The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-07-15
Life in Greece.

tthe $50 and odd days set apart for re-
lipious observance by tho Orthodox
church, to-day is, nevertheless, a high
festival in Athens. 1t is the LIST OF
May, old style-the Feast of Flowers,
and all the world goes maying and pic
nicine. to eat roast lamb and dandelion
salad. and drink the wines of Parnes
under the gray olives of the Attic plain,
or the black frs of Patissia, or the bios
soming almonds and ounces on the gar
den banks of the Kephissus. The
feast, indeed, began over night, for all
Yesterday afternoon the footpaths of
.Aolus street, and Of the ends Of those
called Stallion and University, which
converge in Concord place, were crowd
ed with flower sellers offering their nose
gays and their flower starred wands and
clusters of woven green, and their
wreaths of daffodil and and
apple blossom, with which the Athenian
burgess sportively rowns himself while
he eats his cold lamb and dandelion un
der a tree. In the carriage way, too,
the same sweet wares were hawked up
and down, in carts made May-like and
champetre for the occasion by the addi-
ton of a bowery till. Many Of the
smaller bourgeoise made a whole night
of it in the gardens, singing their lit
tie repertoire Of songs over and over
d, again till dawn then home for a brief
rest. and back again to eat theii midday
meal among the flowers. And thus
there are fewer feet in Athens to-day to
stir the thick dust which the lazy south
wind happily has not always strength to
lift alone. Otherwise Athens would be
almost uninhabitable for in volume
and in fineress, and in it's aptitude for
working its way into the pores of the
skin, the dust of Athens surpasses even
that of Cairo in a March khamseen.
There ought to be no dust in Athens,
and yet, excepting perhaps its wonder
full dullness, its dustiness is n of its
most striking peculiarities. The munic-
ipality has no good water carts, very
few bad ones, and not enough water to
keep even these at work so that the
powdered marble of the streets is never
a. rest. and when there is a lively breeze
it is complete master of the situation.
There is plenty of water to be trapped
on PenteOicus, and in point of fact 1t
was so trapped in the days OF Hadrian,
and was brought down to Athens in sub
terranean conduits. And the modern
Athenians made an attempt to initiate
their ancestors by an acqueduct above
ground to the same source OF supply
but the Greek engineers had not had
much practice in laying down acque-
ducts, and they got the Athens end
higher than the Pentelicus end, SO that
the water had to be propelled by a pump,
and finally grew sick of the whole bust
ness and stayed at Pentelicus. But now
they are going on a safer plan the OLD
conduits of Hadrian arc being reopened
and restored, and it is believed that III
course of time the ancient communica-
tons may be re-established.
Except in its water supply, Athens,
as well AS its commercial suburb Pireus,
has made extraordinary progress in the
last half dozen years. The population
hos increased to $4,000, and the increase
is apparent as well in the spreading of
the city in every direction as in the
greater movement in the streets, the i'm
provement in the shops ano the increase
in the number and size of the hotels.
There are now nine irst-class hotels in
Athens, either new within the last six
years or enlarged and rechristened; and
the Oldest of the group, in fact the only
one which bore it's present name fifteen
years ago, the Hotel DIES Estransers, in
Palace place, has annexed another house
as large itself on the other side OF the
street. These hotels can accommodate
about 1000 people, and every one OF
them is full. A great proportion of the
occupants are foreigners, others are
Greeks from the provinces or Greeks
from abroad living in a hotel to watch
the completion of the splendid mansions
they ale building fer themselves. For
of late years the Greeks, who have made
their fortunes abroad, especially those
who have won their wealth in Turkey
and Egypt, are focking to Athens,
building costly houses, furnishing them
s%umptuously and establishing themselves
as grande se~igneurie in what they recog-
nize to be their W country. This fact
sbows that Greek patriotism is kindling