Morning journal and courier., 1892-05-18
CORRh hSPONDENCE.

| Sokh ID nsA
 PerIander at Athens-More About the Greek People-Homely Women The Beautiful House of Dr. Schliemann-Athens the Headquar- ters of Archaeological Research.
 ATHENS, April %. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The Greeks are not good looking. You may be in Athens fortnight without see ing pretty woman or well-put-together and handsome man. People with long memories may recall the discussion started years and years ago by German of the name of Fallmerayer. who asserted there was no Greek blood in modern Greece; and how the modern Greeks bubbled and boiled thereat, and how every turn and twist in the discussion only added strength to the original assertion. The Greeks are the residue of lot of poor races, and would long since have been absorbed into some modern and growing race had it not been for support given by European powers to the ridiculous notion of Greek autonomy. The Greeks are small and have every kind of limb and feature. Their limbs and fea- lures do not seem to belong to any distinct individuality. AS if there were not cen tral force enough to carry individuality out into extremes. If two Greeks were to meet and swap legs and noses they would go on just the same and it would b- a chance if wives and families noticed the difference. They remind one of the images erected in American cities by soi-disant sculptors; wooden, lifeless things, of which the parts would look as we'll apart as to- gether, and which have as much unity of expression as pile of wood. As to the Greek army, company of Prussian hus- ssrs could make way with the whole of it, and its navy could not even compete with our own. A Greek who has cash prefers to live elsewhere. His claims tn descent from Miltiades or Aspasia have still value in France and England, especially in Eng land, where Lord Byron turned eyes away from the true records of the revolution, covering with his charming verse the worse than Turkish cruelty of the revolutionists.
 The more you see of the Turk the more you like and admire him. The more you see of the Greek the more you despise and fear him. Yes, fear him, For he is a cruel creature. He beats his horses and his children, as he wouli beat you if he had the chance and were disposed. He will cheat you in every sort of way. There is no city in Europe where you get less for your London or Paris drafts than in Ath- ems. When the Greek is gentle it is the gentleness of weakness. They are very crafty and very saving. This makes them successful in business. They are all over the Orient in every kind of trade, getting the better of the Jews wherever the Jews are persecuted. TheIe are Greek ware houses on every shore of the Mediterrane- an sea, with headquarters at London, Par is, Marseilles, Genoa and Coustsntinople When a Greek has made deal of money in foreign parts he does not show his pa- triotism by returning, but satisfies himself by constructing something at home to rep resent it and him. A MT. Sina, for in stance, became very rich at Vienna and was even made a baron. This honor he could not have enjoyed at home, for the king of Greece is not allowed to confer titles. What earthly fun in being a king if docked of this pet privilege. When Baron Sina felt his end approaching he made up his mind he must do something to testify to his patriotism. So he built a gorgeous hall on the Odos Panepistemiou for the Greek academy of the future. The academy was to be composed of the few very wisest of the very many wise Greeks, and they were to outshine the members of the French academy as Plato outshines Re nan, or Aristophanes outshines Guy de Maupassant. There's the hall; but as eve
 " Greek considers himself the very wisest Greek and cannot conscientiously vote for anybody but himself, the selection of mem
 bers is meeting with difficulties. The hall is magnificent thing; of Pentelic marble throughout; with statues, paintings Pnd the richest decorations wherever they could be stood, hung or applied. That the baron himself appears here and there in oil and stone, and that his virtues and vir- tuous deeds are set forth in gorgeous in scriptions, is all right. It's the way of the country. The members when chosen are to sit around on benches of classic form and of chilly marble. With membership should go warming pan or an ample cushion. Near by in the same street, though not quite 80 conspicuous, is Dr.. Schliemann's house, which, poor fellow, he did not live long to enjoy. It is by far the most noticeable private house in Ath- ens On it is the pompous inscription, H. | ion Melashron-"Palsce of Iion"-and on top of it, all around the edge, are full sized marble copies of dozens of the most celebrated statues recovered from antiquity.
 Schliemann had the great good sense of making large fortune before he went | into archaeology. An opinion, no matter how preposterous, if backed up with cash, Is sure of 6 hearing. That many I of Schliemann's opinions were preposter- ous is generally admitted. That his con- tributions to archaeology are of inestima- ble value is universally admitted. Ath. ems just now is the headquarters of arch.
 geological research. If people want to bs
 in the archaeological swim Athens is the
 place to make the plunge. There are fivs
 distinct bodies in the city ostensibly de | voting themselves to archaeology First
 comes the Greek Archaeological society
 which of course has the inside track
 and which would do all the work if i
 had the money. First in point of tim
 of establishment is the French school
 which was founded as far back ss 1S46
 The German school was not established
 till 1874. The American school and tn
 English school in its present condido,
 are of comparative recent date. Thes
 schools are devoted to the study of arch
 nology and to the prosecution of archn
 ological research. As no excavations cal hs made without the permission or tn | aoyeranenk the 9oNeYnnoQt VII Q