Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/456

 450 THE EEVOLUTION8. BOOK IV. The democracy did not suppress poverty, but, oi> the contrary, rendered it more perceptible. Equality of political rights made the inequality of conditions ap- pear still more plainly. As there was no authority that was above rich and poor at the same time, and could constrain them to keep the peace, it could have been wished that eco- nomic principles and the conditions of labor had been such as to compel the two classes to live on good terms. If, for example, the one had stood in need of the other, — if the wealthy could not have enriched themselves except by calling upon the poor for their labor, and the poor could have found the means of liv- ing by selling their labor to the rich, — then the ine- quality of fortunes would have stimulated the activity and the intelligence of man, and would not have be- gotten corruption and civil war. But many cities were absolutely without manufac- tures and commerce; they had, therefore, no means of augmenting the amount of public wealth in order to- give a part of it to the poor without despoiling any one. Where there was commerce, nearly all its bene- fits were for the rich in consequence of the high rate of interest. If there were manufactures, the workmen were slaves. Wo know that the rich men of Athens,, and of Rome, had in their houses weavers, carvers, and armorers, all slaves. Even the liberal professions were almost closed to the citizen. The physician was often a (slave, who cured diseases for the benefit of his mas- ter; bank-clerks, many architects, ship-builders, and the lower state officials were slaves. Slavery was a scourge froin which free society itself suffered. The citizen found few employments, little to do; the want of occupation soon rendered him indolent. As he saw