Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-10-23
ROME AS A DREADFUL EXAMPLE
There Are Now No Hordes of Barbar
ans to Wreck Civilization.

ians to Wreck Civilization.
San Francisco Argonaut.-It seems
to be about time that the awful eX-
ample of Rome should be relegated to
limbo. The conditions which brought
about the fall of that imperial city
have no parallel, and can have no
parallel, in the goth century. 1t is as
absurd to draw such moral from the
fate of Rome as to recommend that
geese be kept on the white house
lawn to warn us Of the coming bar
barian
Where lies the essential difference?
The Roman empire, great as it was,
covered but an insignificant part OF
the earth's surface. Around it, press
ing upon it from all sides, kept back
only ky force Of arms, was barbarism.
Between the Roman and the barbarian
was a great wall of racial intolerance
and ignorance. stranger" meant
foe ALLEN" meant enemy" On
the one side was proud contempt, dis
ciplined strength used to Cypress and
to agrees. On the other side was the
intense hatred that oppression and
aggression bred. Between the bar
barian and the Roman there was little
commerce, little communication, ex-
cept that between opposing armies,
between captive and captOr cot all
these" wrote Caesar, the bravest
are the BeIgae, because their
provinces are farthest from culture
and civilization, and the traders sell
dom visit them to bring in those
things which tend to weaken cour-
age" And yet, the Belgae were what
is now but few hours ride from
Rome. Is it any wonder that this I'M
Stale islet of civilization, in the
midst of a vast sea of barbarism, was
swallowed up, when the arm that had
pressed back that sea at last drop
ped?
Between Rome and America, or be-
tween Rome and any other modern
state or city, there is no comparison.
Those who make such comparisons
fail to take into account that there
are now no "islets of civilization"
There is no "'barbarian"! Civiliza-
ton is now practically universal. Be
tween nations of the western world
there are practically no walls Of racial
intolerance. Humanity is fluid.
Once the boundary of an empire was
line across which passed neither
foreign goods, foreign men nor foreign
ideas. Now these boundaries offer
but little resistance to the first, less
to the second, and none at all to the
third. Once movements OF population
might be lillened to a river in flood,
violently sweeping away successive
barriers, now, to a subtle circulation
preserving equilibrium. Are economic
conditions unfavOrable in Europe,
three-quarters of million people
emigrate to the Americas, Australia
and Africa. Is better instruction in
philosophy given in Germany than in
England and America, several hun
dred English and Americans take adj
ventage of it. Are Vermont farmers
improbable, there is a movement Of
population westward. Is gold dis
covered in the Klondike, it attracts
miners from Australia. Are London
builders bit slow, American
Yerkeses and Morgans underbid them
on tramway contracts, stirring them
to improve their methods and attain
the level of their competitors.
All these things tend toward
equilibrium: prevent absolutely one
part of the world from outstripping to
any great extent another part. Pro-
gress is as a whole. Any advance in
any country is at once reflected in
covered by a German: within a wear
it is in use in San Francisco, Cane
Town and VladiyOstock. A new law
is put in force in New Zealand; the
statesmen Of the world watch it's
effects, ready to advocate it for their
own countries if it prove good. A
system of criminal description is de
Yeloped in France; the rest of the
world adopts it. A great book is
written in Russia; it is translated into
all languages. With the increasing
facilities Of communication. both
through travel and the transmission
Of neWs-ideas-the difference be
tween nation and nation continually
grows less. There is no longer a Ger.
man civilization-only one civiIiza.
tion,-a world civilization. It is 'abso
1utely impossible to conceive anything
put that likeness between peoples
will become greater. and greater unit
the only differences will be those OF
stock, climate and topography.
To repeat: Civilization is a whole
unit. Al Aryan nations are movins
along parallel lines at almost con
slant rates. BY infinitely subtle
methods the equilibrium is and viii
be preserved. Whatever the goal O
civilization may be, whether
stronger individualism, socialism. O
anarchy, all peoples are moving il
that one direction; none can lag be
hind nor turn any other way. TIL