The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-03-14
ROMAN vs.. ENGLISH IDEA.
Methods % .'Nssiss-nskins' Dissa.s.s
bV Js,fn RfskS

by Jeks Riske,
John Fiske, the eminent historical
writer OF Cambridge, lectured re-
Gently In Boston, Mass, In aid of
the library Of the girls High and
Herald, was the Roman and the
English idea OF nation-making. In
his very interesting and intEoduc-
tory remarks he abolished the land
mark 50 often set up as the line d.
vidiBg ancient from modern history
the year i76. The men Of AS never
dreamed that the Roman empire
came TO an end or was ever likely TO.
lts cities might be plllsged, lts
provinces OverruB, but the supreme
imperial power itself was something
without which the men Of those
days could not imagine the world ss
existing. III the throne In Italy was
vacant, 10 was no more than had
happened before; there was still h
throne ut Constsntinople, and TO lite
occupant, Zeno, the Roman Senate
sent a message saying that one EN-
peror Was enough for both ends Of
:he earth, and begging him TO confer
upon the gallant Odoyckar the title
patrician, and intrust the affairs Of
Italy to his care. Countless ex-
smples show that the event Of 4I8
Was understood a. the virtual re-
union OF the west and east under q
single head, and the impressive scene
in 81. Peters on the Christmas Of
80, when Pope Leo Ill. placed the
diadem Of the Caesars upon the frank
ish brow OF Charles the Great, was
regarded, not a5 the restoration OF
an empire once extingulshed, but n
a new separation between east and
west, a retransfer of the worlds pO-
litical center from the Bosphorus tO
the Tiber, and the lecturer traced the
line Of this government through Its
various national ramificatlons down
almost to the fourteenth century.
with great political systems. as
with typical forms Of organic life,
the processes OF development aud
extinction are exceedingly slow, aud
it l. seldom that the changes can he
sharply marked by dates. The pro-
cesses which have gradually shifted
the seal of the empire until the pre-
eminent part played nineteen ecu
tuaies ago by Rome and Alexandria,
on opposite sides OF the Mediter-
ranean. has been at length assumed
10y London aud New York, on OppO-
site sides OF the Atlantic, form O
most interesting subject OF study,
and there has been q gradual shift
ing Of primary from the men who
spoke Latin Ia the men who speak
English.
All political history IL the history
- sn.al.NEFar
together OF primitive shifting tribes
into powerful nations, we can seem
to discern three different methods
that have been followed at different
times and places with widely diff
ferent results. In all eases the
fusion has been effected by war, but
IL has gone on in three broadly con-
trasted ways. The first Of these
methods, which has been followed
from time immemorial In the orr.
entail world, may be roughly de-
seribed as a conquest without incOr-
pOration; the second, the Roman
method, conquest with lncorpOra-
tiOn, but without representation,
and therefore ended In despOtism;
aud the English, in which repre-
ssntatlOn Is the keystone. The En-
glish method of matchmaking diff.
fers from the Oriental and Roman
methods, In that IL contains the
principle Of representation. For
this reason, though, like all nation
making, IL was in its early stages at
tended with war and conquest, II,
nevertheless does not necessarily re-
quire war aud conquest In order TO
be put into operation. OF the other
two methods, war was an essential
part. In the typical Oriental nation,
such as Assyria or Persia, we see n
cOnquerlug tribe holding down u
number OF vanquished peoples, and
treating them like slaves; here the
nation Is very imperfectly made.
and Its government Il subject 10 viO-
lent and sudden changes. In the
Roman Empire we see q couqueTing
people hold sway over q number Of
vanquished peoples, but Instead Of
treating them like slaves, gradually
makes them Its equals before the
law; here the resulting body IL much
more nearly q nation, and Its govern
ment II much more stable. OF the
English or TeutOnfc method, wsr IL
not an essential part, for where
representative government ~ once
established IL H. possible for u great
nation to be formed by peaceful co
alescence of neighbOring states az by
their union into q federal body. The
union Of England and Scotland and
of the northern and southern states
fully illustrates this. The fallscy OG
the idea that republics must he small
vas shown aud the beginnings uf
representation, in Teutouic march
meetings and representative as
semblies a. based on the principles
Of the three estates-clergy, mobiles
and cOmm0ns-which afterwarh
merged Into Q national parliament,
limiting the powers Of the national
monarch A. the primary tribal as
senbly had limited the powers Of
the tribal chief. IL was for this rea-
son this method Of nation making
must be called the English method,
for while the idea OF a representa-
ton was, perhaps, the common
prUp riy Of the TeutOnlc tribes, IL
was only in England that IL was sue
cessfully put into practice and be-
came the dominant political idea.
The popularity of the TeutOnic
consequent Of Great Britain, the
survival and development of Tru-
tonic representative assembly In
England, the fact that TeutOuic in-
situations were less modified in En-
gland than In Germany, the barous'
war and the establishment of the
first House Of Commons were treated
in q most Instructive manner by the
lecturer, who, speaking OF that
Principle of govern
ment, mo taxation without repre-
sentaIlon," said: without unre-
hitting watchTulness we eau not be
sure that the day Of peril II yet past.
From kings we have no more to
fear; they come To he a. spOok and
bOgles OF the nursery. But the
grAvest dangers are those which |
present themselves In new forms,
against which peoples minds have |
not yet been fortified with trsdi- |
tional sentiments and phrase. The |
inherited predatory tendency Of
men 10 seize upon the fruits Of other |
peoples labor IL still very strong,
and, while we have nothing to fear |
from kings, we may yet have trouble |
enough from commercial mon- |
Opolies and favored Industries |
to the polls their hOrdes
Of bribed retainers.
The conflict between the Roman |
and the English idea Of government /