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[Illustration: ALEXANDER THE GREAT.]
STORIES OF GREAT MEN
BY
FAYE HUNTINGTON
Author of "Stories of Remarkable Women,"
"Echoing and Re-Echoing," "Those Boys,"
"Dr. Deane's Way," "Couldn't be
Bought," "Mrs. Deane's Way,"
"What Fide Remembers,"
etc., etc.
ILLUSTRATED
BOSTON
LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY
Copyright, 1887,
by
D. Lothrop and Company.
CONTENTS
Chapter. Page
I. Alexander the Great 7
II. Addison, Joseph 12
III. Agassiz, Louis John Rudolph 17
IV. Bacon, Francis 21
V. Caesar, Caius Julius 27
VI. Disraeli, Benjamin 31
VII. Everett, Edward 35
VIII. Farragut, David Glasgow 40
IX. Gordon, Charles George 45
X. Hannibal 51
XI. Irving, Washington 57
XII. Judson, Adoniram 61
XIII. Knox, John 69
XIV. Lincoln, Abraham 75
XV. Morse, Samuel Finley Breese 81
XVI. Newton, Sir Isaac 86
XVII. Obookiah, Henry 91
XVIII. Penn, William 98
XIX. Quincy, Josiah 103
XX. Rush, Benjamin 105
XXI. Savonarola, Girolamo 109
XXII. Tennyson, Alfred 115
XXIII. Ulfila 120
XXIV. Vincent, Rev. John H., D.D. 123
XXV. Webster, Daniel 129
XXVI. Xenophon 134
OUR ALPHABET OF GREAT MEN.
CHAPTER I.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
Where shall we begin? With "A" of course, but there are so many great
men whose names begin with A, I don't know how to select. However, I
might as well go back a good way in the world's history, and say
Alexander the Great. Since he was so great that they added the word to
his name, perhaps he ought to head the list. Though mind, he is not my
idea of a great man, after all.
Who was he, what was he, and when did he live? Three questions in one,
and questions which when well answered tell a great deal.
He was the son of King Philip of Macedonia, and was born at Pella three
hundred and fifty-six years before Jesus came to this earth. His father
was a strong brave soldier, and his mother was a strong fierce woman,
and their son is said to have been like them both. When he was thirteen
years old he had one of the greatest men in the world for his teacher.
This man's name was Aristotle.
Another "A," you see; but I shall have to leave you to discover his
greatness for yourselves.
When Alexander was sixteen, his father left him to manage the country
while he himself went to war.
When he was eighteen he won a great victory in the army. Very soon
afterwards his father was killed, and Alexander with his great army
fought his way into power, and made people recognize him as ruler of the
Greeks.
From that time on, for years, his story might be told in one word, War.
Battle after battle was fought and won; cities were destroyed; in
Thebes, just one house was left standing, which belonged to a poet named
Pindar. I know you are curious to hear why his house was spared, and I
know that the industrious ones will try to look it up, and the lazy ones
will yawn and say, "Oh, never mind; what do I care?"
Alexander's next wish was to conquer Persia. I am sure you would be
interested to read the account of his triumphant march. The people were
so afraid of him that they would run when they heard that his army was
coming; sometimes without an attempt to defend their cities; and all
that Alexander would have to do when he reached the town would be to
march in and take possession.
This series of battles was closed at a place named Gordium.
Have you ever heard of the "Gordian knot?"
The story is, that at this place, Gordium, there was a car or chariot,
which had been dedicated to the gods; and a certain god had said that
whoever should succeed in untying the knot which fastened the pole of
the car to the yoke, should rule over Asia. No one had been found who
could untie it. But what did Alexander do when he found he could not
untie it, but cut it in two with his sword! And the people accepted him
as the man who was to rule!
War, war, war! The great Persian soldier, Darius, had such a high
opinion of his own large army that he let Alexander get with his
soldiers to a point where they could fight, and could not well be taken,
and another great victory was the end of the story. When Darius saw his
mistake, and tried to coax Alexander into being friends, by offering
his daughter for the conqueror's wife, and a great deal of land in the
bargain, Alexander replied that he would marry the daughter if he wanted
her, whether her father was willing or not; and that all the land
belonged to him.
Now comes a dreadful story of wrong. Alexander heard that a plot to take
his life had been discovered by one of his men named Philotas, but that
he had not told of it for two days. When asked why he did not, he said
that the story came from a worthless source and was not to be believed.
But Alexander did not trust him and decided that he should be killed. As
if this was not enough, he had him tortured to make him tell the names
of others who were suspected. It is said that Alexander stood by, and
watched the writhings, and listened to the screams of this man who had
fought by his side in many battles!
Yet he seemed sometimes able to trust people. Once, when he was sick,
word came to him that his physician had been bribed to poison him. When
his next dose of medicine was ready, Alexander laid the letter which
told this story, before his friend, the physician, then drank the
medicine, to show how fully he trusted him.
Before he was thirty-three years old this wonderful, sad life was
ended! I do not know anything sadder than a great, bad man. I cannot
help wondering how it would have been if Alexander had lived about three
hundred years later, and met Jesus Christ. Yet he might have known Jesus
as Abraham did, and David, and Samuel, and all that long list of great
men.
The story of his last sickness is very dreadful. It seemed to have been
brought on by his awful grief over the death of a friend. But he had
such a strange way of grieving! All night he would spend in drinking
liquor, and all day he lay and slept off its effects. But one morning he
found himself unable to rise, and he never rose again. When he was asked
who should succeed him as ruler of the kingdom, he said, "the
strongest." But he gave his signet ring to one of his generals named
Perdiccas.
So closed this great _little_ life. The greatest soldier who ever lived,
as men talk about soldiers, but an utter failure in the sight of him who
said: "He that ruleth his own spirit, is greater than he that taketh a
city."