The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-06-06
OUR BOYS IN ATHENS.
The Stars and Stripes at the Post of Honor
Brilliant Compliment to Americans.

The Stars and Stripes at the Post of Honor
brilliant Compliment to Americans.
The triumphs of the "barbarians" il
the Olympic games are in general gal.
,catly recognized by the spectators. At
the entrance of the stadium there is a
tiagpole, at the foot of which the num-
Der of the victor is recorded at the close
of each contest, and at the top OF which
the flag OF his country is raised. This
is an ingenious idea. which clearly
markst the international ~characterof the
games. In turn the colorS of all the
great European nations have hOated
from this high post Of honor; bur the
flag that has appeared there most fire.
quentiy was the starry banner of the
United States. And this is perfectly
natural. because the Americans were
the first to become enthusiastic over
the Olympic games, and they were the
only people who never had Il doubt of
their success.
The We teams which they sem 10
Atherrs displayed from the very COM
mercCment their athletic value. and eS-
pecially the superiority of their train
ing. The astonished .Athenians sus-
pected that they were professionals.
They could not imagine that the young
men with muscles 30 docile were stu
tents, eager to return 10 their studies.
while mOdcStly delighted at the
thought that they nave heightened the
prestige of their universities.
When the American flag is unfurled
III tie stadium, extraordinary scenes
rows. sailors jump UP, wave their caps
and cheer in the widest fashion. They
are the crews of the federal cruiser San
Francisco. And below, near the IA
nous souterrain where to-day, rs III the
days of old, the athletes enter and come
out, there is a group hat makes the
most unearthly noise. This group is
made up of the members OF American
cams and their friends of the Amer
lean school at Athens, who greet the
champion with the rallying cry of his
club or of his college. Each transat-
iantic association has Il distinctive cry.
formed for the most part by the Syl-
tables Of its name OF by its initials.
which are shouted out in measured
time. Sailors and students join in
these cries, moved by the same outbUrst
of enthusiastic patriotism. NJ first the
spectators laugh. but finally they APP
plaud. because they find that tn" JOY is
sincere, and that the enthusiasm nj
yoUthrunS all through these discoTdant
manifestations.
The Olympic games do not consti.
Il tn" first contact between Amer.
lea and Greece. There are other ties
between them and distant lands besides
those of the Cook tickets and the globe
trotters. Americans. more perhaps
than Europeans, look upon a pilgrim
age TO the -AcropoliS as the supreme sat
isiaCtiOn of every MAJ Of culture. and
they regard it as the most abundant
ource of mental improvement. They
are not imprisoned like us under the
ruins of the Roman empire. so heavy
and so complicated. They understand
more easily the aerial organization of
that ancient democracy of which their
own presents more than one of resem-
blnncr. Under the impulse of this i'm
preston. they have founded in Athens a
school of archaeology. This is a thing
which is little known outside of Greece;
and even here in Greece they do not APP
pear to appreciate its far-reaching i'm
portance. The American colony cstab-
lished on the slopes OF the Lykabettos,
sustained by the voluntary contribu-
tions of American citizens. and devoted
solely to science, opens up to the future
Of the United States infinite perspcc-
tivcs.-Journal des Debats.