New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-02
RISE AND FALL OF VENICE.
AN EXCELLENT HISTORY OF A WONDERFUL
CIVIC CAREER

"Venice. in short. was not Italian, she was
uniouen 1t is only after reading many pages that
this sentence is found in MIR. Browns admlraDie
look But it furnishes the key to the historian
position with reference to his subject. Fortunately
he has gathered material ample TOR the purposes
of those who may dincr from him as well as ior
those who will sanction his maxim in its COM
pletencss He sees in Venice personality as
distinctive as that of an individual, which, as he
says throughout the career of the repuDn" over
Swallowed the personality of even her most dis
tinQuished citizens The sOlitariness of her
fguie impresses him beyond all else that can be
SAID of her, and so he declares that a comparison
letween Venice and the other Italian States Is
not only difficult. but misleading.
Bat there Is surely another side to the ques-
ton If the history of Venice is wholly unique.
its value must BE- slight as "a lesson in political
evolution Yet il is its value in this aspect which
attracts the investigator. Like all the comrnuni-
ties of Greece and Italy, Venice was city-state
rs c0ntrasted with the wide territorial oiganiza-
tions of the Orient and of the modern world and,
to use Mr.. Browns words, presented one OF the
most striking examples of the inception, birth,
adolescence, decline AM death of a community
which history has to offer for our observation.
So far, then, the germnal principle. the seed
out OF which she sprang, is concerned she is one
Of class to which belong also Rome and Athens and
Sparta and Syracuse and Florence and Pisa and
Genoa In vital sense the city state peculiar
to the Greek and Italian peninsulss and it is
curious fact that no matter what changes OF race
occurred in those regions return to civilization
was always accompanied by the growth Of what
in the Middle Ages came to be called a commune
That Venetian statesmen felt the likeness OF their
civic organization TO those of their ncigllbors. as
well as the points of unlikeness is shown in the
conscious application of the word commune to the
more popular phases of their system.
Starting from what was politically speaking
the same root, the development of Venice must
necessarily have followed, up TO a certain point
the lines characteristic of the class of States to
which she belonged. Up to that point the
feuds, for example, among the prominent families
presented the features as those in tho
cities of the mainland. But single expert
ment in the way Of eAillng these warning clans
was sufficient for Venice while with most other
Italian States expulsion was persisted in to the
verge, or beyond the VERGE of political suicide
With the States on the mainland this destructive
habit was due to the fact that partisanshp was
really not circumscribed by the narrow bound
aries of the cOmmunes. There were lines of
cleavage which ran through the entire popula-
ton from the Alps to the toe of the peninsula
From all this the isolated position of Venice
throughout her period of expansion up to the
time when She began encrOacbments the
mainland preserved her. Her populace never
learned, or at all events did not learn until too
late, the lesson which the masses at Florence
knew before they cast of their traditional dress
of skins-that liberty cOuh only be retained at
the cost of frequent qnarrels with the aiis
tocracy. The tendencies Of Venetian politics
were not so very diverse from those Of neigh
boring States, but the environment
sentially different, Allowing for these con-
ditions one can readily assent TO the statement
that " this mpregnability of lagoons saved Venice
from the violence done to the cities of the main
land No feudal system with it's arbitrary
division of classes, breaking the city up into
sections which were genericaly different, was
ever passed upon Venice. She did not suffer
the misfortune of finding her population more
bitterly divided against itself than unitedy
hostile to external foes. In spite of all inter
nal ferment, Venice remained homogeneous
Patriotism was possible The course of her de-
velOpment naturally produced struggles between
the component parts of the community; but
these were always family quarre's, the growing
pains Of the youthful State. The result
accepted by all. No Venetian ceased to be
Venetian because his party suffered defeat En-
cept in the case of the Caoprini Venice was
not exposed to the danger, common in other
Italian States. of seeing mass of cxilcd citi-
zens hanging round her borders, ready to re-
turn and tear down a hated government" That
is, Venice took only sip from the cup which
her companions drank to the dregs. Neverthe-
less the contents of the cup We're the same.
The temperance of Venice was due to long
course of preliminary training under adverse
conditions which made her population prac
teal and busnesslke as any that ever existed
There was no nonsense about them, and they
felt instinctively the truth that there always Is
nonsense in political devices and in the strategy
Of parties when carried to excess. The struggles
of the venetians had left them with little en-
thusiasm for distractions OF for the ideal rights
Of individuals. Cash down on the nail, or its
equivalent in something negotiable always
the strongest incentive with them. Speaking
of their conduct early in the period of the
Crusades Mr. Brown puts the fact aptly. but
with grim setentiousness They were, says ne
true to the cross and their commercial inter
ests" When the time came that commerce and
the cross were in opposition, the haste with
which they dropped the cross made the Pope's
head swim.
Externally Venice was in general conformity
with the Church. but the scepticsn Of the trader
characterized her in religion well in business
This was so uniformly shown by the State that
IL must be supposed an almost universal trait OF
the people There is something sard0nic, satiri-
cal reflection by Venice upon Venice herself in
the legend of the way the body of st. Mark
was stolen from Alexandria Mr.. Brown trans
lates the naive story of Martin ola Canal. the
most vivid and picturesque Of early Venetian
chroniclcrs" The pious theft was accomplished
by certain Venetian sailors. In order TO prevent
detection so the story runs, they placed the body
between two quarters of pork md auns them
TO the mast. But some of the pagans
came to the ship and searched her through; Tor
they thought that the Venetians were carrying
of ST. Mark But when they saw tine pork hang
ing from the mast they began 70 cry, 'Hanzr! han
zirv and fed from the vessel Considering the
fact that the Apostle was himself Jew, indf-
ference to everything save ehe supposed advantage
Of Venice could hardly go further. In the great
EFT matters it was the same. The Popr forbade
the siege of lara. No matter, lara was taken and