The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-07-07

,ineal descendant and heir OF the
ancient Greek. but he is not lie may
he divided into two classes-sucn
examples of him as look like the young
Apollo and such as do not. Those OF
the latter class, which is very far the
larger, look for the most part like the
impenitert thief. The dress OF the
modern Greek is a number OF short
white petticoats, not unlike those
worn by fairy in the ballet, only IN
some cases less clean. To call him
dirty, however. as some travellers nave
done. is most unjust A chimney
sweep is dirty at the close of his days
work. But with the modern Greek
dirt is less a custom than an immemo-
rial tradition. The first cases OF him
seen by the traveller (supposing him to
approach the country from that side)
are in Messenia. This fact has sug-
gested to an antiquary that at the dis
astrous close of the first Messenian
war in 735 B. c. the Messenians bound
themselves by great oath that until
they had washed out that disgrace
they would wash nothing That oath
they have faithfully kept, and now IL
is unlikely ever to be either termin-
ated or broken.
The modern Greek does not work.
There are, it is true. working men;
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
convenience of the gazetteer it is OFF,
cially given out that the nation is en-
gagged in commerce-mainly in cur
rants Besides this. there is brisk
trade in justice in many parts OF the
country, while the inhabitants OF some
seaport towns devote their energies to
backing one another's boots in the
principal streets Such are the indus
tries of modern Greece. 1t is to be OBJ
served, however, that although the
modern Greek never works he has an
unequaled natural aptitude for looking
as If he were just thinking it almost
time to begin to work. Although in
active he is enterprising. The race is
very widely spread; indeed, the only
place near Greece where you may 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
n moment to light cigarette. When
he is not about to light cigarette he
is always smoking one, except when
his neighbours 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
Ills neighbor to buy him wine to drink.
1t is probably the national devotion to
the cigarette to which we may attrib-
ute the characteristic architectural
styles of modern Greece. The common
feature in all these is their rough, bold
Incompetence. To the inexperienced
eye the building looks as If it were
tumbling down, but this is not the
true explanation. Plainly, the house
was half built when the master
builder stepped away to get a light
and forgot to feturn. In agriculture,
the modern Greek does not excel 1t is
thought by sociologists that the land
was SO ravaged by the end of the Pc
loponnesian war (404 B. c., that the
Greek became dispirited and has not
planted anything since. Certainly it
would be impossible to ravage the
land now.
Thus cut of from his traditional mil
itary exploit the modern Greek is but
an Indifferent soldier. But it is to be
remembered that it is now hardly over
fifty years since he freed himself (act-
ing through the fleets of England,
France aud Russia) from the brutal
domination of the Turks. Doubtless
in a century or two he will have ad-
vanced more than one step on the road
to rejuvenesccnt prosperity. The per-
petual invention of new la5or-savine
machines is of the happiest augury for
his future civilization. 1t should be
said, moreover, that there Is in the
islands town with large square and
fine sub-tropical plant in the middle.
1t contains public buildings, partly
finished, and eight or nine drinking
shops, besides statue of patriot in
knickerbockerS called Muley ne
doubt in affectionate recognition of hi.
tenacity of purpose. The square i.
called the Place of the Glory of Resur
gent Hellas, but it is very many time.
too large for it.
The modern Greek woman differs,ir
several important points from the mod
crn Greek man. She sometimes work.
and not seldom, in early youth, look.
unlike an habitual criminal 1t mus
not be thought, however. as some hav,
done, that she goes so far as ever t.
tell the truth. When she goes jour
ney she carries with her everything
she has in the world, in this respec
approximating to the custom of he
sisters among less highly civilized PEG
pies She carries her goods in broker
box with parti-colored leather top
trellised with yellow tinsel Tn fh,