| Show LIFE IN ANCIENT ROME in the brief time in which we are to visit the romans this evening it will be impossible for us to get a complete idea ol of this wonderful people through the long centuries of their existence roman life from the time of the fabled romulus to that tha t of constantine presents too many changes too many varying scenes to be discussed in one short lecture the roman of the mighty luguri luxurious ous empire was afar a far different individual from the roman of the kingdom and the republic the former ceased to be the thereal real roman the pre server and promoter of individual liberty and became a degenerate conglomeration of the effeminate oriental and the cruel barbarian the empire presents mae magnificence and luxury in the extreme and in its first years especially touch much that we still hold of true worth in engineering architecture law and literature but it is to the earlier days of the republic we must turn turnia if we would sit the roman at his best see the matrons matrona mat rons the citizens the statesmen and the generals who have given rome a name name worthy to stand through the ages let us then direct our thought to the activities to the real life of the men and women of the so called ronan roman republic and learn leam their strength and weakness that we building on the past may make the present and the future more useful and more glorious rome rose nourished flourished for a time and fell over and over again we hear this true saying and it is usually closed with a sort of a happy sigh of relief that seems to add how thankful we are that she fell but rome has not fallen her political dominion to be sure has largely passed away but she still lives the real rome thrives today in the lile life and institutions of the civilized nations of the world do you doubt it study then carefully the history of architecture law and literature and I 1 am sure your question will be changed to the strongest affirmation if we let our minds eye run back along the ages we doubtless shall see a group of mere thatched huts clustered around the palatine hill poor mean hovels they would seem to us today and yet they were the houses bouses of the ancestors of the proud romans here was the soil that was to laugh under their magical touch As they felt those volcanic formations tremble beneath their feet and listened with awe to the mighty voices of the gods rumbling among the mountains or opening the earth in great fissures at their feet so the whole world was destined to pale with fear at the martial tread of their legions and bow their necks submissively to the see seeming mi ing in inevitable men reared under that clear blue sky with their faces fanned by the invigorating breezes from the lotty hills about them confronted by natures sturdy difficulties and with persistent enemies on every hand could not sit down in complacent contentment the 1 gods rods beckoned them on at every turn inactivity meant death annihilation these early romans appreciated the situation possessed the vigorous spirit implored the gods for aid and buckled on their armor for the contest As we review their career we are reminded of the saying of the old greek poet the gods sell all good things to us for toil and no nation has fought more sturdily and more truly earned its liberty and dominion than has the roman from the time when those proud adventurers began to spread over romes seven hills and the intervening valleys the people were divided into two classes the patricians and plebeians plebe ians to the former belonged all romans of pure blood all who were the descend of the first settlers and proprietors and among the latter were included all other freemen from the wealthy merchant to the poorest farmer and artisan below these was still another class by no means small in number yet of whom the state practically took no account these were the slaves an ever increasing and strangely conglomerate multitude the fruit of conquests to the east and to the west to the north and to the south with three such distinct and widely separated classes it could hardly be expected that harmony would exist the patricians considered themselves the only rightful citizens their will was the state and all others should think themselves fortunate that they have the privilege of living under such illustrious dominion the plebeians plebe ians of course were not satisfied at the prospect of always being the underdog under dog and naturally began to struggle to get to the top where quarters were larger and breath ing space more abundant this contest waged fiercely during generation after generation the patricians disputed every inch of ground with a success known only to the persistent who already have the offices and powers ot of the government in their grasp but no less persistent were the plebeians plebe ians they watched every opportunity and found out and attacked every weak point fiercely the patricians however were wise aristocrats and when compelled by force oi of circumstances gave way gracefully and admitted admit teci their plebeian brothers to citizenship and equal rights bitter and long was that struggle it not only served as a means of developing a great interest and power in state craft but also shows the wonderful vitality and expansive power of the people ot of the seven hills the romans were naturally calm and poetical un their tendencies were stoical and hence when that system of philosophy was introduced from greece in the latter days of the republic it gained more followers than any other of the philosophical systems of the time the roman res respected acted power wherever he saw it we he beheld the flashing of the volcano as it spit fire smoke and steam into the heavens he felt the shock of the earthquake as the soil shook beneath his feet and said the gods are angry with men he heard the thunder rumble among the mountains and called upon his fel to appease the wrath ot of jupiter thus he reasoned quickly from effect to cause he also early learned that systematic concerted persistent action was necessary to defend his state from the inroads of the surrounding tribes and nations and enlarge its boundaries hence he soon learned to respect and love power and dominion and cevelo develop that fondness for system and order so characteristic of the roman people such a nation could not long be satisfied with a lew few square miles of territory but gradually with a courage and conviction that was invincible extended their borders until they not only included the cultured etruscans Etrus cans on the north the hardy mountaineers on the east and the greek colonies OR on the south but leaped beyond these and encompassed the whole peninsula and sicily and steadily marched over southwestern and southern europe and then not satisfied set sail and planted their standards in asa minor and northern africa afria paving the way for the mighty empire that was to be but rome ever remained the center the seat of government she was the ancient hub of the earth from her radiated all those political and social influences fluen ces that made the empire what it came to be here were gathered the wealth the culture the manhood and womanhood of the nations whom the roman terminus the gods ot of boundaries had surrounded the vast spoils of merciless conquest at her dictation states lived and thrived or yielded up their stores ot of treasure and beauty to ug fill 11 the coffers of rome and adorn her temples and palaces and sent their inhabitants to grace the triumphs of ambitious citizens and fill the slave marts of the proud eity city such in general was rome mistress tress of the mediterranean and dictator of f the world in the roman state the rights of citizens were of two kinds public and private the private rights were i the power ower of legal marriage with the lamir families r ies of all other citizens 2 the power of making legal purchases and sales and of holding property 3 the right to bequeath and to inherit property the public rights wree i the power ot of voting wherever a citizen was permitted to vote and 2 the right to be elected to any office for some time the plebeians plebe ians were excluded from all these privileges the patricians were the romans the citizens the plebeians plebe ians were free but they had no political rights and no social standing in the eyes of the ruling class but they gained one after another of the above named rights until they fought their way to full political and social recognition to full citizenship in the state the inhabitants of municipal cities pia and of roman colonies could exercise the lull full rights of citizens when at rome while the inhabitants of municipal cities of a lower rank and latin colonies possessed the private right of citizens the first general assembly ot of the patrician citizens was called the kuriata Cu the the people were divided into thirty districts called curiae and each district into ten families or gentes the kuriata elected the kings and afterwards the consuls the senate represented the gentes or families and at first was made up of the fathers of the families the oldest representatives of the different gentes and probably numbered three hundred the consuls however seem to have had the power of giving citizens a seat in the senate and soon oon the number was increased by the is initiation of other patricians and after a time wealthy plebeians plebe ians were thus honored in return for their aid or influence A senator held his office during life the senate discussed measures made laws and formed an advisory council to the consuls in the last days of the lie lic it numbered about six hundred and was chiefly charged with legislation on foreign affairs religion and finance but according to the servian constitution given by servius tullius who was elected king in B C a new division ot of the people was brought about the or knights the cavalry which before had bad consisted of six patrician companies were increased by the addition of twelve twelve compani companies s of of wealthy plebeians plebe ians the infantry was reorganized without reference to rank the soldiers were graded a ed according to the amount of landed ded property they possessed the whole people who owned any taxable land were thus divided according to the aristocracy of arain wealth into five classes and when they came together formed the cen kuriata or assem bly of hundreds in ciceris time there were three hundred and fifty centuries this assembly eve long acquired the right to elect the consuls to hear appeals from the consuls verdict in capital cases and acceptor accept or reject bills laid before it this gave the land owning plebeians plebe ians a recognition and was the first step in the direction of plebeian citizenship but in the assembly the vast ma majority bority of votes was given to the highest classes so that the patricians were able to con arol affairs to suit themselves another division brought about a little later was the tribal at first there were twenty afterward twenty one and finally thirty five tribes these formed the tributa in which for a long time at least the plebeians plebe ians were the sole voted voters the office of tribunes of the people was established and the plebeians plebe ians were allowed to elect their representatives in the tributa this was a long stride for the plebeians plebe ians the tribunes had the right to interpose an absolute veto on any legislative or administrative measure they thought harmful to the people and to secure them in this right their persons were held inviolable whoever did them violence was considered an outlaw their power at first was merely protective but it came to be controlling and the tribunes exerted a mighty influence in rome the tributa became more and more important the other assemblies lost their grasp on affairs and gradually sank into comparative insignificance its prerogatives were increased irom from time to time until in ciceris Cic eros day it elected the lesser magistrates and enacted laws which were binding upon the whole people there was no more class legislation after the drawing up of the twelve tables by the Decem it was si quis if anyone in all the laws enacted what the people shall have ordained fully shall be law so said the statute the presiding and chief administrative officers of the state were two consuls elected annually two praetors praet ors had charge of the administration of justice in both civil and criminal cases one was called praetor urbanus judge between citizens and the other praetor Peri grinus budge between citizens and foreigners sojourners in the city the praetors praet ors on assum assuming ipg office were accustomed cus tomed to post in in the forum the principles by which they would be gover governed tied in their decisions and the edicts of the successive praetors praet ors played an important part in the development of roman law two censors attended to taking the census the registry of the citizens and their property every four years these officers also had charge of the regimen morum borum the regulation ot of morals and the administration of the finances of the state the censorship was considered an office of great honor the censors were responsible to no officer or assembly and especially as regulators of public morals exerted a powerful influence they could inflict disgrace igno minia on anyone whose conduct did not square with their notions of rectitude or duty it a man neglected the cultivation of his fields or carried on a disreputable trade or refused to marry or treated his family either too kindly or too harshly or was extravagant or guilty of bribery cowardice etc he might be degraded according to his rank or otherwise punished but how lax in the discharge ot of their duties must the censors have become before the extinguishing of the lamp of liberty in the death of the republic such sins as those just enumerated sapped the virility and manhood of rome and led to the downfall of roman liberty the administration of the finances of the state included the regulation ot the trib the property tax and the ia such as the titles paid lor for the public lands salt works mines mines customs etc which were usually leased out for periods of five years and also included the making of the state budget in B C Q a law was passed by which one of the censors might be a plebeian and in B C both were plebeians plebe ians for the first time in the history of the state we have already spoken of the tribunes and the powers they exercised at first there were twoiE two diles chosen by the plebeians plebe ians but in B C two others were added selected from the patricians and were called cumle eddles Ed iles the duties of the eddles were to care for the public buildings especial 1 ly the temples attend to cleaning and repairing the streets the preparations for funerals public games and ana spectacles the regulation of weights and measures measure markets etc the Qua estors originally nall two in number but gradually increased till in the time of sulla they numbered twenty had charge of the public treasury after B C plebeians plebe ians were eligible to this office also thus legal jurisdiction in civil procedure ot of cases between citizens was vested in the praetor urbanus of cases between citizens and foreigners in the praetor Peri grinus of cases touching the treasury in the censors of cases arising in the markets in the iE eddles Ed iles diles but in criminal procedure all except certain cases case against religion which went before the maximus legal jurisdiction was vested in permanent juries or courts called perpetual terpe these were at least eight in number of which six were pressied pres died over by praetors Praet ors 1 r and the rest by foremen called I 1 another class of officials who were of great importance in state and wielded a powerful influence upon the social and political life of the romans was |
