Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-07-18

be seen in Greece. The canal which unites
/ the Saronic Gulf with tie Gulf of Corinth
has been cut through, though il is not yet
ready to receive the waters, and as
the train passes over it ON a lofty bridge.
a quick eye can see both the eastern and
the western CULTS. Then the routes con-
tinueS ON the south side of the bay from
Corinth to PatraS. Where can such blue
ness be seen as in this gulf? Toward the
north, ON the mainland, the snow covered
submits of Monnt ParnaSsus are -continu-
ally IN view. and the route may almost be
mace out leading TO Delphi, then ancient
shrine which Americans are now invited to
unearth. The fertile plains upon the south
ern shore of the bay are covered with the
luxurious vines. now brilliant in their
verdure, upon which grow the So,ealled
''currantS' that coutribute not Il little TO
the commerce of PatraS The student cf
social science may smile as he Is here re-
minded of the influence of English plum
puddIngupon the wealth ofmodern Greece,
In the neighborhood Of Corinth still grow
the Aleppo pines, which are doubtless, us
Sandys says. lineal descendants of the trees
which once supplied the victor crown at
the lsthmian games. PatraS is the sea-
port where returning tourists take the
steamer for Brindisi. Soon the railway
passes along the edge of forest of grand
oak trees on an estate that belongs to the
Crown Prince. and at length Zante and the
other lonian islands come in sight. PyrgoS.
the present terminus of the rails. is reach
ed in thirteen hours from Athens. and
every one of them. from daylight until
md haal1 lirrl
landscape.
OLYMPIA Is SEVERAL MILES INWARD
from Pyrgos. with which it is now connect
ed by a weIl-graded carriage road. Two
high ridges and an intervening valley are
crossed before the bed of the river kladeuS
is reached and the hill krones comes into
view Soon the river AIpheus is seen and
the broad, hlll-en circled plain of Olympia.
No one with al iota of historical i'm
agination can fail to be impressed with
that which hes scattered over this vast area.
But few of the pillars are standing. The
stadium, where the great races took place,
Is still for the most part covered with the
earth. But the foundations of the great
temples are all visible, and the ground is
strewn with broken columns and arch
ieraves and pieces of SANITARY which the
skill of Ernest CurtiUs and his able col
leagues first revealed to modern eyes by a
series of well planned excavations. begin
ming in 1874.
As ii guide to the ancient splendors of the
buildings of Olympus, PauSanias, who was
there some seventeen hundred years ago, and
who has wlttlly been called the Baedeker
of antiquity, is still most Serviceable, and
with the minute details that he gives it Is
interesting to compare the story that Boet-
tlcher has admirably told of the German
arch9ologIStS. As the tourist wanderS
through the PalaeStra and enters the
temples of Hera and Zeus, as he stands
where the Hermes was so wonderfully pre-
served from destruction, and as he endeav-
ors to decipher the inscription on the
PEDESTAL where stood the statue of Nike, or
tries to form an idea of the dimensions of
the stadium, his mind wonders back to the
splended contests which for more than Il
thousand years were celebrated here. No
where else, as an English geographer has
well said, 'cOuld it be seen how cOnspicu-
ously Greek religion and Greek art acted as
a united force to hold together the separate
States which formed the Hellenic COM
munlty.
But after all the chief attraction in
Olympia is the museum, In which within d
few months past all the most precious pieces
of statuary here discovered have been
ual has provided for their reception an ex-
cellent building, and the policy of the
Greek Government retains in stu all
the important remains of ancient art So
the lover of the fine arts who would see the
most beautiful statue in the world must
come to Olympia The Hermes of Prax-
iteles stands in hail by itself 1t is well
lighted by a window at the side. The legs
and one foot have been restored, otherwise
the figure stands just as 1t was found with
the mould of time still clinging to its sur
face. Familiar us the eye may be with the
photographs and cast of this famous work,
or rather | may say the more familiar the
eye may be with the reproduction of this
majestic statue the more delight there
will be In seeing the original.
In the large outer hall of the Museum
STANDS THE NIKE,
not mounted, as it originally was, upon
lofty pedestal to be seen from a distance.
but slightly raised above the floor, so that
| 1t may be carefully examined, Here, also,
are the great groups of sculptured figures
which filled the pediment of the Temple of
| Zeus. In cases near by are multitudos of
smaller objects, and in adjacent rooms
many pieces of sculpture not yet arranged
and not yet described to the public C,pies
of the reproductions of the statues in the
pediments. exactly like those which have
decorated for several years Professor Giid-
ersleeves's library in the Johns Hopkins
University. are placel ut the side of the
great originals. As We stood before the
| Nike we were also reminded of home by
reading a quotation from poem of +. c.
Stedman (who is 20 be in Baltimore. the
TurnbulI lecturer of 1871. that is made by
olympia I'VE are Orel reminded by Mr.. Sam Gi-
dys), the transatlantic poet thus refers to
the first important discovery of the Ger
man expedition.
The herald Nike first.
From the dim resting place unfettered burst
Winged Victor over Fate, and Time, and
| Death.