"Alexander
      the
      Pretty
      Good"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      past
      Friday,
      November
      2nd,
      a
      lecture
      was
      given
     
     
      at
      the
      UPEI
      main
      Building
      by
      Dr.
      Brian
      Campbell.
     
     
      Campbell
      is
      the
      author
      of
      The
      Emperor
      and
      the
     
     
      Roman
      Army
      31
      B.C.
      -
      A.D.
      235,
      two
      chapters
      of
     
     
      the
      Cambridge
      Ancient
      History,
      and
      articles
      in
      the
     
     
      Journal
      of
      Roman
      Studies.
      He
      has
      just
      finished
      a
     
     
      lecture
      tour
      of
      the
      Atlantic
      Provinces,
      ending
      here
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      Charlottetown,
      sponsored
      by
      the
      Classical.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Association
      of
      Canada.
      The
      topic
      he
      presented
     
     
      Friday
      (its
      an
      audience
      Dr.
      Buck
      described
      as
      a
     
     
      "small
      but
      select
      gathering.")
      concerned
      whether
      or
     
     
      not
      Alexander
      the
      Great
      deserves
      that
      nifty
      adjective
     
     
      we’ve
      been
      tacking
      onto
      his
      name
      for
      years
      now,
     
     
      "great".
      Dr.
      Campbell
      obviously
      didn’t
      think
      so,
      and
     
     
      the
      witty,
      tongue-in-cheek
      lecture
      he
      gave
      might
     
     
      easily
      have
      been
      retitled
      the
      "Alexander
      the
      Great
     
     
      Roast.”
      5
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Campbell
      spoke
      of
      an
      Alexander
      who
      probably
     
     
      murdered
      his
      own
      father,
      so
      that
      the
      Macedonian
     
     
      kingship
      wouldn’t
      fall
      to
      the
      commoner
      he
      was
     
     
      about
      to
      marry.
      Then,
      to
      be
      on
      the
      safe
      side,
     
     
      Alexander
      disposed
      of
      the
      aforementioned
     
     
      commoner
      and
      her
      son
      once
      he
      was
      king.
      He
      then,
     
     
      as
      a
      king,
      led
      a
      long
      war
      in
      which
      his
      forces
     
     
      marched
      on
      and
      on
      to
      the
      cast,
      conquering
      a
      huge
     
     
      empire
      but
      in
      the
      process
      slaughtering
      thousands
     
     
      and
      beginning
      a
      military
      action
      that
      he
      became
     
     
      obsessed
      with,
      refusing
      to
      stop
      marching
      his
      forces
     
     
      even
      further.
      Any
      opposition
      within
      his
      kingdom
     
     
      was
      messily
      eliminated,
      and
      this
      paranoid
      king
      was
     
     
      also
      fond
      of
      disposing
      of
      the
      people
      who
      helped
     
     
      him
      gain
      power
      after
      he
      was
      safe
      in
      his
      position.
     
     
      His
      own
      people
      hated
      him
      because
      of
      his
      arrogance
     
     
      (the
      man
      wanted
      to
      be
      worshipped
      as
      a
      god
      in
      his
     
     
      later
      years.)
      his
      violent
      nature,
      his
      ruthlessness,
      and
     
     
      his
      "palling
      around"
      with
      the
      people
      he
      conquered.
     
     
      His
      conquered
      peoples
      hated
      him
      too,
      for
      ravaging
     
     
      their
      lands,
      and
      when
      he
      died
      from
      too
      much
     
     
      boozing,
      his
      unstable
      empire
      promptly
      began
      to
     
     
      break
      up.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      All
      in
      all,
      Dr.
      Campbell
      gave
      Alexander
      a
      pretty
     
    
   
   
    
     
      harsh
      assessment.
      He
      led
      aggressive
      wars
      for
      no
     
     
      just
      reason.
      .
      He
      left
      his
      own
      kingdom
      divided
      and
     
     
      unstable.
      He
      conquered
      and
      enslaved
      thousands,
     
     
      and
      didn’t
      bring
      civilization
      to
      his
      conquests
      as
     
     
      Roman
      conquerors
      later
      did.
      Alexander,
      like
      most
     
     
      people
      of
      his
      country
      then,
      had
      less
      culture
      than
     
     
      yogurt.
      The
      only
      reason
      that
      he
      has
      ever
      been
     
     
      admired
      is
      his
      conquests,
      since
      he
      conquered
     
     
      territory
      like
      nobody’s
      business.
      Of
      course,
      many
      of
     
     
      us
      wouldn’t
      call
      that
      reason
      enough
      to
      label
      him
     
     
      "great".
      After
      all,
      has
      anyone
      patted
      Saddam
     
     
      Hussein
      on
      the
      back
      lately
      for
      flattening
      Kuwait?
     
     
      I
      don’t
      think
      so.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      sum
      up,
      this
      lecture
      painted
      a
      picture
      of
     
     
      Alexander
      as
      a
      drunken,
      lecherous,
      ruthless
     
     
      megalomaniac
      with
      virtually
      no
      redeeming
      qualities.
     
     
      For
      those
      of
      you
      who
      missed
      the
      lecture,
      you
      may
     
     
      want
      to
      read
      up
      on
      this
      a
      bit
      to
      decide
      whether
      Dr.
     
     
      Campbell
      is
      right
      or
      whether
      Alexander
      has
      gotten
     
     
      an
      unfair
      shake
      this
      time.
      After
      all,
      everyone
      has
     
     
      their
      own
      opinion.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Calling
      All
      Students
     
     
      Are
      You
      Short
      of
      Money!!!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Provincial
      Chapter
      of
      IODE
      Scholarship
      has
     
     
      established
      a
      yearly
      Scholarship
      which
      is
      available
      to
     
     
      an
      Island
      resident
      entering
      Sophomore
      year
      at
     
     
      UPEI.
      It
      is
      awarded
      firstly,
      on
      the
      basis
      of
      good
     
     
      academic
      achievement,
      and
      secondly
      on
      financial
     
     
      need.
      It
      is
      payable
      to
      UPEI
      for
      the
      tuition
      fees
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      second
      semester,
      beginning
      in
      January.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _Application
      forms
      are
      available
      at
      the
      Student
     
     
      Services
      office
      in
      the
      Robertson
      Library,
      or
      the
     
     
      “
      Registrar’s
      Office
      in
      Kelley
      Building.
      Expiry
      Date:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      15.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      8,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      31