of all, THE CITY OWNS ITS PUBLIC POLICE FORCE. The "Scythians"
they are called from their usual land of origin, or the "bowmen,"
from their special weapon, which incidentally makes a convenient
cudgel in a street brawl. There are 1200 of them, always at the
disposal of the city magistrates. They patrol the town at night,
arrest evil-doers, sustain law and order in the Agora, and especially
enforce decorum, if the public assemblies or the jury courts become
tumultuous. They have a special cantonment on the hill of Areopagus
near the Acropolis. "Slaves" they are of course in name, and
under a kind of military discipline; but they are highly privileged
slaves. The security of the city may depend upon their loyal zeal.
In times of war they are auxiliaries. Life in this police force
cannot therefore be burdensome, and their position is envied by
all the factory workers and the house servants.





Chapter VIII. The Children.




44. The Desirability of Children in Athens.--Besides the oversight
of the slaves the Athenian matron has naturally the care of the
children. A childless home is one of the greatest of calamities.
It means a solitary old age, and still worse, the dying out of the
family and the worship of the family gods. There is just enough
of the old superstitious "ancestor worship" left in Athens to make