The sun., 1909-02-28

things were sold. 80. 3. -
Now let US 500 how the other chief
necessity OF human life. the supply Of
clothing, gave employment to the free
Roman shopkeepep. Mr.. Fowler points
out that the clothing Of the whole Roman
population was originally woollen; both
the odter garment. the toga and the inner
tunica) were Of this material, and the
sheep which supplied II were psstured in
all the higher hilly regions OF Italy. Other
materials, linen, cotton and silk, came In
later with the growth OF commerce. but
the manufacture Of these into clothing
was chiefly carried on by slaves In the
great households. With suoh attire the
poor free whites had no concern. As in
the case OF food. so with the simplest
material OF clothing. II was soon found
impossible in q city for the poorer citizens
to do all that was necessary within their
own dwellings; this Is proved oonolu-
sively by the fact that guilds Of fullers
are mentioned among the associations OF
workmen traditiondlly ascribed TO Nunna.
Properly. OF course. fulling Ia the propara-
tion OF cloth by cleansing in water after
II has come from the loom. but our author
thinks that the fuller's trade OF the later
republic often comprised the actual
manufacture OF the wool for those who
could not do II themselves. He also acted.
it seems, as the washer OF garments al
ready In use, and this was no doubt q
very important part Of his business, for
in a warm climate heavy woollen material
is apt 10 get quickly impure and unwhole-.
some. Soap was not known in Rome till
the first century Of the empire. and the
process Of cleansing was all the moro
prolonged and elaborate; the details OF
the process are known to us from paint
ings at Pompeii. Ordinary woollen gar
ments were simply bleaohed white, not
dyed; dyere indeed, are mentioned among
the ancient guilds by Plutarch. but Mr..
Fowler deems It probable that he means
chiefly fullers by the Greek word that he
uses.
or the manufacture OF leather in ancient
Rome we do not know much. IL il re-
ferred to as q trade as early as the time
OF Plautus. The shoemaker's business,
on the other hand. was common from
the earliest times. doubtless because
IL needs some technical skill and expert
ence. The shoemakers' guild was among
the oldest; the individual shoemskers
carried on their trade in booths or shops.
The Roman shoe. by the way, was Of sev-
eral different kinds, according 10 the sex,
rank and occupation Of the wearer; but
the two most important sorts were the
calceus. the shoe worn with the toga in
the city. and the mark OF the Roman citi-
zen. and the pero, or high boot. more
serviceable in the country.
Among other old guilds were those Of
the blacksmiths and the potters. the raw
material for whose work had, in later
times at least 10 be brought from a dis
tance. The later Romans seem to have
procured their iron ore from the island Of
Elba, from Spain, from Gaul and from
other provinces. and 20 have imported
ware Of all kinds. especially the finer
sorts. from various parts of the empire;
the commoner kinds, such as the dolla, or
large vessels for storing wine and oil.
were certainly made in Rome in the SEC
ond century B. c.. for Cato in his book on
agriculture remarks that they could best
be procured there. As both these manu- !
factures, however. require a certain !
amount Of capital. it is questionable |
whether the poor free whites were largely |
employed In them; We know for certain |
that under the early empire the manufso- |
ture Of earthenware. tiles. bricks. &c..
was carried on by capitalists, and no
doubt the hands they employed were
chiefly slaves. Industries Of this kind. |
nevertheless. serve 10 recall another
kind Of employment in which the poorer
freemen OF Rome aud Ostia may have
found the means Of making living.
The importation Of raw materials, as
indeed that Of goods Of all kinds, which
was constantly on the increase throughout
Roman history. called for the employ
ment Of vast numbers Of porters. carriers.
and what in England would now be termed
dock hands. working both at Ostia, where
the heavier ships were unloaded. and
also at the wharves in Rome under the
Aventine. We must bear in mind that
almost all porterage in the city had to
be done by men with the aid Of mules
Or donkeys; the streets were so narrow
hat in trying 20 picture what they looked
like we must banish from otir minds the
crowds Of vehicles familiar in a modern
city. Julius Caesar in his regulations for
the government OF the city Of Rome
forbade wagons to be driven in the streets
during the daytime. No doubt a large
AMOUNT Of porterage was done by slaves
Tor their masters. but we may reasonably
guess that free labor also was employed
N this way at Rome. as certainly was the
,ase at Ostia. and also at Pompeii. where
he pack carriers and mule drivers were
among the corporations Of freemen.
We may safely conclude. then, that
here was a considerable amount Of en-
,loyment in Rome obtainable by the
poorer citizens quite apart from tho
abor performed by slaves. The oondi-
ions, however. under which that en-
Is compared with the industrial condi-
ions of a modern city. Mr.. Fowler
lames two points in which the position Of
he free artisan and tradesman at Rome
vas far worse than il is in England to-
lay and rendered him liable to an even
more hopeless submersion than that which
8 too often the fate OF the modern wage
'arner. In the first place. markets were
hen. as they are now. liable TO fuctua-
more liable then than now,
because the supply both Of food and the
'aw material of manufacture was more
orecarious owing to the greater difficult
les Of conveyance. Trade would be bad
It times, and many things might happen
which would compel a man possessed Of
title or no capital to borrow money,
which he could only do on tho security
" his stock. or indeed as the law Of