New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-23
" ROCKY PYTHO."
THE TREASURES OF DELPHI.
MONEY NEEDED FOR EXCAVATION AND THE

MONEY NEEDED FOR EXCAVATION AND THE
PURCHASE OF GREEK VILLAGE SITE.
TO the Edffor Of The Tribune.
Sir: ii IS fourteen years since the Germans op'
tanned permission from the Government OF Greece 10
excavatc the site Of Olympia, and they were engaged
six years consecutively upon the work Wheh 'n'S
began the site plain, with scarcely vcsugc
Of antiquity TO be soon, and interesting merely io
the charming landscape by which 1t is surrounded anu
for such visions vivid imagination might conIu'o
up from the literary records Of the past To-day .o
traveller descending from the little hotel and crossing
the ripping Cadeus, after walk of few rods enters
by sloping path the excavations themselves lie SECS
about the site a wall Of earth rising sleepy sumo
fifteen twenty feet, marking the line OF pam ho'
excavated and within this mass of walls anu Cur
umns and marbles of all descriptions, calculator az
first sight TO bewilder the beholder. But Win Ms
trusty Baedeker I'm hand he finds order cmershs
from chaos and he Is able to trace out nearly every
building and monument described by Pausanias III ulo
two bools which he devotcs 10 olympia III Ms
Perlegesisn Gymnasla. temples with Their MASSIVE
remains, shrncs and affairs, bases for statues s"'
other memorials bearing the inscriptions quo'cl VI
described by Pausanas, in their Original Pos'
porticoes and exedrae where proclamaons "e'c h'0'
poems read and oratlOns delivered, the treasures
where the various States kept their conserated opecs
Of value the arched passageway by which the oon-
estants entered the Stadium, the marble boundary Vi
the course with its halfnch groove cut as tho
Ineo for the runners to rest their toes upon N"H1
waiting for the word eo"-all this and more s'aii
before him, and make the past living reality pcSu"
ANYTHING which he has thought possible. he-ro>'"e
the C1adeus he enters the handsome museum "hch
has been erected through the municence OF pa'ro.'
citizen of Athens, Mr.. sinSlOs. for the reception VI ~
treasures of sculpture and the bronzes which lorno
the great prizes OF the long labor. Here the scuP
ures from the two great pediments OF to "o"'
temple arranged to occupy on each side oil inc Ea'
hall the same space upon the temple Hseii' 'o
nctopaI slabs the Victory Of PaeOnus, and the OK
oulsite Hermes Of Praxteles to speak of nothing eso
form a collection that Tcpays all the expense anu
labor by the addition which it makes to that OcauS
In the world which IS Joy forever 10 leci 'no
proper effect of Greek pedimenal sculpture one mus
stand before the pedlments in that museum anu -
know what perfection In statuary MEANS ITO N"' ~
the Hermcs of PraXitcles
Such facilities Olympia offers to the student anu
traveller today thanks to the late Emperor ireuer
lex TO the historian Curtus and to the other scholars
OF Germany. ,
But what Of Delphi Imagine wall Of rock heariy
half a mile in length rising straight toward tho shS
ill the eyes and ncch ache in watching the eagles ta
wheel about its summit From the loot oil inns
Rocky Pyhos slopes toward the south, at hrst grdu
ualIy and then by quick and steep descent many
hundred feet the bed Of the PlSts' rom "hch "o
rock again rises prccpitously into the mountain ''
faces YOU mile or more distant Inc wan VI wv
behind IS cleft at its eastern end by chasm through
which a stream comes down. and then sweeps louu d
gigantic buttrcs to guard the sacred site on the east
willie a low projection does like service on the west
Ucre in this natural amphlthcatre, lay the Dephi oi
old in the midst of scenery the most sublime ana d"e
inspiring and always worthy Of visit for tDat aone
bur from the point Of view of the student Oh an anu
! antiquity the place proves bitter DISAPPOINTMENT
lie sees part of supporting wall OF the terrace
/ toad VI
| scriptons, mostly the procamatlons OF 1ie'd'"l loi
manumittcd slaves and the remains Of the sOa OF 'h'
| Atbenians before 1T. But when he searn@ iof inc
| temple itself he finds only few Irregular marques
scattered about and it Is the same win inc 'cdio
and with the other sacred and profanc structures anu
| countless works OF which the ancient writer's Uil
lis existed Oh the sacred ground for Gleeh village u
! corsiderablc size occupies the place and its houses
! cover the remains.
| To buy up this village, in order to remove 1t and
excavate the Site the object OF the appeal mace
| Inv the American Archaeological institute, through
tho columns Of Tho Tribune of August 30, when Was
| commended, cdlorially by The Tribune IN the sime
! issue The Germans at olympia were nov S,nDdr-
raised by this dihculty but could enler lmnea,cg
! upon their excavations. At Delphi the pIoDhm Is
the same which stood In the way % me l,lct'dle
tvry and of the French about 1850. and prevented
them from realizing their wish 10 uncover inc I-aIS
of The great temple of the mysteries there-the presence
| Of houses ON the ground This problem at EleuSs
has recently been solved by the purchase o. tni
|
society," and the whole precinct has been laid bare
for ali to see and study. The appeal OF our lnHti.
i,tc is for sufficient sum $4,000 as estimated ~
French and Greek engineers TO enable 1t to buy me
village at Delphi and thus be placed in the position o
where 1t begin the work OF excavation ~ .nui
pledges It's own Income for several years 10 prosecu
| the work, and feels confident that the results VIII
| provc the wisdom OF the undertaking - l..
Deph is the only great site now left in Greece to
excavate The Germans have laid bare OLYMPIA 20
their everlasting renOwn, the Greek Archae0iosIvai
society has deserved equal praise al hpidSsuru5I
Eleus and the Acropos a. Alhens dne rcsnc
|
J a rich harvest Of finds Now comes tho 0ppor-
tuny for America to do It's share, ana WIN plac
! beside the other nations in expenditure OF Inoney
and labor for pure art, pure science ana Pe
| The Greek Government, the Greek Archaeoqioeica,
eIonld undertake the task. With Archaeological
school now established at Athens for several Vars
We are admirably equipped with " base OIL qPioo
has been gained and scholars trained by eXcavatoh1
on other but less important, sites and me scnool
desires nothing so much as 10 SECURE 'hc si0aV 'PP
| unty now offered il. 49, -, .,ooo
| Tho Tribune has said: But suppose me slon'p
the centre Of the earth. how would Boston aa SH cdo
settle the question which OF the TWO IS cnlru W
possession ~ The shape Of his particular some Is
! raintings II looks somewhat like the half OF h9D
But Chicago need not despair by reason OF ms c0l
! cdcncc at the outset. II shall have far chahce
Tor lis claim Notwithstanding. In the small muse I'm
! AZ Sparta Is rrilcf giving representation or me
stone which Is unique I'm sculpture for on each sue
! ~ n stands an eagle. These are the goden cages
! e,,ng NJ Inv Plndar. which set beside the Stone
| 10 commemorate the fact that Jovc sent them toiln
from the opposite ends Of the Garth and they met Al
! Teinh Trf the strife between Boston and CHICAGO
he decided by the test of which of the two shall
nov Iu ca glcs for the discovery OF the stone and
let not NewYork and Philadelphia SIT by merely TO
see columbia 1lm Sia' college, y. Y Sept g. 1850.
THE FAIR MUST ADVERTISE ITSELF.