THE GROWTH OF EUROPE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3831, 16 August 1927, Page 76

THE GROWTH OF EUROPE.

LECTURE BY DR ELDER.

The growth and history of Europe were outlined in a lecture given by Dr J. R. Elder at the Officers’ Club on Thursday evening. The title of the address was “ The Map of Europe.” Early Europe, Dr Elder stated, wm cut off- from Asia by tundra, mountains, and forest in the north and desert in the south. The peoples of the east came in at first between the mountains and the Caspian Sea, and from wandering tribes they became agriculturists and fishermen. The people who settled in the south of Europe were fortunate because they settled in lands with a good climate; Civilisation came quicker in the south because the people had more time to think. Europe was still the brain centre. The thought of e world was coming from Europe. The lioman Empine was a land empire, and the Romans were road-makers rather than boat-makers. They did build a fleet to defend Carthage, but they did so for their soldiers. Their idea of fighting was by grappling with the enemy ship so that even at sea they were soldiers rather than sailors. They had little genius for the sea. Even at the time of tiie Roman Empire the Goths were pressing south. There were three reasons why the Romans migrated. The first was a desire to conquer, the second was that they were being pressed from the east, and the third was increase in population. He pointed out that had the Goths become established in Italy there would have been no question of its unification iu ifie nineteenth centiir' - . , , , . Dr Elder explained how the barbarian tribes began to become established as nations, each under its own king. A great landmark in European history, he said, was the crowning of Charlemagne as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It was then that the controversy began as to who was the greater—the Pope or the King whom lie had crowned. There, were the questions of the divine right of popes and the divine right of kings. History books were prone to laugh at the idea of the divine right of kings, but he thought it w.as a very sound and logical idea. Each king at this time kept peace in his own kingdom, and it was then that some of the ideas of the League of Nations were evolved. When Charlemagne died Europe was divided among his”three sons. It was the begininug of modern France and modern Germany. There was the central kingdom of Lothariivia, from which came the modern name of Lorraine, and that was the beginning of the fight for the middle lands over which there was strife at the present time. Charlemagne's successors were not strong rulers, and the later emperors were nobles who were able to defend, their people. Then began the feudal systeilow the influx of trade from the East made Venice and Genoa great was explained bv the lecturer, who pointed out that Leipsig, Magdeburg, Dresden, and other towns became famous because they were on the main trade routes. He thought that in teaching history more geography should be taught. Ihe Saiacen = and Ottoman Empires were dealt with. It was stated. Dr Elder said, that Saracen doctors performed serious operations, and that they knew the use of anaesthetics. The Turks were pressing in from the Fast, and in 1683 they reached Vienna, from which they were ultimately' driven back. Italy was still a house divided against itself. From mediaeval to modern times the gap was filled by (he great renaissance movement. Men built up new ideas in art, science, and literature. They began to think for themselves. In mediaeval times the ecclesiastic thought for the people, but with the renaissance came a demand for liberty of thought. Machiavelli evolved a new creed of politics—the creed that nothing mattered except that one had right on one’s side, that the only interest was self-interest, and that nothing succeeded like success. That was the idea of Prussia in more modern times —the idea that politics and morals had no connection whatever. Then came reformation in religion. The voyage of the Armada and the Swedish domination of the Baltic were touched upon, and reference was made to Richelieu, whose idea was the idea of Bismarck —that the king made the country. The rise of Russia under Peter the Great and of Prussia under Frederick the Great were dealt with. With Louis XVI, said the lecturer, arose the idea of the sovereignty of the people, which was followed by the military domination of Napoleon, who wanted to give the whole of Europe the ideas of France. The two great points of the nineteenth century were the unification of Italy and Germany. The influence of Bismarck was described by the speaker, who concluded by outlining the problems of Europe in 1914 and after the war.