Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-04-04

Otuef dmpulbuOatSTS were
In different parts of the
,ity, at public expense, for the gra-
tuitous qualification of the same class
Of people. Enormous circuses-race-
courses in fact-were constructed by
the Emperors to afford amusement to
The proletarian class.
The circus of Maximus, on the |
ground celebrated as the scene of the |
Sabine rape, was 2, 1877 feet long by $50 |
feet in breadth. The circuit of the |
seats was one mile in length. 1t would |
seat 250, 900 persons. Sometimes ahun-
dred chariots would enter for the race
at on e; and the Emperor himself |
would drive one, and compete for the
prize, and the applause of the Com
munist deadheads who watched the
races and roared their appreciation.
The Circus of Maxentius was ], $50 feet
long by $50 broad, and would seat 100,-
600 spectators. Nero built a circus on
the ground where now stands st. Peters
Church, which would accommodate 49,
900 spectators. There were several
other smaller ones.
But the fastidious tastes of the Com
munists required higher order of amuse-
ment, called theaters and alarge num-
Der of these were constructed and
operated for their ediication and de-
light. The best Thespian talent of the
Empire was procured at the expense of
the Public Treasury. Tragedy, comedy,
farce, melodrama, and the spectacular
ballet were all brought out and pre-
sented to the critical discernment of the
hypercritical deadheads, who applauded
or hissed the acting, just as one sees
nowadays.
A fourth kind of amusement provided
by the State was called the Baths, or
Therm@, which were really club houses,
got up on style of magnificence un-
known and unapproachable in modern
times. The ruins of these Baths ex-
cite little less wonder now that the stu
.pendous remains of the Coliseum itself
brace space four or five times as great
as the Court House square of Chicago.
Those of Constantine, Nero, Titus,
Trajan, and Agrippa, were not greatly
inferior to Caracallas. None of them
could be built now for less than many
millions of dollars. In one of those
club houses, the chief bathing pond or
lake would accommodate / 900 persons
at one time. There were dozen smaller
and more private bathing apartments in
this building. Streams of hot water
poured into the ponds to temper the
GOODNESS of the water. In reach of these
great Therm@ was a grand Public Lii
brary Hall, built after the style of a
temple, supported by lofty marble or
granite columns. The walls and cell
ings were frescoed with marble, in the
most exquisite taste; and the very floor
was fresco-work. The library-room of
the Bath of Dioclesian is now the
Church of st. Bernardo, and is one of
the largest and most beautiful III Rome.
The enormous granite and marble pill
lars OF the old ibrary-room still sup
port the massive brick-arched roof, a
hundred feet above the floor, which has
rested securely on these supports six
teen centuries. The great bath at this
establishment accommodated 5000
swimmers at one time /; and the circum-
ference of the whole building was more
than three quarters of a mile The
quantity of its ruins still visible is pro-
digious.
| In these cIub-houses the news of the
day was discussed. In the library and
reading-rooms the latest news was dis
played on bulletin boards, and read and
| speculated upon. just as one sees nova
days at bulletin board containing tel
egraphic dispatches. These club OF
lighthouses were also free to the COM
munity. They were built and support.
ed at the public expense of the Empire,
and used for the pleasure and benefit oi
the indignent gentlemen of elegant
leisure who abounded in Rome in those
days.
But, when the masses of the popu
lace were provided SO many time killing
amusements, the enjoyment thereof
necessarily abridged the time that
should be devoted to labor. To over
come this difficulty was easy enough
1t was simply not to work but live al
public expense. They said they were
entitled to le sure and amusement az
well as the rich who lived on their in
come and why should they spend thei,
valuable lives in toll for the benefit OF
capitalists when they could live at the
expense of the National Treasury
They went to the Emperors and tht
Senate with the cry of "Bread OF
Blood" There was no eight-or-si1
Overwhelmingly nonsense
about their demand. They opened
their minds freely and spoke thei
thoughts boldly. Gentlemen" sait
they, "g give us food and clothing, ant
slaves to wait on us, fuel and furniture
and house rent free, or down come you
thrones and dignities I" Public mel
could be exceedingly free and generou
in voting and giving away otherpeople'
property in those days as in these
The Government, to satisfy tn
demands of the Roman rabble
increased the taxes and tithes of tn
provinces and colonies, and enforced tn
collection by the sword. Millions O
cattle and sheep were then collected an,
driven into Rome to be slaughtered an,
distributed to the Communists gratuit
ously. Millions of tons of breadstuff
were taken from the farmers of the pro
,, vinces, and given to the same class
The factories and workshops of tn
colonies paid tribute to their handicraft
! to be disposed of in the same way q
!, the cattle and -four. But the Romal
Communists also demanded money
hard cash-and the demagogues exact
ed millions of pounds of coin from tn
masses of the people of the Empire t.
; donate to the voracious sponges of tn
Capital. Deadheading and free-lunch
ing were reduced to science. Every
thing was without money or price
nothing was earned by labor. Their
was a free blow" all round the boar,
among these toiling, horny handed q
,, SONS Of labor" The Empire was tn
orange that was squeezed and sucked
1t was converted into Universal Re
? lief and Aid Society for the support an
emolument of the sturdy lazzaroni @
! the Capital, who had increased th
1 hours of leisure and reduced those of La
Dor to the point where the latter var
8 lshed and the former embraced th
9 twenty-four hours per day.
This state of things was not the wor
Q of year or a generation. 1t commence
with small demands, made on the frs
I Emperor, which were not easily disti1
guished from charity, and increased
degrees, and grew on what it fed Th
rulers gave way step by step. The col
cessions of one Emperor furnished prs
n cedents for the next not to be gainsai
s or resisted, except at his peril.
After time, the support of the Rt
d man Communists became an intolerabl
8 burden, too heavy to be borne by th
n people of the provinces and, one afte
g the other, they revolted and threw off th
grievous yoke, or refused to resist th
Q invasion of the Goths and Huns-bt
!: ieving that a changs of masters woul