Belfast Monthly Magazine

Symbols of Pythagoras (Continued)

Source: The Belfast Monthly Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 31 (Feb. 28, 1811), pp. 111-113
Published by: Belfast Monthly Magazine
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1811.3 Symbolsof Pythagoras. 111
without inconvenience, to those who This applies to all who have left
know the facts or persons in ancient that society, as well as those w ho
history and mythology, to which continue in it; but the latter have
those names allude, they form a va. an additional reason for approving
luablemonument of grandhistorical of those names. The use of a par-
facts, no less remarkable for the ex. ticular phraseology, has an effect
tent of their operation, and the similar to that of wearing a pecu-
continuance of their influence; which liar dress, or uniform, to keep up
is not yet entirely exhausted, than that Esprit du corps, which the lea-
for the surprising nature and origin ders of religious, as well as of mi-
of that prodigious power, under litary associations, find so service-
which they occurred q which was so able to their purposes. Thus the
far extended and lasted so long, and glaring dressand accoutrementsof the
beneath which all the civilized world soldiers, the coul and cassock of the
once bowed; in short, they form to monk, and the singular garb of the
them a remarkablemonupient of the quaker, are all uniforms; and the
history, the customs, the religion, peculiar phraseology adoptedby each
and the great men of the Romans, may be called a vocal uniform,
more lasting than one of brass, or having the same affect as uniforms
marble, which has continued many of apparel, in tending to make them
centuries unimpaired, and promises act more readily in a body, and to
fairly to endure for ages to come. feel particular preference and re-
Those names then consecrated by gard for their own party, and their
their antiquity, having been proved opinions and interests, to the exclu-
by long trial adequate for the pur- sion of those of the rest of man-
poses to which they are applied, kind.
and being also capable of universal The effects of peculiarity of dress
use, and rising conspicuous in com- in these respects, has long been
parison with other names and sys- known; but those of peculiarity of
tems, which have either been ima- language have been but little no-
gined or partially used in a small ticed, if at all; but there are many
extent; and any alteration in them reasons for supposing that the lat-
having been shown to be likely to ter is in several respects equally
create confusion, and narrow the potent with the ldrmcr for the pur-
circle of intelligence, it is hoped poses mentioned, and in some, even
that those who read this will be sa- a superior efficacy. 3.
tisfied with the propriety of using
them, or at least not be led away by For the Belfast MonthlyMagazine.
unsupported assertions, to. suppose
orworthyof
thatthey areimproper,
rejection. SYMBOLS OF PYTHAGORAS.
It is not any wonder however (Continuedfrom page 8, No. XXX.)
that the class of men, who have been rn
Ti;s Awpocvpn Cs.
taught to use numeral saines for the Go not by the highway.
months froomtheir infancy, (and who
do not ktow the facts above stated, THE precept of" abstaining from
which prevent their unixrsal use,) beans," is ascribed by the gene-
should think well of them; for cus- ral voice of antiquity toPythagoras,
tom makes whatever men are used and enrolled among his symbols.--
to, seem the best, and the reverse of The tradition of his haring given
it the worst, all over the world.-.- up his life to his base 'pursuers,

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112 Symbolsof Pythagoras.
rather than attemptto escape them by
passing through a field of beans, if
it could he established, would also
establish the literal acceptance of
the symbol, Abstainfrom beans,as
wveli as of the subject of this pa-
per. But how idle must the sup-
position tbe, which would exhibit
a man of' such comprehensive in-
tellect, the slave of such unintel-
ligible follies? Besides, the tradi-
tion is very vague, and such a mode
of construing his precepts isoppos-
ed to the opinion of all, who have
considered them, whether they be
those of our own time, or those of
the age nearest to him, whose wri-
tings have reached us. In consider-
ing the symbol, then, of go not by
the highway; we feel ourselves
warranted in proceeding in thesanme
manner, as heretofbre,to penetrate
the veil.
Revolutions have not been confin-
ed to the political world. A great
and beneficial, though gradual one
has been etiected in the empire of
the mind. Since the destructionof
the Aristoileian philosophy and the
dis-'pation of the (artesian vortices
down the gulfof oblivion, true know-
ledrge has been advancing with ra-
pid, yet steady steps ; philosophers
Lhavecome forth from their closets,
and instead of searching through
for authorities and refcrences
flo
tg useful eind, instead of ex-
Il",
h1austing their health and strength
in pursuits, which made no one,
wiser, they now study for tile be-
a4,:ftof mankind, and are no longer
mere statues steppedfrom theirpedes-
to now be-
:":,as take the air. They
gin to show the mselves in the at-
tractive light of supceror geniuses
condescending to mingle with the
world, and directing their abilities
to its improvement, and from those
qualities, they are so little like the
characters, to w hornthe meed of
philosophy has been hercetoforea-
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[Feb.
warded, that we are reminded of
Plato, who, beinig once a sojourner,
where he was not known, bore his
faculties so meekly, and was so kind,
so condescending, and so useful,that
he was not suspected to be the great
philosopher, whose fame sounded
loudly forth from Athens. Intense
study, total seclusion from the world,
and consequently ignorance in its aft
fairs, and therefore uselessness, a curn-
brous second-handwisdom; these wvere
the distinguishing characters of the
philosophers of the middle ages. Ac-
cording as the darkness of that period
was departing, men began to see, that
knowledge was something more thatn
mere Latin and Greek, and to under-
stand, that the persons, who were ver-
sed in these languages were not conju-
rers. From this has resulted a damn-
gerous extreme, and classical lite-
ratury seems likely to be as unjust-
ly depreciated, as it was formerly
extravagantly extolled.
This train of thought, or some-
thing like it, mingles with the ileas
generally entertaiued of the philoso-
phers of Greece. They are supposed
to have been persois, who totally ab-
stained from the ordinary pursuits
of life, and who would have conceived
their dignity lessened by participat-
ing in the cares and duties of soci-
ety. Overlooking the useful activi-
ty of the men of science, xwl1onow
adorn and instruct the world,
we obstinately fix our eyes on those
reproachesof literature ; men, who
hoarded up knowledge without use
or end, who valued an author in pro-
portion to his obscurity, and, as we
express it, found mnorepleasure
nmay
in cracking a nut, than in extract-
ing the kernel. The mean opinion,
thus conceived, *e transfer to our
judgment of a description of men
very little like these persons; and
perhaps the keen, yet just, abuse
poured by Lucian unr the self-dub-
1811.] 1eplyof Solon.
bed philosophers of hiL day, serves
to confirm this opinion.
In this however, we err widely:
the genuine philosophers,of
Greece were men earnest in the
pursuit of wisdom: they sought
after that species of knowledge,
which influences the actions of men,
and advances the interests of so-
ciety.
Thus Zeno of Elea, distinguished
himself by improving the art of rea-
soning, and by magnanimously ex-
posing himself to the fury of a
tyrant, from whose possession he had
endeavoured to rescue his native
place, he proved, that his was not
theoretic wisdom. Zeno, the foun.
der of the stoic sect, aimed at the
improvement of mankind by a clear
exposition of the excellence of vir-
tue, and hatefulness of vice, exhi-
biting in his own life such a con-
sistency with his doctrines, as pro-
cured him general esteem, andstamp-
ed influence on his word3. But,
without particularising Plato, Aris-
totle, and others; Pythagoras is him-
self a pregnant instance of their
active interference in the afihirs of
men. After having travelled through
all the countries, then the depo.
sitories of knowledge, he fixed his
residence at Crotona in
Here by the charms of his Italy.---
person,
his skill in the manly exercises, and
his superiority in mental acquire-
ments, he obtained unlimited influ-
ence. This influence he exerted so
effectually, that out of a people
sunk in sensuality and sloth, he
formed, as it vweie,a new race, dis-
tinguished by manly energy, and the
useful virtues.
"'Go not by the highway,"' then
cannot be ilferred to enjoin seclu-
sion from the world : but would
seem rather to contain the advice,
conveyed from high authority in the
words, " thou shalt -not follow a
multitude to do evil." Origen and
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113
Erasmus give nearly the same ex-
planation, and advert to the broad
and narrow way spoken of in the
new testament. The letter Y, cal-
led the Samian letter, from its adap-
tation by the Samian sage, is sup-
posed to have been chosen to con-
vey similar instruction, or rather,
as a varied way of conveying the:
same instruction. The broad part
of the letter represents the way of
folly, ignorance, and death, trodden
by the multitude-the narrow part
stands the representative of the use-
ful course of the wise man, a coure,
whence man is more liable to devi-
ate, inasmuch as self-control is dif-
ficult of attainment, while self-gra-
tification continually solicits.
For the Belfast iLonthlyMagazine.
REPLYOF SOLON TO OBSERVATIONS
ON HTS PAPER ON 'TiE SUNDAY
SCHOOL-
HOUSE.
To theproprietorsof the B.M.31.
A T the close of your monthly re-
trospect of politics for October
last, I observed some very severe
strictures on my reply to the con-
cltding part of that article, for the
preceding month, on the subject ol
the Sunday School-house then build-
ing.
T'o be replicd to by argument,
and with temper, is no matter,f :;r-
prise to mec,but to be attackledand a-
bused with such viiulence on that
part of my paper, which was avow-
edly sup)presscd-and by my
sent suppressed, has excitedo'zWn a coo,.-
de-
gree of astonishment iIt my mind
which I never expected to feel at
the conduct of the managers of the
Belfast Magazine. Inunediately af-
ter the publication of the number
for October, I prepared and for-
warded a remonstrance, and ias
told it was sent to one of your ma-