Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-11-10
NO. 45.
Country Life in Greece

Country Life In Greece.
A drive of an hour and half brought IL, to
Vertonda, the little village where we were to
sec for the first time the real country life. It's
name is Turkish, and is that of a flower which
grows abundantly in the vicinity. We turned
of the main road into lane through the fields
then waving with wheat and barley ripe for
the harvest This farm was bought sixty
years ago, by the father of the present owner,
from pacha, for a diamond. .hilted sword
worth five thousand drachmas, or about one
thousand dollars. 1t is now estimated at about
forty times this value. 1t is very extensive,
and, besides the grain fields, has vineyards
and valuable chromium mines. The village
is small-a group of ten or twelve houses,
clustered about the whitewashod church.
B behind this, on higher grounds, stand the
house and garden of the proprietor nestled
at the foot of an abrupt and wooded cliff
Away in the distance the snow capped peaks
of Delphis, the highest mountain of Eubma
looms up to a height of over five thousand
feet Its base is half days journey from
Yertonda on horseback and we hoped at first
to make the ascent; but, hearing on all sides
the difficulties to be encountered, we did not
attompt it. One of the few people who had
climbed it, however was Queen Amelia, who
was an undaunted explorer of all parts of her
kingdom.
The house of Mr.. X. is low cottage, COW
ering much ground, and built around a court
yard, which we entered through high strong
gateway. The gate and the iron barricades
at the windows gave me a feeling of trepida-
ton but my friends laughed at my fears,
and the attractive and cheerful aspect of the
establishment treasured me. Flowers were
growing everywhere, pigeons were cooling
from their cotes in a little tower, and several
smiling servants were awaiting our arrival.
The inside of the house was most comforta-
be- and the view from the front windows
was superb, overlooking the garden and vii
| lage to the sea, half a mile away; beyond
this lay the Bmotian Mountains, and still fur
ther in the distance, shining like a golden
crown in the setting sun, rose the eternal
SHOWS of Parnassus. After little wander
ed out into field opposite the house, where
| a woman was cooking at fire built in a rough
! sort of stone furnace. She had an immense
| copper kettle full of soup. 1 said "You must
have a large family ?" Yes, she replied with
an amused smile "thirty women" Suppos-
ing that they had system of cooperative
! housekeeping and that she cooked for the
whole village, l continued my inquiries when
she told me that, it being harvest season,
there were many extra laborers, who were
! women, and she, as the stewards daughter
had the supervision of them. The supper
consisted only of piece of bread beside the
soup; and this diet has but few variations,
such as black olives, salad aud fruit in the
season. Meat is a great rariety many eat it
| but once a year, at the feast of Lambri, or
| Easter. Then every one eats roast spring
lamb and if one is too poor to buy it he
will be sure to fud somebody to give it to
him The generosity of the Greeks is ex-
treme at Easter and New Year. as it is consid-
cred a religious duty to help the poor at these
seasons. She took her soup of the fire, and
put IT out in the cir to cool, remarking that it
was very injurious to the teeth to eat hot
food. AS Greek peasants always have fine
teeth, probably the theory is a correct one.
After this she raked out her fire and put
number of loaves of bread on the heated
stones there, she said, they must remain all
night to be thoroughly cooked. Her work
finished she gave a sigh of relief and sat
down to await her family of thirty women,
whom we soon saw approaching through the
| gathering darkness. AS they came nearer
perceived that they were mostly girls of four
teen or fifteen years, with one or two older
women, who led the party they we're stur
dy y-looking, sunburned set, and, instead of
seeming weary with the long days work, were
in the best of spirits laughing and talking
The effect was most picturesque for although
clad in the poorest and in many cases most
ragged costumes, the shape of their garments
was such as best to set off their superb fig
ures, and their free, untrammeled gait gave
them even a majestic air The material of
the dress is both wooden and cotton, of soft
yellowsh white, embroidered with bright col
ors the broad sashes and the kerchefs worn
over the head are also of some gay color be-
coming to their dark hair and eyes AS soon
as they had reached the place where we were
they sat down in groups, keeping up the
same lively chatter
During our own repast, which was soon
announced, Mr.. X. told US that these women
laborors were a set of people from the poor
est part of the population who always went
about together from estate to estate to help
when there was extra work on hand. They
receive drachma per day and their food the
day lasting from sunrise to sunset. This com
pany was from Chacis but he soon expected
a band from Salamis, whose natives are con-
sidered remarkably good workers. The con-
versaton then turned upon the condition of
the laborng class in Greece, whereupon he
expressed much dissatisfaction at the large
number of feast days that the peasants keep,
and said that the country always would be
poor until the laborers would learn to work
more steadily. Some of his people, particu-
larly the older ones, would never work on
any saints day as the name of the saints IL
legion, there would be an average of nearly
a day a week. besides the Sunday when they
would do nothing but dress in their best
clothes and dance and sing. could not help
thinking how much this sociable dancing and
singing added to their charms as human be-
ings, and wondering whether they would
come home at night from their labors will
such an elastic step were it not for this waste
of time of which the landlords so bitterly
complain. n.-AtldRtio Monthly.