New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-17
THE LATIN NATIONS.

DR.. Emil Reich argues pnnsibly In TIE Con-
temporary Review" that the three greats Latin
nations OF Europe have bright futures With
all her decadence and. humiliation, Spain. still
has much bodily and mental sOundness. and
may readily attain a Substantial degree OF pros
perity. As for the Italians, they the most
gifted nation in Europe" they occupy a ''su-
premely excellent geO-IOfitcal position" and
therefore, with the exception Of the shadow
Of the Clerical conflict, their future is brilliant
But it IS upon France that most enthusiasm is
expended. Its language. its spirit its wealth.
its social equality its national homOgeneity.
all bespeak for it OF the greatest roles
in the future OF Europe and oflthe world. DR.
Reich sees France to-day enjoying III her politi-
cal isolation the advantages which England
hundred years ago had in her geographical
isolation. She has, he thinks, the tfrst army
and the second navy in the world, ard is able
TO subsidize her friends. Wherefore he, sees
her presently avenging the terrible year. and
going on cOnquering and to conquer in aAcsreer
Of illimitable splendOr.
These glowing Representations are aIff-
GENTLY plausible, and they made by AN
authority commanding respectful attention..
Nor are they 10 be regarded grIdgingly-cer.
tainly not by Americans, who have only the
kindliest good wishes for those countries and
no fear or jealousy of any Of them. To what
extent they conflict with Draper's-and the late
Lord Salisbury's-theory Of the life and death
of nations is another question. Draper held
that nations a course of life through youth,
maturity age TO death. just individuals do;
and Lord Salisbury in memorable speech in
timated that some nations were already mort
bund. There are many powerful facts and ar
guments which support that theory. But kthes
question always arises. When is n nation In
old age? We cannot, OF course reckon national
age by years or centuries, as we that of
man; and the other rules OF measurement are
not always evident. Thus half a century ago
men might have classed Japan among nations
dying OF old age: but now she seems to be
enjoying the freshness Of youth So these
three Latin nations have lived through enough
to be old and verging upon senile decline; but
not one Of them shows any alarming symptoms
OF 1t. On the contrary they all show the prom
Use and potency" OF long life, high achievements
and splendid vitality for ages yet to come
Perhaps one OF the strong features OF the
situation is that at which DR.. Reich hints In
his opening sentences. namely. that these ma
tons not exclusively Latin, after ALL He
reminds us of the marked differences among
them. Well, il is not so much that the Latin
race has developed those differences within
itself as that they have been engrafted upon
it from other stocks. Spain is Celtiberian
Vandal, Gothic. and what not, besides modern
Irish and Scotch. France is Gallo Belgc
Gothic, Morse and many more. Italy is veri-
table conslomerate, with almost as many ele-
ments as there were provinces and tribes in
the empire of the Caesars. Moreover the mix
ing process continues 10 this day, especially in
France. into which there is a steady and con-
siderable influx of alien blood We may con-
tinue 10 call them Latin nations, for the sake
Of custom and convenience but Latin In tho
strict sense of the term they are not. Resolved
into their clinical elements, they would be
found to differ little from large proportion
OF what we call the Anglo-Saxon race.
At any rate. there is sufficient affinity between
Anglo Saxondom In America and in Great Brit