The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-06-25

zeal. which tor the time burned LIZ IN
every breast and submerged calculations
and se,f-irtcrcst. All alike were moved 10
venture life ard fortune i'll the holy cause.
During the space OF 900 years seven up
hcavals OF the population took pace known
as the CrasaieS, five OF them proIiS'ous
and two OF them only relatively lesser. Al
OF them mighty. Before the frenzy kim
| 6.ed by Peter the Hermit died out I'M
meuSe treasure was suuandered, muIt!tudes
of lives were sacrificed and apparently
nothing accomplished; total and disastrous
failure seemed 70 attend it all.
But here again we are mistaken / we
Judge by appearances. For although the
| Crusaders whItened the p!ai IS RI Asia MI
nor with their bones and dyed the GRASS
Of Necthern Africa with their blood with
out achieving any permanent results IN
either Asia or Africa. their exodus from
Europe and their return to their ioriner
homes were attended by consequences IN
| Europe far greater than would nave been
the conquest of all the East and the rescue
| of the relics Of all the saints. In the hrst
| place they had broken the power OF the
Saracens by successive impacts upon hem,
by prolonged conflict with them.
Phey had fought fire with fire. Religious
| fauaticism was matched against religious
| fanaticism, and it inflicted such punish
HE'LL uDDIl u IapoNiouS WV ~
man that he has never been able to rally
from it. Although he reached the shores
| of Europe later on. he was exhausted with
the struggle, and has continued in a statc
of languishing impotency ever since. In
the second place the Crusades had a
marked and lasting effect upon the CRU
| saders themselves, ard in spite OF tier
| suffering and losses the gain was greater
| than the loss, for it brought them INTO d.
! rect and immediate contact with tho
| East. at that time the cultivated and re-
| fined norton OF the word. Constantine
| PIE and Antioch. tire two great storchoaseS
| Of ancient art and learning, and the cea-
tres of the wealth and culture OF the sast,
had become familiar to them. Antioch
was for a time in their hands. The sp:en-
| did buildings. fine fabrics, beautiful STAT
| ues, costly gems, were 4 revelation to the
! Crusaders, and served as object lessons:
+. while the elegant reiinemcnts, splendid
| courtesy, magnificent manners and anc,ent
l~e2rning OF tho East were not without Their
effect upon the coarse. nude and untamed
barbarians OF the West. Those who sur
vived the conflict returned with new ideas
| of the character OF the world in which they
lived. OF the meaning Of civilization. OF the
possibilities OF humanity. and OF the de-
| fec,s of Europe. They had been to school
| and had Travelled. Their view of life had
been broadened and their minds enriched
by contact with s~nnerior conditions OF NE.
and a great mental and moral revolution
lad been wrought in them.
But the Crusades had also an immediate
and lasting effect upon Europe itSeE. For
bv eniisting in the Crusades the sert bought
his freedom from the soil. The debtor was
freed from his creditor. He that went ont
a slave came back 4 free man with gold
| coin in his pocket and some new ideas OF
| the world in his head. Serfdom. viliainage
and s,averv were practically abolished IN
| Europe. The cities also had been abe. by
| immense sums of money paid to the hered-
| itarv princes. who held lordship over them.
70 huv their freedom and secure charters
for themselves which made them independ-
ert in the control Of petty rulers. and ny
| the long absence Of the MOBILES i'll the Fast,
the middle classes had learned to admins
ter their own affairs, and so the backbone
of the fcuGal system was broken and the
nerioI Of freedom ard enlightenment came
in. Modern industrialism was inaugurated.
New: ideas sprang un and n redistribution
of wealth and privileges took place. to-
gether with Il new sense OF their own pace
in the word and new wants and ambi-
tons in the Common people. The lmme-
| Gate results to Europe of the Crusades
were incalculable. A new spirit OF human
ity and Of enterprise, OF hone and OF am
| bi ion had sprung NJ. and the death war
rant was signed of the ancient regime OF
| ignorance. superstition and terror which
| had reigned for a thousand years.
The second great movement that hast
encd the final conflict for religious liberty
was the Renaissance or revival or learning
in Europe which followed unon the taking
Of Constantinople by the Turks m l453.
| That was a moIaentous event for Western
| Europe. 1t sent hundreds OF Greek schol-
| ars and %litnratti to find rrT"ge in the West.
| The learning and the Mss. which they
brought with them created a great STIR.
| Schools. academies and universities spranG
up everywhere. and the church ceased to
be the sole custodian OF knowledge. lt
was rs n part nf that movement that the
University of W~itteaberg Was established
hv the E,cctor of Sa"onv. to which one
| Martin Luther came in lJGS as preacher
| and professor OF Theology. A spirit OF IN
| orirv WIS awakened. investigations were
| instituted. and historical and sclontltlc
studies were taken up in real earnest. The
| cod and ~lifcleSS Journalism that had char
| acteri2eh the logic of thr school, men Gis-
| appeared. The study of the Greek ard 10
man classics became a passion. Princes
| and potertates vied 'with each other in Sc
| curing emincnt scholars and elegant l!er-
4 1ll1 10 dIOIl liNt. N'' 49,
| ard the great became the prof,isc patrons
of learning. and SHARED no pains and n"
expense in collecting MSS. and creating
libraries and schools OF learning. The
minds of men already liberated from Their
ancient thralldom bv the .Crusa1cs were
1uickened and enlightened by the new
| learning which soon spread among al
| classes OF the people.
In addition to these great movements
and perhaps as a consequence, of them was
| the spirit OF adventure which now broke
out simultaneously in Italy and Spain.
| France and England. Germany and Hoi-
| land. Inspired by Columbus, a native OF
| Genoa. Italy. hundreds of Adventures
braved the perils of the untraversed seas
| in search Of new lands. or new passages to
| the East. New continents were discovered
and the globe was circumnavigated. IN
| ~vention also was ouickened. printing by
movable types and the manufacture OF
paper from rags had but recently been IN
vented. The mariners compass amt INTO
general use in navigation. The te!esc2pe
was invented and the heavens explored tor
new worlds. as the seas for new l1rds.
| The whole period was ore of unprecedent-
| ed mental activity ard ferment. Coperni-