Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-06-08
Dead Greece.

Greek merchants, ship-owners, brokers
and traders of every kind abound in the
Eastern part Of Europe, and there are a
good many in the Western part In
Constantinople, Smyrna, Trieste, Wen
ma, Venice, Genoa, Berlin, St. Peters
burg, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and even
in Paris and London, there are Greek
merchants and bankers, some of whom
have enormous wealth They maintain
the name, il they do not maintain the
glory OF their country among the nations
Of Europe.
But there are no such Greeks in Greece
The nation has ran down almost to moth.
ing Tie government is a poor little
waif that is at the mercy CT the great
powers, who hand around vacant throne
every now and then, and offer it to any
reputable creature Of royal blood that is
willing to take it, letting him know, at
the same time, that he must give up all
pleasures aud society; for Athens is a
poor place to live in, and only interest
ing to an antiqusry. Prince Otho of
Bavaria was fooled into accepting the
crown Of Greece once when it went a
begging, and he was glad to get rid Of it.
AT another time, Prince George Of Den.
mark took it, after several others had re.
fused it. But they say he is ready to ad-
dicste now, and perhaps be would do so
il be were allowed by the Czar of Russia,
who has some reasons for keeping his
son-in-law on the unfortunate throne.
The most melancholy proof, however,
Of the prostratieh Of Greece as a nation,
and of the absence of the old Greek
genius and spirit and energy from the
country, is given in letter from General
Read, the United States Minister to the
Court of King George, to the government
in Washington. In this letter he an.
uouuces that Greece declines to take
part in the International Exhibition in
Philadelphia, not because she takes no
interest in it, but she cannot afford it,
and besides has nothing to show. Her
Minister of Foreign Affairs says, Her
industries are just born, and are there
fore undeveloped, and the condition Of
her finances will not warrant any at
tempt at display"
The confession is candid but humili.
ating one. Coming from the capital oil
country whose people were once the
instructors of the world in philosophy
literature and the arts it is astonishing
especially to people Of this new country
that was unknown for many centuries af
ter Greece was in her greatest glory, 1t il
the more remarkable when one sees how
Rome, whose political power and litera
ture and artistic culture surpassed those
of Greece, after going into decadence
has risen again as the capital of a grea
nation But there are no hopeful sign
about Greece. The Sublime Porte hal
stripped her Of political strength. Sh'
produces little now except brigands, VIII
prey upon tourists. II man Of brain
grows up in Athens, and wishes to earl
an honest living, he carries his brains t,
better market; and so we find Greel
merchants and bankers of distinction il
every part Of Europe but Greece. Th
Greeks have no more diminished il
numbers than the Italians, or the Jews
or the Germans, or the Irish. But the,
are mostly in Turkey, and the rest ar
scattered everywhere; their nationalit
is gone, and i. seems an absurdity to b
keeping up the show of monarchy tha
does not pay anything to the people, an
that cannot afford to send a sample q
its productions to the Centennial Exh
biGon. Why live brigand, or sampl
of game from Olympus, or headless ol
statue from Melos-say Venus-or
thimbleful of Scian wine, or spark {
old Greek FIRE, or pinch of heroic dul
from Marathon or Thermopyla, to r,
present Greece as she now exists, woul
be better than nothing.