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Bernardo Gallegos
Page 06 - Part E
Finally, after a period of wandering
and plundering, each of these new peoples settled down within the Empire
as rulers over the numerically larger native Roman population, and slowly
began to turn from hunting to a rude type of farming. For three or four
centuries after the invasions ceased, though, Europe presented a dreary
spectacle of ignorance, lawlessness, and violence. Force reigned where law
and order had once been supreme. Work largely ceased, because there was no
security for the results of labor. The Roman schools gradually died out,
in part because of pagan hostility (all pagan schools were closed by
imperial edict in 529 A.D.), and in part because they no longer ministered
to any real need. The church and the monastery schools alone remained, the
instruction in these was meager indeed, and they served almost entirely
the special needs of the priestly and monastic classes. The Latin language
was corrupted and modified into spoken dialects, and the written language
died out except with the monks and the clergy. Even here it became greatly
corrupted. Art perished, and science disappeared. The former Roman skill
in handicrafts was largely lost. Roads and bridges were left without
repair. Commerce and intercourse almost ceased. The cities decayed, and
many were entirely destroyed (R. 49).
The new ruling class was ignorant--few could read or write their names--
and they cared little for the learning of Greece and Rome. Much of what
was excellent in the ancient civilizations died out because these new
peoples were as yet too ignorant to understand or use it, and what was
preserved was due to the work of others than themselves. It was with such
people and on such a basis that it was necessary for whatever constructive
forces still remained to begin again the task of building up new
foundations for a future European civilization. This was the work of
centuries, and during the period the lamp of learning almost went out.
Source: THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION, by ELLWOOD P. CUBBERLEY
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[ Part C ]
[ Part D ]
[ Part E ]
[ Part F ]
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