St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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12 THE IGNATIAN women of his home. Hector, wishing to urge him in'f0 U16 fray, found him in the glittering rooms, admiring his 11561655 weapons and chatting with the women. The hero thus addressed him : Thy hate to Troy, is this the time to show O wretch, ill-fated, and thy country's foe! For thee great Ilium's guardian heroes fall, Till heaps of dead alone defend her Wally For thee the soldier bleeds, the matron mourns, And wasteful war in all its fury burns. Ungrateful man! deserves not this thy care, Our troops to hearten, and our toils to share? Rise, or behold the conquering flames ascend, And all the Phrygian glories at an end. Even a philosopher can draw inspiration from a poet. Alexander the Great with 30,000 soldiers swept through Asia Minor, and down through Persia, completely shattering the Persian Empire that was defended by millions. Across into Egypt he Hung his men, subjugating that ancient empire. Later he defeated the warlike Scythians. Then he descended upon India, placing that land of mystery under his sway. Where did he get his spirit? Among the mountainous strongholds of Macedonia where he spent his youth. There in his father's palace he received all his education from the mightiest, the most subtle intellect that ever shed luster on this world-Aristotle, the peerless, trained the young Alex- ander, and his textbook was Homer. The whole of Greek literature throbs with the spirit of war. Demosthenes in his speeches aroused the Athenians to action by showing them the danger of their Country and the glory of a patriot's death. Pericles by his orations kept the tire aglow. The dramatist Sophocles so loved war as to command that his epitaph should mention his share in the victory of Marathon, but should contain no allusion to his dramatic triumphs. , . -,- f Q:--L Aa, 1-,mfr '7.'..,- v n .4f ' E E

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.1 THE GLAMOUR OF WAR 11 with the spirit of war, have gloried in the war theme. We have no time to even mention the hundreds of stirring war anthems and songs and odes and tales and speeches of every nation, so we shall give our attention to a few of the more eminent authors. Homer, the master poet of all ages, has painted with unfading colors the ten years' war of Troy. As the pure waxen lily bursts from the stagnant pond, as the silken corn with grains of living gold springs from corruption, so also the beautiful works of Homer have taken being from the blood-soaked fields of Troy. The characters of the Homeric poems have been an in- spiration to all succeeding ages. There is the wise Ulysses, fertile of resources, indomitable of will. His .love-like wis- dom and unconquerable will are ever at the service of his country. He is ever planning new schemes to help the Grecian cause. Now in the assembly of kings he stands to offer godlike wisdomg now amid the brawling soldiery he stirs up wild enthusiasm. Although he has suffered greatly for his native land, both with those that loved him, and alone, on shore, and when through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades vext the dim seag yet he finds it dull to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use. mighty Achilles grieving Beside a snow-white tent sits over an injustice done him. Without his aid the tide of battle turns against the Greeks. But when he hears of the slaughter of his friends, he enters into battle and none dare stand against him. To avenge the death of his friends he seals the doom of Troy, and amid the glory of the con- quest yields up his own life for those he loves. Homer not only arouses admiration for the numerous selfless heroes and heroines of the war, but holds up to everlasting contempt the selfish slackers. When the cox- comb, Paris, fled from battle he sought refuge among the

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THE GLAMOUR OF WAR 13 If from the war-laden atmosphere of ancient Greece we turn our thoughts to the fair land of Italy, we look, not without reason, for milder themes. Surely in that land of sunshine and of flowers men must have caught the spirit of love, of peace, and of the gentler sentiments. This is true. They find inspiration in the brooks, in the flowers of the field, and in the grandeur of home life. Even Virgil, Rome's greatest poet, glorifies the beauties of nature. How often we find such expressions in his poems: Now wears the juniper its leafy pride And the rough chestnut throws its branches wide. He exalts the labor of men who cultivate the land: Ah! happy swain! ah! race beloved of heaven, For thee just earth from her prolific beds Far from wild war, spontaneous plenty sheds. Nay, Virgil seems even to have caught the idea of uni- versal peace. In his wonderful fourth Eclogue he strikes a note that seems prophetic of the Prince of Peace. And yet when we turn to his masterpiece, we are greeted with the familiar words: Arma virumque cano! Of arms and a hero I sing! The very first word of his mighty poem, which for grandeur is not surpassed in human literature, the very keynote of the organ-like Aeneid is Arrna--Arms I Nor does he sing of arms in a half-hearted way. Virgil is no pacifist. His hero Aeneas is bold in arms. Brave souls! he cries to his men of Troy, We feeble few conspire To save a sinking town involved in fire. If we must fall, we'll fall amid our foes. Death has no horrors for Aeneas. Haste, gird on my sword, though I be spent and overcomeg 'Tis the last summons to receive our doom. Restore me to the yet unfinished fight, My death is wanting to conclude the night.