The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-05-22

English Traveller On the Modern Hn~
habftants Of Heilas.
IL Is beautiful corner Of the EARTH
where every prospect pleases and only
man disappointing. He falls pain
fully below his surroundings and his
name. The men do not inspire conf
dence, especially when one meets them
on the lonely hillside. They may be all
right, but Appearances are against them
They are tall and swarthy. but without
the fine features characteristic of Arabs
and Moors or the dignified demeanor
common TO most orientals. And, then,
their dressl often find English peo-
pie refusing to believe that the Greeks
wear those incredible petticoats, but ID
is a fact. They are much more general
" worn in Greece than kits are in the
highlands, and much more absurd.
They consist of fabulous number OF
yards of some white material. which
looks like highly starched muslin, stand
ing out stiff and barely reaching to the
knee, exactly like n ballet dancers
skirt. The lower part of the leg ia
swathed in bandages; on the body Is
worn a short jacket, as brilliant in color
and material as possible. and on the
head a bright cap with q long tassel.
The whole is an exact presentation OF
the stage bandit, with all his tawdry
finery and melodrumatic suggestions;
and when one encounters such n figure
on the countryside, armed with rifle
that looks like legacy from the Sara
Gems, with various knives and pistols,
one feels transported into n barbaric
age, when human life was cheap and
murder the main business of the day.
To be honest, was never molested
by any of these gentlemen; but one day
had the greatest difficulty in persuad-
ing a companion of mine to turn his back
on pair of them. He was convinced
that they would plug us from behind, so
sinister was their appearance. The
fisher-folk are a shade or two worse than
the rustics, and the town rabble more
villainous than either. OF course, the
educated people wear ordinary Euro
pean dress or uniform. AS for the la
dies, doubtless they are charming; but,
alas for the beauty of Helen, OF Pbryne,
of Aspasia, and the other legendary
heroinesl Looks are a matter of taste,
and i have neither the wish nor the
right to say anything rude; but IL any
body goes to Greece expecting to see in
the face of man or woman anything re-
notely resembling what we have learned
from sculpture TO call the Greek type,
he win most certainly be disappointed.
The common people appeared 10 me
neither clean nor industrious, and I
have reason TO know that many are
rank thieves But, adj the same, they
are not wholly degenerate. Did not a
Greek win the long-distance event Mt
the Olympian games ?And in one thing,
at least, they excel. They are the finest
divers in the world, and exclusively en-
gagged for the most arduous and dam
gerous kind OF sponge fishing, the head
quarters of which Is on the Island OF
Aegina,-pronounced Enigma, with the
81" short. Classical scholars please no
tice.
The dcgeneracy of the modern Greek
Is shown III nothing more plainly than in
the wretched appearance and abound
ing dirt of his towns. Athens, of course,
Is n city apart, where classical associa-
ton swallows up all other impressions.
And Corfu presents pleasant aspect on
a superficial survey. The harbor, the
citadel and the sea-front are very
charming, and the hotels well enough;
but the back quarters and slums, into
which few travellers venture 10 pene-
trate, are nothing less than pestilential.
Yet Corfu is a -place-the Brighton
of Greece. In all the Ionian islands IL is
melancholy to see the signs of an alb
solute arrest of progress, followed by
decay, which fell upon the people from
the moment when the stimulus OF Brit
ish civilization was removed. There are
the half-fnished houses, showing how
enterprise and progress were at work.
left as they stood and notting away.
Patras, the commercial capital, is mean
and squalid, without n redeeming fear
ture. The disorder OF Greek finances
needs no explanation TO anyone who has
seen the Greek at home. He Is good for
an empty and vaih-glorious excitement,
but OF real effort and progress, of any
thing approaching TO western civiliza-
ton, he seems quite incapable when left
TO himself.-St. James Gazette.
|
The Only Pearl Farm In the World.
There Is said to be only one pearl
farm I'm the world, but that pays its
proprietor handsomely. This farm IL
In the Torres strait, at the northern en-.
tremity of Australia, and belongs TO
James Clark, of Queensland. Mr.. Clark.
who is known as 'the King OF Pearl
Fishers" originally stocked IL with
10000 pearl oysters. Now / 800 men
200 of whom are divers-and $50 ves-
sells are employed in harvesting tho
crop. II have been IS years engaged I'm
pearl fishing" Mr. Clark told corre-
spondent of the Melbourne Age. my
experience has led me TO the belief that,
with proper intelligence in the selection
of a place one can raise pearls and
npaFl ahaIla M onatls. a. 80, 49,. ..4.a~