The sun., 1909-02-28

Correspondence MI. tOWleT mas dNdIeN
himself mainly Of the "Privatleben del
Romer," by Maruuardt, which forms the
last part OF the great "Handbuch der
R0mischen Altertumer" Of Mommsen and
Miarquardt The author also acknowl-
edges much Indebtedness to Boissier's
Cicero et Ses Amis." In this notice we
shall conline ourselves for the most part
10 n consideration OF the condition OF the
plebeians, Of the business men or members
~ the so.called equestrian order. OF the
mobiles or men of senatorial rank. and
finally of the slave population.
Turning now 10 the specific subject OF
this volume, lei us look frat at the con-
dition Of the poor tree whites or plebeians.
congregated in the city. II is surprising
how little we know about them. or rather
" would he surprising but for the fact
that very little attention is paid to them
IN Latin literature. There was no phi
lsnthropist. no devoted inquirer like MIR.
Charles Booth, 10 investigate their condi-
ton or try to ameiorate it, As n matter
of fact. however, in Cicero's time they
numbered az least 320 0OOo. and the social
problems which their eNistence presented
ought 10 have challenged the attention
of intelligent Roman statesmen of the
period But the statesman. II he troubled
himself about them at all. looked upon
them as a dangerous element Of society,
only to be considered az human beings at
election time; at nll other times merely
as animals that had ~ lie fed to keep them
from becoming an active peril. 10 ia n
nfelancholy and significant truth that what
little we do know from literature about
the Roman plebeians or poor free whites
was derived from the part they occa-
sionelly played in riots or revolutionary
disorders The crime. the crowdinR. the
occasional suffering from starvation and
pestilence in the Questionable quarters
OF such city as Rome was in the days OF
Cicero .these things are hidden from us.
and rarely suggested by the histories we
commonly read,
The three questions TO which Mr.. Fowler
addresses himself are: How was this
poor free white population housed How
was it supplied with food and clothing;
How was II employed That in n city like
Eome each man. married or unmarried,
should have his own house was of course
impossible. This Ia not the case even to-
day in the great majority Of modern indus
trial towns. At Rome only the rich fami-
lies lived in separate houses tdomusl; the
mass Of the population lived OF rather
ate and slept for the climate favored
an outdoor life. in huge lodging houses
called islands (insuleJ because they were
detached from other buildings and had
streets on all sides. They were often three
or four stories high; the ground floor was
often occupied by shops. kept perhaps by
some Of the dodgers, and the upper floors
were divided into single rooms with small
windows looking out into the street or
into an interior court. The common
lodging house must have been simply a
rabbit warren, the crowded inhabitants
using their rooms only for eating and
sleeping. while for the most part during
thsir waking hours they prowled about
the streets, either idling or getting such
employment as they could, legitimate
or otherwise. ln such a life there could
have been. of course. no idea OF home or
OF that simple and sacred family life which
had ouoe been the ethical basis Of Roman
SOCIETY and about which Cicero speaks
so knowingly when he has in mind himself
and his high class acquaintance. The
insule inhabited by the poor free whites
who formed the vast majority Of the vot-
ing population were usually built or owned
by men Of capital, and were often called
by the names OF their owners. Cicero
In one OF his letters incidentally men
tions that he had money thus invested.
and one IL disposed 10 wonder whether
his insulR were kept in good repair, for
in another letter he happens to tell his
man of business that shops (taberna)
belonging to him we're turnbling down and
ilnoccupied. The fall of houses and their
destruction by fires were familiar features
n life at Rome in Cicero's day. and there
were then no insurance companies. no
mutual benefit associations, no philan-
thropic societies TO relieve the sufferers
cf undeserved misery.
" seems that the needs Of the poorer
classes Of freemen in respect OF food and !
drink we're very small. it was only the
huge number Of the free inhabitants |
that made the supply difficult. The ltal- |
isns. like the Greeks. were then as now !
almost entirely vegetarians; cattle and |
sheep were used for the production OF |
cheese, leather and WOOL or for sacri-
fees 10 the gods; the only animal COM
monty eaten until luxury came in with |
increasing wealth was the pig, and vege-
tables were the staple food Of the poor
nan in both town and country. No |
doubt the Roman took meat when he
could get IT, c,iriously enough to have to
subsist on il even for short time was
painful to him, and more than once Cesar
remarks on the endurance of his SOL
diers ip submitting to eat meat when
grain vas nor 70 I've had The particular
grain which at the period under review
was the staple food Of the Roman plebe-
ians vas wheat and wheat Of a good kind;
in primitive times It had been an inferior
species, called far. which survived in
ricero's day only in the form Of cakes
offered 10 the gods in religious ceremonies.
The wheat was not brought from Latinn. /
or even from Italy; what each Italian
community then grew VIC not more
than enough 10 supply its own inhabi-
'cnJe, aud the same was the case with
The country estates of the rich and the
huge sheep farms worked by slaves.
By far the greater part of Italy il noun
famous and not well suited 30 the pro-
duction of grain on large scale, for a