Omaha daily bee., 1891-09-06
ATHENS. IN LATE SUMNER.
How the Dw5llers in th, Grecian City
Manage to Kill Time.
EDISON A GREATER MAN THAN J)vE.
Picturesque Walks AMI Boulevurds $
Frcqucnted by the "Four Hun
dred"--Chauncey VI. Depew as
Rival Of Demosthcnes.

ATHENs, Aug. TO- Special Correspond
OF Tue BEE. The heat in Athens is intense,
but the Greeks know now to get through
the summer comfortably. They live out of
doors and exchange no calls; the Gu rtains are
taken down, the carpets and rugs folded
away, the furniture and pictures covered up
and tho house generally abandoned, except
ing perhaps the kitchen, and the meals are
served in the garden. The rich Greeks and
all foreigners leave the country at this sea-
son for cooler clmcs. Many of comforta-
bic income go up in the mountains to Cephis-
sa or take cottage at Phalerum, the an
cient seaport, and now the fashionable sea-
side resort OF Athens. A steam train runs
every half hour, taking the multitudes for
a plunge in the Blue -Egean. Even the
poorer classes grudge themselves not this
expense which is slight.
The Greek Il We OF Dress.
New Phalerum Is the new promenade. The
Greeks have u passion for dress and always
wear the latest Partisan styles, while,
strange to say, American residents often
don the ancient Greek iobes, and are anxious
to invest in the picturesque costumes of the
peasant women of today or the rod fez and
higher classes speak French as well as
Greek, flock to the summer theaters (French
and ltalian) and sip ices by the hour at the
cafe gardens.
Old Phalerum, two miles farther east, on
the coast, is the resort ot the common people,
who come with their basket about o'clock
in the evening, lunch on the rocks and return
to tho city late in the night.
Bathing Resort for the Poor.
tAA
stretch of each where the coun-
try people come from miles away
on Sundays and hoiidays-in funny
two-wheeled carts The farm horse or dom
key pulling and sweating IN front of his bur-
den of twenty or thirty men, women and chill
dren. How they ever get home with these
loads do not understrnd-oue man pulling
the beast in front and another lashing him
from behind. Here the country people bring
their simple food of bread, cheese aud ret
zinato wine, an6 give their donkeys, dogs
and children the benefit of ocean baths,
plunging altogether in promiscuous confu
sion.
Athens of Modern Days.
In Athens night is turned into day and day
into night. The shops arc closed at midday
and the squares deserted, everybody sleep
ing away the hot afternoon hours. And It'll
not until after the late dinner, about or 10
O'Clock in the evening, that the -four hun
dred' venture out and gather at the cafes, to
meet together and hear the latest bit of scan
dal, for in their love of gossip, the Athenians
are unequalled. With it they have music and
lazily sip ices, with wine and cigarettes and
Turkish coffee, and so the time slips away
until morning. But who can criticize their
Incidence when the air by day is like
furnace ready to bake bread and the pulse of
nature has run down and ceased to beat.
A Picturesque City of Old.
Promenading is favorite pastime OF the
Athenians in tho early evening hours.
There are many charming walks about
Athens, and though the educated Greeks
and the foreigners love to turn Jher steps to
the Stadium, the Acropolis, the Keramcrkos,
or ancient battle-ground, the .Stras, the
Theseum and the remaining columns Of the
temple to Olympian Joves, the general public
loves tho modern parks, the queens gardens,
the boulevards, lineu with their graceful
pepper trees with their slender, fern-ike
foliage.
Here one meets the gay and handsome
Greek officers booted and spurred-the pic
turesque Cretan with his bagey trousers,
red sash and graceful mantle. The Cretans
to a man have fine figures, handsome features
and stages tride that Booth might envy.
Conscious observation-disclosures.
Next comes the stiff Athenian maidens,
conscious and proper-safely chaperoned by
her unmistakable Greek mother, who has re-
luctantly adopted the European gown of
basque and skirt but draws the line at head
dresses and continues to reject French bon
nets, wearing about her head Greek lace
in peculiar manner. The daughter is not
obiivious to bevy OF university students
passing near, but only manifests that
knowledge by slight roll Of the eye; she is
well trained and does not turn her head.
1t Is no wonder that the Amer
lean girl is stared at, as she swings along
indifferent to others and unconscious of her-
self.
Next comes company of Greek priests
with their black caps and lugubrious robes
Tapping about in the wind and giving them
the appearance of so many ravens. The hair
Is braided and pinned in small knot behind,
ridiculously feminine, but they have good
faces which bear the mark OF holy lives.
Costumes of the Queens Own.
Now we see group of the queens own
guards, in braided jackets and short white
petticoats much like the Scotch kits, only
shorter. They look at distance, when
drilling, like a flock of trained ostriches.
Some disrespectful American has dubbed
them ''penwipers." The contrast between the
dignifed flowing draperies of Pericles' time
and these ballet girls" is as startling as
anything could oe.
The legs are encased in place of tights in
white felt CATERS, tight fitting, with shoes Of
red leather, pointed and turned up at the toe.
Yards and yards of white cotton cloth is
plated into the little skirt which stands out
exactly like ballet dancers.
On the head a scarlet feZ is worn, artisti-
cally pulled down on one side by heavy silk
tassle. aud white embroidered belt for dirk
and pistol completes the costume.
They look very pretty and graceful fitting
about among the treeS-thO' no costume could
be imagined more un-soldierlike, or ill-titted
for war.
Nurses by the score with families OF chill
dren in very short frocks and bare legs and
arms loitor in these shady walks.
The nurses are usually French or English
girls las the Greeks believe in beginning
early with the languages), and their blonde
hair and compilations and blue eyes contrast
well with the olive skins, raven tresses ana
big black eyes OF the little Greeks, and there
is always an endless variety here in the
crowds as 1T pours along.
Promenades OF the Grecian Metropolis
The most popular boulevard takes in the
precinct OF Zeus, that follows the bed of tho
lllisus past the haunts of Socrates, aud the
whore the Panathenaic games were
celebrated IA magnificent amphUheatre is cut
out OF tho mountain IL would be charming
for baseball ground il the Greeks only
knew II.
But they content themselves with athletic
games there every four years where prizes
are taken for foot races, for running, wres-
Ting and boxing, as of old.
Leaving the Stadium we come into another
beautiful wide avenue; on one side is tho
queens garden waiting toward MS a CRATE