New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
GREECE.


two lectures on Modern Greece delivered
ut the Philosophical Institution of Edin-
bnreh: a paper on The Progress OF Greece,
from Macmilldn's Magazine, and supplementary
article on Lord Byrons connection with the creek
War of Independence. The first OF his two lectures
is historical review, in which he sketches tue
story of the Greek nation from the time oil hicA-
andcr the Great TO our own day ard the centrum
fact which is thrown into bold relief IN TINS rapio
aud brilliant summary is "the unorokeh Iie Vi
the Greek nationality This idea of the persist
once q, the national life through centuries of
change is prominent from the beginning TO the
end of the hook and il is one of the bonds which
mite the separate essays into systematic ana
well-proportioned whole. In tracing the outlines
of Grecan history Professor Jebb displays the
mower of generalization and the art OF giving the
picture of an epoch in q few quick and vigorous
touches The story of Greek subsection beginning
in l46 b. c., has three great ehapters-Roman, BY
xantine. and Turkish-and the characteristics of
each are described with great force and cearness'
The Romans found in Greece political system
ready made and in good order and they let 1t alone
as much as they could, allowing the Greek citles
70 manage their own affairs. provided only they
paid their taxes. But the system of farming the
taxes led to frightful tyranny; httie or ho'hlhe
was done for public works piracy became curse
70 the provinces; the midde-ciass was crushed Out
by the accumulation a few hands OF vast estates
cultivated by slaves. The whole period OF Roman
0oa,ination in Greece was period OF decilhe'
Professor .Jeb5 in depicting the condition of the
people at this time. is careful TO distinguish between
the Greek of Europe. dwelling chiefly in Greece
proper and the islands, claiming pure Hellenic
blood and retaining in SOME measure the nopier
oualities of the ancient race, and the mohgrei
Greek of Asia in whom the quick Greek ihtehl-
Cence passed INTO more dccldeoly Asia'ic
type of versatility or cunning
Every one knows from Juvenal or Johnson the
character OF the Greek at Ronc-thc versatile All
venturer who was equally ready to cast moro no,
scope or to compound a lmcdiclne, to square tne
circle TO drill the ballet to pose as p
an acrobat being whose rank traVerse9 the
whole scale that separates an Italian organ Sllhuct
from the last tenor but who was always 50 lar
in the same condition, that Rome fcIuseu 10 'hhc
him seriously This was the needy creek OF ASIA
or Alexandria who came TO push his way ~ h"he.
But there was another type of Greek Which was
n"t much seen at Rome-the Greek of Europe, who
STAYED in Greece Proper. When TIE Romans COZ
unered Greece they found that the bulk o. tne
popuation were of "a class hardly known III itaiy'
u, Cicero's time il was very Tor cOmplri-
yely poor man i'll Italy to have any land sf ms own
Rut in Greece the mass of the Tree men were sun
f.rn,ny their own land Just as III the old days
we have not far to seek for specimen oil inc NIcck
farmer small landowner VINO IlTe Oh nlS Own Own
land in the old country among me olu ASSOCIATIONS
There could not be a better specimen than Plntarch
at the end of the first century. ilutarch llad Pal
a few visits TO Rome tourist IRON the pro
yinces but lac spent the latter years OF his quiet
life in Greece, near his native place. EhG i1 a.,
the scene of the battle IN whiGh rl!E 9S'st Si
ii, blow to Greek liberty. In his lahle-tAlk
Plutarch gives pleasant gliflpsSS OF the societN
OF the time. Hero is h's picture oi Ilie az WIt'i
ing place n Greek Brighton. III Enio'a - IL IL
a mace fitted by nature for sundrv honest pleasures
hcautiiied with many far honses ana lodgings ~
such sort a. 1t Is repMteu lhe pI..1 IN ~ m;l6le
OF Spring; for many resort tiithti az thdt nm
and meet in each others h3ns's at ta9es spIeSH
with all good things, and. beng NJ lelsui0' ho'u
large converse touching letters. -,
Greece was so thinly pcoplcd then. Plutarch
saws that the whole country could not nave M III
niSbcd more than 5000 hcavy-arined soldiers-ths
number furnished of old by one second-rate Town
In the Peloponnesus. Corn fields had become loilcy
sheep-valks where you might walk all DAY lohg
and scarcely meet a soul. For educated men 1t
was a time of quiet looking back on the great
past and that past was afouhu ''i'in o'''9 "''i'
Greece had still a worthy homelfc of lis own,
Int n nowerful tonic was needed to lift and brace
that life. Such tonic came in the middle Of the
third century For 800 years the l;reeks had had
mo- chance of showing that they could fight; but
they showed it. when they drove BACK the VIC
Fl. torions Coths who had defeated the Roman
lecons This success largely due to the regci'-
Grating influence of Christianity, which. working
itself upward from the lower Strata oil "IeoA
society had given new earhestnesS 10 'he
nationaI character Under the Byzantine en-
perors. European Greece was an outlying province
1.-THE thought of save for the taxes which 1t s"n' 10
Coustantinople 1t was fairly pro porous III Its
peghs,t The large towns still showed some re-
mains of ancient architectural splendor, though
most of the masterpieces Of sculpture had been car
rcd away to the imperial capital The old language
IMPOVERISHED indeed aud corrupted in grammar
Int not vet alloyeh with many t0re'gn clements
WAS still spoken; the ancient literature was some
times read 4 large SavOnian population, chiefly
pastoral had settled on the PLAINS and hH-si"pcs
along with The Greeks Grain WAS not much cnl-
rich olive orchards,
and VINEYARDS which gave Greece monopoly OF
the choicest ellis wines. and fruits. Tie true
,,,iug of Greek energy ana prosperity was found III
the towns.
The silk-worm had been brought into Greece
from China IN JustInians reign McdEevai Ro9 III,
and Athens foIrishcd 10y the manuiaciure Oh sim
almost as Manchester has tloullshed ny Cotton.
Their marts could show many cther Costly m,ics
Les;des-woplen fabrics of gorgeous !lurs' DRESSES
,,hrodered with gold iewclry, and olnamclltei
arms If the stranger visited the southern par' Oh
MonemyasawhGnce nal,Scy ,HPh No ~; y; thn MD 81
of scene as busy as the Rialto of Venice in later
days Under the Byzantine Umpire ,be e.; traae .,
India and China passed through Central Asia, north
nf The Calipl's dominions, TO the EuXne, and
thence through the Agean TO the West The Greek
,m.r;ne botl, mercantile and naval WAS the largest
IN i,', ,ha "id Tile Greeks had In their hands
almost all the commerce with tie Black sea ana
with the West They carried to irope ehe ai,e ri
their spices then largely used at table, ana 1or III
censs in churches-the silks of Chlni.thc tortoise
shell of Atrca-:lS well siS inc piIr
the textures arms and jewellers work of Tire En-
pire itself The wealth of the Byzantine woi WOLF
from the eighth century TO the twelith is sum
cicutly shown by II single fact. The Byzantine
Emuire supplied Western Europe with almost me
whole of the gold coin which was then In circuia
tom The long stability of the byzantine eolG
currencv is a remarkable proof of prosperity anc
of prudence.
Under the Turkish domination Q453-ls2lh The
Greek race was brought to the lowest condition
which the long record of its existence can show
aNo other race probably having once fallen sc
deep has again risen to freedom and civilization
Just here il is that the marvellous vitality OF 0reef
national life is most srikingly scen"