Dr. Tarbell's Lecture. The principal point to consider is what
impression Socrates made upon his people. He was no writer so
all information about him must be obtained from such works of
his disciples as the Memorabilia and Apology of Plato. For more
than a generation Socrates was a familiar figure in Athens
engaged in free and gracious teaching. There are two points in
his instruction which must be considered; his subject matter and
his manner. To understand Socrates' manner, he must be marked
off from the so called Sophists. Until the fifth century BC.
education was of a most ordinary character consisting of
reading, writing, a little music, and gymnastics. These were not
sufficient for an education, so before the middle of the fifth
century, a class of men sprang up which gave extra instruction.
These were called Sophists, or, as Professor Sidgwick calls them
"professors of rhetoric and art of conduct." Their whole life
was spent wandering about from town to town imparting knowledge
by means of lectures an