piness to him; that is, if he is satisfied from what he has read, that is the case. Now if he is like a pure spring, it will be an easy matter when facts are plenty to make him believe that we are progressing, because he has progressed, and is like the pure spring which produces pure water. And the idea of progression is in unison with his inherent principles. His soul is sympathetic, he can not be made to believe that man will be ultimately lost in misery or oblivion. It is diametrically opposed to his inward character; such tartarean principles can not find place in his organization. And so on the other side, if a man is inherently depraved and corrupt, if his soul is as black as Erebus, do you suppose that he can think or believe that man will ever be good and virtuous, honest and truthful? His inmost principles being degraded and vicious, his whole composition being debased and flagitious, do you believe that he can harbor the idea that man is improving? No, sir, it is an utter impossibility; what is not in him can not come out of him. If those aristocrats of ancient times, who had the people under them like slaves, had been told that way of conducting the affairs of the people would not last long, that the people would progress and a different state of affairs would come on the platform, that people would demand more rights; that they would have to give the people more privileges; that the people would have meetings, and examine and discuss questions; what do you think the aristocrats would say? It would never be any better than it is now, they would say.

So, likewise, if you should say to an aristocrat that the people are progressing, that this robbing and stealing would have an end, that people are getting wiser and better as time rolls on, the swindler would laugh at you; and we have heard one of them say that the people are retrograding, going back, and will ultimately go into barbarism; he no doubt believed it; as he is a barbarian, it is perfectly natural for him to believe that the end will be barbarism. Dates are not easily acquired about this time. We think these incidents.

happened about 400 before Christ. Think of the state of morals at that time. War continually, murder and plunder, aristocracy in its glory. Mago committed suicide on account of ill success; a Carthagenian general. Timoleon, a Corinthian, defeats Hamilcar and Hannibal with a few thousand soldiers, and butchers ten thousand men, and takes an immense amount of treasures and a great many prisoners, about this period. Hanno, a powerful citizen, formed a plan to destroy the whole Carthagenian senate; his plan was to invite them to his daughter's wedding, and at the entertainment, poison them all; but he was foiled in his foul crime; and he, seeing his plan defeated, then armed all the slaves; he was again discovered. He then retired with the twenty thousand slaves to a castle that was fortified, but he was taken prisoner. After whipping him, putting out his eyes, his arms and thighs broken, his life taken in the presence of the people, and his body all torn with stripes, was hung on a gibbet. His children, and all his relations, though they were not guilty of any crime, shared in his punishment. They were sentenced to die, that they could not imitate his crime, or take any revenge. This is in perfect consonance with the aristocratic character. Not satisfied with taking the life of the rebel, and, Indian-like, torturing him, they executed the same torments and tortures on his children and all his relations. Please observe if there is any moral progress from that time to the present year, 1886. We think you must say there is. But an aristocrat will say no moral progress has been made. An egregious buzzard told us that no moral improvement has been made, and that man is a failure. Another infamous aristocrat says that man has not made any progress in craniology since the very earliest ages.

IMMORALITY AND INIQUITY OF ARISTOCRACY.

An instance occurred in war tactics. Although it will not advance my argument much, we will give a condensed account of it. Agathocles, a Sicilian, was of low birth and fortune. The Carthagenians assisted him in getting possession of Syracuse. He, not contented

with his situation, declared war against the nation who had assisted him. Hamilcar, the Carthagenian general, gained a victory over him. He shut himself up in Syracuse. Hamilcar laid siege to the city. The General Agathocles then executed a strategy unheard of in the annals of war. The plan was to carry the war into Carthagenia; he kept the design a secret, and made preparations to execute it. He left forces to defend the city, and departed with the remainder for Carthagenia. The enemy were surprised, and made an effort to prevent them from going, but they succeeded in getting away. None of the army knew where they were going. This was a daring enterprise, and required much energy to carry it into effect; such schemes generally prove abortive; he persevered. When he landed in Africa, he disclosed his design. He made a speech, and encouraged his soldiers. Next, he burned all of his ships. He told them that he addressed the two goddesses, Ceres and Proserpine. They marched, full of courage, to the Great City, part of Carthage, which they took and plundered. Next, they took Tunis, a city near by. The Carthagenians were in great consternation and alarm. They thought their army at Syracuse had been defeated, and ships destroyed; all was in great confusion. They did not not know what to do, but concluded to raise an army in the city. The amount of the levy was forty thous and foot, and two thousand armed chariots. Two generals, who were not on good terms, were appointed to command. They marched to meet the enemy, which was but fourteen thousand. The battle began with obstinacy. Hanno, one of the Carthagenian generals, the flower of the army with him, stood long, sustained the fury of the Greeks, but his forces were overwhelmed with stones. Hanno was killed. The other general could have changed the aspect, but he played traitor, withdrew his forces, and the whole army followed him, which left the field to Agathocles, who pursued the enemy some time. He returned and plundered the Carthagenian camp. Many strong cities were taken, and many natives joined the victors.

CHAPTER IV.

IMMORALITY AND INFAMY OF ARISTOCRACY..

He

From this probably came the saying, "Carry the war into Africa." The Carthagenians were defeated at Syracuse. Hamilcar, their general, was taken prisoner and tortured, and his head sent to Agathocles. Bomilcar, the traitor who deserted with his army from Carthage when Agathocles attacked it, now attempted to gain supreme authority over the people of Carthage. He was assisted by a few citizens and a body of foreign soldiers; he proclaimed himself tyrant, and proved he was tyrant by cutting the throats of all the citizens he met in the streets. The people collected an army; he intended to make a vigorous defense. But when he saw the force against him, his men made a compromise. A pardon was proclaimed to all who would lay down their arms. But when they laid down their arms the Carthagenians refused to include Bomilcar. harangued the people, but to no effect. He died on the cross in excruciating torments; and so another tyrant was murdered, as they agreed to pardon all who laid down their arms. But the word of an aristocrat was nothing in those days. The tyrant who made the sudden invasion in Africa and took Carthage-Agathocles-won over to his interest a powerful prince of Cyrene, named Ophellus, whom he flattered with power. But when he got possession of his army, he had him murdered, so that he might retain his army. He had many nations as allies, and several strong places he held by his forces. He still remained in Africa-he and his family lived in Africa-and seeing that matters were in good condition there, he thought he would go back to Sicily; so he left the army in command of his son, and sailed back to Syracuse. As he had been fortunate at Carthage, he was well received at the city of Syracuse. But the affairs at Carthage changed materially, and he could not mend them. All the strong cities surrendered to the Carthagenians. He had no

They murdered the governor and a garrison of soldiers, and refused to let the Carthagenians bury them. The rebels were so bold now as to besiege Carthage, but were immediately compelled to leave. They continued the war, and still had an army of fifty thousand men. They were cautious and kept in the hills, not coming on the plains, being afraid of the elephant of the Carthagenians. Hamilcar was as cautious as they. were, and all the prisoners he took he threw to the wild beasts; but Hamilcar at last caught them in a place from which they could not escape. Not daring to hazard a battle, they entrenched and fortified their camp; but that could not profit them, as they were soon starving from hunger. They at first ate their prisoners, then their slaves, and now themselvcs were only left. Next they murmured against their chiefs, and they required them to surrender; and as they knew what their doom would be, they delayed, so the soldiers obtained an opportunity to go to the general Hamilcar. They soon made a treaty with him. The treaty was that the Carthagenians should select ten of the rebels, and treat them as they should think proper, and that the remainder should be dismissed with only one suit of clothes. When the treaty was signed they were arrested. The rebels, not knowing of the treaty that had been made, took up arms again. Hamilcar, having surrounded them, brought forward his elephants, and either trod them under foot, or cut them to pieces, they being over forty thousand. Hamilcar then marched to Tunis. He invested it on one side, and Hannibal on the other side. He took one of the rebel generals, Spendius, and hung him on a cross; he also hung many others he had taken. Matho, the other rebel general, observing that Hannibal was negligent, made a sally, took several prisoners, killed many, and took Hannibal, the general, prisoner. Matho, the rebel general, then took the rebel general, who had been hung on a cross by Hamilcar, down, and hung Hannibal on the same cross, after making him suffer excruciating torments; and then sacrificed