Many hundreds of years ago lived a very strange man whoso name was
Diogenes. His home was in the city of Athens, in Greece. The people of
Athens were very polite; but this strange man took pride in being very
impolite. He made himself very disagreeable.
People stared at him and laughed at him. This was just what pleased
Diogenes. Many people called him a great man. This pleased him more yet.
He was so odd, and behaved so strangely, that after a while a good many
tried to imitate him and to act as strangely as he did. This pleased
him, perhaps, most of all.
[Illustration: 0109]
Sometimes Diogenes slept in the sand, and sometimes on the verandas of
houses or in doorways. Sometimes he used to take a tub around with him.
When night came he would curl himself up like a kitten and go to sleep
in the tub.
One bright sunny day, when the city was full of people, he took a
lighted lantern and walked down the street. He looked as if he were
hunting for something. "What are you looking for, with your lantern in
this bright daylight?" the people asked. "I am looking for an honest
man," growled Diogenes.
At this time there lived a great warrior and emperor who had made
himself more famous than any one else in the world. Great crowds
followed him, and threw up their hats, and cheered. His name was
Alexander. Perhaps he was really the greatest man in the world. So he
was called Alexander the Great.
One day Alexander marched by where Diogenes sat sunning himself in the
sand. The people were cheering as usual and making a great noise.
But Diogenes sat quite still, caring nothing about the emperor. When
Alexander passed before Diogenes he noticed this. He wondered why this
poorly clothed man paid him no attention.
Then he turned to Diogenes with a frown, and said in a very haughty
manner, "Do you know that I am Alexander?"
Everybody thought that Diogenes would turn pale and be very much
confused. But he only looked up and answered with as much pride as if he
were an emperor himself, "Do you know that I am Diogenes?"
[Illustration: 0110]
Perhaps we may all admire his independence as much as Alexander is said
to have done. Diogenes always lived this queer sort of a life. He was an
old, old man when he died.