The Labor enquirer., 1884-05-10
SELF rRnsERvAT1on.

in the third century VI tne Onristiah elss no
The origin of this mass emigration il
enveloped in the dark veil of traditional
uncertainty, yet these hordes of savage
barbarians evidently had broken loose
from the yoke Of the powerful Chinese
far away in eastern Asia, and poured
down upon the east and later upon the
vest Roman empire.
The Roman people had become the
enervated slaves of luxurious nobility
and royalty. Corruption stalked upon
high stills throughout the vast empire,
Art and industry had fallen into ruin and
decay. Virtue and manhood had be.
come things of the past. The hordes Of
the Hunnen and Allannen, the Goths
and Vandals, the Gin mbrians and Teutors
and other tribes, warlike, independent
and victorious, soon crushed out what
little yalor, organization and complete.
ness existed in Bizantine and Rome and
new plane of existence became estab,
lished. A fresh virtue extended its res,
urrecting influence over whole Europe
and northern Africa, and what seemed
adestroying deluge, an annihilating ava
lanche, proved a permanent improve
ment upon the decaying and corrupt civ
llization of the Roman era. These
Lz:.4;o ,.ooaIo rubo n 90 rriod with them a
purely democratic standardization, in
fused new life into Europe, and by de-
struction, erected vigorous nationalities
upon the degenerated and doyer-ciyilized,
vet semi, barbarous, old and classic world.
These wild tribes were of necessity
forced to seek new homes and fresh
countries, leaving behind an over-peo-
pled world. They practically again
demonstrated that "self-preseryation is
the first law of nature"
The inhabitants of that part of Eu-
rope which became prey to the armed
emigrants from Asia, flew to its self
preservation and the consequences were
towns walled in with defensive stone
walls, more castles and strongholds and
more crowding together ofrthe poorer
classes into these protective towns and
places. Thus time wore on. The mighty
and powerful gradually, being the
wealthier and and having the greater
privileges, subjugated the laborers, artl-
sans and peasants more thoroughly. The
lower classes had to work for the lords OF
the ground. and had to give their unpaid
time and unvalued lives toward the de-
fense of their masters families and
property. Gradually they became bound,
slaves, thralls, serfs, or Leibeigene, &C
cording to the manners and customs OF
the different nationalities. They had nc
wills of their own. They had no home
except such as their lords would lease
them. They had to fight the battles oi
their masters, whose feuds and quarrels
were innumerabIe, so soon as the coun-
try became more peaceable and was out
of danger of the lnroads of foreign enc
mics. This serfdom became an institu
ton so widespread and vast that with
the passing generations it was inoculatec
into the ideas of the poor, neglected peo
pie as an institution of ordination. AnC
in spite of all this martyrdom of the
masses, their intellect dulled, was NO
destroyed.
This terrible period of human history
produced two of the grea test discoveries
and inventions ever made by men. That
of powder in 1880 and of printing il
l45O. Contemporaneous with these grea
achievements of the brain of the poo
classes, sciences and education became
more popular and general. Paper, made
of linen, wood-cutting and other inVen
tions, wonderfully assisted in elevatini
the masses and pave the way to NOR
extensive thinking and observing. Th
mluuo VI GuS pOOUlC OOCaLAO hOAS eA-
suaged from its dark superstition AM
and thralldom and gradually produce(
light into spiritual night. The discover,
of the western hemisphere followe'
soon, as did the reformation with it
cruel war of thirty years duration. Bot
events distracted the mind of the masse
from their misery and utter serfdom. Ye
it loosened the same greatly, and les
sened the might of the powerful. Th
masters, however, became more tYran
nical than ever, and rlveted the chain
of their slaves tighter than before, unit
they became unbearable and in 1927 tn
poor masses of Germany, in utter despel
alton, rose and struck heavy blows TO
their liberty, yet without success. Thei
leaders, Thomas Muenzer ard other
were not equal to the occasion and onl
gave the masters an excuse for deepe
and more lasting tyranny. They ais
made the great mistake to mix libert
with religious dissension. They, how
ever, demonstrated that "self-preservs
ton is the first law of nature.
W. X.-CARL WULsrEN.
ITO be Continued
Socialism and Christianity.
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