The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-28

diaries. The conflict between Gregory
VII. and Henry ". of Germany was
still shaking the continent, a distant
echo of which was recently heard in
the remark of German prince that
there was no more going TO CanOssa.
Frederick Barbarossa and Henry VII.
were still fighting to maintain the i'm
perial power In England from the
weak hands OF King John was being
wrested the Magma Charta- In Spain
AlphonSo Y. heard the first strains of
the poem of the Cid. In France the
troubadors of Provence We're producing
the first outburst of lyric poetry in any
language Of modern Europe, while the
north was singing Of the proves Of the
paladins of the great emperor and COW
eTing the land with its white mantle
Of churches.
In Italy the free air of the sea brings
to Venice and Genoa the sense Of lib
erty and the commerce of the Orient.
NominaiIy under the suzerainty of the
emperor, in fact, Independent republics,
most of the Italian cities Of the north,
electing their own magistrates while
many of the nations of Europe were
still under the rule of despotism, show
that holiness of character and thought
which are fostered by the institutions
Of popular liberty. Together with this
political ardor were other influences of
culture, chief among which was the
memory of ancient Rome. Although
the empire was no more, Rome still
lived in her splendid ruins and in her
literature. Her monuments, visible on
every hand, still spoke of a greatness
and a dominion which Italy blushed
to have lost and dreamed TO regain
The German emperors who inherited
the title of the holy Roman empire,
given by the popes to Charlemagne,
promised that dominion, and Italy fol-
lowed the emperors. This was the
Ghibelline party. The popes, on the
other hand, with the title of spiritual
governors of the universe and makers
OF kings, promised that dominion, ana
so Italy follow ed the popes. This was
the Guelf or popular party. Moreover,
many of ths popes themselves sprang
from the common people. Hildebrand,
the greatest of them, was the son OF
carpenter; Sylvester IL, who as the
Monk Gerbert had introduced into Eu-
rope the Arabic numerals and encour-
aged learning, was the son of farmer
peasants of Lorraine; Urban w was
the son of a shoemaker; Ceiestln v
was hermit.
While the mobiles had some shadow
of excuse in calling in the. emperor VINO
was their sovereign, to settle tnelf dls-
putes, the popes, on the other hand
Boniface VIII, for eXample-had called
in the aid of the princes OF France
without having any such excuse. fnli'
Italy became the battle-ground or Eu-
rope and the papacy was fighting TO
take back a dominion which Itsalf had
formerly bestowed The popes found
more than once reason to regret their
having evoked from the tomb the I'M
perial shade. BY so doing they hao
darkened the history of Italy. IL was
because they had not limited them
selves TO spiritual weapons, but had
used corrupt means for dominion, that
they aroused the wrath of Dante. WHO
consigned some of them 70 the hercssl
penalties of the internal world me
poet stood where all the influences OF
the century met. His star is always
on the horizon. His ancestor, Caccia-
guida, had been knighted FOR herolsm
by Conrad III. in the third crusade. 50
that he not only brea thed the air bui
in his veins flowed the blood Of tn
great movement. Warrior at the Dattle
of Campaldino.F ambassador, prior OF
Florence, a political exile and WANDER
err, his home was the world and human
destiny his song. CIT Of the wars an
| tumult of his life sprang one OF IHS
| serenest works OF human genius over
| the storm appeared that perfect arcn
of many colors uniting two nenl-
| ispheres. Through his work the mem
cries which thrilled his generation re
| echo still. As the statues or stone on
| the cathedrals still radiate tneir les
sons of faith, so in the Divine Com
edy'' the faces of Giotta and Cimabue
and the musical strains Of CasellaS pc
| come articulate with speech. Like oI
Paul. he had a vision Of divine pertec-
| ton; like Bunyan, he traces the PHI
grimage of the soul. With him, as Win
| Homer, a whole age, otherwise forgot
ten. comes to life again he noids the
same relation to modern literature tha'
| Homer does TO that of antiquity. Both
gave that heroic impulse to literature
| and art which carried them through 3
three-foid development, from the SUD
| lime TO the beautiful, and nnaiiy 70
! search for the true
What would the literature OF Greece
be without Homer? The ideals ane