The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-17

with it's ornaments of horns is at one side of the stamp. and q man in aD attitude of reverence at the other.
 The stamp Of ! .lepta shows the Gre tan nyn.ph Brltomartis among the branches nf an oak tree
 4 curious stamp Is that of 20 lepta of this issue 1t shows the Cretan Jul piter in hts infancy being nursed by llie creature cynosure. Mythology has 1t that Jupiter in after years. through gratitude for the service performed for him in his childhood. transformed the Cynosure into the constellation Of tho little bear.
 The ancient maritime successes of Crete arc symbolized in a stamp rep resenting Triton piercing Ash with his trident
 Ariadnc. .he daughter of good King Mines. is pictured on the 50 lcpta stamp. 1t Is narrated that she foll In love with Theseus and renderdd him services in his warfare with his enc
 mics. in appreciation of which he promised to marry her. She escaped with him, according to Homer. but was slain by Artemis on the Island Of Naxos. more common tradition has ft that Theseus deserted her at Naxos. where she was found by Diohysius, who was captiyated by her beauty and married her. At her death he gave her place among the gods. and hung
 her wedding gown in the sky as a constellation.
 The stamp of drachma of tile 1905 issue shows Europa seated uponia bull. into which form Jupiter had trans formed himself when he was abducted from Phoenecia to Crete.
 The postage stamp of drachmas presents view of the celebrated pal ace of Minos at Cnossos, these ruins hax crix yations made by English areieolo Fists | fne the frame of ti1ls stamp is cfea. I ture having the body of woman and | the head of an OK. This Is generally regarded as Mlnotaur. but ineor- | rectly so, as unquestionably the nom l ster is a female. Minotaur. on the other hand. was man. the half son Of Minos. Another figure in the frame | of this stamp is an archer. copied from I a vase found in the palace of cnosscs.
 and representing him in the act sf l bending his bow to let fly an arrow. | The stamp of drachmas presents | another historical view, the snbjeet l being the convent of Arcadion, which l has played such an important part in l the history of Cretan insurreetions. 1 Nine hundred insurgent Greeks, with their women and children. were penned | up in this convent in November, 1880, I by a bes,eging force of 22,000 Turkish
 and Egyptian soldiers. The little l band had made an heroic defense, Dns | there was no hope of escape from the l host that surrounded them. Rather
 than fall into the hands of their ene-
 mics, they finally blew up the place
 with themselves.
 The stamp shows behind the walls oi
 the old convent the eternal snows upon the crest of Mount Ida, in the famous cave in whose side was born the Ideah l Jupiter. On either sidc of the picture l stand figures representing Greece and 1 Crete. one offering the royal crown and
 the other 8 palm branch, symbol oi
 martyrdom and glory.
 | All in all, the whole catalogue of 1 Cretan stamps presents the most re. | markable evidence of a peoples devo- | ton to tho symbols and creeds, the
 traditions and beliefs. the accomplish ments and deeds of glory of the an. eestors that Is offered in modern his- | tory.