The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-10-24
THE GREEK OF TO-DAY
he DOES NOT WORK WHEN HE CAN
GET CIGARETTES.

tecturaI styIes-The Modern Greek won,-
an-How the Men Dress.
The modem Greek SAYS he i the
ineal descendant and heir of the an
cient Greek, but he is not. He may be
divided into two classes-such exam
pies Of him rs look like the young Apol-
10 and such as do not Those of the lat
ter class, which Is very far the larger,
look for the most part like the impeui-
tent thief. The dress Of the modern
Greek Is a number Of short white pet
ticOats, not unlike those worn by fairy
IN the ballet, only IN cases less clean.
To call him dirty, however, as some
travellers have done, Is most unjust. y
chimney sweep i dirty at the close OF
his days work, but with the modern
Greek dirt Is less u custom than an inn
memorial tradition
The first cases Of him seen by the
traveler-supposing him 10 approach
the country from that side-are in Mes
senia- This fact has suggested TO an an
tiquary that ut the disastrous close OF
the first Messenian war, in 735 3. c.,
the Messenians bound themselves by a
great oath that until they had washed
out disgrace they would wash nothing
That oath they have faithfully kept,
and now ii is unlikely ever TO be either
terminated or broken.
The modern Greek does not work
There are, 1T i true, workingmen. They
are needed for demonstrations of the
unemployed, but they do not work. In
the same paradoxical spirit it may be
said that the principal industry of the
country Is idleness. But for the conven-
fence of the gazetteer it Is officially
given out that the nation Is engaged IL
commerce-nainly currants. Besides
this there Is brisk trade in justice III
many parts Of the country, while the
inhabitants of some seaport towns de
vote their energies TO backing one an
others boots in the principal streets.
Such are the industries of modern
Greece. It is TO be observed, however,
that, although the modern Greek never
works, he has an unequaled natural
aptitude for looking rs if he We're just
thinking il almost time 10 begin worl:
Although inactive, he Is enterpristng.
The race is very widely spread. Indeed
the only place near Greece where you
Inay not expect to find Greeks Is the post
OF duty. Even here the modern Greek
has been noticed more than once, but he
was almost invariably just stepping off
- moment to light cigarette. When
he Is about to light cigarette, he is al
ways smoking one, except when his
neighbor's tobacco gives out. He is not
always drinking-a fact which may be
ascribed more TO the character of his
native wines than TO his native sobriety
though he can seldom spare the time
to leave the wineshop, but fills in the
interval trying TO induce his neighbor
to buy him wine to drink. 1t is proba-
bly, the national devotion to the ciga-
rette to which we may attribute the
characteristic architectural styles of
modern Greece. The common feature
in all these Is their rough, bold incom-
pleteness- To the experienced eye the
building looks as if il were tumbling
down, but this is not the true explana-
ton Plainly the house was half built
when the master builder stepped away
to get light and forgot TO return. In
agriculture the modern Greek does not
excel
It is thought by sociologists that the
land was so ravaged by the end of the
Peloponnesian war (4O4 B. CO. that the |
Greek became dispirited and has not |
planted anything since. Certainly it |
would be impossible to ravage the land |
now. Thus cut off from his traditional |
military exploit, the modern Greek Is
but an Indifferent soldier But it is TO |
be remembered that it is now hardly |
over so years since he freed himself, |
acting through the fleets of England, |
France and Russia, from the brutal do |
0F in,
century or two he Will have advanced |
more than one step on the road to re- |
juvenescent prosperity. The perpetual |
invention of new labor saving machines |
is of the happiest augury for his future |
civilization. 1t should be said, more
over, that there is in the islands town
with a large square and a fine subtropic-
al plant in the middle. 1t contains pub
lie buildings partly finished and eight
Or nine drinking shops, besides statue
Of n patriot in knickerbockers called
doubt in affectionate recog-
milton of his tenacity Of purpose. The
square is called the Place of the Glory
IF the Resurgent Hellas, but it is very
many times too large for it.
The modern Greek woman differs in
several important points from the mod
I'm Greek man. She sometimes works
md not seldom in early youth looks
ike habitual criminal. 1t must not
De thought, however, as some have done,
hat she goes so far as ever TO tell the
ruth When she goes on journey, she
.arries with her everything she has i'll
he world, in this respect approximating
o the custom of her sisters among less
civilized peoples. She carries her goods
n broken box with a particolored
Gather top, trellised with yellow tinsel.
n the rare cases when the lock is not
,roken she further secures il with a
riece of broken string.-Pall Mall Ga
cite.