tions that were rained upon him, not once
complaining, nor issuing an order. Tradition has it, however, that he
made averages good later on, when the year of expiation was ended.

There are two reasonably complete lives of Pythagoras, one by Diogenes
Laertius, and another by Iamblichus. Personally, I prefer the latter, as
Iamblichus, as might be inferred from his name, makes Pythagoras a
descendant of AEneas, who was a son of Neptune. This is surely better
than the abrupt and somewhat sensational statement to the effect that
his father was Apollo.

* * * * *

The birthplace of Pythagoras was Samos, an isle of Greece. He was born
of wealthy but honest parents, who were much in love with each other--a
requisite, says Pythagoras, for parentage on its highest plane. It is
probable that Pythagoras was absolutely correct in his hypothesis.

That he was a very noble specimen of manhood--physically and
mentally--there is no doubt. He was tall, lithe, dignified, commanding
and silent by nature, realizing fully that a handsome man can never talk
as well as he looks.

He was quite aware of his physical graces, and in following up the facts
of his early life, he makes the statement that his father was a
sea-captain and trader. He then incidentally adds that the best results
are obtained for posterity where a man is absent from his family eleven
months in the year. This is an axiom agreed upon by many modern
philosophers, few of whom, however, live up to their ideals.
Aristophanes, who was on friendly terms with some of the disciples of
Pythagoras, suggested in one of his plays that the Pythagorean domestic
time-limit should be increased at least a month for the good of all
concerned.

Plato, Xenophon and Aristotle make frequent references to Pythagoras. In
order to impress men like these, the man must have taught a very exalted
philosophy. In truth, Pythagoras was a teacher of teachers. And like all
men who make a business of wisdom he sometimes came tardy off, and
indulged in a welter of words that wrecked the original idea--if there
were one.

There are these three: Knowledge, Learning, Wisdom. And the world has
until very recent times assumed that they were practically one and the
same thing.

Knowledge consists of the things we know, not the things we believe or
the things we assume. Knowledge is a personal matter of intuition,
confirmed by experience. Learning consists largely of the th