Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-09
WY AMERICA WAs NOG s~LOSlz4D
N TIE ELEVENTH CRsTlBH.

1ne 6Iate or Europe at bDhl bItuo WIS
not one which afforded surplus energy
for distant enterprise. In the year lou,
when white men first wintsred IN Mas
sachusetts the Dane, Swe2en Forkbeard.
Was Wrestling the lords Ip of England
from ths feeble grasp OF Ethelred the
Unready. Robert the Debonair. unvar
like son Of the sagacious and valiant
Hugh Capet, King Of the french in name,
but in reality master Of very little terri
tory beyond the immsdiats nsiehborhood
Of Paris. was wagiug a doubtful struggle
With nuruly vassals, some of whom sur
passed the crown in wealth and power.
The Youthful OTTO Ill. the wonder of
the world" had Just made his weird visit
TO the tomb Of his mighty predecessor
at Aachen before starting on that last
Journey t. Rome which in less than two
Years was to cost him his life. Gerbert,
most erudits of PJpes-tOo learned not
10 have had dealings With the devil
Gorbert, elected throogh Otto's influence
to the headship Of the church. was but
beginning to raiss the Papacy out OF the
abyss of infamy into which the prec.d-
ing age had seen 1t sink, and 80 to pre-
pare the way for the far-reaching re-
forms of Hildebrand. la this year Ste
phen, first Christian King of the Hun
gariAns, began 10 reign, and the power
of heretical Bulgaria, which had threat
ened to overwheim the l. tstern empire,
WAS broken by the att ick OF the Mace
DOMAIN Basil. In this year Olaf Trygg-
ycsSon WAS overthr swn, and tie Kingdom
OF Norway divided for a time between
= sedes and Danes. In this year the
CHRISTIANS of Spain net defeat at the
hands of Almansur, ano the Mohamme-
dan dominion there still seemed destined
to endure. From end 10 eud Europe WAS
I scene of dire confusion; and though
To us, looking back upon 1t, the time
seems not devoid OF promise, there WIS
no cheering outlook then. Nowhere !
were the outlines of kingdoms or the |
oVnership of crowns definitely settled. |
Private var was both universal and in |
ce5sant; even the Truce Of God had no. |
yet been proclaimed. As for the CON- |
mon people. their. hardships were we'll |
nigh incredible. There was no Com |
MERGE worthy of mention, and bat little /
tiliIng of the soil, except lu serfa. @. and |
faniues We're frequent ana terrible, rs /
today in India. In the chronicles of the |
time we find many reports OF ctnnioll- |
ism, ana even of ghoulI5n, the horrid |
accompaniments Of "a season OF starva |
ton. Amid all this anarchy and misery, |
1T the close of the thDusandth year from |
tho birth of Christ. the belief WAS gen |
eral throughout Europe that the Day of |
Judgment was at hand-'hat the world, |
CLOWN old in wickedness, was at length |
ripe for destruction.
period like this Was not fitted for |
colonial enterprise, because All,the vital
energy ia Europe was consumed Iii efforts |
for the adjustment of European affairs. |
Before a people Can found colonies, IT |
must have solved the problem of pollti- |
cal life at home, ri least SO far "a To So |
cure stability of trade. 1t il the merc4E- |
tile spirit winch has supported modern |
colonization, aided by the spirit of 70
mantle adventure and the spirit of IN
telectual curiosity. In the eleventh CEN
fury there WAS no intellectual curiosity |
outside of tho monastery walls; nor b ID |
this feeling become anywhere enlisted in |
the service Of commerce.. Romantic ad- |
venture, such AZ there was, consisted |
mostly in brutal buccaneering. There |
WAS no such thing AZ commercial ma |
rine, and on land the career Of the trader
was restrained by the robbsr baron. In |
those days the fashionable method of
compJunding with your creditors was,
not to offer them thirty cents on the dol
lar, bnt Ia inveigle them into your castle
and broil them over slow fire.-Har-
per's Magazine.