Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-04-30
THE oLYMPlAN GAMES.
They Were Part and Parcel OF the Life
OF the Ancient Greek.

These closing ten years Of the nine-
teenth century may be called the period
Of international games. If the Greek
gymnastic festival Of April, 1896, sig
nified no more than a series of games
offering the hospitality Of the country,
over which the glamour of a glorious
past fingers like rich sunset, it would
be notable event. But it is more than
this-far more. The enterprise revives
the memory and spirit of an institution
which shed peculiar luster on the his
tory Of classic Greece. 1t entered into
the life Of the ancient Greek to an ex-
tent which we of to-day can scarcely
realize. 1t was associated with his re-
ligion, his civic pride, his ideals of art,
and his highest patriotism. This insti-
tuition was the Olympia festival, cele-
brated every four years at Olympia, on
the river Alpheus, near the boarders Of
Ellis and Pisa, and so kept up for more
than thousand years.
There were other national games Of
a similar sort-such as the Isthmain
games; but those, though highly re-
garded, were of far less dignity and in
terest. When one speaks, then, of the
Olympic games there arises in the
mind picture of those vast gatherings
where all Greece, though at the very
time divided by civil wars, remember
ed for a brief period that its borders
bounded one people-a people Of one
blood, one glory, and one destiny. The
hold of the Olympic festival on the
ancient Hellenic world is seen in the
fact that from 776 B. c., time was
measured by "Olympiads," or the four
year intervals between the games.
The remote origin of this festival is
hidden in myths, as is the case with so
many customs of the classic ages. In
general, all these legends ascribe the
games to the demi-god Hercules as
founder. Sufficient time had passed
for the early form of this festival to
have gone into decay, before 1t was re-
v1ved and had a historic beginning.
This occurred under the patronage Of
Iphitus, king of Ellis, and Lycurgus,the
celebrated lawgiver of the Spartan
commonwealth. IL Is uAcu 1T VI dUOut
SS4 b. G. This revival soon lighted
living spark which fired Greek blood
every where, and in less than half Gen.
fury the festival became national In
character.
Only contestants of pure Hellenic
blood were allowed to enter their
names. AS time rolled on, and the
Greeks (who were, you know, great
sailors and merchants) pushed their
maritime enterprises, and established
colonies throughout the whole length
and breadth of the Mediterranean,
children Of the greater Greece, every
where from the distant borders Of Per-
STA to where the city Of Marseilles now
stands, assembled to struggle for the
prize wreath. The interest of the
Greek race in these games became a
passion. To win a victory in any or
the contests reflected as much glory on
the athlete and ON his community as IL
he had been the successful general In
great battle. His name was added to
the braZen tablets recording the cele-
brities and benefactors Of his native
town. If he died on this field Of honor,
AS was ofteli the case, even in the
flush of victory,-he became almost an
idol in the public esteem, and his fami-
ly was ennobled and enriched by pub
lie dacree