sed, and his pale and ill-featured face,
were familiar visions in the public walks, the gymnasia, and the
schools. At the hour when the market-place was most crowded, Socrates
would be there, walking about among the booths and tables, and talking
to every one whom he could induce to listen. Thus was his whole day
spent. He was ready to talk with any one, old or young, rich or poor,
being in no sense a respecter of persons. He conversed with artisans,
philosophers, students, soldiers, politicians,--all classes of men. He
visited everywhere, was known to all persons of distinction, and was a
special friend of Aspasia, the brilliant woman companion of Pericles.

His conversational powers must have been extraordinary, for none seemed
to tire of hearing him, and many sought him in his haunts, eager to hear
his engaging and instructive talk. Many, indeed, in his later years,
came from other cities of Greece, drawn to Athens by his fame, and
anxious to hear this wonderful conversationalist and teacher. These
became known as his scholars or disciples, though he claimed nothing
resembling a school, and received no reward for his teachings.

The talk of Socrates was never idle or meaningless chat. He felt that he
had a special mission to fulfil, that in a sense he was an envoy to man
from the gods, and declared that, from childhood on, a divine voice had
spoken to him, unheard by others, warning and restraining him from
unwise acts or sayings. It forbade him to enter public life, controlled
him day by day, and was frequently mentioned by him to his disciples.
This guardian voice has become known as the daemon or genius of Socrates.

The oracle at Delphi said that no man was wiser than Socrates. To learn
if this was true and he really was wiser than other men, he questioned
everybody everywhere, seeking to learn what they knew, and leading them
on by question after question till he usually found that they knew very
little of what they professed.

As to what Socrates taught, we can only say here that he was the first
great ethical philosopher. The philosophers before him had sought to
explain the mystery of the universe. He declared that all this was
useless and profitless. Man's mind was superior to all matter, and he
led men to look within, study their own souls, consider the question of
human duty, the obligations of man to man, and all that leads towards
virtue and the moral development of human society.

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