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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: Furthermore, in his desire to implant in their youthful souls a root
of modesty he imposed upon these bigger boys a special rule. In the
very streets they were to keep their two hands[4] within the folds of
the cloak; they were to walk in silence and without turning their
heads to gaze, now here, now there, but rather to keep their eyes
fixed upon the ground before them. And hereby it would seem to be
proved conclusively that, even in the matter of quiet bearing and
sobreity,[5] the masculine type may claim greater strength than that
which we attribute to the nature of women. At any rate, you might
sooner expect a stone image to find voice than one of those Spartan
youths; to divert the eyes of some bronze stature were less difficult.
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