Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-01-26
Che FREEMAN.
Greece.


When you are in Greek waters, be sui
ject IL Greek law. was the reasonable dc
mand of the custom police as we attemp
cd to land at Syra. The isle of SYRIA be
longs 10 the Greeks, but is centre of ex
change from boats. both of passengers an
merchandise. in all this watery regor
north, south, east and west. The islam
rises gradually from the shore to cor
siderable hight About the lower part c
the hill is the Greek quarter; on the high
is the Latin. only separated bv a few gar
dens. No Mohammedan quarter now
not mosque in sight; every street clean
an every house bright outside with car
and repair, and enterprise manifest.
We have passed from Asia into Europe
The Turks have been gone for fifty year
from this region; and after all the waste,
of hundreds Of years of subsection, the
Greeks here, and everywhere in ;hei
kingdom, have done we'll 10 recover them
selves SO far, and make so much progress
with no intention to stop in any direction
not even in the recovery of territory tina
should be justly governed by them.
From SYRIA to the Pyrrheus is night =.
sail by a fast sailing Greek steamship
This place numbers about fifty thousand
Inhabitants; a fine port with lively busi.
ness by land and sea. Carriages of fine
make are running freely between this place
and Athens. Steam cars run also every
half hour. The farming on the Pyrrheus
and up to and about Athens and beyond
appears as thorough as our own. The
land is flat, between high and sometimes
abrupt hills, and the meadow beauties are
fully seen from the nights of Athens.
Athens is about five miles from the
Pyrrheus-a beautiful city, located not
only in the midst of the classic past, but
also in the midst of present natural fine
scenery.
We think for taste and arrangement the
modern city cannot be considered any
degradation from the ancient. Athens has
line museums; the national one especially
interesting from containing original ar,
works of the ancients found and collected
during only the last generation, in which
has been enjoyed again the Greek freedom.
1t is great honor to Athens, Though
she IS the place of the origin of the
drama, and in ancient times built the first
theatre in Europe, Bachanalian one, that
she now has no theatre. She has some
thing Tar better. With q population be-
tween sixty and one hundred thousand.
she has university attended bv between
seven hundred and one thousand students
Her polytechnic buildings are large. and
she is cnltivating all the arts with more
interest in intelligent and com plete manl-
ness than in the mere satisfaction of tho
senses of external and temporary life.
Greece is awake to her own civil inter-
ests, and those of her countrymen in Turk
ish bondage These are scattered through
out the ancient Greek territory in large
numbers. For instance, among the large
population of Constantinople there are
three hundred thousand Greeks. Accord
ing to the Berlin treaty modern Greece
must have Thessalia and Epirus; but the
exhausted Turk yields slowly, or not at
all, except forced to do it. Greece is
therefore alive with warlike preparations.
We are reminded Of our country before
the great battles of our last war. Every
where you see troops drilling. They re
sembe in dress, conduct, intelligence and
esprit du corlhs our own troops. One of
them is worth three or more of their opp,-
nents. They have the ancient Greek spirit
OF triumph; and nave resolved, in that
spirit, to self deny, expend and suffer
without murmer. Between sixty and
eighty thousand are daily drilling, their
king daily exercising himself with his
troops. The reserve militia will swell
the number of troops to one hundred and
twenty thousand with which they expect
to enter the field of battle sin the early
spring. They wear each cross above Il
crown upon their caps; and the officers
wear each a large Greek cross upon the
left breast There are men in command
OF regiments who are old enough to re-
member when they and all Greece were
under the last of three hundred years of
Turkish rule and oppression. Those men
drill tor and will lead their men to victory.
We would not be surprised if the Greeks.
Notwithstanding their comparative small
ness in numbers, were the executors of
divine vengeance on the Mohammedanism
that took the sword, while all the great
nations stand aside, that the divine glory
be not given to another
Greece animates all visitors with her
classic remains and classic soil and classic
rivers and sea waters The battle felds
ana naval bays and straits can be clearly
traced, where mighty ones of earth came
and engaged the ancient Greeks only to
be overthrown. The houses of the gods.
the hills OF the nymphs and muses.. the
- ''"'oio' Vi Tie IuuUeS
courts and the academies are all clearly
traced and located. The temples at
Athens, the old professional road to the
temple of Ceres, the mountains of PEN
tancus and of Hymitus and Parnes are
all thrilling with interest; then awav to
the field of Marathon and Thebes and 81
forth, to Increase the interest and satisfy
the long desiring of the mind.
Now however, you see, the soldiers
drilling on the aoor of the temple of ,Jun,.
ter Olympus, with seventeen of its maies.
tic columns remaining; on Mars hill. in
the market place under the Acronolis in
the face of Areopagus, and on the nl.in
beside the temple of lbeseus. Reoardless
OF nymphs or muses., the soldiers arc hpsy
before the temple of the winds. Grooco
has purchased rights, and will exbumo
more OF her ancient works. Greere bas
inherited rights, and will conquer moro ~
her ancient tarritoru