IN THE ROMAN TRADITION

Evening Post, Issue 149, 20 December 1935, Page 6

IN THE ROMAN TRADITION

Whatever may be the opinion of the world as to Italy's action in Abyssinia, the spirit of sacrifice in the cause of, their country, right or wrong, which the Italian people are revealing in the present crisis must excite a measure of admiration. A cable message today describes a ceremony in the reclamation of the Pontine Marshes in which the women of the district offer'their wedding rings, in the presence of Signor Mussolini, to be, melted down in a crucible as; a gift to their country in her hour of need. "Others," declares the message, "brought helmets filled with gold, which Signor Mussolini poured into the crucible." One mother "deposited the medals of three sons killed in the War." Similar donations were made in the chief cities of Italy. At Rome the Queen of Italy gave her own ring and that of the King. Among the 50,000 rings were those of Signor Mussolini and his wife. The aggregate of gold' compensated for the reduction in the Bank of Italy's gold deposits since October 20, while considerable quantities of silver and scrap-iron were also contributed.

To us, no doubt, there is something rather theatrical about it all and about the Duce's speech on .the occasion, hut,it is in keeping with the old Roman tradition, which Signor Mussolini is striving so hard to revive. There are examples of similar sacrifice in the remote past of Ancient Rome. In the Second Punic War, when the Carthaginian Hannibal, invaded Italy and defeated the Romans in a series of battles which would have brought almost any other nation to its knees, the Romans tightened their belts and fought on to final victory. Contributions were made by Rome's faithful allies. Thus envoys from Naples arrived at Rome, according to the historian Livy, with forty; very heavy golden bowls" which they >offerecl in the Senate House.in'the following terms:

I We know that the Roman treasury is being drained by the war, and since this war is being carried on for the towns and fields of the Allies quite as much .for the head and stronghold of Italy, the city of Rome and its Empire, we Neapolitans have thought it but right to assist the Roman people with the gold which has been left-by our ancestors for the enriching of our temples and for a reserve in time of need. - : It Was typical of the proud Roman spirit that "a vote of thanks was passed to the envoys for their munificence and their care for the interests of Rome, and one bowl, the smallest, was accepted." Later in the campaign Hierp, of Syracuse, sent envoys with "a golden statue of Victory, weighing two hundred and twenty pounds," and also large quantities of provisions. The Romans accepted the statue as an pmen for the future. It did not prove necessary to melt it down. Finally, after the disaster of Cannae, in which a Roman army was practically annihilated, there was still no mention of peace. Livy's comment is famous:

Such a lofty spirit did the citizens exhibit in those days that though the consul was coming back from a terrible defeat for which they knew he was mainly responsible, he was met by a vast concourse drawn from every class of society, and thanks were formally voted to him because he "had not despaired of-the State."

Livy adds grimly:. "Had he been Commander-in-Chief of the Carthaginians there was no torture to which he would riot have been subjected." Such is the spirit Signqr Mussolini endeavours to revive with his eloquence on the occasion of another war with an African foe. Were the conditions the same as when Rome was fighting .for her life, the world would be more sympathetic.