DECEMBER 10, 1903.
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT
II
Rome: The Mother of States
A Ravltw of Dtl
Mar'" niddl
AgM Rvblt4."
The Middle Ages Revisited; or
the Roman Government and Re- ,
ligion from Augustus to the Fall
of Constantinople- By Alex. Del
Mar; 8vo., pp. 400. The Cam
bridge Encyclopedia Publishing
Co., 240 West Twenty-Third St.,
New York. Net, ?3.
The author of this work, formerly, a
bureau "officer of the United States
treasury, delegate to Russia, etc., is
rapidly rising into public esteem as
an historical writer. His preparation
for this difficult eminence wag a ripe
' scholarship and 15 years of close study
iti. the British Museum and Biblio
theque Nationale, during which time
he issued several monographs on clas
sical literature, Roman, history, arch
aeology, ancient manuscripts . and
ioins; all of which obtained, imme
diate recognition . in England, and
France as works , of the latest ant
most complete research. His first
appearance as an historian' of that
theme 6f themes, the Roman. Empire,
,was in "Ancient Britain' "in. the Light
of Modern,.Archaeological Discover
iesJL hich work the British criti-
store of information neglected by our
selves and garnered by a scholarly
American. He reconstructs -Roman
Britain, a country, full of busy cities,
seaports and industrial centers con
nected by fine highways, of majestic
temples and villas, and of splendidly
organized commerce." His " second
work in the same role is the one be
fore us, "The Middle Ages Revisited."
We defer our opinion of this work
until, after some review of its con
tents; a task which, 'owing to its im
mense scope, its brevity of style and
the grandeur of the theme, is sufficient
to tax all the resources of condensa
tion. . Perhaps this j may best be ac
complished by placing ourselves as it
were somewhat in the attitude of the
author. -,
' In describing the Roman govern
ment and religion and their
relation to the states of the
modern world it; will scarcely
fail to appear that tne constitution oi
the empire, the Chrlstianizatiori of its
institutes and the? position' of the
medieval empire and the provinces,
until the latter become independent
kingdoms, is the key to all modern
-history; that it has its practical im-
portance and conveys its .lessons for
the future. In weighing the evidences
which throw light upon these, sub
jects, the author is compelled to trace
the ancient systems of mythology and
religion. It is evident that he would
gladly have avoided a subject of so
much contention; but thjs was found
' impracticable. Society is to some ex
tent the product of religious belief.
To appreciate the spirit of the laws
under which we live and must, act, it
becomes necessary to follow the evo-
. lution of religious systems, Says; the
author; "We have entered the arcana
of the Sacred College, not to profane
its mysteries, but to fill our pitchers
at its holy fount."
When civil strife had so much ex
hausted the Romans that they were
unable to prevent the overthrow of
their republican institutes, or resist
the erection of , a pagan hierarchy,
they accepted, from their tyrants a
form of religion so impious and de
grading as to speedily disgust the bet
ter classes of citizens and turn them
against a government in whose sup
port they had formerly taken an active
rnd prominent part. "Caesar claims
to be a god," cried Cicero. "He has
Lis temples, steeples, priests and chor
isters," and the orator sealed his In
dignation with his blood. This feel
ing found popular echo in distant
provinces like Judea and Britain,
where it occasioned those frequent in
surrections which distinguished the
first century of our aera. The religion
which fomented these insurrections
was the worship of Caesa as the Su
preme Being. Though it led to Caes
ar's assassination by a party of Ro
man patricians, ho was supplanted by
Augustus, who, after his conquest of
the Roman world, adopted precisely
the same Impious pretension. Were
not Ptolemy, Antonlua, Seittts Pom
pejus, Delotaurus and many other
sovereigns, who were destroyed by
Augustus, worshipped by their sub
J'u aa god; and rould Augustus be
all. who had extended the Roman era
lire from Ude to India and from
Britain to th extremities of the
known world? In the reign of Trajan,
th rarrful Tacltim could afford to
write; "The reverent duo to the
(mhLmiO god m no longer esclu
alte, Austui claimed rqul wor
ship. Temp!?! werv ronrevrated and
linage envied to him; a mortal man
wiw worshipped; and prlt and rn
tlffa tr appointed to pay h!m Im
pious homage." But there im a dread
interval of nearly a century when to
have written as much would have cost
the historian his life, subjected his
relatives to banishment and confis
cated his and their patrimonies.
Our author shows upon a body of
evidence drawn largely from contem
poraneous inscriptions, coins and cus
toms, that it was upon this pivot, the
worship of the Caesars, , that turned
the history of Rome for centuries;
because even after the impious belief
was rejected by the educated classes,
iv. was- cherished by the vulgar. jYet
only the faintest allusions to it ;will
he found in our standard works of
reference. In Mr. Del Mar's work It
is brought into relief. It is then per
ceived that the true grandeur of Chris
tianity . and the ' moral lessons of its
conquest over paganism have been
hidden :from the light by a false his
tory of the Roman religion and its
development. ",No greater struggle
&as ever fought and none so belit
tled by petty conceits and fables. Not
only this, but if the edifice by which
the aims of civilization are supported,,
eontinues'to be poised upon the flimsy
foundations which the meaieval monks
constructed, it is exposed to the risk
of being injured by the attacks which
modern criticism and satire may make
upon these childish and vulnerable
elements,"
Passing from the religion to the
civil institutes of the Roman empire,
the author challenges the accepted
origin and spirit of the feudal system,
The views of Robertson, Hallam, Gui
zot, Buckle, Bishop Stubbs and oth
ers, are examined with a justice and
acumen that belong to tho highest or
der of historical criticism. Their at
tribution of feudalism to a barbarian
origin, their fixing it upon the basis of
military service, ,; their treatment of
beneiicium and commendatio, are scat
tered into thin air. Feudal systems
have been found In India, Japan,
Egypt, and Mexico, countries which
had nothing in commoL with the in
stitutions of medieval Europe, except
their hierarchical governments. Feud
alism Is even to be discerned in the
early days of the Roman empire, in
the charters of Julius and Augustus,
in the laws of Diocletian and Justin
ian, in the land tenures ana customs
whose roots were buried in the Sacred
College of paganism. We will not di
vest our author of the interest with
which h3 has invested this problem
by anticipating its solution. We rec
ommend its treatment as the best
specimen of historical writing which
has appeared since the publication of
Gibbon's immortal work,
The institutes of the Roman em
pire; the rise of Christianity; the
Christianization of these institutes;
the rise of the medieval empire; the
lost treaty of Seltz (between Charle
magne and Nicephort-s, defining their
respective boundaries, powers and
prerogatives); the constitution of the
medieval (German) empire; the fall
of the Roman (Byzantine) empire in
1204; the Guelf and Ghibelline wars;
and the legal and actual position of
the Roman provinces during these
changes, are told with a force of dic
tion, an elegance of style and a wealth
of illustration, which leaves nothing
to be desired by the reader. The work
is a revelation. It proves that the
archaelogical finis of the past half
century have placed at our command a
store of learning which only needs
scholarship, mental digestion and
charm of style to render it of absorb
ing interest and practical value to
the reading world. These arc Jhe ma
terials which our author brings to his
great task. The scaffolding of the
work is hid from sight; one sees only
the perfected edifice, In which there
are no awkward joints, no evidences of
patching, no tiresome digressions, no
second-hand evidences, no unneces
sary foot-notes. A perfect grasp and
critical sifting. of original evidences;
a ripe judgment in the selection and
arrangement of materials; a modest,
but complete, mastery of his subject;
thorough assimilation of its elements;
and a practiced hand In wielding the
pen. Such are the impressions which
the work conveys; a work which we
venture to say nust place ila author
upon a very high literary pedestal.
There it but one fault we have to
find with It. lt title. In full, In 'The
Middle Agm Bet lulled or the Roman
(Jovernment and Religion and their
Relation to Britain." and w are
bound to aay the work l faithful to
the Ml. But why only Britain! Why
nut "And their Relation tu Modern
tatea?" The author ahowa very con
rluiivwlf that Britain, long after the
Mine, when, aordln la relvtsl hl
t ry, It wm an Independent monsmhy.
a In fact merely a proving of th
Merarthy, gowned varl.nuly at
Treves, All U ChaMl or Rome, (
cording m tnrdttrat empervr or pope
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maintained the paramountship of the
slowly dying empire of Caesar. This
position was as true of i ranee as of
Berlin. Why not then have embraced
France in those - chapters on the
"Earliest exercise of eertain regalian
rights," "The i Birth of the Indepen
dent Monarchy," etc., which close this
memorable volume? ' Mr. Del Mar's
earlier works have been translated
into French, and -have a wide reading
in France. Has he not, in this in
stance, unwittingly t cut himself off
from a friendly market?
Our public libraries will peculiarly
appreciate Mr.; Del Mar s work. It Is
printed in bold type (old style, ten
point, leaded, with eight point notes),
on clear stout paper and copiously in
dexed. One of its chief features for
the librarian !: Is the bibliography,
which takes up 14 pages of eight-point
type and includes a number of rare
works, of which only a st"dent in the
great libraries of Europe would be
likely to have any knowledge. To
such works, the author attaches a
brief descriptive notice, which will be
useful to book collectors not having
access to the originals; and to all of
them he appends the shelf number of
the British museum library; in order
to save the student the trouble of
searching its immense catalogue, in
itself a library, we believe, of several
thousand volumes. Boston Public Li
brary Bulletin, July, 1901.
Christmas
If you will cut out this ad. and send
us 11.20 money order or stamps we
will send you 10 Elberta Peach trees
postpaid. We sell direct to tho planter
and save them agents commission.
No better trees grown. Write for
catalogue, Chattanooga Nurseries,
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Nebraska's heavenly twins have
had their noses put out of joint. It's
triplets nowDietrkh, Millard and
Weston.
There were only twenty football
players killed during the season that
ended last Thursday. The number
seriously maimed has not been re
ported. The grani Jury got Heaator DirlrWh
and the sheriff got Auditor Wmton,
and the question U, What 1I Ne
braska do for efflrera if thU thins
ttm on much longer?
The republican l.'nlted 8Utr sena
tor and the republican atate auditor
are both la the hand of the iherlHi.
The ttomtr'' ar having a hard
lime of it.
Railroad. frHghta r to be larrtly
I nerved in the southern ft? ty
meana of tfw UAin.-ati'n The
managers Rive aa a r'am for thh
increase that those states have greatly
increased taxation of the roads and
that is the only way the roads have
of getting the money to , pay the in
crease in taxes. That is the way the
roads have generally raised the mon
ey to pay increased taxes, but thjs is
the first time that they have frankly;
acknowledged it. ,
The, receivers have been discharged
and Dowie Is again In charge of Zion
and all its industries. From what oc
curred in court it appears - that the ,
forcing of. Dowle Into involuntary
bankruptcy was all spite work and,
malice. He is, and has been all the
time, perfectly solvent. No matter
what Dowle's freaks may be, before
the law he should be treated the same
as all other men.
The citizens of Hdye Park, which ia
part of Chicago, held a monster mass
meeting and adopted a resolution,
making a vigorous protest against
sensational ' newspaper accounts of;
crimes and of the prison life and od
the trials and hangings of criminals.1
The Standard Oil trust was proven
guilty of bribery at Peoria last Tues
day. Its agents bribed clerks in an
Independent company to furnish in-,
formation. Let the young men hasten
with their subscriptions to the Rocke
feller temple so that it can always
stand as an incentive to form trusts,
get rebates from railroads and in
duce young people to become bribe
takers. The Chicago dailies, and they are'
no worse than those of New York,
have so demoralized the whole pop
ulation that the only amusement of
the children is to play that they are
bandits in a cave, or detectives net
ting shot. Such publications should
be banished from every American
home.
Some of the New York naoers hav
got up enough courage to remark that
I'latt Is suspected of a Tammanv
leaning In municipal affairs. Tho In
dependent was the only paper in the.
United States to tell the truth lhnntt
the matter in the first nlace. If Odll
sucteedii In unhomlriff the "ruv
bo'' then the New York nanera will
come out and tell the whole truth
about the defeat of Low. otherwlaa
they will not. There are aeveral hun
urei voter in N?w York who rely;
upon The Independent for their news
Initrad of the daMea In their reatf
rlty.
Scnaiblt Social!!
IMitOf Independent: Kneloned find
pratoffiee order fur i While I am m.
ftMMM I eny reading Th Indepm
en very mult and wUh sou all th.
timm to)bl. OKO. A. 1.ITTI.U.
famht'trr, N. ,
