New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-23

"A HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORKING PEOPLE
TMG ADOPTION OF CHRISTIANITY BY CON-
sTANTINE. by G; Osborne w "a AZ Iowdep,,
milk Co.
This is decidedly curious and original DOOR,
Precisely what object its author had in composing
IL is somewhat difficult TO determine put 'he
presumption must be that it was written Tor the
special benefit of the modern labor orgamzauons,
and not improbably with special eye 10 the
establishment of nineteenth century Anarchists
and revolutionary agitators generally. Mr.. Ward
has evidently searched diligently and widely lor
the material of his book, and has brought under
contribution a formidable array OF both anelent
and modern authors Unfortunately, however,
he entered upon his task with strong proposes
sions and the inevitable result is that he has
continually read meanings into obscure and frag-
mentary records which are palpably without
warrant His object is to show that labor or
canizations and strikes are as Old as history
Now. the difficulties of such an undertaking are
well-nigh nsuperable, and for reason which
Mr.. Ward, perhaps, justly complains oi-naney'
the common neglect by nearly every ancieho
historian of tie doings and interests OF the work.
ing classes. 1t is, because of this conspiracy
of silence much easier TO prove that history was
written for the rich alone than to deducc IRON
tho absence of mention of the ancient lowly," as
Mr.. Ward calls them, any clear or IN the lcaso
trustworthy ideas as to what they did and SUI
fered.
That the working people in both republican
ond imperql Rome and no less in Greece, were
The mudsillsr of society despised, neglected ana
onnressed by the ruling classes, is common linoWl-
cdue of course That there were not lnfrequehU
servile instructions, both in Greece ana home' Is
equally familiar. But, as to any precise da'a
regarding the old labor organizations, II such
there indeed were; as 10 their regulations pur-
noses and methods the available evidence is far too
scantv and scattered to afford the framework OF
consecutive and detailed history. 10 create Uhe
semblance of such history 1t is, therefore, hoo
essarv to have constant recourse TO conjecture anu
Imagination, and the reader need not DE surprised
20 encounter at every turn in these pages such
expressions as it is possible" IL may DC as
sumedn such-and-such events must have &C.
cprreda-and similar acknowledgements OF dlgres-
sion from n matter-of-fact basis The straits 10
which an author with such purpose is necessarily
driven NAV be Judged from the fact that ME-
Ward gravely represents the revolt OF SphrtacuS
As workingmens rebellion. If history Is III any
way trustworthy, the kind of people VINO hockeu
IN the standard of the insurgent gladiator be-
longed as rule, to what would nowadays DC
called the dangerous classes. Doubtless opartacuS
had ample justification for his course anu us
ultimate failure can only Dt ItSAVN'NN'
Roman mower was the greatest nuisance and evil
then existing and it is hardly possible 10 CONCEIVE
Of its being supplanted by anything worse. But
~ call Snartacus labor leader is to confound
noorings honelesslv and to create false ana
misleading mythology
We observe in Mr. Ward disposition to enlarge
and exaggerate the statements OF his authorities
Mt times As q case in point take his ASSERTION
ON the strength of a passage IN AthenaeuS thaV
private gladiatOrial shows were given IN Rome
and that at these shows women and sometimes
children also were made to fight TO the dcath'
Now all that Athenaeus says Is thar certain
rich man left a will providing for such an
exhibition but that the public were so shocked
and angered that they caused the VIII to DC
declared null and void on account of these
barbarous provisions. The matter is not of much
consequence, but on the principle ex pede Her
culem" a single instance of the kind justihes
susnicion ON considerable scale The general
drift of the evidence such as it is, cannot be
regarded as encoura ging TO those modern egotlstS
who think it possible to overturn the eAlSthg
civilization by violence. However we may choose
IN designate the rcvolts and rsings chroncled
by Mr. Ward, it is sufficiently obvious 'Uldt
they were disastrous failures in every instance
and that the longer it was delayed the more
crushing was the final catastrophe. Perhaps not
much credence should be given 10 the aucleh1
use of numbers The strong presumption is that
they were employed quite vaguely and reckeAsiy,
and that the accounts Of armies and mobS ana
nominations found in classical works should be
taken with much allowance. When we are asked
70 believe that several millions of worklnsmen
perisbed in the revOltS of Spartacus or OF EunhS
we must consequently decline 10 accept such
statements and we must recall the fact that
nopulation everywhere was comparatively thin
during the AGES in which force ruled, and the
ethics which underle regard for human llic' ana
,be knowledge which in modern times enables
mankind to encounter nature on something Ike
equal terms were alike wanting TO stimulate
and maintain its growth
Mr. Ward has a great deal of curious iniorma-
ton about the ancient guilds but here again ne
eonfuses things, for those guilds were certainly
not in any true sense prototypes OF modern LABOR
organizations, but in their nature captalistc ana
aiming at monopoly, were the almost similar
associations of the Middle Ages. The historical
sense is sadly lacking in this author, indeed, and
IT, IS evident that his material has been too much
for him. 1t is not digested His information has
not been so assimilated as to enttle him 10 the
designation of a learned writer. lie has accumu-
lated n mass of fragments, and he has in a wholly
unscientiEc and lawless way endeayored to compose
n symmetrical figure out Of them. The result IS
what might have been expected, namely. crudlty,
looseness and incoherence. The book cannot DC
said to possess much historic value, in fact but
il is interesting account of its oddly and the
painstaking and really considerable labor eXpend-
ed upon it.