St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-04-16
Modern Athens.

To the Editor Of the CdIejonidn:
The name of Athens is suggestive oi
antiquity. There seems Ii" place for ii
i'll idea our of the nineteenth century
We think of it as the city of heroes
and poets, Warriors ami Sagrs, gods and
goddeSseS. such il the vision our i'm
aginations have pictured of "Athcn~,
the eye of Greece. mother of arts AMI
eloqurnce, and if il is ouI good for
tune to visit the classic spot we are
surprised to find riding in the barber at
pcirasus, -t.uuh"aus instead 81 ui-
remcs.
Taking it for granted that many OF
the readers of the CuIe,joRidn have sim
liar impressions to " hat mine were be
fore my recent visit there. | will Try to
give you Il little glimpse inside the city
of Athens as it is to-day. Modern Attn
ems is probably moIc Ikea western city
than any other ri lis size IN the East.
While it keeps the name a> Il legacy of
"Athcna" to its ancestors So Ion" ago.
the modern city is entirely the growth
of the last thirty or forty NcaI>. Its
rise has been like that OF the cities and
towns in the West. Tor DIR. Hill the vet
etan missionary III Athens told us that
when he went there forty NeaIS ago,
hardly one of the present houses was
standing. Since the independence of
Greece WAS established. her SONS all
over the world have looked to Athens
as their home. Many of them had be
come Wealthy in foreign cities. and have
contributed literally to build up aud
heautitN the ,citN OF their fathers.
and after their long clpti> ity. thousands
of them have returned to their father
land. How rapidly ii has gown can hc
seen from the tact that 10y the last cen
SIS Athens had about 10000 inhah-
uauts.
The houses are well built and some
ot them very elegant. Some of the
public buildings erected by private mu-
niiccnre are remarkably fine. The
quarrieS of Pcntlicus that furnished the
marble for the temples and statues of
ancient Athens. still Yield Il supply IL
the demands of the modern city.
Great care is taken OF the streets.
many OF them being very broad and
smooth. We noticed this particularly
going fIom Con>tantinople with its mar
row, rough and muddy lanes. Some OF
the streets retain THEN ancient names.
the Athenian Broadway being still
"Odns Hcrmes." and the other princi-
pal street ending at the ancient Tower
at the Winds being "Od"> .Eolus.'
| am not enough of Il historian ol
physicist to determine just what pei
cent of ancient Greek blood flows il
the veins of the Greeks of to-day. hut
one thing is certain. that they arc IL fin,
looking race of people. have rarely
seen 50 many noble looking men o
beautiful women as in Athens. Tn,
same also is true of the higher clasSti
of Greeks in ConStautinople. My az
quaintance with them has not been Ion.
enough /" enable me to give an analy 81
of their national characteristics. bu
those who know them hest claim tina
shel are worthy descendants of thci
ancestors. This. to he sure. does no
argue much for their honesty or intrg
rity. but Is a circumstantial proof tina
there is Greek blood in their veins.
OF course the costumes are mainl,
Partisan. though some retain the ma
1ional dress. The full Greek COSTUME
is very picturesque. The snowy fms
tinella" falling in thick plaits down II
the knees.-rhe tights and embroidered
'eggings, the heavy, richly ornament
ed girdle holding its long knives an,
pistols the gaily embroidered jacket
the red fez with its long blue tas,ei