The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1867-05-24
Mistsllausons.
RURAL LIFE OF GREECE.

embodied In tho individuals belonging To
these ilusirious classes Of her sons. Vet
the common life Of man was lived there a.
well US by us. Through the openings Of
the splendid curtain which presents iiself,o
our vision as the true picture Of llellas, we !
catch glimpses Of familiar scenes-of the
toll for daily bread, OF the vulgar wants OF
humanity. The life Of Greece was not all
hero's romance. poetry and ar. IL rest
cd as lie everywhere rests, on the bosom OF
the common Mother Earth. II the Greeks
were pre-eminen,y nation Of poets and
artists, they were no less nation of farm
crs. They understood the theory and the
practice OF agriculture, though some OF the
sciences now deemed important to the best
cultivation or the earth were wholly un.
known TO them. ... -.
In Homer we Gnd lovely sketches OF the
primitive country life, and the, rural tastes
and habits of the most eminent personages.
Resiod's Uorks and Days is chiefly devoted
To the rustic lore which experience ha'l
taught To the culivators Of the earth in his
age, both with respect to tho virtues OF in
lustry, temperance and thrift, and TO the
practical methods OF husbandry. The pre-
ccpts seem To have been drawn in great
measure from the poets own experience.
lie was BGo,ian farmer, and, like the
farmers of New England, had n great
amour, of provcrlnl philosophy at his
tongues end. The early Cheek agricul',ir.
lists carefully observed the phenomena Of
the heavens, and knew al about the wealth.
or. Tho habits Of animals; the flight Of
birds. according to the season; n knowledge
OF the properties Of different soils, anl their
ndapt,,ion to different kinds Of crops; the
method ordis-overing springs-werc among
the subjects OF their practical observation
AMI study; AMI their skill in them would
surprise those who think that sense and OBJ
scrvation arc OF modern growth. Wagons,
carts, plows and harrows were generally |
manufactured on the farm, II il were u
large one, or in its neighborhood, by smiths
and carpenters; and all kinds OF wood chos.
en- for these purposes were determined
with much care. Corn was ground, first,
in large mortar, with pcs'le. The list
OF other implements - scythes, pruning
hooks, saws, spades, shovels, rakes, pick
axes, hoes. AMI the ikc-could hardly be
extended now. The methods Of enriching
the soil were carefully studied; the utility |
Of g,iano and scawecd. rs well rs Of the
common manurcs, was perfectly UNDER
stood AMI largely verified in practice. Land
was allowed to recover its strength by lying |
iallow, as Zenophon teaches in his Gcon-
om'rus. To protect the grain from birds,
scarcrows were set up in the fields; and to
make all sure, they were accustomed to try
curious spell. Having caught n tod,
they carried him around the field by night
alive, and then put him in jar, scaled him
M, 4 sa,.lr t.6icl him IN The MilllIa Il tie
ground. After these precautions il was
supposed that the growing blade was safe
from enemies. Hay was an article whose
value was well understood. The time for
moving was carefully determined; and the
hay.ricks were made with the precautions
against dampness on one hand AMI sponta
ncous combustion on the other. When the
time OF harvest came, the laborcrsa ut Athens
ranged themselves round the agora, aud
waited to he employed by the farmers.
Homer has All aniln,nt-d passage in which
he compares the rushing together OF two
hostile armies tn rival parties of harvesters
starting from opposite sides OF the field:
A. rrarsrs each to ire o,her opposite -
With haste ru.h fss,ssrl. moving gaicsty I
s,,k' 81 "h.', 70 sss'ey iissme r'cs rans heh,
While deus h-f~ them Gall the shesfy heaps;
y, rushing trrrihiy, With MANUAL rage,
TUytT, aTi Greess the slaughter wass.
in another place the same incompatible
poet presents to US delightful harvcs,
scene:
rh-r-, I, The nea, mil Ony corn, the h.,y rraP--
slaRl,
rblns -lr is.s r;s you.y. Win scsl, each In SaHi
bshial, ne.
While their heel. the heavy shsaves their merry
rNlcs biral
re., b Tee m-~s NO? Of soys newt bar In haste
AT pie aI.rn ~ ssl,-a shs he ,ra-p,s Of ,hs day.
A"n; them, sraPP-i Ia siien, y th,ir scvPe'sl King
h,lng Ia ih- swelling hsap, the .,ors. o. future years
ml;aY oS h-n~.h an al No b.uy h'r.hl, slay,
With grateful srrirs D. ri,s, tn lahrs ~ the lar.
Whl' mar, The hus'aniuan'. rrpNs, the rustic mall.
Ircpc, /
splnins silh n,ar II, Sraa. cate. whose sa,O- Gu.
the air.
The grain was irod,lcn out from the |
straw Ivy horses, oxen or mules, on a circu. |
lar thrcshin; floor, usually placed on an
cmincncc in the open field. A pole was
SGT up in the centre of the floor. and the
cattle were fastened to ], by rope reaching
to the circumference. As they moved
round !, ihs rope coilcd itself sbou, the
pole until they were hrought up to the cen.
tire; then their heads were turned in the op
positc erection until the conl WAS un
wound. Sometimes rude thresling ma.
chine, toothed with stone or iron. or fail :.
was employed. As early as the tim, Of
Homer winnownc. machines were usrd.
The whole process Is described BY him in
one Of those SMILES which are flushed or
Ike elaborate pictures. The granaries
wrrc prepared with the ntmast care; AMI
when the fruits Of tho season were housed
the ev'm was celebrated by a Festival IL
honor Of Dcne,cr anil Dionyso,, OF which
tho distinguishing icntuc was that no
bloody sacrifices wcrs offered. bat oaly
cakes AMI fruit fine loavcs made OF tho
p new corn being smars the offerings at the
festival oftho Thai, sin. ss,'