Decline and Fall of Rome.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12637, 25 March 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

Decline and Fall of Rome.

• .. A WARNING FOR TO-DAY. One cannot rise from a jjerusal of Dr Dill's vivid and scholarly picture of, Ro-, man society in the time of Nero, says the Melbourne " Argus," -without an. uneasy feeling that - many of his striking paragraphs might be read without muc& toning down as a description of the-life of great cities t»-day; The old Roman aristocracy, by adopting the vices of the lowest classes, had lost their respect without gaining their affection. Deprived, not by the rise of the' power of the people, but by the absolutism of the emperors, of their ancient political influence and prerogative, they spent their time in all kinds of luxurious frivolity, and rushed with' zest into the shameless Bohemianism of which Nero had set the fashion, striving, on the stage and in the arena for the applause of the mob which cheered them with a cynical smile of contempt. The women, emancipated from the old conventions, freed themselves afc the same time from_ the restraints of the old morality, and vied with the'men, not only in their interest in public affairs and polite literature, but also in their excesses of conduct. Marriage fell into disuetude, divorce became more and more easy and common, and', the birth-rate rapidly declined through the disinclination of the women to undertake the duties of motherhood. As the old families declined, the' fr'eedmen, many of whom, had amassed enormous fortunes, forced- themselves into prominence. Wealth took the place of worth, , and those who possessed it delighted in the ostentatious display of their opulence. Ingenuity was exhausted in devising means for the spending of money. Every one of these nouveaux riches tried to outdo his rivals in the costliness and eccentricity of ihis banquets, the sumptuousness of his equipage, the splendour of his houses, the extravagance of his dress. Art was bribed 1 into their service; they curved their rare dishes to the sound of music, and surrounded their vulgar luxury with the finest sculptures and paintings that the world l could afford. Poverty was the only crime; and consequently the whole world was engaged in a. wild struggle in which' each man strove to seem richer and more careless of expense than his neighbour.' Under such circumstances art ■ irievitahV -'ed in ?11 its branches. The stage became the vling minister to corruption, and gladiators were "butchered to make a- Roman holiday." Meanwhile the- streets of Rome were thronged with crowds of lounging idlers who. never dreamed of working for their living, but subsisted on the gratuitous food supplies of the state and the ostentatious benefactions of the rich', whose foibles they flattered and whose vices they served. Agriculture and the various crafts languished and fell into contempt. None but a slave would work; and amid an idle and shiftless population like that, every crime found a congenial home. At the root of the corruption lay the loss of all religious feeling, and belief. The old gods had become mere butts for cheap ridicule ; no one any longer believed in the thunderbolts of Jupiter or the terrors of Styx and Tartarus. For state, purposes the ancient forms of religion were retained; but not even the priests who offered the sacrifices had any faith in their efficacy. The intellectual classes took refuge in philosophical indifferentism, tolerating everything because they believed in nothing. The mass of the people were either frank materialists or' found a substitute for the dignified faith of their forefathers in the dark and shameful orgies . which were practised in the names of Isis . or Serapis or some other • Eastern deity. ( Childish superstition went hand in hand ] with immorality; and ancient, prototypes of spiritualism and' faith-healing and freelove flourished on every side.

As one. of the reviewers of Dr Dill's book has said, "That world seems often to show us the features of our own—the complicated mechanism of a civilisation highly developed industrially and of worldwide extent, the power of new-won riches, the contrast of poverty and insane luxury, the. medley of scepticism and religious unrest." Happily, 1 however, says the "Argus," there are elements in modern life which were absent in those days, and which may yet save us from the fatal ending which came upon Roman civilisation. Rome enjoyed world-wide dominion, and had no rival to fear. Her only enemies were the barbaric tribes on the borders of her vast empire, too remote and too feeble to cause her apprehension. _ England, on the contrary, only retains her empire at the cost of eternal vigilance.' Nations, as . strong as she is, surround her island' aionie, '"anils®e Js IwWe frt wy

I time to have to figlifc for very existence, I The knowledge of this is a wholesome tonic, and will preserve her from (lie inevitable decay which seems always to •follow in the train of unrivalled and unthreatened supremacy. Again, the political freedom which, gives every man an interest and a voice in the management of public affairs is of incalculable value in the creating- and fostering of a sense of responsibility, which at once restrains and inspires the* man who realises it. , _ And, best of all, the constant proclamation in every city. and - village! of the empire of the noble- ideals of purity and unselfishness taught in iLb religion of Jesus Christ cannot be without its effect. Against the growth of luxury and licentiousness, of which the signs are only too evident, must be set the growing interest in questions of Christian belief, the daily increasing attention . which is beiiig given to the study of t'he Scriptures, and the steady progress both in numbers and in influence of the various sections of the Church of Christ. , Whatever views may" be held as to the dogmas of .Christianity, there can! be no doubt that it makes, on the whole, for righteousness ; and no lesson is _ written more plainly in the records of history than this, that " righteousness exajteth a nation." :