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Show ROME'S ARISTOCRATIC GREAT LADIES. Lavla, ten, about IS B C. personified personi-fied In the eyes of the Romans tho perfect typo of aristocratic grent lady created by long tradition. Having been safely preserved by good fortuno through long civil wars, this model wag now set back again upon a fitting pedosUl in the most powerful and richest famtlv of the empire Sho was the living example of all tho virtues which Romans most cherished, a beloved wife and a heeded counsellor to the head of the state, honored with that veneration which power, virtue, nobility of birth, and tho dignified beauty of face and figure drew from every one. furthermore, there were her two sonB. Ttbcrlus and Drusus, both intelligent, handsome, full ot activity, ac-tivity, docile to the traditional education educa-tion which she sought to give thorn in order that they might bo the worthy conilnuators of the great name thgy bore Uvla, with all this In nor favor might havo been expected to live a happy and tranquil life, serenely to fulfill her mission amid the admiration admira-tion of the world. v Simplicity, loyalty. Industry, an absolute ab-solute surrender of one's own personality person-ality to the family and its jnterestn these, in the great famlltos. were the traditional feminine virtues which lived again In Llva to the admiration of her contemporaries. But with these lrtues were associated also tho need and the prtde of participating in tho affairs and work of her husband, that Interest in politics which had boon common to tho intelligent woman of the nobility No ono at Rome was astonished, especially es-pecially In the upper classes, that Llvla should occupy herself actively with polities' that Augustus should frequently come to her for counsel, or that he should not mako any serious decision without having consulted her, that. In short, she should at the same time attend to bor husband's clothes and aid him In governing the empire. For so had done from the Immemorial Imme-morial all the great ladies of the arls-tocracq. arls-tocracq. mindful of their good repute and tho prosperity of their families. And Llvla must have tried the moro earnestly to fulfill all that her education educa-tion had Uught her lo consider a sacred duty, since to a woman of her old-fashioned breeding the times must have appeared especially difficult and perilous. Gugltelmo Ferrero in Century Cen-tury Magazine oo |
