Fortunately there is not so extensive a field of mythology suitable for
use as there is of fairy literature, and the boy can easily hope to make
it his own. The field must exclude both the modern nature myths that
have been compounded to suit the occasion, and the cruder and more
recent discoveries of savage races. In short, Greek mythology must make
both the beginning and the end of what is to be learned; for there has
been no nation other than Greece that has developed a mythical faith so
intellectual in its scope and so beautiful in its expression. This
beauty has been expressed through both art and literature. It would be
an almost unpardonable neglect on the part of a teacher if a boy were
permitted to go through school and not be familiar with the heroic age.
He should know the stories of the gods and heroes; know the Olympian
council, the labours of Hercules, the adventures of Jason, of Perseus,
of Achilles; he should know the Trojan War in its picturesque greatness
and the wonderful exploits of Odysseus on his homeward journey; and he
should know such stories as those of Apollo, of Oedipus, of Orpheus,
of Admetus, of Proserpine, of Niobe, and of Psyche. This knowledge of
Greek mythology will bring one of the most pleasurable and stimulating
of all feelings to a boy, the consciousness of wandering at ease in a
domain where all mortals have not been privileged to enter.
Almost hand in hand with the Greek myths must be taken their variations
in Roman life and the few that seem to be original there. Although the
Greek and Roman deities had most attributes in common, they were yet
distinct, each having his particular name. It is unfortunate that the
Latin names have come into such extensive use and that we always speak
of Jupiter instead of Zeus, and Venus instead of Aphrodite. But the
Hellenic spirit is hard to keep foremost in this commercial age. If the
glare of the arc light could be screened at times and the starry sky be
read as a book wherein the constellations still hold their Greek names,
some of the heroes that have been made permanent might inspire the
observer with a feeling to read again their story. Yet let us have the
sweetness of the rose, whatever be its name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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