Woman Through the Ages Paperback - 2012

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908. Excerpt: ... THE GREEK WOMAN1 GREEK! The word always arouses a feeling of interest and curiosity, even in the minds of those whose knowledge of the classics is most meagre and who make no pretence to scholarship. Why should this be? Why should we be so anxious to learn the views and ideas of these ancient Greeks on all phases of life? Why should all that they ever wrote be so carefully studied and so copiously annotated? Nay, how is it that their ideas are able to throw a light upon all the problems and phenomena that present themselves to the modern mind? In literature, in art, in politics, in philosophy, the cry is always, "Back to the Greeks!" it has become almost an instinct, and those who obey the prompting voice are always amply repaid. The reason is that Greek history is essentially typical; in all they ever touched, the Greeks have developed types, i.e. they have either enriched the human capital, or have given an imperishible expression to its various phases. All their actions and 1 Mahly, J. A., Die Frauen desgriechischen Altertums (1853); Baissac, Jules, Les femmes dans les temps anciens (1867); Bader, Clarisse, Etude de la vie antique (1864-77); Donaldson, J., "The Women in Ancient Greece," in The Contemporary Review (July, 1878); Mahaffy, J. P., Social Life in Greece (1877), pp. 258 seq.; De Castries, La Croix, Dictionnaire portratif des Femmes cillbres (1788); Rainneville, J. de, La Femme dans lantiquiti et d'apres la morale naturelle (1865); Lecky, W. E. H., History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne (1899) ii., pp. 275-97. all their thoughts were concerned with the living essence of humanity. That is why everything Greek is of paramount interest; that is why the sack of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 was such an important event in th...