New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-09

eNen'uIiN td" , n ovistcnco of any government,
hovcvcr strong. that vcntulcI 10 Ii''l.Ia I'LL, oad
their interests Statesmen even nyM "a, he,r lis
dare not call upon commercial capi''l =" p'a' ,i
,,roner share i'm the National taNatloh' am - w.
statistical columns of our inland revenue ;,ars e>
continue TO be made up ptlncp,,'s ne thou@b the
economical tlhlc of Quc-nai AMI the wii'ln.s "
Niratoau and Turgot were stu inc tcNtooohs vi
our Chanceors Of the ENchcpucr.
Here. of course, the argument LOT the presence
Of old Roman ideas in modern british nscai az
fair. j. indirect. or at least negative II amounts
TO saving that the absence of these IDEAS must
have produced wholly different state of things
TIE author has also deemed 1t unnecessary I"
distinguish in this place between Roman state
craft pure and simple. as left IN Britain ai,e'
the departure Of the lcgions, and the provn-
ciolien upon which Norman law and french
sncculation were founded lie takes il for granted
that the reader will understand how no such
persons a. Quesnai and Mirabeau ana lureo'
could ever lave arisen except in community
rcrmcatcd with notions created by old Roman
lcgalism and modified by the confusion OF rdc''
upon what is the territory OF france II
one reads on TO the PORT oi contact oc'"r'n
the Anglo-SaNon and Norman periods IN English
history he will find that Mr. GARNER disiin-
cuisines the Latin clement on the one manu. III
Anglc-SaNon life, drawn through two chahnelS-
the old l}rit0n cyiZati and the 'hur'"-
which, in its final conquest Of the Brl'fh ISL
ands acted directly from Rome; and the LAIN
element on the other hand in Norman life,
which, in its fcEdalism, reprcscnteI IN" dlrec'
contact and fusion of the old Tcutonic Mark and
Roman militar.m II WAS the Roman colony
he maintains. which taught tn" Middle Ages to
associate lard ownership with military Drvce.
With the Roman example before him. the Ger
,,,nt lnnInAynpr A
ccs,iti,, of his existence Disseminated IL his real
property between ownership and enjoyment, one
might almost say between ownership and pos
session. The land remained his and yet he gave
to his vas-als in return for their armed assist
ancr tn" perpetual enjoyment OF it, Even the
HOMAGE of The v1Ssal," s;y> h.. that mutual com
ract whereby the superior placed himself under
an obligation to protect. cloth" and feed for lie
his Inferior in exchange for all services, summed
mp in the phrase to become so-and- man., WAS
a much Roman idea as il was Tcutonc. and
who is 70 decide that the position Of the clicns
did not originally inspire som" village states
man of Gormania with the idea OF this custom ~
And he can see no reason why such pcculiarllcs
of medieval life - .ubmieudatiOn. cOpyho1
tcnurcs and chief rents may not have been drawn
almost directly from the famous cnphyteusis Of
the Eastern Empire 10y virtue OF which tenant
/
dition of service or rcrt. and could even devils"
the lard by will as if il were his own. Accept
ing this statement of the case, il is curious 10
think what becomes of much that has been writ
ten about the hist ry of chivalry and knighthood
on the other hand. Mr.. GARNER refuses 10 dc-
ccpt proposition good in economic history
which would he bad in mathematics. Things that
are equal to In" same thin- equal - each
other and he sees ~ need Of dl>cOnnccting the
Roman Aecr publicus from the Anglo-SaNon
FOlcand. or the modern public lands: nor the
A>cr Nccticnls ifom the common field system
which. under various notifications. still survives
in Germany. az still more primitiv"lr In Russia
But 10 m extent he cuts away tie ground upon
which hi- whole argument j. based 10y a needless
concession - the thcori-t, to Of his
own favort, words-who seemingly believe in the
ID MT ncous generation Of great ideas in any given
spot when the temperature happens - he IN Their
opinion favorable One would like 10 see adN
quate proof of the assertion that nationalitcs
at similar periods Of tl.'ir existence, or under
similar circumstances. adopt very much the same
system, of lnnl tenure AMI agriculture without
lclinin. :, do >, from the the common sources u
civil zation. Tie method hy which such PROPOSE
tons a., this ar" proved cannot bur be familiar
to all Tie investigator hops about from Siberia
70 the Cap, II Good Hope. from China
to Peru. without regard 10 geographical con-
tinuity o. chronological order. or racial misra-
tons, picking up whatever suits hi, purpose
AMI adjusting II in his mosaic. The result Is
often beautiful work, interesting fiction. but
worthless a. science"
This volume carries the agricultural history oil
England down to the expulsion Of the N'nart-'
and therefore covers only half OF the fell winch
Mr.. GARNER proposes 10 explore. TO quote his
own words:
We have bchcld the surface of EngandS soil
fr0ddcn by the hoof Of pastoral community cat
tie and have watched il turned over by the sue
cc>siyc pioughs of Roman, saxon, Norman ana
Engli-nnan We have d%crbcd its very depths
a. stirred by the MINER chasmcd by me iron
founder and tunnccd by the collier We have
studied the fortunes Of It's cultivators. and have
followed the oxidation of I'll" hnsbandman from
slave TO ecbIr. from Villcin TO cory-holicr, ana
| from free-famcr 10 ycomhn We have seen All
the profits of the land absorbed 10y The wants or
a warkc age until every difference III ITS tenure
| had acquired some military significance; ana We
have seen the peaceful art of agriculture enamel
pate itself from the destructive influences OF strife
| and chase.
ont his struggles for freedom from his successful
retention OF commonal rights during the period Of
h.s slavery until as free agent he can dispor of
his Labor services in whatever market he chooses.
We have shown how IN" innat" freedom of the
Anglo Sa Nun rcbcllcd against the medieval law
ycfs attempt To- cnslavc him, and We have seen
| how the ciVZing effects of Norman refinement
raised the tone of the national character. We
have traced the system of agriculture from the
first rude attempts 10 reclaim forest and moraso,
To the economy observed on the lords dcnrsnc.
| common field and waste, To- be replaced in lis
turn Nv the inclOsurc system. We have noted
! the Improvement III grain crops, and nave tccn
pulls. crops supplement them From shc dual cul-
iyaton com and iallow 10 the trinity field sys-
tenn and from that ~ tie fOur-c0ursc rotation we
| have carried forward the nations methods Of
hu-bandry Live stock have been bctcrcd in breed
and condition. Winter feeding has come into
nsc fresh vegetables have taken root in the
kitchen garden and fresh fruit tree, in the orchard
! Scurvy and famine have ceased To dccimate the
| rural family in early spring. \ great middle class
has sprung into bc"g and the laborcr has OBJ
tanned an important if not political status in the
nat iOnal ranks. His cottage has been fitted with
chimncys ard hi, garden frightened with flow
crs There remains only to add u slopstonc and
gully to his kitchen, connect his rcfIsc-heap with a