The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-02-27
SCENES In ASIA MINOR.
ENeLIsH's LETTER FROM THE EAST.
Smyrna and Athens-The Paradise OF the
Levant-Isles of Greece-The Land
of the Olive and the
Vine, Etc.


ital OF the Asiatic province of Anatolia, is
city of nearly 100000 inhabitants, and is the
chief town of the Levant Although the Sec
ond city in Turkey in size and importance, and
the first in Asia Minor, the greater part of its
population are Greeks, both in race and re-
ligion. They are. however, half Turkish in
manners and appearance and speak the Ian.
guage known as "Romaic" Greek which differs
from that spoken in Greece proper. There are
but $1,000 actual Turks in the whole city. but
these among the most fanatical and bigoted
OF Mohammedans. Many of their women carry
the covering of the face to such a ridiculous
degree that only eye is left exposed, all
else being scrupulously concealed. The differ
ent nationalities each reside in their own part
of the city, and there is a Turkish, Greek, Ar
menian, Jewish and European quarter. The
Jews here are different in appearance from the
ordinary Hebrews, and wear peculiar
tune of their own. They are said to be de-
scendants of the Jews expelled from Spain I'm.
der Ferdinand and Isabella. The Greeks and
Armenians OF Smyrna, as everywhere else
hereabOuts, are the merchant class and in
every city of the East they almost exclusively
occupy that field. The Greeks are especially
shrewd and sharp in the matter of bargain,
and it is proverbial here that even the cautious
Hebrew has no chance in trade in
which a Greek is the opposing party.
Smyrna is a most ancient city, and
even puts in a claim TO being the birth
place of Homer and cave is shown in which
he Is said to have written a part Of the Had
The city was frequently destroyed in the early
Greek wars but was finally restored to its i'm
portance by Alexander the Great Ii is alleged
VI n
ferent times, one over the remains OF the other
1t one of "the seven churches which are
In Asia" referred to by st. John the Divine
and is the only one of them that has retained
its Importance down to the present day. With
the exception of Laodicia the other six are all
easily accessible from here, and not far away
on the route to Rhodes and Cyprus is the
bleak Isle of Patmos where ST. John wrote the
book OF Revelations, in which he was divinely
commanded unto the angel OF the church in
Smyrna write: These things saith the first and
last which dead and lis alive" The city
thus early one of the most important seats
of Christianity and the scene OF much suffer
ing and sacrifice on the part of its believers
Polycarp, the first Christian bishop, suffered
death here FOR righteousness sake" in the
year 166, and the church where he preached
is still shown on Mount Pagus. 1t is now
ruined mosque and stands near the place of
his martyrdom. The principal attraction of
Smyrna Is Mount Pagus with its interesting
ruins of the AcrOpolis. In its time it must
have been strong and powerfully defended
fortress and Its remains indicate that from
the earliest Amazonian and Cyclopean
periods il was a recognized stronghold.
Mounted on the back of a sure-fOoted little
donkey, climbed up its steep sides to the ex-
IRENE top, and was rewarded by magnificent
view OF Mt Tantalus and all the surrounding
expanse of sea and land. Smyrna is the center
OF the caravan trade for all this part OF Asia,
and among the most interesting sights to the
traveller are tie long lines Of camels winding
into the city toward the 'Pont des Caravones,"
heavily loaded with the rich products of the
interior. Frequently several hundred of them
may be seen in one caravan marching solemnly
along in single file attended b. their wild-look-
ing "KiZzebasheS" or drivers. All the sur
rounding country is rich in fruits and plants,
and the olive, vine, fig. orange, tamarisk,
myrtle, laurel, etc., grow In protusion. The
CHIEF articles of export are figs aud raisins for
which Smyrna IS especially celebrated, and
spOnges from the sponge fisheries of the neigh
boring islands. The city is also very rich in
archaic remains and place of great interest to
numlsmatists and coin collectors. Owing to
the demand in this direction a profitable in
dustry is the manufacture OF counterfeit coins
OF the early Greek and Roman periods, which
bring large prices from unsuspecting travellers.
Interesting excursions can be made from
Smyrna to ancient Ephesus, Lake Tantalus,
the cyclopean city of Mt Sipylus and the
island of Samos, the birthplace OF Juno and
Pythagoras and long the residence of HerOdotus.
The trip from Smyrna across the Egean sea,
through the numerous islands of the Archi-
pelagO, TO Athens, is one OF the most enjoyable
sails imaginable. These beautiful and historic
ally interesting isles have ever been the theme of
poets song and story, and the magic pen of
Byron has immortalized them
1.-The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece.
Where burning >appho loved and sung,
Where grew the arts OF and peace,
Where Delos and Phebus sprung;
Eternal summer gilds them yet,
But all except their sun is set
The lovely climate is indeed a reminder of
eternal summer" and the bright blue waters
OF the Mediterranean by day and their phOs-
phorescent lights by night are in themselves a
charm, while the interesting islands, always in
sight occupy the eye and mind most pleas
antly. The first In view is SciO, the Paradise
of the Levant," which also claims the honor of
HOmer's birth, and further on comes syria
(Syrosl the capital of the Cyclades, ana the
second city in importance in Grecian territory.
Near it is Ceos, the "Fenelon Island" of "Tele-
maque;" and another of the Cyclades group is
Melos, where the renowned Venus of Milo"
now in the Louvre at Paris, was discovered.
The costumes worn in all this part of the world
ridiculous enough to American eyes,
but that OF the Greeks of the Cyelades is
especially so. They wear a high fez, short
jacket red vest and the widest and
most baggy of blue or green Turkish trousers
which hang down from the waist nearly to the
ground, and as they walk go Tapping about
between their heels like a suspended meal-bag.
The steamer, as il nears the mainland of Greece,
passes in sight of the islands of limos, Andres,
Cynthos, Coos, and that Salamis in front of
which the great naval battle took place, when
ThemistOcles and his fellow Greeks won their
famous victory over the war ships Of the Per.
sian invader, and heroically preserved the liber-
ties of their fatherland. Near the Piraeus in
sight of the scene Of battle, the tomb Of ThemiS-
toces is shown, and in the same neghborhood
the elevation on the coast is pointed out where
the mighty Xerxes sat in state to witness the
conflict which ended SO disastrously to his i'm.
mense feet
"a king sat on the rocky brow
Which looks Ger sea-b0rn Salamis,
And ships By thousands Law below
And men in nations--a were his;
He counted them At break Of day,
And when the sun set where were they?"
The Praeus contains some thirty thousand
inhabitants, and it is the harbor for Athens
which Is tive-and-a-half miles distant. IL can he
reached in few minutes by rail, but the pleas
ATTEST way is 10 go by carriage. The drive
runs along by the Bay of Phaleron, over what
was once the wall of Themistocles connecting
Athens to the harbor, and crosses the generally
dry Cephissus and the plain of Cephissus,"
now principally occupied by orchards of
olive trees. Few of us, take it,
could enter ancient Athens for the first time
without experiencing feelings that it would be
hard to describe when fully realizing actual
presence on this hallowed spot that has played
so conspicuous part In the worlds history