The Portland daily press., 1881-11-29
tJohn Fske In Harper's Magazine
Why America Was not Colonized
in the Eleventh Century,

The state OF Europe at that time was not
one which afforded surplus energy for distant
enterprise. In the year 1000, when white
men frst wintsred in NJ Massachusetts,, the Dane
Swegon Forkbeard was wrestling the lordship
of England from the feeble grasp OF Ethelred
the Unready. Robert the Debonair, unwarlike
son of the sagacious and valiant Hugh Cspet,
King of the French in name, but in reality
master of very little territory beyond the i'm
mediate neighborhood of Paris, was waging
doubtful struggle with unruly yassals, some Of
whom quite surpassed the Crown in wealth
and power The youthful Otto Ill, the "won-
der of tie world" had just made his wierd
visit to the tomb Of his mighty predecessor at
Aachen before starting on that last journey to
Rome which in less than two years was to cost
him bis life. Gerbert. most erudts Of popes--
too learned not to have had dealings with the
devil-Gerbert. elected through Otto's infiu-
ence to the headship of the Church, was but
beginning to raise the papacy out OF che abyss
of infamy into which the preceding age had
seeni sink-and so to prepare the way for the
far reaching reforms of Hildebrand. In this
YEAR. Stephen, first Christian king OF the Hun
garians, began to reign; and the power OF heret-
,cal Bulgaria, which had threatened TO over
whelm the Eastern Empire was broken up ~
the attack of the Macedonian BASIL In this
wear Olaf Trvggesson was overthroHn. and the
kingdom of Norway divided for a time oetween
Swedes and Danes. In this year the Cnris.
tians of Spain met defeat at the hands OF
AImansur aud the Mohammedan dominion
there still seemed destined TO endure. From
end to end Europe was scene OF dire confu-
sion; and though to US, looking back upon 1t,
the time seems not devoid of promise, there
was no cheering outlook then Nowhere were
the outlines of Kingdoms or the ownership OF
crowns definitely settled. Private war was
both universal and incessant: even the Truce
It God had not yet been proclaimed As Tor
the common people, their hardships were we'll
nigh Incredible There was no commerce
worthy OF mention, and but little tiling Of the
SOIL except in serfage, and famines were fire.
quent and terrible a. to-day in India. In the
chronicles of the time we tnd many reports OF
cannibalism, and even of ghoulism, the horrid
accompauimeuts OF season OF starvation.
Amid all tn IS anarchy and misery, at the close
of the thousandth year from the birth OF Christ
the belief was general throughout Europe that
the Day of Judgment was at hand-tbat tho
world, grown old in wickedness, was At length
ripe for destruction.
A period like this was not fitted for colo
nial enterprise. because all the vital energy in
Europe was consumed in efforts for the ad-
iustment of European affairs. Before peo-
pie can fUuud colonies, IL must have solved tue
problem oI political life at home, at least 90
far as to secure stability OF trade. II is the
mercantile spirit which has supported modern
col nization, aided by the spirit OF romantic
adventure and the spirit OF intellectual curl
osIty. In tue eleventh century there vas no
intellectual curiosity outside the monastery
walls; nor had this FEELING become anywhere
enlisted in the service of commerce. Romantic
adventure, such as there was. consisted IN
brutal buccaneering. There was no such thing
ss a commercial marine, and on land the ca
reer of the trader was restrained by the roboer
baron. Iu those days the fashionable method
of compoundIng with your creditors was, not
10 offer them thirty cents on dollar, but 70
inveigle them into your castle and broll them
over q GLOW fire. l3fI