=Influence of Roman Education.=--But the Roman education and civilization had left their impress upon the world. This was accomplished by the practical nature of the Romans, and by their ability to make abstract ideals concrete and embody them in institutions that have been useful to civilization and progress. Through them was created the idea of a universal empire, which has been influential throughout the world’s history. Similarly, the concept of law originating with the Greek philosophers became in the hands of the Romans the great system of principles that underlies and guides all our present civilization. And it was the Roman genius for organization that institutionalized a despised religious sect and expanded it into the position of the greatest world religion. If Judaism furnished the world with exalted religious ideals, and if from Hellenism came striking intellectual and æsthetic concepts, the institutions for realizing these ideals originated with Rome. SUPPLEMENTARY READING Graves, _Before the Middle Ages_ (Macmillan, 1909), chap. XIII; Monroe, _Text-book_ (Macmillan, 1905), chap. IV. Interesting brief monographs on the subject are Clarke, G., _Education of Children at Rome_ (Macmillan, 1896), and Wilkins, A. S., _Roman Education_, (Cambridge University Press, 1905). See also the treatment in Laurie, _Pre-Christian Education_ (Longmans, Green, 1900), pp. 319-436. CHAPTER IV THE EDUCATION OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS OUTLINE Christianity accomplished much in the reform of the degraded Roman society. The earliest education of the Christians came through their ‘otherworldly’ life, but actual schools, called ‘catechumenal,’ before long furnished a moral and religious training. After the amalgamation of Christianity with Græco-Roman philosophy, ‘catechetical’ schools furnished a higher training. When higher education came to be utilized by the bishops for training their clergy, institutions known as ‘episcopal’ or ‘cathedral’ schools were founded. Later, although opposition grew up among the Christians to the culture of Greece and Rome, its impress was found to have been left upon the doctrines and organization of Christianity. [Sidenote: Impotence of Roman and other ideals.] [Sidenote: Universal appeal of Christianity.]