Ath.Again,we must distinguish and determine on some general principle what songs are suitable to women,and what to men,and must assign to them their proper melodies and rhythms.It is shocking for a whole harmony to be inharmonical,or for a rhythm to be unrhythmical,and this will happen when the melody is inappropriate to them.And therefore the legislator must assign to these also their forms.Now both sexes have melodies and rhythms which of necessity belong to them;and those of women are clearly enough indicated by their natural difference.The grand,and that which tends to courage,may be fairly called manly;but that which inclines to moderation and temperance,may be declared both in law and in ordinary speech to be the more womanly quality.This,then,will be the general order of them.
Let us now speak of the manner of teaching and imparting them,and the persons to whom,and the time when,they are severally to be imparted.As the shipwright first lays down the lines of the keel,and thus,as it were,draws the ship in outline,so do I seek to distinguish the patterns of life,and lay down their keels according to the nature of different men's souls;seeking truly to consider by what means,and in what ways,we may go through the voyage of life best.Now human affairs are hardly worth considering in earnest,and yet we must be in earnest about them-a sad necessity constrains us.
And having got thus far,there will be a fitness in our completing the matter,if we can only find some suitable method of doing so.But what do I mean?Some one may ask this very question,and quite rightly,too.
Cle.Certainly.
Ath.I say that about serious matters a man should be serious,and about a matter which is not serious he should not be,serious;and that God is the natural and worthy object of our most serious and blessed endeavours,for man,as I said before,is made to be the plaything of God,and this,truly considered,is the best of him;wherefore also every man and woman should walk seriously,and pass life in the noblest of pastimes,and be of another mind from what they are at present.
Cle.In what respect?
Ath.At present they think that their serious suits should be for the sake of their sports,for they deem war a serious.pursuit,which must be managed well for the sake of peace;but the truth is,that there neither is,nor has been,nor ever will be,either amusement or instruction in any degree worth,speaking of in war,which is nevertheless deemed by us to be the most serious of our pursuits.And therefore,as we say,every one of us should live the life of peace as long and as well as he can.And what is the right way of living?Are we to live in sports always?If so,in what kind of sports?We ought to live sacrificing,and singing,and dancing,and then a man will be able to propitiate the Gods,and to defend himself against his enemies and conquer them in battle.The type of song or dance by which he will propitiate them has been described,and the paths along which he is to proceed have been cut for him.He will go forward in the spirit of the poet:
Telemachus,some things thou wilt thyself find in thy heart,but other things God will suggest;for I deem that thou wast not brought up without the will of the Gods.
And this ought to be the view of our alumni;they ought to think that what has been said is enough for them,and that any other things their Genius and God will suggest to them-he will tell them to whom,and when,and to what Gods severally they are to sacrifice and perform dances,and how they may propitiate the deities,and live according to the appointment of nature;being for the most part puppets,but having some little share of reality.
Megillus.You have a low opinion of mankind,Stranger.
Ath.Nay,Megillus,be not amazed,but forgive me:-I was comparing them with the Gods;and under that feeling I spoke.Let us grant,if you wish,that the human race is not to be despised,but is worthy of some consideration.
Next follow the buildings for gymnasia and schools open to all;these are to be in three places in the midst of the city;and outside the city and in the surrounding country,also in three places,there shall be schools for horse exercise,and large grounds arranged with a view to archery and the throwing of missiles,at which young men may learn and practise.Of these mention has already been made,and if the mention be not sufficiently explicit,let us speak,further of them and embody them in laws.In these several schools let there be dwellings for teachers,who shall be brought from foreign parts by pay,and let them teach those who attend the schools the art of war and the art of music,and the children shall come not only if their parents please,but if they do not please;there shall be compulsory education,as the saying is,of all and sundry,as far this is possible;and the pupils shall be regarded as belonging to the state rather than to their parents.My law would apply to females as well as males;they shall both go through the same exercises.I assert without fear of contradiction that gymnastic and horsemanship are as suitable to women as to men.Of the truth of this I am persuaded from ancient tradition,and at the present day there are said to be countless myriads of women in the neighbourhood of the Black Sea,called Sauromatides,who not only ride on horseback like men,but have enjoined upon them the use of bows and other weapons equally with the men.And I further affirm,that if these things are possible,nothing can be more absurd than the practice which prevails in our own country,of men and women not following the same pursuits with all their strength and with one mind,for thus the state,instead of being a whole,is reduced to a half,but has the same imposts to pay and the same toils to undergo;and what can be a greater mistake for any legislator to make than this?