Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-04
TRAVELS IN EUROPE.
A VISIT TO THE HISTORIC
GROUNDS OF GREECE.
Some OF the Leading Structures
and Ruins of Interest in the
Worlds Ancient Capital.

1
and Ruins of Interest in the
| Worlds Ancient Capital.
Especial Correspondence of the RECORD -US1os ]
ATHENS (Greece), May 7th.-We ar
rived at the harbor of Pirseus early in the
afternoon to-day, and proceeded at once
to Athens, distance of eight miles along
the ancient wall which connected the city
with the harbor. Trains run every half
hour till midnight, and during the excur-
sion season are filled with visitors from
every quarter of the globe. Historic ac-
quaintance with the achievements of the
Grecians in art science and literature, and
the magniicence and splendor of their
palaces and temples; their military career,
and the influence of their statesmen, war
riors, philosophers, orators and poets, af-
fords abundant inspiration to fairly revel
with delight among the ruins which
still show the greatness of Greece in the
days OF her golden glory. Here lived
and lahored Aristotle in the school of
Plato, when Lycurgus stood at the zenith
of Grecian oratory. Here Pericles made
his bold attack on the aristocracy; and
here Demosthenes thundered his Philip
pies because King Philip demanded that
the Athenians share the Office with the
pirates to protect the isles of HaIonesus.
and kindred insults, which so enraged his
hearers that they cried out, "Let us go
and fight Philip" Scion, one of the Seven
Sages of Greece, here taught law and
ethics, and Socrates met the Sophists with
his philosophy, and here drank the fatal
cup of hemlock with rs much composure,
nay, cheerfulness, as though it were
draught Of nectar from the gods whom
they charged he had insulted. The
classics, embracing the most advanced
thought of that age, and only exceeded by
the rich contents of Hebrew literature.
came from the halls of Athene and Eleusis;
and here the worship Of the gods and the
oracles Of Delphi, the son Of Apollo and
Celeno, reached their most sacred period
of devotion
But the greatest of men and the might
lest achievements recorded in the annals
Of Grecian history give the palm to Alex
ander as 4 military chieftain and to
Homer as 4 poet, whose Odyssey and Had
inhaled the rich literature of their laws
and philosophy and permeated them with
his gifted genius, and supplied their defic-
iency with original thoughts clothed in
language of such grandeur and beauty rs
to have aroused suspicion concerning their
liomeric origin and production.
Let this brief sketch suffice to assist
I both writer and reader TO visit among the
relics and ruins 50 profusely scattered
about here.
The Temple of Zeus Olympus and the
Gate of Hadrian first attract our notice.
The Olympium is now being excavated,
and the hot air pipes and aqueducts tha.
supplied the temple are exposed. They
had an arrangement to heat the temple
and furnish it with water from the river
llissus as commodious as is that of modern
times, though at greater expense. Sixteen
columns of the imposing structure re-
main. When perfect the temple was in
closed by l20 Corinthian columns, each 64
feet in hight, and seven and one-fourth
feet in diameter. The structure was $50
feet long and 184 wide. They usually
serve visitors with a cup of coffee under
the capitals, but the Easter holiday exer-
cises elsewhere monopolized the vendors.
Excavations are going on, and numerous
valuable relics are being unveiled and
stored away among the treasures of the
museum of Athens. Hadrian's Gate is
well preserved. 1t is "a feet high and
% feet wide. 1t was the entrance to the
new city from the west. The inscription
on the arcnitrave on the east side reads
"This is the city Of Hadrian, not that of
Theseus;" and on the west side it reads,
"This is Athens, the ancient city of
Theseus." The Stadium lies east Of us,
and is reached by crossing the river Ilissus.
1t was the gift of Lycurgus, b. C. $50.
King George |. excavated it in 1870 an Il
found the race course to be $50 feet long
and LOG feet wide Along the outside ran
corridor eight feet wide. The marble
seats were terraced into the sides of the
hill, and could seat $4,000 spectators. In
this Stadium the Olympic games and races
were held. st. Paul evidently refers to
these in several of his letters urging the
Christian to $50 run that he may obtain"
Approaching the Acropolis we passed
the monument of Lysicrates, popularity
called the Lantern of Demosthenes. 1t
stands at the base of the sacred mound on
a square basement Is feet high Upon this
rests circular temple in MARBLE 81 feet
IN hight, borne by six slender Corinthian
half-columns. The roof with the beauti-
ful flower which adorns it, constructed ofa
single stone, was formerly surrounded by a
tripod. The frieze represents the meta
morphosis of Tyrrhenian pirates, who had
attacked Dionysius, into dolphins, finely
conceived scene. The inscription on the
architrave records that Lysicrates carried
OF the prize with chorus of boys, B. c.
$50. The victors in the Dionyslan compe-
tition received a tripod as prize, which
they afterwards exhibited to the public
and this monument was destined for that
purpose.
The Acropolis is at its highest point 500
feet above the level of the sea, and is l ,08S
feet long and $40 feet wide. 1t stood
crowded with its numerous temples. "a
votiye Offering to the gods.7 The Parth-
enon was the most magnificent structure of
the Acropolis. The fragments of the Ionic
and Corinthian circular temple of Roma and
Augustus lie here in confused heaps The
external form of the Erechtheum is plain
ly traceable. The temple of Athene was
truly building of grace and beauty The
splendid figures supporting the beams,
termed maidens,n are somewhat exceed
ing life size. One of them, partly broken,
was restored by the sculptor Imhof.
Smaller temples and the grea. gateway,
called Propyl'ea, adorn the ''hill of the
gods" The excavations are valuable and
enrich the museums of the city.
short distance north of east from here
is the Areopagus MARS HID, where St.
Paul delivered his address to the Atheni-
ans; it is a rugged mass Of rock, and reached
by sixteen steps hewn in the solid side
from the south. The judges assembled here
to hold their sessions. The highest Judi
cial tribunal of Athens held Court on this
mass of rock. Judges, prosecutors and de-
tenders and prisoners ascended these stairs,
and on this elevation the former tried to
maintain the laws of Greece against gain
sayers and violators. ST. Pauls speech
from this hill was masterly-worded re-
buke of their idolatry. 1t contains about
265 words, SO constructed as to reach the
classic ears of Greece, and with quotation
from Erastus, one of their own poets (Acts,
17-2o), SO appropriate as to evince the
| truth of his statement