--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Bennion, Milton collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 12 number: 1 published: 1908-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Bennion, Milton, "The Philosophers on Conduct—III: Socrates—Xenophon," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 1 (November 1908): 21–23.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1201unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1201unse start_page: 21 end_page: 23 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1908-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1201unse publication_year: 1908 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1908, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Philosophers on Conduct—III: Socrates—Xenophon THE PHILOSOPHERS ON CONDUCT. BY MILTON BENNION, PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, UNIVERSITY OP UTAH. III. SOCRATES— XENOPHON.* FROM BOOK I. He would hold discourse from time to time, on what concerned mankind, considering what was pious, what impious; what was becoming, what unbecoming; what was just, what unjust; what was sanity, what insanity; what was fortitude, what cowardice; what a state was, and what the character of a statesman; what was the nature of government over men, and the qualities of one skilled in governing them ; and touching on other subjects, with which he thought that those who were acquainted were men of worth and estimation, but that those who were ignorant of them might justly be deemed no better than slaves. * * * * When he was a member of the senate, and had taken the senator's oath, in which it was expressed that he would vote in accordance with the laws, he, being president in the assembly of the people when they were eager to put to death Thrasyllus.Erasinides, and all the nine generals, by a single vote contrary to the law, refused, though the multitude were enraged at him, and many of those in power uttered threats against him, to put the question to the vote, but considered it of more importance to observe his oath than to gratify the people contrary to what was right, or to seek safety against those who menaced him; for he thought that the gods paid regard to men, not in the way in which some people suppose, who imagine that the gods know some things and do not know others, but he considered that the gods know all things, both what is said and what is done, and what is meditated in silence, and are present everywhere and give admonitions to men concerning everything human. * * * * It also seems wonderful to me that any should have been persuaded that, Socrates corrupted the youth. Socrates, who, in addition to what has been said, * Extract from Xenophon's Memorabilia of Socrates. Watson's Translation. Published by George Bell & Sons, London. 22 IMPROVEMENT ERA. of him, was not only the most rigid of all men in the government of his passions, and appetites, but also most able to withstand cold, heat, and every kind of labor, and besides so inured to frugality, that, though he possessed very little, he very easily made it a sufficiency. How, then, being of such a character himself could he have rendered others impious, or lawless, or luxurious, or incontinent, or too effeminate to endure labor? On the contrary he restrained many of them from such vices, leading them to love virtue, and giving them hopes that if they would take care of themselves, they would become honorable and worthy characters. Not indeed that he ever professed to be an instructor in that way, but by showing that he was himself such a character, he made those in his society hope that by imitating him, they might become such as he was. * * * * But I think that young men who exercise their understanding, and expect to become capable of teaching their fellow-citizens what is for their interests, grow by no means addicted to violence, knowing that on violence attend enmity and danger, but that, by persuasion, the same results are attained without peril, and with good will; for those who are compelled by us, hate us as if despoiled of something, while those who are persuaded by us, love us as if they had received a favor. * * * * To the gods he simply prayed that they would give him good things, as believing that the gods knew best what things are good; and those who prayed for gold, or silver, or dominion, or anything of that kind, he considered to utter no other sort of request than if they were to pray that they might play at dice, or fight, or do anything else of which it is quite uncertain what the results will be. When he offered small sacrifices from his small means, he thought that he was not inferior in merit to those who offer numerous and great sacrifices from ample and abundant means; for he said that it would not become the gods to delight in large rather than in small sacrifices; since if such were the case, the offerings of the bad would oftentimes be more acceptable to them than those of the good; nor would life be of any account in the eyes of men, if oblations from the bad were better received by the gods than oblations from the good; but he thought that the gods had most pleasure in the offerings of the most pious. He also used to quote, with approbation, the verse, Perform sacrifices to the gods according to your ability, and use to say that it was a good exhortation to men, with regard to friends and guests, and all other relations of life, to perform according to their ability. * * * •* So frugal was he, that I do not know whether any one could earn so little by the labor of his hands, as not to procure sufficient to have satisfied Socrates. He took only »o much food as he could eat with a keen relish; and to this end he came to his meals so disposed that the appetite for his meat was the sauce to it. Every kind of drink was agreeable to him, because he never draik unless he was thirsty. THE PHILOSOPHERS ON CONDUCT. 23 Is it not the duty of every man to consider that temperance is the foundation of every virtue, and to establish the observance of it in his mind before al 1 things? For who, without it, can either learn anything good, or sufficiently practice it? Who, that is a slave to pleasure, is not in an ill condition both as to his body and his mind? It appears to me * * that a freeman ought to pray that he may never meet a slave of such a character, and that he who is a slave to pleasure should pray to the gods that he may find well disposed masters ; for by such means only can a man of that sort be saved. * * * * You, Antipho, seem to think that happiness consists in luxury and extravagance; but I think to want as little as possible is to make the nearest approach to the gods; that the Divine nature is perfection, and that to be nearest to the Divine nature is to be nearest to perfection. FROM BOOK 2. The following paragraph is from an address by Virtue, represented as a female figure, to Hercules: I will not deceive you * * with promises of pleasure, but will set before you things as they really are, and as the gods have appointed them; for of what is valuable and excellent, the gods grant nothing to mankind without labor and care ; and if you wish the gods , therefore, to be propitious to you, you must worship the gods ; if you seek to be beloved by your friends, you must serve your friends; if you desire to be honored by any city, you must benefit that city; if you long to be admired by all Greece for your merit, you must endeavor to be of advantage to all Greece; if you are anxious that the earth should yield you abundance of fruit, you must cultivate the earth; * * or if you wish to be vigorous in body, you must accustom your body to obey your mind, and exercise it with toil and exertion. FROM BOOK 3. The best men, and those most beloved of the gods, he [Socrates] observed, were those who in agriculture performed their agricultural duties well, those who, in medicine, performed their medical duties well, and those who, in political offices, performed their public duties well: but he who did nothing well, he said, was neither useful for any purpose nor acceptable to the gods. FROM BOOK 4. * * He showed that men of the best natural endowments, possessed of the greatest strength of mind, and most energetic in executing what they undertake, become, if well disciplined and instructed in what they ought to do, most estimable characters, and most beneficent to society, (as they then performed most numerous and important services,) but that if uninstructed, and left in ignorance, they proved utterly worthless and mischievous; for that, not knowing what line of conduct they ought to pursue, they often entered upon evil courses,