Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-02-27

LAND OF RAILRoAD3 AND TEL EPHoNks
rode from Athens down TO the sea
coast on steam tramway and TOOK
excursions cut into the country on stree
cars II seemed strange to me in com
ing TO Athens by carriage from the sea,
pas lug over the road upon which Scion
and Aesup perhaps walked, to be turned
out oil the way by steam stone crus her,
which was macadamizing the road.
telephoned number OF times during
my stay in Athens, and at night as
walked about under the electric lights
wondered how Diogenes would look il
with his lantern he should again here
seek for an honest man. The Greeks
have as good postal service as you VIII
fad anywhere. There are many book
stores, and the displays OF goods in the
store windows are quite as tine as those
OF any American city OF the same size.
DoN'T LGKE FARMING.
AS for the business Of the people, the
pure Greek does not take to agriculture
There are iewers farmers among the
Greek nation than among any other.
The most Of the people are in mercan-
tile business. In the professions, or IN
shippitg. They are natural sailors, and
Greece probably has more ships in pro-
portion to her we, than any other nation
in the world. They have quite coed
little navy, some OF the vessels being
armed with Krupp guns. They have
seventeen torpedo boats, each over
eighty six feet in length; dozen gun
| boats, three first.class cruisers, and
other vessels enough to make them quite
a formidable enemy Tor Turkey. In
addition 10 these, Greece has about
three thousand sailing vessels and six
| thousand coasting vessels, which trade
with all parts OF the Mediterranean.
| Prince George, the second son OF the
king. has shown remarkable skill as a
| sailor He has frightened his men a
number OF times by his daring ways OF
moving naval vessels about. Not long
| ago he was in command of gunboat
which was coming into the Piraeus. AS
! the boat neared the harbor, it was found
that there was a large fleet OF hshing
vessels at anchor there. 1t is usual,
under such circumstances, to slow down
to hail speed, but Prince George insist
ed on going ahead as fast as the ship
would 20. He took the wheel himself,
and with the utmost dext rity guided
the gunboat through the narrow pass
ages between the vessels without even
oulng a cable, while the officers and
men looked on with mingled alarm and
| admiration.
Prince George is now twenty seven
years old. He is more than six feet in
height, and is brave TO the extreme. 1t
is probable that he would like nothing
better than a naval battle with the
Turks. and the probability is that he
would come out ahead
THE REPAIRING OF THE PARTHENoN.
King George has done a great deal to
restore the old ruins OF Greece. Some
excavations were made at the Parthenon
during my visit, and the king aided in
washing of some OF the marble statues
which were found He is interested now
In having the Parthenon repaired, and
the day may yet come when we will be
able to look upon this great structure as
il was in the time oil Socrates. 1t seem.
ed to me, however, most impressive in
its ruins, 1t stands, you know. on the
top of the Acropolis. The Acropolis is
on the very edge OF the new Athens
The modern houses oil the city climb up
from the base OF its sides. II is steep
rocky hill, which rises straight up from
the plain on which Athens Is built to a
height OF about 400 feet. 1t looks much
| like great rock OF rosy red marble with
here and there a bit oil grass or blood
red poppy peeping out Of its crevices.
| The plateau upon the top OF the Aero
| polls conls ms, | judge, about ten acres,
and upon it is the Parthenon. You have
seen pictures OF it. They do not give
you much idea OF its beauty. Imagine
forest of great marble columns stand
ing upon round marble floor the area
OF which is almost an acre. Let each
column be as big around as the largest
cart wheel you have ever seen and let it
rise upwards Tor thirty.three feet in
beautifully symmetrical form. Let it be
ilutcd and let It's capital rich in its plain
Doric grace uphold wall OF marble
around which runs irieze OF the most
wonderful sculpture oil the world, and
you have the skeleton OF the building.
The interior contains other columns and
even in its ruins the building as a whole
has wonderful beauty. You see it tor
miles around Athens and 1t stands out
before YOU as YOU come into the harbor
at the "iraeus. At present the wall at
one emu is almost intact save the irieze,
which was carried off by Lord Elgin and
which is now TO be seen in the British
Museum in London. The Parthenon
looks best in the evening, All OF It's
ruins have the rich color of age and the
columns turn to silver and gold under
the rays OF the setting sun.
THEY CARE MORE FOR NEW THINGS.
The Greeks oil today are proud OF it
as they are OF all their old ruins, but
as far as ! could learn their minds are
more in the future than in the past.
They have not the artistic tastes OF their
fathers and when spoken to about
Greece they will point with pride, not
to what the nation has been in the past,
but to the wonderful advancement that
has been made within the last generation.
They consider themselves a strong
young nation rather than an old one,
and they say that they expect to raise
Greece up to the status it once held as
one of the great countries OF the world.
They are earnest in their determination
and their future is certainly bright. They
have as good brains as any people OF
the world. They have the muscle and
nerve which make success. As St. Paul
once said OF them: "rhey are always
seeking alter some new thing" and he
might nave added had he visited Them
in these days, they are not afraid to
seize hold OF it when they find it," II
Turkey is 10 be divided you may be sure
that the Greeks will get something out
OF the leavings.
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