New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-22
OLYMPUS REDITIrUS.

At this moment, we may believe Athens revss IN
classic revival rpless the preparations of the past
year have gone sadly as;rsy the Stadium Is nov aIes
with echoes of antiquity and the spirit Of Olympic
Jubilee bestbes with rev hs. No, long ago wesstAy
and patriotic Peioppornesisn, Esangeos Hspps~
yearnlrg for tie rsstorao of al less passing sean
Of bis couu,rys lost grandeur, submitted TO the Heiea-
ic Government propositions for the establishment Of tho
Olympic Games, employing TO tha, end the double
srgumen. of fervi5 eloqueuce and solid lucre Whse
the FIRST failed to accomplish, the last broa sht about
TIE royal fsrcy touched, the royal heart vsrme4
with poetic mpulses, and the royal hsnd sent forts
DEGREES prcclanipg the wshed-for resuHeetion-Ar.
Zappas pledg Dg his purse to supply al outlay -
expense The Stadium at Athens scene Of tue snciek
revelries was overloaded and ps,ched together; -
easy labor since il stood 10 almost perfect preserve
ton The frs. three Sundays Of every fourth year.
beginning in 1859, were fixed upon as proper periods
for the renewal of the ancient festivals, Sc that ~
misoharce have nteryened they are now in fullest
blaze OF progress. They were to follow, with al pas-
sibe fidelity the old sta adMd including the wdese
variety of sport-horse-rsces, wrestling qu'toss'n&.
boxing aud other athletic exercises not however to
the brutal extent which 10 used TO prevail.
Singing and dancing to give artistic relief to the
ssvsrer courses of entertainment and agricultural aud
Industrial exhibitions to satisfy the moro prsc-
callv Inclined among the people. Prizes of gold and
silver medals and wreaths of silver lesves and towers.
stamped with the ZANE of Zsppss' sad the nu nbes
Of the Olympisd were TO be awarded By Government-
| appointed Committees.
There is something deeply interesting in this pst-
rotc sttempt-whether success or failure shall marx
i,s openpg-to bring back to the mines OF Grecisas,
in these days memories of their vanished great
ness. The Olympic Games were once the events OF
the world Tradition tells US their founder was Ju-
piter himself who thus celebrated the victory whoa
made him master cf the NEUROLOGICAL heaveni ana
in the initial festival it related that all the gods
took par-Msrs laying out the whole celestial broth
erbood at boxing and Apollo, Sinking his poetic
lethHgy, outstripping swift-beelsd Mercury g
the Zeus, the founder in ages 90 remote thae
dates shrink into inssnifcance ZaprU in 1854
distance indeed. Extremes meeting at the end Of the
alphabet. But whoever first established the Games.
they were certsinly extant q thousand yess before
the Christian Era and had lost their character, and
we're obliged to find new one, a. early as SSt Is. G..
From that time they regularly celebrated With
proper soemnity, occasionally falling into neglect but
always restored TO their former dignity, until ii0
A. D., when they ceased.
| And row. at a time when, by peculiar coincidence,
the popular mind in this country is turned more than
ever before to the importance Of athletic exercises o'
manly development, the Olympic games are again II
and under circumstances favorable 10 thei
continuation. Some Of the ancient regulations viii
however, have to be relaxed, to insure modern sue
cess. Formerly no women except the priestessss Of
Ceres were allowed to attend them. This sort Of
thing would not do at all nowadays Probably the
women would go, choosing TO, spite of restrictions:
but if they we're excluded the masculine attendance
would be vastly endangered In old times moreover.
none but the most strictly virtuous and honorable
were permitted to compete for the prizes This would
be too difficult matter 10 determine in these days.
Excepting in these particulars and in the facts that
agricultural and industrial productions 10 DO
bbited, and that the Olympiads formerly occurred il
tLs. part Of the year corresponding to our July, in
stead Of October the festivals Of this generation viii
not be in any way different from those whose memory
they are intended to perpetuste.