Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-04-30
Interest in Classical Study.

That interest in the classics and in
ancient history is not beyond no of
revival is indicated by the sensation
which has been created 10y the lectures
of Professor Ferrero. He was heard by
large audiences in Boston, New York
and other cities, lecturing on I" The
Greatness and Decline of Rome" His
work has been published by G.. p. Put
mans Sons, and the preface to the new
edition, written in New York in January
last when Prof. Ferrero was about to
take his departure for Italy, throws an
interesting light on the purposes and
methods of the author of this historical
work which has popularity so remark
able not only in Italy where it first
appeared, but in France, England and
America. We quote the following
passage:
There seemed to me room for new
historical study. 1t was necessary to
change and to widen the point of view,
and to adapt this to the moral and social
needs of to-day. That is the task have
attempted. / have given up the purely
political interests of Mommsen and
Duruy, to adopt a psychological and
moral interest. l have studied the his
tory of Rome from the point of view of
transformation of manners, of the in
crease of wants and luxury and of the
standard of living and of expenditure,
from generation to generation. That is
phenomenon that we can see reproduc-
ing itself with extreme rapidity before
our eyes, and which occurred also
although with less rapidity, at Rome.
Studied from this point of view, the his
tory of Rome becomes clearer and more
comprehensive, and at the same time
gives us help toward understanding
many aspects of contemporary life.
The reception the work has received
shows that there was a certain need for a
history thus conceived. But why has its
success been particularly marked in the
| United States? One would have thought
that America is too far from Rome and
too much occupied with the present to
feel interested in the distant past. But
that is mistake. In many matters the
United States are nearer than Europe to
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republic, as Rome was, while almost all
of the European states are monarchies
That difference is probably good deal
more important than is generally be-
lieved. Further, while all the states of
| Europe are bureaucratic, the United
States like Rome, have an elective ad-
ministration Many public functions
which in Europe are confined to pro-
fessional bureaucracy are exercised in
America as they were in Rome, by Off
GERS elected by the people. Now one of
the greatest obstacles a European finds
to understanding the history of Rome
lies in the fact that, because he is accus-
toned to see states governed by pure
bureaucracy, he finds it hard to imagine
state whose officers are almost all elect
i've. This difficulty does not exist in the
United States. An American under
stands easily the working of the old
Roman State because he is citizen of a
state based on the same principal.
For this reason and for analogous ones
which it would take too long to set forth,
the American public has found partic-
ular interest in new history of Rome,
and has been able thoroughly to under
stand it. That is source of much pleas
ure and pride to me, both as an Italian
and as an author
GUGLIELMO FERRERO.
New York TanuarV 1000