"LIBERTY IS STRENGTH."

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 276, 22 November 1927, Page 11

"LIBERTY IS STRENGTH."

THREE TYPES OF EMPIRE.

ROMAN, MEDIEVAL AND BRITISH.

"Our strength is in our liberty. We are strong where Rome was weak; Rome was weak where she thought she was strong." So said Professor A. J. Grant, of Leeds University, England, in lecturing to a big audience at the University College last evening. The professor, who will return to the Old Country shortly, has spent much of his life in the study of history and is exceedingly well acquainted with his subject. Hijs lecture last evening was on the three types of empire—Roman, Medieval and British.

In dealing with the Roman Empire, Professor Grant said that the title of •Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" was rather misleading as it gave one the impression that the fall was the \ most outstanding feature of the history. ( The Roman Empire, as a matter of fact, < was one of the longest lived and most | durable of all political institutions. Many people were under the impression that the Roman. Empire was particularly warlike, whereas, in reality, for two hundred years during the second Christian era conditions were most peaceful. He challenged anyone to find in the very tragic history of Europe a more peaceful period. Considering her vast territories, Rome had a surprisingly small army. The Roman Empire was not thus called because the lands were held down by the city of Rome, for very few of the Roman emperors came from Rome or Italy. "The Roman administration was never intended to be oppressive, although it became that in the course of years," said the professor. Much less was known of the Medieval or Holy Roman Empire. Voltaire had said that it was not holy, that it was . not Roman, and that it was not an empire, but the jibe was hardly deserved. It had begun when Charles, King of France, took the title of Emperor, and had»ended in 1806 after the battle of Austerlitz. It had been the aim of this empire to maintain peace in Europe, although its efforts in this direction had been very unsuccessful. In a way the Holy Roman Empire had been a forerunner of the League of Nations. "The destinies of the British Empire *nd of the League of Nations run on curiously parallel lines and the solution ■for the one will probably be very similar to that for the other," Professor Grant ended.

The speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.