New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-30

II
Mr.. Archer and NJ Kingsford that it takes
very practical view of what was in fact
q very romantic and irrational movement Ro-
mantle and irrational 1t was. so far as IL was
conscious; but there must have been motive
underlying 1t in the instinct Of the people OF Flu
rome that made 1t practical. This seems to have
been the very prosaic fact that the population OF
Europe was crowding close upon its means OF
subsistence and must find An outlet or Gle or
starvation at home.
When people hopeless. they are READY u
sacrifice themselves for their ideals the earnest
preachers of a war for the recovery OF Paies''he
and its holy places found population ldie
enough to follow them In crowds The wealth.
Of Western Europe confined TO very lie"
hands The country had not yet outgro"n the
primitive village system. where groups OF peas
antry were owned rather as groups imam as III
diyiduals ty lord. There were Few cipes'
and these had grown up where thev were IL"
dspensab.e In the nature OF the case so t'a' 'neS
were self-supportng within their own walls
Hitherto there had been little Indictment 10 '"e
snread Of commerce. But the people had con-
ouered the countries In which they hVeu' Inc
very fact that such multitudes could he turned
IN, for exneditions TO the East shows how great
the improvement had been in the condition OF
,nankind since the time of Charlemagne But
the majority Of the people could see little JOY
In the future for themselves and they gave
themselves I'D 10 dreams suggested by the Won
dars,,l tales which an incessant train or planners
brought back from lands where civilization ana
comfort were matters not just now thoueh' o.
hut were oe ancient consideration Inc "o'''
which they lived in was very narrow anu "'i''
was beyond the limits OF this worio was as ''.''
and supernatural as thei: own magic" ION"
tales Some thing was needed 10 open W ''e
q view of the wide earth as 1t reailE was 80
THE reason the occupation of Palestine by '"e
Western races was affair quite distihc' Lo'''
The benefits that indirectly arose out OF 'he ei-
forts to continue that occupation. Inc iis'o'!
of the former is that of struggle "hoh "a'
as good as lost from the outset " me INC
Western men at arms retained ther Nls'i my
WON hattles and conquered countries. But when
they settled on the lands which they had '"Ne''
., yyas found that in a generation or two 'he
colonists were as slight In strength as Tue"
enemies Meanwhile they had learned nothing
=, ths, wonderful dexterity with horse and sword
which is Characteristic Of the Oriental Inc
c...oors noticed this change. and wondered
,,.hot had become Of the giants before whom they
"a orce eed In fright. The only remedy 1or
,h,e deterioration was continuous supply OF ne"
r,sr from, the West. But the indirect result
~ tho Crusades was Of a sort TO cut OH inns
sunn,v When men are comfortable ana hoPeiu''
and satisfied at home they care less LOT p'is'''
aees and adventures and self-sacrihce ao' '"''
This is especially the case with thern' II io'
long time they have watched the mislortu"e' Va
those whose places they are expected 10 '""e'
No ideal can be attractive to masses oi h'e"
under such conditions. Only CATO 10 who"
the beaten side was always best, or 81 hou''
absolutely unworldly bv nature, couio hhu nap
niness In being always defeated. Inc M'uu,e
Aces took the most natural and most feasioie
means of meeting the difficulty when the iosins
effort 10 keep Western King at Jerusaeih Ell. :.
tailed. They organized religious oroers' not vi
powned and tonsured monks, but OF haAeo wal
riors Vowed to celibacy, the Inempers q 'net
orders. Templars and Hospitallers, VINO zen III
hattie co aid only be replaced by recruits iron'
the West. where soldiers grew as able-oodieu as
themselves But the Middle Ages could not pro-
vide against the inevitable fate OF reheious VI
ders They could not prevent these knightiy
generations from getting rich. nor from peco'h-
ing Jealous of each other. nor from fratefnizing
with the common foe. ror from changing II not
corruptng the naive. unsophisticated faith with
,yh,rh they had begun. One may dismiss with
snoi,e NJ contempt much OF the scandal said ana
uritten about the Tempars but even If all TINS
malicious talk were untrue. there remained the
fact that the knights Of this order became cos
rnopolitan in wandering about the world De-
lief was not easy with men who found py eN'
perience so many things 70 dlsbelieve Thus' wha'
was devised as a prop for the ar'ihciai structure
Of Latin politics in Palestine was nnaily con
yerted into an engine Of destruction Moreover
medieval Europe. without being conscious o.
the fact, by the mere process OF repeatedly III
yading Asia brought about a state OF thihg'
which had long before proved an lnsuperaDie
barrier to the extension Of the Roman Empire
Just as the mprch of Rome beyond the Eu'
phrates had caused the consolidation OF the
Orient under the Parthians nondescrlpt race
whose empire was always In the sadie. so 'he
continual pressure Of the West upon syria lorceo
the Asiatics to unite under the leadership Oh 'he
garacens. A military body whose only bond was
a common religion. common language ana
common CUSTOM but who had no more unity In
the racial sense than their foes. Wherever the
Sultan Saladin pitched his tent, there, FOR the
Jim. being was the seat of the Saracen Empire
AGAINST 40 flexible and manageable a politica
.vs,eno European armies. more or less badly
aounned. hammered by multitude OF very de-
vout hut very useless followers, levelled thei
lances in vain.
rhns the story Of the Crusades from the 70
mantle and religious side was reduced 10 IRA
dition of individual vaior and individuai oe'o
ton. From Godfrey Of Bouillon to Richard o
the Lion Heart and Louis OF sanity renown' TN
narrative is one in which figures Inc OF heroes
The tale Is an epic with an invncibie tendehc'
TO myth and legend. The masses are Oh haiu':
more Significance in it than they are In the lhao
r,o,, form, an inscrutable background agains
which are depleted the wondrous achievements
a few men who were mighty IN arms Vi III Wv
ouence or In prayer. The greatest hgure Una
.,,.a,.es from ALI this pother and chaotic conhic
"a thai ideal sceptic to whom all religions wer
.,,ke Frederick II. the last real Emperor OF meal
.ava, Germany. There was good reason wh.
thu masses did not signify except for mere mum