The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-28
SOME NEW BOOKS.
Venice.

venice.
A mistake will be made by those who
overlook, as being probably mere second
hand abridgment. the volume entitled
A Short Histo,v of Venice by WILLIAM
Roscoe THAYgR (Macmillans). 1t is true
that the authors data have been drawn
from the materials collected by previous
nvestigs tors. and especially from the
researches embodied in the ten volumes
of Romann's -Storia Documentata al
Venezia," and from the equally capacous
work of Daru, the Italian translation OF
which contains Ranke's comments. 1t Is
NJ his independent and original interPre-
tAtion Of the facts that Mr.. Thayer Is dis-
Nnguished. He arrives at paradoxlcal
nut not necessarily on that account mae
iensible conclusions concerning the part
played in Venetian history by the oligarchy,
from the closure Of which in 1897 many
writers date the beginning Of the decadence
of the State concerning the part taken by
Venice in the Fourth Crusade ana the
justifiabity of the Latin conquest OF Con-
stantinople, which was effected at the in
stigation Of Doge Dandolo; concerning
the limited extent to which Venice deserved
Byron's description of "Europes bulwark
'gainst the Ottomite;" concerning the
battle of Lepanto, which is often called
one of the decisive sea fights OF the world,
but which, as our author shows. practically
accomplished nothing; concerning the Coun-
Gil of Ten, whose evil reputation is pro-
nounced but partially deserved. and con-
corning the contributions OF Venice to
European civilization. contributions often
,ndervaued, on the ground that no illus
trious Venetian names figure in the annals
of Italian literature. We have here
enumerated only few Of the novel opinions
which challenge attention and are certain
to excite interest if not acquiescence.
We should add that the book is noteworthy
from literary as we'll as historical point
of view. If weexcept Ruskin and Howells,
who touch upon Venetian history in Stones
of Venice" and Venetian Days nobody
has written about the Queen Of the Adriatic
in more appreciative lucid and attrac-
tive way.
No reader of this volume should pass
over the preface. in which the authors
distinctive point Of view is clearly and briefly
set forth Ths conviction planted in Mr..
Thayer by extensive study is that no other
people has been the victim Of more miscon-
have been praised" he says, "for qualities
they did not possess and blamed for crimes
they did not commit. Ronancers and poets
have unwittngly belied them enemies have
traduced them; historians have turned
partiza ms, for or against them. 1t seems
as if posterity were in league never to under
stand them" Among the reasons assigned
for this phenomenon. it is suggested that
A. 4 &c sko
commonwealth renders it difficult to make
plain its continuity amid the TRANSFORMED
tions of thousand years. 1t is indeed
amazing to recall that. while the organized
political life of Venice may be Sid to have
begun with the invasion Of Itay and the
destruction Of Aquieia by Attla in A. D.
452, it was Just ending when in 1897 George
Washington retired from the Presidency
of the Unit5d States,
Then again, in our authors judgment
the useful part which the Venetians played
in the world as Intermediates between
Western Christendom and the Orient, and
as merchants during the era when the trade
Of soldier was deemed the most respectable,
has rarely been sufficiently magnifed.
Historians usually concentrate their at
tention on the breaking up OF the Roman
(IN1i1IaIlOn OF OH tHe NleOloNuI lnSUtu-
tions which replaced 1.-THE Church and
the empire, with feudalism on the one
hand and with the Papacy and the monas-
til system on the other-or on the origin
Of those nations which, like the German
the French and the English. have domi-
mated the modern epoch 1t is pointed
out that Venice pursued a way of her own
independent of all these institutions, and
that, although in large sense she also
was a product of the Middle Ages she was
the least medieval Of her contemporaries.
To her unstable contemporaries she
seemed abnormally progressive. for the
very reason that she was stable; moderna
cx the other hand, installing her stability
FOR stagnation, have hastily concluded
that she was incapable of progress. There
il still another reason why Venetian history
has been misconstrued As a rule the
drift of political volution is toward popular
government the vene:ians, however,
formed powerful State after a different
plan. They developed national organism
perfectly adapted to their unique con-
clifton, but so opposed to modern political
ideals that few students have investi-
gated it and fewer still have treated it
sympathetically Finally. attention ia
directed to the fact that the decadence of
Venice. being the most recent part of her
career, il the best known; consequently, |
the last two centuries of excessive luxury
nnd gradual exhaustion have caused the
FIVE centuries Of hardy growth and the
five centuries Of vigorous prime to be
forgotten As our author recognizes, this |
is not the way to discern the true sienifi-
canoe of any nations history. The de-
cadence of Venice offers nothing peculiar
to her, 1t was her growth and prime that
were truly characteristic, and by these. |
therefore, should she be judged In pur-
suance of this principle, and on the assump- |
tion that for the most part decay explains |
itself, Mr.. Thayer's purpose has been to |
ret forth the greatness OF the venetians.
To do this effectively within the compass
Of small volume he has eptomized long
stretches Of comparatively regular develop
ment and has thus secured space for de-
scribing in detail the episodes through
which the national spirit best revealed