The sun., 1909-02-28

20, 1909.
seems 70 have been ready 10 undeftAk,
almost III that q modern banker viii Dc
for his customer. He would receive de-
posits Of money. either for the depositori
use or TO bear interest, and would make
payments for his account on receipt OF
written order corresponding TO opr check
Again, II you wished TO be supplied with
money for a journey or to pay q sum to
any one At a distance. yoir argentsr1uf
would arrange it for you by giving you
bill cf exchange or q letter OF credit
Perhaps the most important part OF the
business was the finding money for those
who were In want Of Il, or In other words
making advances on interest.
On the whole 1t 10 certain that in the
age OF Cicero the money lenders did an
enormous business. even in Rome. and
rislxy a. II undoubtedly was IL must often
have been profitable. Nor was II only
At Rome that men were borrowing and
lending. but over tho whole empire. VI
the two Glasses Of business mon, indeed,
tho tax farmers and money lenderp. II
is hard to say which wrought the most
mischief in tho empirs. They played into
each others hands In wringing money
out Of tho helpless proyincials. Together.
too. they did incaloulable harm, morally
and socially. among tho upper strata OF
Roman society at home. No sudden
operation could cure such evils; they
needed tho careful and gradual treatment
OF wise physician. A In 30 many other
ways, 90 here Augustus showed his won
derful instinct as social reformer. Pro-
vincisl governors wcre made moro riGor-
ously responsible and n scientific census
revealed the actual tax paying capacity
Of the provincials. Tax farming was more
closely supervised and gradually disap-
peared. Its true enough that even under
the empire great fortunes were made
and Lost, but tho gambling spirit. the wild
reok lessness in pecuniary dealings, are
not met with again.
".
The chapter devoted by Mr.. Fowler
10 the social life Of the governing aris-
tocraoy need not long detsin us, for with
this subject we are relatively familiar
through Latin literature. We should not
omit, however. TO note the change that
had come over marriage and the status
of the Roman Lady in the higher circles
of society. Marriage had originally been
1 matter Of the utmost Importance In
Roman life, and in the ancient form Of
L. known an confarreatio. the importance
was marked by due solemnity Of ritual.
In two other forms besides confa rreatio
he bride could be brought under the
hand Of the husband. namely. ooemptio
md usus, with which Mr.. Fowler is not
specially concerned. for long before the
ast century Of the republic all three
methods had become practically obso-
etc. In the course Of time il has been
'ound more convenient for q woman to
-emain after her marriage -in the hand
II her father, OF IL he were dead in the
Ctutsla) Of q guardian than
o pass into that OF her husband, for
n the latter case her property became
his.
The abandonment OF marriage cum
manu- meant simply that certain legal
Of the marriage ceremony
we're dropped. Otherwise the marriage
vas absolutely valid for all purposes.
public and private. The sacranoental
,art, indeed, was absent, and the survival
II any feature Of marriage by purchase
liso was absent. The marriage Of oon-
'enience prevailed universally in Rome.
Shat was known as the preliminary cere-
nony Of betrothal was . promise rather
han a definite contract. 90 that IL there
sere strong dislike on the part of either
Iirl or boy q way Of escape could be found.
iowever this may have been. We are sure
hat the idea OF marriage was not that Of
union for love, though II was distin-
,uished from ooncubinase by an anectio
naritstis a. we'll a. by legal forms. and
houxh a true attachment might and
,fteu did arise out OF II. The beauty
nd dignity OF married life ss they had
xisted In former days were still felt and
till found in the age OF Cicero. but the
epths OF human feeling were not stirred
" them. IL was we'll understood that
,ye lay beyond; was a fact outside the
ale Of the ordered life Of the family or
he State.
There 10 no doubt that tho austere
natron OF tho old type,had occasionally
urvived into the age with which Mr.,
'owler il especially concerned. but We
ardly come scroas her in the literature
I the time. just because she was living
er own useful life and did not seek pub
city. The ladies whom We meet with
a Cicero's letters are not Of that type.
{ was inevitable that as the male popula-
ion diminished during the unceasing
rars Of the second century b. C. the inn
'ortanoe Of women should proportionately
ave increased. Even when the husbands
,ere at home their wives seem sometimes
o have wished TO be rid Of them. In lsO
!. c. the Consul Piso was believed TO have
zen murdered by his wife. and whether
he story Ia true or not theAsuspicion is
I least significant. In i5+ b. c. two
oble ladies' wives OF men OF consular
ank, were accused OF poisoning their
and put to death by a council
4 their own relations. Though the evil
ence In these cases is not satisfactory.
ne can hardly doubt that there was a
endsncy among women Of the highest
ank to give way to passion and excite
nent; indeed, the evidence for the Baccha-
allan Conspiracy OF 1ss B. c., In which
Iomen played a very conspicuous part. !
explicit. and shows that even then
here was new woman, who had ceased
- H.. .at;sAA1 18th fha traA;tio1 llxr |