New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-04
HOLM'S GREECE.
HIS COMPARISON OF ANCIENT AFFAIRS
WITH MODERN

mcncemen; 10 The close Of the Independents Of
the G5sSk Nation h. p AaGf Sinnhe Formerly
Tnyoran Scholar in the University OF h ntpoi
Vol ~ The ron NC tho Tn" Geptb Of
Alcvander dowr 70 tho Incorporation OF me Iast
Nr,ayo Pr xiii, sas The Macmillan Company.
specia! characteristic OF the history OF
which this Is the last volume Is the comparison
which Holm makes at every opportunity be-
tween ancient and modern life. His conception
n, Greek history Is that II is not mere anti
ouar,an study, but vivid lesson as TO modern
tendencies The parallel is not obvious nt every
stncc OF Hellenic affairs. But II Is striking from
the date OF Alexander's career onward 10 the
pol,t:cal collapse OF the Greek States If history
ever repeated itself. then the world has been
passinC for tho last century on vastly en-
largcd theatre through precisely the same ex-
periences as It did in Alexandrian times. Ihe
,rr rcnc. Is pIain II ". wish to anticipate ra-
tionally and scientifically what is going 10 nap
pen in the next century VIC must see what nap
pered In that old time which tested In Us sma
woy about al tho possibilities OF human nature
supposc we call Alexander. Napoleon; Rome
Anglo xonia--thanks to the French lot tha'
phrase-Parthia. Russia. a mere glance a'
map of tho world Will tell US the rest Inc Al
lantic Ocean Is to the modern worlo WHAT ''e
Mediterranean was 10 INC dHCicb''' -
Greece stood between the real contestants In
the final struggle for empire, so inc so-ca'ieu
Latin States OF Europe tut out in a hollow angie
against the line OF the Anglo-SaXon III inc ho'-
,ou ~ the angle rest Germany and Austria like
Macedonia and Thessaly against the Grec'ah
triangle The Mediterranean IL the Propontis
nov and bcyond now as then unchanged by all
,ho ,anse Of centuries. is the Orient The paral-
men Holm quotes a suggestive comparison
,,odo nv, tho French writer. Rcinach. between
the Pussian and the Parthian autocrats Across
tho ages saws the rhet orcal Frenchman. Mith-
riaa,es gives his hand to Peter the Great the
modern sovereign whose character presents the
greatest analogies TO his own. Both hxcd inc
task ~ their Successors. The world Is now get
ting round again TO the problem which DOM
snticipated the problem which Rome trieo IN
vain to solve. and which Is just as lKeiy as no.
70 prove insoluble again. In tho lace oil ''''
problem the Latin nations Of Europe are taiN-
ing of leagues and federations. just as tne
Greeks did. The foremost doctrine OF the AN
eIo-caxon is with a necessary geographical
change the exact counterpart OF the WOMAN
demand. Europe for the Europeans. Holm eN'-
IDENTIFY wrote with a smile the phrase Mohioe
Doctrine Of the Romans" But just as the as
sertion Of Rome was the safety OF inc "reeA
civilization so tho dlctum Of Canning and Mon
roe carried ont to its logical fulness Of mean
ing Is the best assurance the present can ge'
from the rather cloudy future. 1t means 70 each
his own TO the nations that are FACTORS IN CIVIL
ization their rights as such. but polltical power
only 10 these nations that can WELD II without
going insane.
TO Alexander the possibility OF Roman ooni-
ination was as unforeseen as to Napoleon was
that Anglo Saxon union which is stu only one
of the startling possibilities OF civilization Inc
face Of Rome in his time and long after"aro
was turned TO the West. Her world was one
which h.. ignored When he wcpt for a new
world to conquer he never even surmised tna'
,herc was a battle ready for him on every
square mile between Macedop ana inc 'ernia"
Ocean. He saw nothing beyond the boundaries
OF ancient civilization. and had no device for
uniting and controlling this except the one al
ready worn out Of personal military despousn'
1Iolm says that the lesson which Alexander
i,od not long enough to learn was one that his
great successor failed in. too. Pyrrhus had no
potIence and no brains for anything but war.
Caesar. he holds against Mommsen. TO have
failed In his absoutism the renl creator or the
Roman Emnire being the cold and cruel but
nractical AUGUSTUS who knew how 10 divide
powcr with the Senate and the local sclf-govern-
.ng centres so as to hold the final decision FOR
himself Napoleon was successful only so long
as his ambition seemed consonant with Hper'y'
ard Cromwell died Just in time to save MS
reputation Like Napoleon's, Alexanders en-
pire fell into its original fragments mus the
era that Immediately followed his death was
really one Of restoration. except that every
where there were new dynast'es. But this dy-
nastic change in line with the experience
of Asiatics They were accustomed to seeing
WORKOUT families succeeded by fresh ones. ana
life had been going Just the same with them
under one group Of rulers ms under announcer ever
since Xlsu,hros escaped the food. over their
heads these new rulers from Macedonia stroVc
for the possession Of one region or another. BIT
that also was n familiar sight. The novet: Ia;
IN this. that these new rulers opened the Who'll,
OF Asia az far as the Gangcs to new and very
stirring ideas Probably there were Crisps
then as now TO point out that Asia would be
Hellcnized If somebody did not take care. The
Greek went as far he could in every direc-
ton. carrying with him his literature and his
political notions. Greek politics and the most
attractive features Of Greek literature both re-
qured a peculiar setting. Tho Oriental story
teller never needed more Than n bench TO sit on
a half-dozen listeners. and 4 rabab to keep his
voice in tune. But the Greek drama needed n
theatre and actors ond these required an audi
ence which only cities could furnish.
Greek politics presupposed cities. each free
and supreme in its own district. An inconvcn-
fence with the old Greek cities was that they
had TO fight for freedom. For that reason they
had 10 be built in shabby way. with all the
beautiful and valuable things. the treasure. the
temples and the works of art crowded upon a
narrow fortified hilltop. The Acropolls OF Athens
at its best looked more like vast museum than
like an open part OF a city. Unconsciousiy the
later Greeks remeded this, especially In Asia
The business OF fighting was absorbed by the
kings who had TO keep armies In any case.
while the cities grew up with every privilege
excert ha Of making q their ac-