IS IT LIKELY GREAT BRITAIN WILL SINK

Otago Witness, Issue 2985, 31 May 1911, Page 79

IS IT LIKELY GREAT BRITAIN WILL SINK

!NTO «™ CH BEFED THE AA1I0A& OF AA'TIQUITY? Paper read before the Dunedin DLP Club By Happy Wag.

St ° ry of our co » n tr y begins TulL P e . mV \ s i on Oi the Romans under Julius Caesar, 55 8.C., and then under lulus Plautms, A.n. 43, whereby the south of England was conquered, and towns were built new roads constructed, the laws all houses improved and Christianity introduced B* P^ PIS ° f En *ere simply %%ui f f° k . than the introduction of civilisation, which practically came about Ihich ih» m S n lnvas , lon - *ne foundation which the Romans kid in England has without a doubt been the first stone laid in t> ia t y aa * structure of the present dav, the British Empire, Without a solid foundation no building can stand the strain of time, so is it the same with an empire After the departure of the Romans we have seen how England was invaded by the Anglo® and Saxons, then the Normans, and how sine has advanced first as a kingdom, then as .* power until she is the greatest nation in the world to-day, all within a period of 2030 years.

It we ar e . going to compare Britain with the nations of antiquity let us, for instance, take home, the first country to put us on our tect, and see how Roman history explains tlie history of modern Europe. If vou look at the nations of modern. Europe we" at once notice that they differ very much from one another in -language, laws, manners, and customs. Yet we see also, in spite of these differences that they have a great likeness to one another, which parts all of them from the nations of the other quarters of the. globe. Now, the great thing which Roman history tells us is how these nations of Europe grew up, and how they came to be so different from one another, and yet how, though one nation differs from another, the people of Europe seem to bo all almost the same, if we compare them with the people of Asia or Africa.

. The greatest reason which maka the people of Europe have so much in common is that they owe a, great deal to the laws, customs, and ideas of the Romans who conquered thein, and the reason why they differ from one another is that seme owe more to the Romans than others. Some have kept more of the ideas, of the Romans, others have kept more of the ideas of the Germans, who broke up the Government of Rome, and founded new nations in Europe. So you see that the history of Rome will explain to you how the nations of Europe grew up as they are at present. The power of Rome was gained by conquering all the nations of old times. They overoa-ni'S first the people of Italy, then overcame all the nations that lived round the Mediterranean Sea. Besides conquering these nations tlkey governed them, g"av.s tiiom their own laws, madia them like thorns-eves in some degree or 'another. Now, these nations that lived round the Mediterranean Sea were the only people who lived in cities', made themselves Laws, and wrote books, and were what we in these times called civilised. In older to understand the fall of the Roman Empire after reaching up to tliei summit of power, we must take into consideration the various causes which led to the destruction of the first power of the world. The fall of Rome was due to the following:—(a,) The Roman people were becoming a rabble, at the head of which was a small body of rich and selfish nobles, who fed and amused this rabble to make it do as they told it. (b) Slave labour had taken the place of free labour in Italy, and the number of freemen was becoming smaller and smaller. (c) Rom© was treating the Italians badly and the Latins proudly, (d) People in the .provinces were being oppressed. (e) Civil wars in various parts of the Empire. (f) Jealousy amongst the head men in the country. (S) The destruction and burning cf Rome. (h) The' invasion of Rome. like question rises: How do these causes compare to any such causes which may arise in the future, which will in time cause Britain to fall into the decay? Modern Europe was founded on the destruction of the Roman Empire, and the modern nations grew up under its dying shadow. Looking through the pages of any of our text books on English history, we tura amazed at the' growth from a small country to the greatest nation in the world that Britain as a nation has made. With all our civil wars, dethronement of kings, dissolution of 'Parliament, rulings by Commonwealth, adverse circumstances, we have built up a glorious Empire, which time alone will rend asunder. The class of people who have built up our country are a class distinctly their own. See what achievements our sailors, our explorers, our navigators, outgenerals, our armies and navies, and, aye, even our men and women at home have done to make us what we are. Our development as a nation began in the time of Queen Elizabeth, first by laying the right foundation at home by uniting all parts of England disturbed by the acts of Queen Mary, and by the acts of Raleigh and Drake on Sea.. She found England divided and weak; she left it united and strong. Englishmen were proud of their country. As we look back to that time we are able to •!yc that if they were fierce and cruel in their revenge upon Spain the victory was one for which all the world was the better. Spain was the land of tyrrany, where no man dared to speak a word against the King or "the Church. England was not so freo° as it is now, but it was much freer than any other country in Europe was then. It was a land where men, if they did not want to overthrow the Government, might speak as they pleased.

'' This England never d'id —nor never shall— Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror." Let us compare the growth of England to our neighbouring countries—say Germany. France, and U.S.A. —and tee what compari-

• ' id and i fl: '' :r ' ‘ ie state j ' ■ ’• ais three ;■ r.-> mcd wi. s ! ; - ■ • rra-iduru ■. : ■ u Firci) a, a,. t i,L. i.si. ' ' a oits of domestic produce of each country in cadi year from 1880 to 1900. He then comparer! the first five years’ averages in the beginning with the average at the end of that period. Comparison of the annual exports of domestic produce of the undermentioned countries for the last 21 years, in millions sterling: —• Year. U.K. Ftanc©, Germany. U.S.A, 1880 M ~ 223 139 145 172 • 1300 ~ ,t 283 164 222 280 Excluding value of new ships and of their machinery exported, these exports, which amounted in value to 9.2 million pounds in 1899 and 5.6 million pounds in 190 Ct