The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1893-09-21
ROME AND ITS EMPIRE.
paper by +. B. of Glass d.

The Romans understood better than any peo-
pile of ancient times how to form and maintain a
well-ordered government. In the beginning they
held law and order in great respect, and with
them originated the idea of constitution that was
definite, a constitution which the rulers of the
land were to respect and which gave protection
to the masses. Probably the nearest approach to
such government was among the Greeks of
Sparta. But with them it was failure. as their
aim was not so much to advance the welfare of
the people as it was to rearing an invincible race
of warriors. The Greeks were mpulsive but had
no love of conquest for the mere sake of power.
The prevalent desire among the Greek states
was to be let alone to pursue whatever course
their minds might dictate. They had little polit-
cal wisdom. for while all Greece admired Scion
when he reformed its government, they were not
wise enough to perpetuate it. Percles was
held in greater estimation among them than any
person before or after him. This was because
of his sympathy with the Greek love for the
beautiful His age was rightly termed the glory
of Greece, but when simple politics were required
to preserve his creations of beauty, they awOke
to the fact that its statesmen had been slain or
banished. Rome was the opposite to this. She
framed constitution and preserved it. To rule
was her passion. She had plenty of intelligence
but unlike Greece it was the hOmely prudence of
common life. She carried organization to every
part of her government and everything was con-
Quoted on laid out system of order. Greece
taught the world how to think. Rome how to GOV
ern with effect" Rome was born republic,
governed by senate chosen from among the cit
liens. A class of common people called pebians
for a long time had no voice in the government,
the patricians alone holding office. The plebians
in time, gained equal rights with the aristocrats,
but the spirit of monarchy that afterward arose,
placed them once more in the rear. The Romans
gained of their first great victories by defeat
ing the Sabines and Gauls who had requested
Phyrrus King of Epirus and his forces to aid
them. By deafeating these allied forces Rome
placed the whole of Italy under subsection. Ever
ready for war, with an Unsuitable thirst for con-
quest it continued to wage battle until Sicily
Spain, Carthage, Greece and the empires of Asia,
in fact, almost the whole of the known world
became subject to its rule. Such was the power
of Rome, which. notwithstanding that its
that in unity only lay its power. their descen-
dents, as time rolled on, became weakened. NOR
ally and physically by excessive RIGHTEOUSNESS of
all kinds. Paying little heed to the laws of their
fathers, the empire of Rome fell fast to decay.
Internal strife and chickering's. the continued
harassing incurSionS of the barbarans eventually
resulted in its downfall. Piece by piece was its
vast territory wreSted from it and. at this day
nothing remains to recall the power and glory of
Rome, republic or empire, but few seQueStered
ruins and the wholesome lessons its history has
taught