The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-04-15
Copyright, 1897, by THE N NATIONAL TRIBUNE.
BY RAB HAIGH.


What the diamond is compared to other
jewels, so is the wondrously fair island OF
Crete to even the most favored spots else
where on the globe.
Long centuries before written history be-
gan, it was already the home of brave,
handsome, gifted race, whose men were val
liant warriors and whose women were the
most beautiful the sun shone on.
They ruled far and wide over the blue,
sunlit seas of the Grecian archipelago, they
formulated laws which the people of less
cultivated countries were glad to copy, fhey
made their island the birthplace and seed
house of all European civilization, and
Homer sings that 100 rich and populous
cities graced the fertile plains and verdant
mountain slopes of this gem of the eastern
Mediterranean.
No other spot on earth is so rich in legends
and traditions-none 80 crowned with the
chaplets of poetry and song.
Majestic Mount Ida, whose slopes, clothed
with olive and myrtle, rise from the fruitful
vineyards 10 the eternal SHOWS, was the
fabled home of the Greeks almighty Zeus,
and there he delighted to gather around him
all his family of gods and goddesses.
Min0s, the first King Of Crete, was son
ofZeus, every parsonage mentioned in ancient
history or mythology is, somehow, connected
with Crete, and there st. Paul found the
" fair havens" where he fain would have
persuaded the Centurion and the master of
the ship to remain during the Winter.
Alone of all the peoples OF the world the
Cretans have preserved their purity of race
and dignity OF character amid all the vicis-
situdes of the centuries. For 1000 years
they fought successfully against the mighty
power of Rome, and only submitted after
the rest of the world had. For eight
centuries they were nnder the rule Of
Rome and Byzantinm, and for 400 years
under that of the Venetian Republic. They
held out against tho overwhelming Turks
for "a well-fought years, and never COM
pletely yielded the whole of their island to
the hated Osmanli qon
Through the endless procession Of the
centuries the Cretan people have remained
separate, distinct and defiant. Too small to
successfully resist conquest, it's waves have
broken over them as changelessly as the bill
lows of the Egean overotheir rocky head
lands. Their conquerors and rulers have
been but as spray along their coasts. Crete
remained Greek to fthe core while Roman,
Saracen, Venetian, Egyptian. and Turk came
and went. rssa
sLs % -
AT MARCUS KAdLiMAKIs's FARM.
The sun of the bright Spring morning
seemed a deliciously blended chord Of
music, fragrance, and wine, which stirred
every sense with the joy Of living. The
eternal SHOWS upon the towering crest of
Mount Ida became q genial haze that
mingled softly with the feecy clouds lying
motionless in the depths of the blue sky.
The mountains slopes were covered with
groves of olive and myrtle, with leaves of
vivid green, freshly donned to greet the
Spring. Still farther down were stone
walled fields, in which men followed rude
plows drawn by slow oxen, or dug with
heavy, cumbrous hoes. There were rustic
but comfortable farmhouses, struggling to-
gether, their whitewashed walls cleaning
white as marble under the bright rays By
the seas edge rose the domes of mosques
and steeples Of churches of populous Can
dia, with stately ships filing the harbor.
Away to the horizon stretched the blue
waters of the queenly Egean, basking in the
light and warmth of perfect day, with
scarcely breath of air to disturb their mir
ror-like smoothness.
On a level plateau, in full sight of all this,
was the farm Of Marcus Kallimakis, the
wealthiest farmer in the Vilayet, and his
house and its surroundings were Of clearly
superior order to those of his neighbors.
From one building to another in the wall
inclosed grounds went with light step the
graceful forms of his household maidens at
tending to the multifarious duties OF the
homestead. There were bees to
watch. poultry to care for, silkworms to at
tend, fax to spin and weave and spread
upon the grass to bleach, milk, cheese, and
butter to put through their various pro-
cesses, and food to prepare for the men who
titled the soil.
Moving actively among these, superin-
tending directing, and sharing in their
work, was the widowed kallimakis's only