The Story of the Roman People Day 23

THE ROMANS OF THE EARLY REPUBLIC 61

mans ; but the Roman victory at Sentinum , in 295 B. C. , made it clear that Rome was to be mistress of Italy .

Contrary to their treaty , the Romans entered the harbor of Tarentum . War ensued . The Tarentines , aided by Pyrrhus and his elephants , won the battle of Heraclea , in 280 B. C. , but with such losses that Pyrrhus wished to make peace . The Romans refused , and Pyrrhus was driven back to Epirus . From the " toe" of Italy to the Rubicon and the Macra , the whole land was in the power of the Romans.

SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITTEN WORK

The wife of Cincinnatus describes the visit of the ambassadors to her husband.

One of the schoolboys of Falerii tells the story of Camillus and the treacherous schoolmaster .

A Gaul tells his friends of the coming of Camillus to ransom Rome.

A Roman soldier describes his first sight of the elephants of Pyrrhus.

THE ROMANS OF THE EARLY REPUBLIC AND THEIR WAYS

Even if there were no truth in the old stories of Rome, they would , nevertheless , tell us much about the character of the Romans. People are always inclined to become like those whom they admire, and therefore the best Romans must have been like the heroes of the legends. They were , then ,

dignified and somewhat stern in manner , with great respect for the law and strong love of country . So long as the father lived, the son must yield to him in all private matters ; but as a citizen the son was free, and if he happened to hold a higher office in the state than his father, the father must show him due honor . There is a story that a famous old gen eral, Fa'bi- us Cunc-ta'tor , had a brilliant son who was made consul . This office put him at the head of the army, and the father was , therefore , under him . The general rode up to greet his son as usual, but the son bade him dismount before he ventured to address a consul . The old general whom all Rome delighted to honor was greatly pleased and said , My son , I wished to see whether you would remember the respect due you as consul of the Roman people.

In the earlier times , the Romans lived very simply . Their houses were at first a single room with a hole in the roof to let the smoke out , and a hole in the floor to drain off the rain that leaked in through the roof. The walls were black with the smoke that did not go out . This room , the a'tri-um , was the living - room of the home . Here the wife and her daughters spun and wove. Here was an altar with images of the ances tors of the family who were worshiped as household gods, and were supposed to protect the home . Here were a table , a bed , a hearth for the open fire, and not much besides . Up to the time when Tarentum was captured , even those who were well- to -do lived in houses that had simply added to this atrium a few rooms for sleeping, although as Rome increased in wealth and power , the houses of the rich grew more spacious and more elegant .

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The food was as simple as the house . The early Romans ate peas, beans, onions, and other vegetables, and a sort of porridge made of wheat ; but meat was not often used . The dress of a Roman consisted chiefly of a toga. This was a long oval scarf, perhaps ten feet wide . It was folded lengthwise and draped over the left shoulder, un der the right, and over the left again . One end hung down in the back , while the other was tucked into the fold or loop in front. Ar ranging the toga was an important matter . A man would have been laughed at from one end of the town to the other who ventured out into the streets with his toga draped over the right shoulder in stead of the left . Under the toga , the Roman wore a tunic, or kind of shirt without sleeves . If the weather was cold , he put on one or two extra tunics , and perhaps a sort of mantle . Hats were not worn un less a man was traveling and the sun was uncomfortably warm . In ( From a Statue in the Museum at Naples) the house the Roman wore sandals on his bare feet, but for the street he had shoes somewhat like those of to-day . The tunic and toga were made of white woolen cloth , but members of the senate were allowed to

ROMAN IN A TOGA

64 STORY OF THE ROMAN PEOPLE

have a broad purple stripe running down the front of the tunic . Slaves wore tunics and sometimes, in cold weather, cloaks; but they were never permitted to wear the toga, for that was regarded as the special dress of the Roman citizen . The Roman boy wore a toga with a broad purple border until he was about seventeen . Then his father and a com pany of friends led him to the forum to enroll his name as a citizen , and after this he was permitted to wear the manly toga , as it was called .

The Roman woman wore a tunic and vest , and over these another tunic long enough to touch the floor. This was the stola . It was kept in place by a girdle. When the Roman lady went out of doors, she put on a palla, or shawl of white woolen , draping it in much the same fash ion as the toga of the men .

Children were sent to school , usually in the care of some trusty slave who was to see that they behaved well in the streets . It is not probable that in early times they learned much of books besides reading, writing, and a little arithmetic ; but they were taught to ride , swim , and use arms, in order that they might be of value in de fending the state , and they were most care

Found in a Roman Tomb) fully trained to be honest and truthful, to worship the gods, to love their country, and above all things to be strictly obedient . If a child dis

A ROMAN LADY ( From a Marble Statue