“A great effort was made by the Initiates at about the time of Æschylus to revive in the heart of the Greeks a love for the ancient wisdom which they had received originally from Egypt. Æschylus himself had been instructed by teachers not known to the world and had been prepared to take part in this work long before he appeared openly as a teacher and a writer. Those who had the best interests of the people at heart and who were ‘called’ to serve as spiritual teachers were ever seeking to educate them not according to what the people demanded of them but according to their needs. Among these was Æschylus. He made no great claims for himself but was a stranger to fear, and so deeply was he imbued with the love of humanity and his desire to serve it that he became indifferent to criticism, and dared to step out into the arena of life with a boldness that to those who see only through the small glasses of vanity and ambition and who could not understand him, may have seemed egotism. But those who can follow the inner meaning of his writings and can see his great purpose, recognize him as a true servant and lover of humanity. What cared he for the hatred and opposition of those who loved personal power and sought to keep the people in ignorance, who saw that his grand work for helping humanity would thwart their designs and block their selfish paths. It was these who persecuted him and caused him to be condemned—not his fellow-initiates and comrades or those who truly loved wisdom and freedom. “The chief of the persecutors of Æschylus was one who had the ambition to hold the place that he had in the hearts of the people and not succeeding in this sought to destroy him. Yet in spite of his many trials and persecutions his works and memory still live as a monument to his aspirations and noble efforts. Yet even to-day he is only partly understood and like many other teachers will have to wait for the revolutions of the times and the further evolution of man before the grander meaning of his great work is made manifest. “But it has ever been so in the history of man. History but repeated herself in the case of Æschylus, in the case of H. P. B. and many another. Those who would help humanity know of a surety what to expect, yet they falter not, nay, they even gain new courage and endurance under the persecution, for is there not in their hearts the Light of Truth and the love of all true comrades of the Ages to cheer their path? The devotion of one faithful heart outweighs in the balance a multitude of persecutors.” [In future accounts of the Sokratic Club some of the characters will appear under other names, but some of our readers who are interested will doubtless be able to tell the identity.—Solon.] STUDENTS’ COLUMN. THE BASIS OF ETHICS.