The Portland daily press., 1897-03-19
THE GREECE OF TO-DAY.
Prof. Blackie's Fine Tribute to the
Descendants of the Oldest Civilization.
(Erom the Boston Transcript J


Greekl This is the essence, the Rist of
the article on modern Greece which was
the last from the pen of the beloved
BIackie of Edinburgh. 1t appears in tina
current. !" Forum" at timely moment.
The hearty Scotsman who SO much loved
Greeceyspeaks there with all the human
warmth of his lifelong enthusiasm. And
itsstarts the Hellenic pulse beating III
the reading of it, whether for scholars
or for those who realize simply that
"theaGreece of today is the only living
bridge between the past and present ct
European history"
Butseven scholars miss the ullrvalue OF
the modern world in. 6reece hyAtheir Lack
Of knowledge of the language. "To talk
of Greek as a dead language, says Prof.
Blackie, sis to show an Ignorance OF the
historical facts of Western Asia ana
Southern Europe, OF which men pretend
ing TO culture should be ashamed How
could Greek ever die during the thnus-
and years Of the Byzantine Empire,
when, from Constantine downward, it
had driven Latin from it's throne and
asserted its exis tence not only in con-
tinuous stream of Literary. authority in
church and state, but in the daily inter-
course of all educated persons from Crete
to Corfu. To any occupation of
the linguistic ground of literary Greece
by the language Of the Turks the Greek
mind was as much opposed rs it's Chris
tian nc0ionoo Uyu IN oyoo6 nf Mnhan,
med. So that from the time of the coun-
oil of Florencs, in the fifteenth century,
down to Coray, at the date of the French
revolution. through Tricoupis, Parnre-
gopoulos and Rangabe to Bikellas and
Polylas and Roides, n our own times,
we have an uninterrupted flow of living
Greek. These being the facts that stara
even the superficial observer in the face,
what. possible reason, I say, can there be
for throwing an artificial hindrance in
the way of our converse with this noble,
self-sustaining people by treating their
language in purely bookish fashion, as
if it we're Syriac or Aramais?"
Sixty years ago Athens lay in ruins;
today, as Prof. Blackie in true Scottish
fashion says, it is ''as large as Aber
da,n." A local comparison might BIZ
that Athens has approximately about the
population of Providence.
Prof. Blackie describes some of the
reasons why, although Greece forms the
living bridge between ancient and
modern history she has not yet received
the recognition from the intelligent
W. no co 1fr,Ln f1 rhA
fear Of Russia, the threat to EnglaDd's
commercial movements in the Mediter-
ranean and to her imperial influence in
the East has teen moving cause for
tt at view of the Hellenic question which
has eaid practically: LET Greece perish,
but let Turkey stand and hold the keys
of Constantinople against the ever watch
full burglars of the Northl'
Prof. Blackie finds some excuse for this
attitude seventytive years ago. "But
times have changed since then: we know
now what the Greeks were who fought
that noble battle; and our fathers have
seen that meroiless sweep of ablood and
butchery by which the Turks, chad they
been allowed free scope by the European
powers. would have exterlninate.t the
noble people to whom we owe the most
valuable part of our spiritual and intellsc-
tual heritage. Fol though Christianity
was born, in Judea, 1t grew up to man
hood with the sway of the Greek tongue;
and as for intellect, there is not science
of the most recent birth in modern
Europe that does not tear the stamp OF
Greek thought and Greek expression on
its forehead
The difficulty of travelling to Greece has
been another reason for Western lack Of
knowledge. Switzerland is more Access
sible if not moro attractive; but Greece
has now her Thousand miles of RAILWAY,
and 'the most dainty tourist will under
stand how easy it is to jump into the
land at Olympia, the great center
of Greek sympathies and Of Greek art. -
This has been done SO readily since the
contestants went to Greece for the Olym-
plan games that all the world recognizes
now the ease of travel to the land of
Leonidas. Of the rise of Athens, Prof
Blaokie says that it grew out of the
patriotism of expatriated Greeks, walt
ing and working for the hour of national
regeneration. "Such and so numerous
was the class of Greeka-ou tside OF
Greece bodily, but intensely beating with
the warm pul,es of patriotism-who
from the moment of the publicly recog
nized independence of the fatherland
looked to the ruins of Athens as the nat
urai soil into which their liberal patriot
ism was to cast the seed of swift resur-
rection. Forthwith funds were supplied
with which schools and colleges,
museums and benevolent associations of
all kinds we're set in motion. So in the
course of half century rotten old
Turkish village rose into position OF
honorable rivalry with the fairest cities
of Western Europe" The beauty and
significance of Athens, the increase of thf
production Of cord, currants. wine and
olives, but a bove all TIE increasing com
merce of Greece is set forth. Up to the
date OF Prof. Blackie's writing, just be-
fore his death in 1894. Greece had more
than thirty years of comparatively fail
sailing after King George was given the
thvone. She is now in troublous waters,
but her living speech is vital guaranty
of her coming to the haven where she
would he-of independence and reoog-
pized power.
And Of this modern Greek speech as OF
the Greek spirit Prof. Blackie warns
students not to doubt. "The few slight
changes which 6ifferensiate the Greek of
living Greek writers from the so-oaIleu
classical Greek of the ancients are merely
as the looping off of few superfluous
branches from a tree of exuberant
growth-a loss amply compensated BY
the daily addition Of fresh branches from