The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-04
HOW NATIONS HAVE DIED.
Some Perished Fishting-others
Passed Away Without Struggle.
lPearson's Meekly.D


Most countries which have died have
gone down fighting. The Roman empire
persisted like that. And by the irony OF
fate the power of the Caesars came u
an end far away from Rome
After il had existed for centuries the
Roman empire became so vast ana US
wieldy that it had TO be DIVIDED lhto
two-the Empire of the West ana tle
Empire Of the East The capltal OF the
former was Rome.
The Empire of the West became so
weak at last that it could make no
stand against its enemies. Rome was
/ sacked by the barbarians. and evenlu-
ally became, not the capital of vast
empire. but the city of the popes. over
which the pOntiffs Teigned as kings Inc
temporal power of the popes lasted TIL
1870. while the capital of Italy was first
Turin and then Milan. Finally. the city
was taken without a real fight by the
soldiers OF the king of Italy.
The Empire of the East had its cap
ital at Constantinople. For centuries
it was the greatest power in the world
But il became honeycOmbed with vice
and enervated with pride and luxury.
Also it grew old and weak. Then, in
1922. the Turks made a tigerish spring
on ConstantinOple. and took II by
storm. The last Of the Greek emperors
died sword in hand and his descend
ants are living in England today, in
very humble situations.
Egypt. once so powerful and famous
under the Pharaohs, was conquered by
Rome. and was afterward swamped by
the Moslems. The crescent was supreme
in the land Of the Nile, and the afore-
time naughty Egyptians were slaves
for a thousand years.
The Great Moguls used TO reign IN
india. In the days of Queen Elizabeth
the Mogul-or emperor of Delhi, as he
was sometimes called-was so powerful
that he thought il a vast condescenslon
on his part to receive an embassy from
the Maiden Queen. But as time went
on the great rajahs. or tributary kings,
rebelled against the Moguls. India
was rent asunder by the wars between
rival rajahs. This gave the Europeans
a chance.
France at first held the upper hand.
and nearly conquered the land. But
then England drove France back. and
seized the empire of the Great Moguls
! for herself. The heir of the Moguls, by
the way, still enjoys pension given
by the British government as a com
pensation for the throne lost by his
ancestors.
Poland used to occupy big place on
the map of Europe. At one time II was
much larger and stronger than Russia.
The car of Russia and the emperor
of Austria were only too glad to be on
good terms with the king of Poland,
and there was no king of Prussia in
those days.
Noble Adventures from all parts of
the world ffocked to the Polish capital
at Warsaw, eager to serve in the Pol
ish armies. The duke of Monmouth.
son of our King Charles II, thought of
doing this.
But Poland persisted through her own
faults and follies. The mass of the COM
mon people were slaves in all but
name They were not allowed to move
from one part of the country to another
without leave; they could not own a
foot of land, and they could never be
sure that they might not be sold by
the great noble they served to a new
master. Hence the mobiles and the peo-
pie never stood together in times of
danger or disaster
Poland was big country-but it was
divided against itself; and Russia,
Prussia and Austria combined were
more powerful. They all three Joined
hands. and each took a large share of
Poland in 1772. That was the First
Partition of Poland The Poles sub
m:tted tamely, for they were still di-
vided.
In 1898 the trio of robbers made a sec
ond swoop. Only the ghost of Poland
was left. Another year saw the end of
the ira gedy. The last remnants of
Poland were swallowed up by Russia,
Prussia and Austria
The fate of the republic of Venice is
one of the most dramatic in all history
For hundreds of years the City of the
Lagoons was one of the most powerful
states in the world. Its doges ranked
as the equals of the proudest kings It's
alliance was coveted by the greatest
powers. Its government was one of
sheer terrorism. The doge was hardly
more than a splendid figurehead All
real power rested in the hands of the
dreaded council of ten and the secret
three. The latter were a trio of living
mysteries. and were known by name to
practically no one in Venice.
Sometimes a man was one of the
secret three and his own wife and chill
dren neve, dreamed it. Their most
dreaded servants were masked mutes.
II a Venetian, no matter how high his
rank, was denounced by the council of
ten or the secret three he knew he was
no better than a dead man. So the gov
eminent of Vesice was a terror to its
own people and the outside world. Then
Napoleon came upon the scene. and
the lion Of St Mark licked the dust"