Rome, the Middle of the World. By Alice Gardner. (E.
Arnold.) —This is a book of which the design and the execution may be. praised without reserve. Miss Gardner wishes her reader to see the inner meaning of history. Picturesque narrative of incidents. and faithful portraiture of great personalities have their uses ; but to make the learner "look at history as one great whole" should be the chief aim of the historian. To Miss Gardner Rome is, of course, the best object-lesson that can be taken for this purpose. From the time when the Republic began to reach out from Italy — Miss Gardner would put the beginning earlier—down to the Reformation, it was " the
of the World." This, then, is the theme of this volume, and it is well worked out. One or two details are open to• criticism. The statement on p. 20 as to the deification of the Emperors hardly goes far enough. There is no real reason to• doubt the " historic truth" of the statement "that both St. Peter and St. Paul suffered death for their faith about the time" of the• Neronian persecution. Signor Lanciani has little or no doubt about it, and there is no better authority.
Previous page
