Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-04-30
BIRTH OF DRAMATIC ART.
A Greek Legend In the Hnzy Foundn.
cion for EARLY Plays.

The summer resort of Kephisia, on
the western extremity of Mount Pen
telicus, Ia IS minutes by rail from
Athens. Thence stiff walk of an hour,
through groves of pines and masses of
arbutus and oleander, brings the trav-
eler in view of the snow. clad Dirpiys
and the chain of mountains beyond.
After a further walk one enters the
"lonely recess" shaded by majestic
plane trees, which thrive on the peren-
NAL stream that flows in the glen
close by. "The scenery" adds Prof.
Merriam, sis in harmony with the two.
fold side of the worship of Dionysos,
the gay and joyous, the sad and mourn
full, and is aptly fitted to inspire
Susarion and TLespis. The spot is
full of Theocritean dignity and sim
plicity." The region thus described
is some !, 200 feet above the sea; and, al
though the vine is not now cultivated
there, the careful terracing of the
ground below points to the existence in
days gone by Of widespread vinicul-
ture, with which the cult of Dionysos
and the legend of lkarios are intimate
ly connected.
Put in a few words, this legend per.
sonifies the heroic type of the Athenlan
farmer in Ikaria, who is visited by the
god and is taught the culture of the
vine ana the art of winemaking.
1karios then offers to Dionysos goat
that had injured the vine and his in
fated skin Is tossed about in the sports
and dances which the joys of wine
drinking provoke. Travelling through
the country, Ikarios next proclaims the
new cult and offers far and wide the
unmixed gift of the god. But the
friends Of the shepherds who had drunk
themselves into stupor, thinking
Ikarios had poisoned them, killed him,
only to lament the crime when the sup
posed victims began to sober. Erigone,
the daughter of Ikarios, overpowered
with grief at her fathers death, hangs
herself at his tomb. Ikariosis now re-
versed as the eponymous hero and myth
ical king of the township. the mournfLl
dirge of the Limos" being chanted in
his honor; while the woes of Erigone
are recited in deeply plaintive song
called "Aletis." Thus the rural festi-
val of the Dionysia, held yearly on the
completion of the vintage, is instituted.
The rough dances and mummeries grad
ually ripen into plays enacted by
buffoons and lkaria becomes celebrated
for her choruses and choreographic
representations.
Attractedheref from Megara, Susarion
appraised these rude performances by
an infusion of the comic talent of the
Megarians and thus created comedy;
while Thespis, native of Ikaria, in
spired by the mournful side of the le-
gcnd, elaborated the tragic form of the
drama. Thenceforward Thespis was
honored as the father of the Attic the.
atetr; and dramatic art, the outgrowth
of their worship of Dionysos-became
part Of the service paid to the god
throughout Greece. This short account
makes manifest the interest attaching
to the state of Ikaria, and also the i'm
portance of ascertaining all that the
spot itself could reveal in connection
with the early growth of the drama.
1t was an enviable task which thus fell
to the lot of the American school; and
it was prosecuted with zeal and signal
| success. Never has an exploration
yielded more readily or more abundant
ly results of such Importance, with SC
small an outlay of money or labor
"The work." we are told, "has been like
the opening of great chest Of hidden
and forgotten Treasures Forum