The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1897-07-24
THE MODERN GREEK.
Not the Heroic Being OF Legend
airy Fame.
Intensely Patriotic, Yet Lacking in
All the Manly Attributes - His
Roasted Superiority over
the barbarian,


America. The Philhellenes have been
ready to ascribe to him the heroic traits
of the men of Marathon and Thermop-
ylae, only to be surprised and dis
gusted by some seemingly unaccount-
able act of cowardice or some gross
falsebood on his part. On the other
hand, the pro-Turldsh party in Eng
land and on the continent has painted
the AVERAGE subject of King George in
far too dark colors. The truth seems
to be that the successive invasions o.
Greece by different races have resulted
in the production of people whose
fundamental qualities are strangely
mixed and mingled, and whom it is
diFicult for the rest Of the world to
Judge fairly. A writer points out that
in many rcspects-especially in his con-
ception of truth and iustice-the Greek
is essentially an oriental. The exact
correspondence of his statements with
the accidental and material facts or
the case is not a thing about which
be troubles himself. He would think il
but poor compliment to his ability and
ingenuity if his friends maintained that
he never INDUCED in fiction. "What
q liar you are!' is anything but an in
suit in modern Greek.
Yet with all this lack of regard for
truth, the Greek is blissfully and in
tensely patriotic. Foolish and tickle
sometimes false-he may be- but he is
very much more than the mere rascal
which some of the sympathizers with
Turkey would make him out. Thus
it was the great Philhellenic idea which
was undoubtedly the handspring of the
action of Greece in the present crisis.
The notion of community of race or
nationality between all those whose
native tongue is modern Greek viii not
bear moments investigation; it would
be absurd to claim any historical jus
tifcation for their political unity. Yet
the cry of the Cypriotes to be given
back to their mother country is con-
stantfy being revived, and is just as
prevalent under English rule as under
Turkish; it is no use arguing with the
Greeks about the matter. The Greek
papers periodically publish horrible
stories of the tyranny of English Off
Gals; to Englishmen these stories are
simply ludicrous; but they are just as
important an element in the political
situation in the east as if they were
literally true, or, even, like similar
stories of Turkish officials, in accord
ance with general probabilities.
The Greeks have neither talents nor
inclination for sitting the truth of
stories like this, which crafty their
national vanity, for they still cherish
the classical tradition of the superior
ity Of Greek over barbarian, however
strangely it may contrast with their
respect for every person or thing that
is foreign or European" After the in
tervention of the powers IL years ago
in order to save Greece from the sui
cidal folly of an attack upon Turkey
the writer happened to be travelling in
the Peloponnesse, and talked over the
situation with an old shepherd, who
was a typical village politician. His
picturesque expression England "has
eaten us up yielded to no array of facts
or arguments that could be brought
against it; and why should he believe
foreigner rather than the papers he
and his friends saw every day repeat
ing the same statements? 1t is true
that the Intervention of the powers
was then succcssful; but this was be
cause it brought about a resignation oil
the Greek government and a restora
ton to power ofTricoupi, the one Greel
politician of recognized ability anC
GOODNESS. 1t win be remembered how
On that occasion Mr.. Gladstone himsel
expressed publicly his approval of thu
policy of the powers; the only resul
on the Greeks was that they eXpunge,
his name from the sign board of cafe
that had been dedicated to his honor
Perhaps, after ALL it would have beei
better if the Greeks had had their les
son then instead of now.
The strength and the troubles of tn
modern Greeks are alike due to tn
burden of an inheritance which the
claim themselves and which is ofte
accorded to them by sentimental Phi
hellenes who know little or nothin
of the country and its people. 1t
because they claim to be the represents
tives of those ancient Greeks TO whoI
we owe so much of what is best in on
politics and our civilization, in our Ii
erature and in our art, that we judy
them by a standard which we shoul
not dream Of applying to any otht
people who had recently escaped froi
state of slavery to an oriental de
potism.-London Saturday Review.