The Portland daily press., 1901-02-02

disappaarsd from view, the last being
Lykabsttos and the glorious Acropolin;
and we pondered on the vast difference
between the perie,ticn which the Greeks
aimed a. and accomplished, In tnsir
centuriss OF patient labor, as compared
vita the results OF the mad competition
foi great effects which has characterized
much Of the worlds Artistic work since.
Our experiences In leaving Greece, al
though somewhat similar, was quits In
CONTRAST TO that OF entering the country.
We sat in the same jogging express.
train, and the Thermometer stiil regis
tered ninsty in the shade. on that late
fall afternoon; the peopls In their low
little houses were unchanged. but their
manners and customs were now familiar
to us, ana they thsmselvss no longer
seemed to regard us rs strangers.
At Corinth our handsoms dark-eyed
young eoachman, who had taken us to
Ola Corinth some weeks teiore, thrust
his head into the car window calling out
'amax, annex" meaning "hack, hack, "
and then smiled the winning ureek smile
when he recognized us.
We had determined to go to Olympia,
and this included night at Patras; and
since we could only remainder the place
as den of thieves, we did not look for
ward TO sncn a vi sit with much compiac
ency. hut when we finally had TO mix
with the people, aud not with the so.
called Cook officials, we found them kind
and ohliging In the extreme. We had not
ho
Piraeus, and ~ it was already well along
In shs evening, and we had to start for
Olympia at very early hour the follow
ing morning, arriving on our return just
bsfore the ship sailed, we were In great
quandary what to do; until our dilsmma
was fortunately solved by one OF ths
merchants. who spoke English perfectly,
and promised to engage our aooommoda-
tlons at the steamship offics himself,
which on our return st tbs last momsnt
we found be had promptly done, SO that
we enjoyed the best cabin on the steamer.
As primitive as the route from Patras
to Athens had been, we found that It was
metropolitan compared to that from
Patras TO Olympia, where the trains stop
long enough at each station for a man to
suitably arran ge his exit from this nun
dane sphere Along this little stretch of
railroad you get the ring of real Arosdian
IFS. The railway skirts the Icnian coast
for half tine distance. until 1t turns in
land, during which tims you catch sight
OF the mountains of the Island of Zants,
and of many citadels at a d istanoe.
In the interior OF the Pelopcnnesus, for
the first time, one really gets an idea Of
the idyllio life OF the people, the men
sRuntering along on the backs Of horses,
and the women in the midst of their goats
and COWS, with their inlmitably tied
karchiefs We remember one OF these
stalwart housewives In particular. who
helpsd us over lIttls str cam with the
self possessed air of queen, almost lift
ing us In her brawny arms; ana the
children with round, well-fsd faces, mark
the Gre ek peafantry rs several cycles
ahead of the wretohed Italian eamln OF
Southern Italy. This phase OF creek life
is fascinating In the extreme, and inde-
scrl liable in It's charm.
Olympia Is villsgl containing not
more than twenty housss. but Is very 40.
csss BILE to tourists 1t was never prop err
Iy town, but at its earliest period only
a sacred precinc ct with temples, puhllc
buildings and few dwelling houses. Its
great fame arose from the games In
honor OF Zsus, which were celebrated
periodically for more than thousand
years. 1t would be a good place at pres
emit, to rusticats, even without Its artistic
surroundings, since 1t has an excellent
hotel erected by the railroad, built mp on
high ground near the Museum. and the
air is delicious since there are enough
lofty mountains above and around 1t, for
all the gods OF all the nations TO hide.