The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1869-11-03
From the London Quarterly
Eastern Christians. by n. Ar
thur Arnold.

current index of the Eastern Christian
Greek mind; and il is this we are now por
traying Let Is return 10 our seat by Dimitri
Perhaps We venture on an opinion moi
wholly favourable TO Cretsn success, or eX
Z press some doubt regarding the exaciituds
Of the latest triumphant telegram expedited
from the PireuS; or, worse still, hint thai
some mueh-landed feat of Christian heroisu
I the self-immOlation Of some defenders of s
convent, for eSample-has mainly, if moi
I wholly, existed in newspaper paragraphs and
/ Photographic Illustrations. Hereon even po-
I lteuess is endangered; and our Greeks de-
I claim loudly against the apathy Of Europeans,
and more especially of the English, who seem
one and all 10 lie under 4 strict Obligation
/ never fulfilled rs yet-Of pouring out blood
/ 1nd treasure al lihift1H in the canSe of the
/ Hellenes. The reasons for so doing are some
7 times derived from Homer, sometime from
] the GOSPEL We insinuate that at any nate
Z We English once of time did, for our part,
something very material in the Philhellenic
I line, but that the subsequent conduct of the
/ Greeks, whether as TO policy or payment, has
/ hardly correspondent 10 tbs efforts Of England,
or Of Europe in general on their behalf On
which we are informed that Greece never iu-
Cured any deb. Al all, either Of gratitude or
of anything else for that they were quite ca
pable Of doing without US; bat meanwhile
tha: new loan may possibly be better ae-
kuOwledged.
Nothing but politics, aud still politics
Vaiuly We try 10 lead the talk to commerce,
10 literature, TO science; all such topics drop
like lead. Religion, that is aerid, antiLatiu
controversy, and the ehroHique SeGHddletlSe of
the place bid fair for better success; but We
on our side, have no prediction for either,
and conversation threatens 10 languiSh.
But here the Archbishop comes in TO aid.
Hitherto he has said little. except when
reused by the Cretan discussion 10 some en-
ergetic expression Of hatred for Turks and
Mahomvtans; or, by the controversial talk,
10 some phrase Of not inferior hatred for all
non-orthodOX and Latins. Now, however,
be slides iatO the special object of his visit.
Il may be the leasing OF house or shop on
Church lands, or perhaps the purchase of
some acres for Il monastery, or he desires TO
place cut some money At moderate interest
Of IS per cent. Whatever Is the tune, the
keynote will assuredly DC money. Or, per-
haps, our host himself and this is no un-
common circumstance has in view fTaudu-
lent bankruptcy, 10 be brought about . few
months hence; and accordingly discusses
with his Grace, the form Of deed by which
one halt Of his real estate may be made over,
for q consideration, to the title of 81. Spiri-
dion or So. CharilcmbOs; the other half has,
by an equally authentic deed, passed already
to his wife's grandmother, or the like; and
when the bankruptcy comes, and the hungry
creditors 90 in quest OF assets, they may find
shells in plenty, but no oyster. The other
Greeks join cheerfully in; one dilates on some
petty local intrigue connected with the Gus
tom-hOuse, or the Revenue; another on the
suppOsiutious claims OF some pseudO-Greek
subjects In topics ike these the Russian
Consulate is tOlerably sure TO be mixed up.
And, in fact, while We are yet talking, in
comes the Russian drasoman-a Greek TOO,
Of course, sallOw, pliable. bat with more than
the ordinary insolenee. His talk is much like
that Of the Others, only more openly and
ayOwediy seditiOus.
The Archbishop rises, and goes 10 visit the
ladies of the house be has been preceded to
their apartments by the handsome, long hair
ed young deacon, his companion; but We
will not intrude on interviews of doubtless,
purely spiritual and devotional character
For our own part We have paid our visit,
and are gone But, our readers may ask, how
does the ordinary well-to-dO Greek pass the
bulk Of his day!
Six or seven hours 90 to business, trans
acted partly in his own house, and partly in
his store-roOms or office, but more by word
Of mouth than by writing. Five hours more
on an average are devoted TO the Casino
that paradise Of the modern Greek few of
them but visit it for two or more hours at a
time, morning and afternoon; here, too, the
unmarried Greek passes all his evenings, the
married one, some. Here coffee, 'rakee,' the |
fayorite tipple Of the modern HELENE, cards. |
aud sometimes billiards, on 4 deerepid table |
of the French pattern, serve as supplements !
to that one great enjoyment of bis life-po-
litIcal talk Here many sn intrigue, many . I
Philheileuic committee, many 4 lying tele- /
gram, many an incendiary pamphlet have /
birth; here too the Greek character comes Z
out in its freest and its worse display Exer-
else, as exercise or amusement, is little to the /
taste Of the Greek, who, like most, though 1
not ali, as We shall see Of his Christian /
bretheren in the East, prefers the use of his /
tongue 10 that Of any other limb. However.
the married Greek, who is generally Kind 4
and even an easy going husband, and ALWAYS /
an atfectiOnate and OYer-indulgent father,
gives much besides Of his leisure hours to hls /
family, and there he appears to real advan-
tage- The young and unmarried Greek is
seldom, if ever, what We shouldea well-cou-
Quoted; he is not immoral, because in truth
he has no morals whatsoever; and when the
time comes for marriage, he quits career of
prOhigacy as easily and with as little effort
or feeling Of shock, as when first he entered
on II he has 20 remOrse for the ill-speut /
past, and no self-laudatiou for the Well-spent
present in these matters; on three points
alone is lie accessible TO anything Ike real
feeling-family ties, politics, and money. In
a word, he has no subjective conscience: and
often, thanks to his clergy, of whom more
hereafter, very little objective
I'M
single, the Greek has no taste for any litera-
ture, ancient or modern, beyond that con-
tanned IN political newspaper or a pam
phlet; these are the limits of his reading; his
tory, poetry, science, art, all lie beyond his
range. OF the annals of the very country he
lives in-Of the religion, customs, studies.
and even the laws Of his Mahomeian neigh
bourne is almost wholly or wholly ig1o-
rant; some stereOtyped tales of Turkish op-
preston and Of apOeryphal martyrs, are all
that be can impart; aud even 10 these q re-
cent date Is commonly assigned. Of the poll
teal side Of Europe he knows little; Of its
other aspects next to nothing. The clergy
form no exception in these matters.
In religion, those among ourselves WIN
with the Greek might be some
what disagreeably startled, were they aware ;
how little be synpathises with them. True.
be Is deeply supeTstitious and furiousiy bj0o- ,
Ted against all strange creeds, Mahometau.
Latin, Armenian, all much alike, perhaps the
LAtin most Of all; but he has no deep belief 1
none ofthe intense confidence Ofthe Mahome- {
ian in Gods providence. Greek leyity and
gossiping in Church, and during prayers. con-
Tasts strangely with the respectful propriety
IF Turks and Arabs in their mosques: the re-
igion OF the Greek Is party badge; a thing
1f no great intrinsic value, but for which the |
professor Is ready TO fight at call, simply be-
,ause It Is the badge Of his party. Such are
he mass; the deyOuter sort, with their mix
ure OF observance and irreTerenee have a
painful resemblance to MISUNDERSTANDING {
ltheists. OF the unmarried clergy or monks, {
rom whose ranks the higher ecclesiastical :
iigniiaries are as rule selected least said is :
'oonest mended- In no respect can one say
my good Of them The uon-celibatary. or
'arish priests, though generally boorish and
gDorant to the last degree, are, on the whole.
lard- working and honest men; a better sort
# peasants