The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1914-06-13
AMERICA, THE LAND OF CULTURE

Guglielmo Ferrero, greatest OF Nv
ing HISTORIANS, has been studying
America, and bringing to the task
such knowledge OF the ancient
world as perhaps no man ever had
before. From man CT such mental
power and equipment We expect some
thing vastly different from the usual
shallow travel book turned out by
European visitors. And Fefrero sui-
fills expectation. 1t is doubtful wheth-
er any writer has ever interpreted
America with such originality, vivid
ness and force as has this italian au.
thor in his new book Ancient Rome
and Modern America
1t Is an amazihg hotion-until one
grasDs it--that this new country is
more like ancient Rome than 1t is
like any of the modern European ma.
lions. But F'erreso reminds lis that
what we, men of the twentieth cen.
tury, call ancient civilizations, were
really, when they flourished. new
and young civilizations; so are the
American civilizations Of the pres
ent day." 1t Is the present EUROPEAN
civilization that is OH, rather than
those of Greece and Rome that we
study In historical works
One Of the NEST striking parallels
pointed out by Fewero is the per
sonal magnilicence of individuals
among us, as among the old Romans.
One looks in vain, in modern Eu.
rope, he says, for large donations
made by wealthy men to the public.
Rich folk there are selfish: a gilt Of
$4,000 for charity, education or eul
ture arouses surprise. But the Amer
can nsilliolsiresd with their vast
donations had numberless forerun.
hers in Greece and Rome, particular
ly Rome.
In classic times every city had
its bene(aotor, building or endow'ng
temples and public roads,
great baths and contrib.
hting In manifold ways TO the public
welfare. Rome had Its Carhegies.
Mtrgans, Rockefeliers and limiting
tons The Roman emperor himself,
was, at first, only the most generous
and best known Of the philantbfo.
pists. Agrippa built the Pantheon as
Carnegie built the hail that bears
his name in New York.
This spirit Of individualism, Fer
zero finds, runs through these two
great ancicntmodern civilizations. He
pcnders long over the real purpose
of the American nation; the doininat.
ing influence that drives us Forward;
and he finds that 1t is nothing less
than the duty of subiugatlng this
great continent. Finding ourselves
face to face with enexampled re-
sources, just ut the time when the
steam engine added incalculablc pow
er to mans hand, we haye gone fer
ward resistIessly to the conquest Of
this new land as the ancient Romans
Went forth to conquer the known
world. They subiusated other IA
tiuns; our conquests have been.
chiefly over nature. And this almost
mystical ideal, which impels us to
toll apparently for wealth aud then
scorn il when won. has been pursued
In such extreme personal liberty as
the wcrld never saw before,
THE great national work., he SAYS,
is accomplished much more by per,
sonal initiative than whit the help
and under The direction OF the state:
the important part, therefore, is that
sonal Initiative than with the hep
cd IN this work to the smallest nun.
Der q limits and restrictions
lie sees here an astonishing degree
Of freedom and persdnal initiative N
Industry, in politics. In science, art,
aud religion. In one thing alone. lie
holds, We lag behiad--in "the tyranny
Of the judicial power"
One Of the most interesting OF For
rego's ccnclnsions is that We are les.
tined 80 pcrpetuate the worlds lnest
culture while Europe uses her ener-
giles IN ftaltless competition with S
III the more struggle for wealth.
Europe is fated 10 become in-
crcaalngy obliyious Il The traditions
Of its ancient mad disinterested sul-