you will ask, did the ancient Greeks have time
to look after their families and their business if they were
forever running to the market-place to discuss affairs of state?
In this chapter I shall tell you.
In all matters of government, the Greek democracy recognised
only one class of citizens--the freemen. Every Greek
city was composed of a small number of free born citizens, a
large number of slaves and a sprinkling of foreigners.
At rare intervals (usually during a war, when men were
needed for the army) the Greeks showed themselves willing to
confer the rights of citizenship upon the ``barbarians'' as they
called the foreigners. But this was an exception. Citizenship
was a matter of birth. You were an Athenian because your
father and your grandfather had been Athenians before you.
But however great your merits as a trader or a soldier, if you
were born of non-Athenian parents, you remained a ``foreigner''
until the end of time.
The Greek city, therefore, whenever it was not ruled by a
king or a tyrant, was run by and for the freemen, and this
would not have been possible without a large army of slaves
who outnumbered the free citizens at the rate of six or five
to one and who performed those tasks to which we modern
people must devote most of our time and energy if we wish to
provide for our families and pay the rent of our apartments.
The slaves did all the cooking and baking and candlestick
making of the entire city. They were the tailors and the carpenters
and the jewelers and the school-teachers and the bookkeepers
and they tended the store and looked after the factory
while the master went to the public meeting to discuss questions
of war and peace or visited the theatre to see the latest
play of AEschylus or hear a discussion of the revolutionary ideas
of Euripides, who had dared to express certain doubts upon
the omnipotence of the great god Zeus.
Indeed, ancient Athens resembled a modem club. All the
freeborn citizens were hereditary members and all the slaves
were hereditary servants, and waited upon the needs of their
masters, and it was very pleasant to be a member of the
organisation.
But when we talk about slaves. we do not mean the sort of
people about whom you have read in the pages of ``Uncle
Tom's Cabin.'' It is true that the position of those slaves who
tilled the fields was a very unpleasant one, but the average
freeman who had come down in the world and who had been
obliged to hire himself out as a farm hand led just as miserable
a life. In the cities, furthermore, many of the slaves were
more prosperous than the