News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-12-06

The New York Hour, in speaking oi
the dangers that beset this country
| gives us the following picture OF tne
| downfall of Rome:
Two thousand years ago Rome was
the world and the City of Rome was the
worlds centre. From the imperial clty
went out the decree that "all the worlo
should be taxed" and all the world
made haste to comply with the ORDER
having learned by variety Of expert
ences, all depressing, that remonStrance
would be useless and resistance tataI'
The great city possessed every apparent
element of stability. She had the wealth.
peculiar to great cities in general she
was the seat of the supreme govern
ment, the center and source of the ma
tional power, and the great intellects OF
the empire coDgregated within her walls.
Her citizens We're free to devote almost
their entire attention to problems OF
government, for besides having money
in abundance they had been supplied,
by various successful wars, with an
army of slaves, by whom all manual
labor and much intellectual drudgery
was done. Everything that the lntelll-
gence and art of the age had accom-
plished was at the service Of Romans OF
wealth and position the stage, the To-
rum, the sculptor's chisel, contributed to
the delectation of ear and eye. Even
the poorer classes were better off than
the rich of other cities, for aspiring cltl-
zens competed for the privilege Of sup
plying baths, games and spcctacles for
the masses. All roads led 70 Rome, and
over them came every luxury that the
empire afforded over them came, too,
from all provinces, countless men and
women, whose birthplaces were unable
to confine their restless minds and sat-
isfy the ambitions that had been created
and stimulated by rumors of what the
great city desired and gave.
Wealthy, powerful and without foreign
enemies or even rivals, Rome's position
as ruler of the world seemed established
for ali time; but at the moment of her
greatest apparent security the destruc-
ton Of the great city and the nation of
which she was the centre began, and the
destrOycrs were her own citizens and
those whom she had taken to her heart.
Lust Of power had replaced love of cOun-
try i'll the minds of the men to whom
she entrusted the administration of her
afInirs: personal qualification was a
stronger motive than patriotism among
the mass of her citizens. Her walls en-
ciIcled thousands of men who had come
to Rome only for what she could give
them, and without the slightest desire or
willingness to give anything in return.
No one could be trusted; a wealthy citi-
zen elevated to honorable Office might
be without temptation to steal, but he
bartered the peoples rights for whatever
might crafty his ambition, his pride or
his revenge. His peers in position might
protest to one another, but beyond this
they seldom went, for the chains Of lux
ury were hard to break. So when Caesar
led a Roman army against Rome itself
he met no resistance worthy of the name.
He did not abuse his power by theft or
debauchery; hemerely ruled for the sake
of ruling, and although a few citizens
were patriotic enough to put him to
death, they could not summon sutii-
cient following to prevent the moral and
material disintegration which had begun,
and which, with only occasionalreapites,
continued until Rome became only a
! ruin and name.