The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-28
MR., BRYCE SPEAKS
ON DEM0CRAc|ES
COMPARES UNITED STATES TO
THOSE OF ANCIENT ROME
AND GREECE.
WHAT WE BUILT ON
AT TIME or ORIGIN OF AMERICAN
REPUBLIC THERE WAS NO
OTHER AND LITTLE FOR
FOUNDATION.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. Jan. II.
In Madison hall, at the University
Of Virginia tonight, Ambassador Bryce
delivered the first of series of lee
turs under the Barbour-Page Founda-
ton. his subject being, Ancient De-
moCracies."
Mr.. Bryce began by observing that
1857 years ago when Thomas Jeffer-
son was employed in drafting the IN
strument which has made his name
famous. and twelve years afterward
when the great men, who prepared
the constitution of the United states
were busy over their work in Phil
adelphia. there was in the whole
world no constitutional government
except that of Great Britain and no
Democratic republics except few
tiny Swiss cantonS The constitu-
ton makers of those days were oblig-
ed to recur to the history of the
ancient world for examples of free
republics, for apparently they knew
very little about the Italian repub-
lies of the middle ages the history
Of which has scarcely been written
in English or French.
From Greeks and Romans.
These great Americans. he said,
drew their examples of republic
government from the annals of the
Greeks and Romans. and the pages
of the federalist are full of references
to the Institutions of classical anti
guilty.
'sThe knowledge that we have to-
day Of republics and Democratic
governments" said Mr.. Bryce, lis
enormously larger than that the men
of 1T76-178S could command. and we
now see better perhaps than they did
how great were the differences that
separated the ancient world from
l.
or Roman freedom has lost none Of
it's interest and little of it's instruc-
ton.
THE distinguished and venerable
patriarch of American classical
scholars. who are honored alike by
you here and by us In England, Pro-
lessor Basil L. Gildersleeve, delivered
to you several interesting lectures,
under the title of 'Hellas and Hes
peria,' in which he brought together
the life and history OF Greece and of
the United States. and | shall try to
point out to you in these two lectures
some political likenesses and some
political differences between the peo-
pies and to indicate briefly what the
ancient world has still to teach mod
ern democracy.
Many Things In Common.
THE Greek and italian republics
were mostly city republics confined to
a narrow area. Modern free States
are countries, most of them large
countries. They had no industries on
a large scale and nothing in the ma
ture of such industrial disputes as
now vex the world. Their economic
questions chiefly related TO the dis
tribution Of land, They fad not dis
covered the benefits OF representa-
tive system, which, of course, was not
so necessary to them in their small
areas But still they had many things
in common with U.S. Platos "Repub-
lie" and Aristotles treatize on politics
are full of instruction and stimulative
forces, They are the beginning of
political philosophy"
Mr.. Bryce then proceeded to deal
with some of the features of Repub-
lican and Democratic goverrrn ent
among the Greeks, reserving the phe-
nomena of Rome and some general
reflections for his second lecture to
be delivered at noon tomorrow, in
Cabe1l hall.