The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-12-27
The Worlds
Big Man

1t appears to be quite clear, from
all available records of history, that
the Roman, in his day, was without
doubt the big man of the world. There
were others before him, and few
since, who came near to answering
the same description, but none fully
achieved it. Each one in his time and
from his place emulated the Roman
and strove to equal him, but they all
failed, as far as VIC can see.
They were big men, but not one OF
them rose to be the worlds big man
in the sense that the Roman was, or
in the true sense Of the word itself.
No man of the past other than the
Roman stood as sole master Of the
whole world On the Palatine Hill
where Romulus founded Rome, was
bred the ancestor Of the greatest race
of men that history has ever known
until now-now, when another steps
into his place and who is greater than
the Roman ever dreamed of being.
The Roman in the days of his glory
was the ideal man. His clean body
was trained to utmost strength and
elasticity. In heart and soul he was
unconquerable.
With shield and broadsword he
Jared forth to every corner of the then
known earth, and laid every nation
and every country subject to his will.
Even Hannibal fell before the prowess
of the Roman. He ruled in the House
of David. Every continent that was
within the reach of a sail, every isle
of all the narrow seas surrendered to
his legions.
To this day, more than 20 centuries
after the fall Of Rome, Europe is elo-
quent of the Roman sway in the stones
of crumbling towers and roads and
bridges over which the feet of men
and their traffic still pass. ~.
Perhaps until the end Of time will
these landmarks of Roman conquest
endure.
Not only have the Roman soldier
and engineer left their enduring
marks upon tic physical world they
knew, but their lawgivers, the states
men and the poets Of Rome have left
an everlasting mark upon all civiliza-
Gion that has come since or that is
to come till time shall be no more.
Counting the past from yesterday
all other men Of that past sink into
insignifcance in comparison with the
Roman. He was the big man Of the
world.
But it must be admitted that there
was now and then near worlds big
man. The Frenchman came near it
and the Spaniard and the Englishman
There were combinations, however
that these could not withstand, while
there was no combination stronl
enough to withstand the Roman. He
conquered the world with ease. The
others came only near to doing so
each in his turn, and then only b!
great sacrifice and effort.
1t was plainly the dream of thu
first Napoleon to plant the eagles o.
France wherever the Caesars hal
planted the eagles of Rome. The lit
tie Corsican had visions that far ex
ceeded that of any Caesar.
And mighty man was the French
man, then. He pitched his tent in tn
shadows of the Pyramids and sounde'
his bugle call from the submits o
the Alps. TWo-thirds Of Europe ben
with bowed heads before him, but tina
was all. He could go no farther.
Think of the Spaniard when his da,
was on the world; when the Pope drew
line around the map of the glob
and acknowledged the full half of al
the lands and waters thereof as tn
sole possessions Of Spain.
IJnro ,,,oro fbo I,ooc' +rao tb
Montezumas' wealth, the spices of tn
isles Of the Indies, east and west, tn
spoils Of all the vast Pacific, the pearl
and chorals Of the seas.
But it was only half a world, afte
all, that the Conquistadore held unde
the golden spurs on his heels. Hi
great Armadas could not hold tn
ocean against his foes. He was neve
the worlds big man.
Nearest to any of these having bee
the worlds big man was the English
man. He went farther than any O
the rest who fell short of the tina
goal.
He began as the Roman did, by at
taching to his own territory all tina
was contiguous or near it before h
sailed forth on his adventure c
world conquest. He brought into SUI
lection the Scots and the Welsh, VIII
shared his island with him, and the
he also added Ireland to his crown.
Far and wide was the path he tray
eled in the centuries that FOLLOWED
There came time when it was sal
that the sun never set on his domir
ions. The drumbeat of England et