The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-17


II.
Was the Norman Conquest q blessing in dis
| gulso' Some philosnphlo historians have p,
/ regarded H. but Mf. Goodwin Smith would prcic
TO reply Not proven We quote passage II
which his view Of the subject is set forth. "Dis
guiscd the blessing certainly was 10 those whose
blood dyed tho hill of Sonlnc. and whose lands
were taken from them and given u n stranger
Disguised it wns 10 the porishnR thousands 81
the ravagcd North. Disguised it was to tho
whole Of tho people cnslnvcd to foreign masters.
and, for the time, downtroddcn and dcqpiscd.
But was II In any sense a blessing why was
England in need Of tho Norman2 Could not
Harold. her own elected and heroic King. have
ruled her az well "a tho Stranger Could he not
have united her. II IL was union that she lacked.
49, well as william, aud without laying waste
tho NORTH On the other hand, there was formed
the connection with France which led tO tie Hun
dred Years War. The Norman Conquest severed
from England the Anglican lowlhndsof Scotland,
and thus put of tho union ~ Britain. In what, -"
continues Mt Goodwin Smith. was the Norman
10 superior England had polity, however
rude OF dilapidated. Normandy had no polity:
II had only feuda anarchy, held down by m
arbitrary duke. The attempt of some Of its
people 10 create n commune had been suppressed
In blood. Private war was there the rule. Eng.
land had laws. while Normandy had nore Eng.
land had writer's such as Bcde, CGdmon Alruin
and such patron Il letters ns Alfred. Nor.
mandy had no literature ot her own. In church
art tho Norman was more advanced. though
his nrt was imported and the Norman masonry
In England IL pronounced bad. England lad
arts 81 its own. such rs embroidery and illumi.
nation church art might have como in time
In ina and t.it ,g.1,t 4
nincenco, Of which the Norman had certainly
n larger share In caste-builling the Norman
was pre-cminent To England. that curse had
hec1 unknown. The Saxon no doubt was
heavy and horne-lovng. the Norman, nearer
% the pi'-t> stock was active. adventurous
md Intriguing. Here. again time WAS wanted
Tho independent self dcycopm 'Ht u nation
purely Teutonic, not in blood only. but In char
actor and institutions was lost tn humanity
\ pure Teutnnic language was wrcc'i~l. AMI 70
placed hv a medley, rich. perhaps 'pr Fl ,auenro
or poetry, but III sult"i Tor exact thought or sci.
ence. that (, Is compelled 70 borrow ito scion.
tic and rhosophlc nomenclature from tho g rock;
Civilization, generally, must have bccn thrown
hack by tho havoc" There Is 4 current I'M
precision that In spite u all to harm he NAV hayo
done, the Norman invader must he c."l,tol with
genius for political organization. To what
cNNn1 was fnEli'll Indebted u MN Tor laws
and ins,i'utons' Should his coming 10 &c.
counted = bcncat IN the STATE " 10 tho Church
Tho author ~ this book shall answer at has
been said that the Conquest was no breach u
political continuity The Con1u--or di no,
mean n uproot tho iusu,ntIons ~ Ms new kir z
dom least -. all those that were favorable to r1vnl
power That hn should Introduce Norman laws
AMI institutions was imroSs bic since Nor andy
had nei her institutions nor laws
Tho Norman Great Council may ~ called a
continuation a the Wi'rnagr'npt. though g..
legal powers hit can be aid 70 hrvc had any were
less than those 81 the wi'An had hcrn II f. true
hat tho local organizations, sh!-c, hundred '!h.
ing and hurEh, with th-.r assemblies rr'rnirrG
The shire, or county, was still an s'rcc'iv. dl.-
trict of administration and luticc, though the
name 81 the shire was changed 10 county. and
that Of the shire-rc~vs 10 vi,count II WIS de-
tined 10 grow In Importance, "a he the url' IT
LEGAL organization. the local sphcr- ~ public
activity, and. at last the basis - electoral roy.
eminent A great suit between tho Arrlbt hop
of Canterbury And another prcln'o was decided
In tho Conqrcror's reign by tho county court
on Pcnnendcn Heath Submerged. IN Part.
for the present. by he food Of conquest the rns-.
lish system OF local self government was dr,-
tined, when tie food Tubo!dcd, to rcarpcar Tho
continuation Of these local organs Of political
M. was N. r,o., y.iro,l. 49,, -, 81 -
h.o,,...,.1 -, ,,,,.,,. - 80 ~ W. "', ,.'''
t,m., nv, ..,,..i ,,.., ,"' " "a ~
In .,,s,.,.. 80. az ,,,t, "", '.'
xh., ,.,,I. liz, ,,,,,,,,., 80 ""' " H.
.rr.,l III. s,,t,. ,',., ,,a s,..,, W.. wv ~
,n,o,r,.1 ~, ,h. c. .,ni 80
,re,, ., c,n.,.li,sI ,.,,,,,- ~ Wv '"'-
b.,d N, Co,d,i, c,,t,,, 80 Wv Y''.'
b.ld n, ~. Co.., ,I..',. ''''' '',''
o.,,,,I ,d.. =, ~. -, ""' .'
rn,li,h rol,,v b.d ,.an r.,,.i ~
c.y,d II -, TO-, "'
,erur. n .r.,,o,.ih.,,. .a,.,,,...,-., 'I''''"''
wns in gr.o. rr...,,r. o.
NJ Inc, NOV. t,or ,,,, t,,,t,.l ,... - . ava.
needed IN h,Ir, rr,r.,, h.,,, a.. ~ w
tn IN. min, y,b.,, ,yu,t,r, 49,,
p,,, found &, va ''''
~,
he harm wrought by William the Norman
decp distinction b,tvccr l,,.r,o, .,I ,,,.,.,,ttt
WA To civ, England ,,o,lJ. D., h,,,.t..,,
years Scarcely b,d ~. ro,,,,.y, ,.r.. H.
when "pnp.l leg,e,cs ,nr,,,.I &, -
t,cciv-d nv William az col, I'D I,,
drastic reforms in IN. HIN chr,ct ,a'.r t,'
wns III. Gems. n, WnIi.r >. ,,.u y, -, ~"
A ,h.., H.. -. = " " '''''''