The herald., 1895-11-24
Great Athletic Revival of
the Old Olympic
Festivals
THEY WILL BE HELD IN 1896
Ancient Athens to Witness the First
Repr0duction..Sports Of Long
Ago on the Once
Historic Field

for bade the celebration OF tee Olympic
games, when the athletic congress. he'd
in Paris IN the summer of last year, de.
cided to revive the time-honored name as
applied to qnadrenniil international con-
tests of modern sportsmen. AS tribute
to the land which was the nome OF tho'e
renowned festivals of yore and to which
the world owes the foundations of its
c.vilzat, o1-as solemn act, legalizing
ths new use Of the name-it was unani-
mously agreed to holi the first of these
modern Olympic festival, at Athens.
At the first announceme tais IN. K
pected honor cre,ted considerable be-
wilderment in Greece. Never had Athe
been call NJ on to execute charge
requiring so may elements of success,
and it is not Surprising that the first
voices n ,art were those of the pessimists,
who p nted out the financial and other
difficulties in the way. And truly tue diff
oulties of the Greek state. with its public
dent, the depression of trade consequent
Upon the failure ot ths curren, export
and the des aerateIy inflated condition Of
the natl nal nu rsncy, were such as to
make it doubtful If the necessary funds
for the r.specta Die Celebration OF the
games could no raissd. But the abuse
which has OF lats been lavishsd upon the
Gfssvs BY certain sections of the Euro
pean press, with regard TO the inability
of the public treasury to meet the sou
pons OF the forsisn loans stunR the
nation into making all possible peeun-
iary sacrifices for this occasion, which
s ould .ffori the visit",s from all lands
. AuA~Vtuuttv ~ main eh = A.
that Grssss IL net land OF briaands.
pirates. swindlsrs and knnvsa 1t also
| afforded the Crock Pc pie = special salts
| fAcias 10 b saiisi sen sacs more 10
snn pete with sthsr natl ms Al the
| notsbls 4 ID Of athl.tics, waieh their an
| ,estors had made immortal: indeed, the
old Hellenic fondness for athletic con-
tests has besn asserting Itself ence m ore
of late years. although athlhtics in the
modern sense are ill in very priml-
tive state among the Greeks. All the e
| inhur noes o,iu binsi to make the c ptrib.
| raptdlytha the originate timateo 5v0.0W
| .rachmae MS long besn sxceeded. Aed
since the Eift OF az additionsl 90 o.,
Grachmse ir"m Mr.. George Avsr5if, =
wealthy Greek merchant Of AL xandris,
for the express purrose OF repuid ng TIM
p athenuic etodien. all pessi n ism has
been tn rwn to toe winds, and all Gree KS
from high to low, ara bound up in the
success IT the prof ct. The crown prince
ana his brothers are the icti 9 | iders
OF the movement. ana the king himself
has promised to award the person the sil
yer olive wreat1s to the vict "a of the
games. The Greek government has or
dersd the sue # special comm mora
tive p stare stamps similar to the Col.
um bian, tine net proceeds at which shall
be hared witt the fund of the Ulyn pic
committee; and thus thu latter may be
exect 4 to exec ID loo, 90 drachmae, be
des NJ. Averuff' . nunifirent don .tion.
The preparations are Low in full swing,
especially in the ct dion, which 10 by far
the heaviest part of the rk, and which
covered with huge blocks OF marble ant
resembling with the strokes Of handress
Of eLisels, presents . stri.k Z contrast -
the peaceful solitud whieh las for years
and centuries reisned ever It's grassy
sluree. This scene Of the ancient Pans
thenaean games IL an artificial sAl rye
mrpt of natur Il hollow betwesn tive
OF the lowest spurs Of Mount Hymsttns.
1t is tnrL ed toward the city, and iron, its
n.fanoe (by the whispering Ilissus) a
magnif icent Nanoramn is obtained. from
Lykabcttrs and the PAlare Gardens on
Salamis on the #. Its embanksd sides
slnpe up to a height Of 90 to so feet
around the level space go feet long by
100 feet wide, in the form OF horsashos
las has seen ascsrtainsd BY recent sx.a.
vations.)
or course it will not Be possible to
finish the entire Stadioa in marble hv
eLt:rs hei 4ht and tho three lowest tiers
along the sidss will be dune In marble;
the remaining rows Of the DIES " II be
executed in wood and planted IN inita
tion of marble, but will be replaced Era l.
ually By marble rows. M. AveRoK has
:.<. - ~
magnificent arena, which Is capable Of
seating 10000 spectators, finished entirs-
ly in Pentelic ma BILE at his own tx, ense,
rs a nermansnt fed for athletic contest !;
and Certainly Athens will regain through
hi patrioie liberality one OF hvr most
GLORIOUS and unique monumeats, useful
as we'll as ornamental.
In the Station, thus restored ana pm
viied with fine running track. the held
sports, foot races end Rymnast,o contests
Will be- held here also will be the IN sh
of the twenty six mile long distance race
from Matatsen to Athens. Tor which .
special amphora or cup will be chsrs: in
memory of the rlucky runner OF cid wac
uied to bring TO Athens the news # tas
~ tie OF the | ersians. The bicycle races
il, be held on grounds specially laii ont
for the occasion, half way between the
city and the sea hore, ON the Phal-ric
pl IN. The aquatic sports-swimm ne
nj rowing-are to take plac. in the
road .ad OF PhaIir n: while the Saranic
gulf. | cStd in by island, W II form an
u sxcellei aiins ground for the yacht
r. alta, which prun.is. to ts unusually
brilliant.
THESE are the chief items on the pro-
era n oI the games proper. But, as the
olympic festivals of yore were not con-
nn-d Ia athletic cont SITS, so the visitors
who will crowd to Athens { ext A prii will
ii a an abund nee of lat resting features
tue bratiun entirely sWtsidr II tao
afOr.sai program. 10 pass over ths nu-
.aerous UAieisl and sem -of1sisl b. cue 70
which will ~ gwen Il athletes, 4 lsSa o.
foreign s4asdrsns and petsntatss, the
/ ity Of Athens 10 sr.anisins varisss spe-
ii Il events FOR the satsrtain N. Mt Of Its
guests. which will aeustlsss aivs the en-
tire cc,s bratien = character IssE II ~
re nsm bsred. Ansas these spssisl fsa.
10 es will be, for instance, tie artlst,c
illumination OF the great monuments Of
Antiquity BY night a grand istorinal
torohlight porcession, REPRESENTING mem.
= ITO .r-,.-s f~1-- C--~t r st~vv. nrriert