Evening star., 1902-01-11
A MOB IN POLITICS
Because New Testament Is to Be
Revised.
HoVLS BEFORE KINGS PALACE
Loyal Greeks From Peasant to
Courtier Object.
CALL 1T HIGH TREASON

CALL IT HIGH TREASON
Written for The Evening Star BY President Ben1a-
~ min Ide Wheeler. LID, Of the University Of
California.
A few weeks ago Athens in Greece was
possessed of furious mob. Out of the
everyday quiet there had suddenly burst
forth the fever of violence. Quivering with
wrath the people gathered themselves to-
gether. They left the market booths Of the
lower town and came seething up through
Hermes street; they came out Of the cafes
OF Harmony Square and out from the halls
Of the University and poured their masses
in through Stadion street. Peasants,
priests. shopmen. men Of leisure, students,
Of the university, they met together in Con-
stltution Square and swarmed before the
palace Of the king to pelt it with their howls
OF Indignation. Not until squadrons of cav
airy and volleys Of musketry had secured
the square and the streets, and seven stu
dents had added their names to the glorious
list or martyrs, was the outer quiet re-
stored. Not until the king had compelled
the resignation of the metropolitan chief
prelate OF the national church, and had ac-
cepted the resignation of the ministry, was
quiet restored in the heart Of the people
And what was it all about? The govern
ment had authorized a revised version of
the New Testament.
We have known good people of our neigh
borhood who have entertained serious ap-
prehensions against any substitute for the
King James version, but we have never
been threatened with mob, nor has any
poltical party, whatever the dearth Of is
sues, seen fit to insert plank ON the
subject. The solicitude Of these loyal
Greeks Is absolutely unintelligible to u.s.
Ihe comments one hears upon their action
"a trno
folly, bland subject for superior laughter
1 DO not remember indeed to have read
among the comments any explanation of
the occurrence which credits 1t with any
serious grounds. The Greeks Of the day
are. to be sure, children, in that the things
winch look to them big are little in the
eyes OF the great world. Their world is a
nttle one, and Is stngularly isolated from
the greater world by mountain and by sea-
No railway joins them yet toEurope. They
are neither in Europe, ASIA nor Africa.
Inelr political issues are their own and
What these lack in range and extension
true, only dust-whirls but they are organ
izea on the cyclone plan, and while they
last and for the territory they cover, raise
the gust beyond anything ON record for the
mlghtiest storms.
Political PhiloIogy.
southeastern Europe is peculiarly the re-
sion where phlology is in politics In
austria. RouInania, Bosnia. Servia, Bulga-
r1a' Albania, the language question al
ways burns. What shall be the official
language OF the government and Of the
this whole region this is the usual form of
statement Tor the home-rule problem. For
Greece the same Is true, only more so.
Greek nationality in the minds of the
Greek language. Greece has emerged out
ol lne deiuge OF the Slavs and Turks by
Iorce OF the language. Connection with a
glorious past gave the little nation it's
modern life; this was its only raison d.
etre. and this connection is outwar1iv
ueHlonStrabie neither by culture, cult, nor
blood but almost alone by language Who
ever days imp1ous hands on this stirs the
The holy fire which handed down the life
ot olo Gfeece to rektndle the hearthfre
oI tne modern state was preserved by the
cnurcn In ITS monastertes and it was from
snem' IN ISL. that the movement issued
iorth which ended in the liberation. The
language OF common usage was a mass
OF local dialects. mere patois, innocent of
nterary use beyond some shepherds songs,
made by modern life upon the standard
1diom OF nation. The conservative form
OF the language. however, which had been
preserved IN the ritual and service of the
with the ancient idfonn. of the great days.
as 70 open up the rich vocabulary Of the
Old Greek to the uses OF the modern ma
ZION onered safe foundation for the con-
structlon OF standard Language which
should De the voice of. the new state So
I came about that language and church,
e1urcn ana language became fnseparably
iuentined with Greek nationality, and love
.of the church and love for the language
became or one substance with patriotism.
70 peiieve modernf Greek and ancient
GreeK essentially one, that was loyalty.
10 Tolerate the pronunciation of ancient
a{ar1 al thf7t
20 put asunder what rGod--the God Of free
dom and the God OF 3battles-had Joined
together, that was high treason and inn
pious sacrtlege all In one.i
Upsetting Tradition.
The proposed translation Of the New Tes
lament into modern Greek involves a vio-
ience somewhat less than the rendering OF
Chaucer, somewhat greater than the rem
dering OF Shakespeare. into modern Eng
ifsh. The average unschooled Greek un-
derstands his New Testament about as
vaguely as aforementioned American
understands Chaucer, but he can stand
that. He cannot. however stand and will
NOT. the confession. officially expressed
that ancient Greek and modern Greek are
two dialect idiOms. This would make him
plain. rootiess modern like the Bosnian.
Servian or Albanian. A people such as
tnat can be engulfed in Austria. Russia or
turkey without the hope of effective pro-
test before the courts of the world Emf
nentiy suspicious. too, is the proposition
20 translate when It comes from Queen
Olga, whom the Greeks never forget as
~ hare e. 4. TD,x~.~ r..