The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-27

llIe. Mon lHteT uBe, uonn s"'' 1''' -
cast the first stone! He AYERS that stuo.
Of the ns' riptions OF the age OF the An
TONNES leaves the impression that. annie
all the sharply drawn dstin, tions OF rank
with all the petty ambition and sell -assertioi
| or the fawning and cxpeotant servility
! there was also genuine patriotic beneV'
| olenoe on the one hand and gratefu
recognition Of II on the other. The citizens
of municipalities record on many tablet
their gratitude To patron or duumftr or
nuqustoi, or to some simple old centurion
returned from far frontier camp, who had
paved their promenade. or restored their
baths, or given them a shrine OF Neptune
or Silvanus. They also preserved the
memory OF many kindly benefactor,
who left. as he fondly thought. forever,
the funds for an annual feast. with all the
graduated shares scrupulously prescribed,
to save an obscure tomb from the general
oblivion" Thus. although that ancient
municipal life had It's sordid side. 1t had It's
nobler aspects also. There has probably
seldom been time when wealth was more
generally regarded as q trust, a possession
in which the community at largo has right
to share.
Notwithstanding tho aristocratio tone
Of municipal society In the age Of the An
TONNES 1t Is possible that tho separation OF
classes in our great centers Of population
70 morally moro sharp and decided than it
was In the days when the gulf between
social ranks was In theory impossible :
The apparent rigidity and harshness OF
the lines Of demaroation were often relieved
by q social sentiment which on the one hand
made heavy demands on rank and wealth.
and, on the other. drew all classes to-
gether by tho strong bond Of fellowship
in a common social life.
"
To what extent did belief In immortality
pervsde Roman society and tho masses OF
the empires population In the period under
review. thus preparing. or beginning to
prepare, them for the triumph Of Christianity
which was to take place In tho fourth con-
tury1 The opinion long prevailed among
scholars that tho period Of the early empire
was one Of unbelief or skepticism as to the
future life. The author Of the book before
US holds that the opinion was founded on
literary evidence, accepted without much
critical care. Unquestionably Cicero and
Seneca. JuvenAl and Plutarch. had spoken
Of the Inferno Of Greek legend. It's Cerberus
and Chimera. its gloom OF Tartarus as
moro old wives fables, In which even
children had ceased to believe. In Mr..
Din's judgment such testimony should be
taken with a good deal OF reserve. He
points out that .the member Of compare
lively small literary and thoughtful circle
u apt to imagine that its ideas are more
widely dinused than they really are. 1t may
we'll have been that thoughtful men.
stepped in Platonic or Pythagorean faith az
to the coming life, rejected as anthropomor-
phic dreams the Internal scenery Of Greek
legends, just as a thoughtful Christian of
to-day will hardly picture his coming beati-
tude In the gorgeous colors OF Revelation
Yet the mass of mon will always seek for
concrete imagery to body forth their dim
spiritual craving. and Lucian testifies that
tho myths dealing with the under world
space In tho ina ginstion Of the crowd. As
. matter Of fact, too, Plutarch. though he
sometimes agrees with Juvenal and Seneca
~ to the general incredulity. at others
asserts that Q largo class OF remorseful
sinners have . wholesome fear Of the
tortures Of lost souls, and arc
eager to purge their guilt before the awful
ordeal of the Eternal Judgment.
Tho inscriptions might b supposed to
give authoritative evidence a. to the belief
Of ordinary men about the future state.
The Itinerary monuments from every part
Of the Roman world are almost countless
for tho period Of the early empire. Mr..
Dill, however. has found such records,
though abundant, not 90 clear and salts
factory a. they have been by some taken
to be. As no dogmatio ecclesiastical sys-
tenn deferred the Romans from expressing
frankly unbelief In any future state, tho
rejection Of all hope Tor the future, some
times coupled with . COARSE satisfaction
with a sensual past, il tho note Of not q
few epitaphs Of this period. Nevertheless,
such epitaphs are exceptional. The funer-
ary records, a. q whole, give q picture
Of society very like our own, with warm
affections OF kindred or friendship, olinging
to ancestral piety, ready to hope, II some
times not clear and confident in faith.
Viewed collectively. the inscriptions leave
the impression that down to the final
triumph OF Christianity tho feeling Of
The masses OF the Romans about death
was still in the main the feeling of their
wars. 1t was q social feeling, shrinking
1t the prospect Of a dim life dependent on
The memory Of tho living, horror OF loneli-
ness and desertion. the longing for passing
prayer, even from stranger. Our authors
final conclusion is that there was probably
a much more settled faith in immortality
among the masses Of the people than among
the highly educated. That for the masses,
the age Of the Antoninee was a
period Of growing faith Is evident from the
sagerneee with which they welcomed Orien-
tai religions, the fundamental principle
Of which religions was the belief In i'm
In q temple OF Magma Mater.
81 Isis or Of Mithra in the ago Of Julian
We are far away from the worship Of the
Lares and the Offering Of heifer to Dea
Dia in the grove on the Tiber. We are
toward the spiritual mystery
and sacramental consultations Of the medic
val Church. M, VII.
Other Books,
The ingenious method applied by anti
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