The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-29


held in public opinion to havo done nothing but
resume IN authority which had boon abused In
tho hands Of unworthy deputies. Passing to
the Franks. we find that Clovis. after hs sue
cesscs over the Burgundans and Visigoths
had made him master Of nearly the
whole Of France. was glad to receive from
Anastasius. Emperor OF the East. tho title and
insignia Of Consul and Pat riciun. which secured
to him in the eyes Of his new subjects the legal
possession OF all his conquests. With the ex-
ception OF tho Lombards. who. although vossals
for a time. seem TO have assumed recusant
and indcpcndon. attitude after they left Panno-
MIA for upper Italy and Of the Nandnls in Africa,
who. under Justinon. were expelled ns In
trudcrs. and perhaps we ought 10 add the case Of
the later Nsigothlc sovcrclgns in Spain. the idcn
OF n nominal allegiance TO n central authority
was everywhere current in the West. To the
contemporary observer, therefore. the political
change was much less striking and decisive
than has sometimes been supposed. Il ia true
the Emperor WIS remote and that in practice
the power Of German ruler in given state
was worry lttlo restricted But such had always
been the casc under the old Imperial regime OF
Project. Consul. and Patrician.
IA regards the breadth and depth Of the social
transformation. it ia equally useful TO correct
aOme misconceptions. Tho amount Of dls.
turbanco was greatest In tho Frank and Lom-
bard monarchics. and least In he Gothic king.
doms. but in general it may be- said that the
infusion OF now blood was completed without
any grave amount Of friction or Interference.
In all Of Tho now States Roman subjects were
suffered to retain the Roman law. and in tho
realm OF Theodore tho Goths woro subjected
TO tho same code the only distinction mado
being n provision that u Count u their nation
efs. 4 al. ...st.
Assessors. As regards the maintenance
and the propagation Of the Christian faith.
tho encouragement Of industries. Of arts.
and even Of literature. the Gothic courts
nj Ravenna and Toulouse were nowlse bo-
hind Constan,inople. But tho economic change
resulting from tho apportonment OF land
and the regulation OF military service had
most salutary influence on the eX-
hausted provinces ct the West Here
again. souc differences will BE- noted according
to tho location OF different TcutonIc settlers
aud the duration of their contact with Roman
institutions. A a rule they oxactcd only one.
third OF the land. and cyon this usually con-
sisted ~ estates which had eschcatod 70 the
imperial exchcuuer. or whc h. accumulated in
the hands OF great land owners. had remained
untitled for centuries. There eau be no qucs-
ton that the productive capacity was greatly
augmented by TINS step. much ~ that OF mode rn
France was upon the sale Of eonnsoated property
10 tho peasants during the Revolution. More
over IA the reut1nic commonwealth the new
settlers bore part Of the fiscal burdens. and
among tho 0stroSoths in Italy full share with
the Roman citizen. While the natural resources
Of the country or tho means 81 Daymen, were
thus developed. the necessity Of expenditure
and the volume of contributions were curtalled
Previously the Roman farmer or artisan had
been heavily taxed Tor the constant manten-
ance OF mercenary troops on tho frontiers
Now those merrenar.cs had become his fellow
subjects engaged like him in productive occu.
paiions during peace and ready 10 assume the
whole business Of protection In case of war
The far-reachlng IMPORT OF this economl-
cal revolution cannot b. overestimated
There was % be no lack Of hardship
Of brutality. Of injustice in the centuries inter-
yening between Clovis and Charlemagnc; but
M to tho formation Of the icudal system we hear
very little about fiscal extortlon. very little
about tho deliberate rejection OF real estate rs
an incubus or Of official dignities as the har-
bngers OF spollaton. Indeed. the Ostrogothic
settlers must have conferred n verltable blcss-
ing upon the Italian rural districts. The
enormous sheep farms. to which so often
the ruin Of tho State had been ascribed
were for the most part cut up into small
holdings and brought once more under the
plough. The Gothic tenants OF these farms
constituted the sole military force mustered
by the rulcr' but far from receiving on that no.
count immunity from labor they were obliged
20 deiray from the toll OF their own hands. their
quota Of the public burdens IN n word. the
rehabilitation Of the Peninsula as seli-sus-
tanning State may be traced In the first Instance
10 the great agraran measure introduced by
Theodore. Without dwelling further on these
and cognate considerations, more or less clearly
signalized in the book under review we may
safely affirm that the influence Of tho German
settlers IA the West. between the lfth and tho
ninth centuries, was rather conservative than
destructive. And certainly 1t canno, De charged
with anything like the measure OF damage and
disintegration which followed the establish
ment Of the feudal system under the later Carlo
vingians.
There is still another matter to which recent
events might induce Us 10 look with some
curiosity and concern but rs TO which the popu-
lar histories Of the nediasyal times supply no
precise and satisfactory information. What Is
the origin and nature OF the spiritual authority
supposed ~ DE welded over othodox Mussul-
mans By the Ottoman sultan? How did the lat
.er get his ti.le Of Calph. and what would his
Caiiphaie be worth 10 him in case his military
force should suffer grave and prolonged eclipse ?
Are there individuals or families In the Moslem
world who can show a better warrant than the
descendant OF the Turkish Sultans to the title OF
Gods Vicar and Commander Of the Faithful 2
All these questions are pertinent 10 the problem
OF reconstruction which would naturally be
forced on Islam should tho system bnilt on
Turkish authority give way. 1t is highly
creditablc to tho author OF this small volume
that in one place or another he supplies an
answer TO nearly ALL Not. Of course. that he
attempts 10 treat at any length tho disputed
succession 10 the Prophet, OF traces in A single
chapter the winding thread Of transmission by
which the sovereign OF Stamboul derives some
questionable rights. But scattered up and
down his pages viii be found most Of the need
ful data set forth in thor relation 10 contem-
porarY events,
In tho frs, place there has always been a
rooted and pcrvasiY0 sentiment in the ranks oil
Islam. potent alike with the orthodox and the
schismatlcs. namely that the place Of Vicar or
successor Of the Prophet belongs Of right to the
family Of Mohammed Repeatedly this convic-
ton has triumphod in fact. and while II may
seem to have been dormant at certain periods