The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-22

ternat1Ondi DEBT commission regulates
the income and expenses, and so much
improvement has been made their
credit is excellent. Law and justice
for all foreigners is administered by
the International courts. An Ameri-
cans house, for instance. is his castle;
no matter what his offense, he is not
amenable to Egyptian officers or tri-
bunals. They have an up-to-date cur
rency, compounded in part of British
names and American values. Cairo her
self is in the midst of a regulation
western real estate boom. Lots are
soaring to prices as high as i'm our
cities. The many new buildings are
not sky-scrapers. but are fine and sub
stantial. In fact, the whole country is
feeling the revivifying influence of
British capital and the reassuring Sc
curIty Of British power. 1t was once
said that "Egypt's great characteristic
is her Gnchang eableness-herself a
mummy" But the time will soon come
if 1t has not already arrived, when this
indictment will be no longer true;
when, together with other dead aphor-
isms. it may be appropriately laid away
in one of her ancient tombs.
Athens.
AZ the Alexandrian shores receded,
we witnessed a curious phenomenon:
the striation of the waters in alternate
bands of color. Never was such vivid
green, such crystalline blue, or somber
gray. There was no mingling of col
oTs, but each stripe stood out distinct
like the clearest tints of the rainbow.
our steamer, of the Khedivial line. was
comfortable and carried many passen-
gers. A two days sail across the
Mediterranean and through the Greek
| archipelago, around which cluster 50
many splendid memories, brought us
to Piraeus, now as of old the port OF
/ entry for Athens. But whatever our
/ dreamy sensations, they were rudely
/ dispelled when the boat dropped an
Choir. Like so many of the small ports.
there are no docks which large ships
may approach. Even at so important
place as Naples the passengers are
unIoaded into small boats much to
their inconvenience. We were in
formed there that the North Germon
Lloyd at one time had dock. Having
| been burned, the company has not yet
put into action their plans for renew
| al Which leads TO the reflection that
American push is not always n bad
thing. Had tine same happened in our
country, new contractors would have
been on the ground before the embers
had time TO cool. At Piraeus there is
place ever having been in existence.
The hour was after dark. The steam
er was high in the water. so that when
the ganSWay was let down, the steps
of the ladder (for such 1t was), were
tilted at an angle of fOrty-five degrees.
Before a passenger could make a move.
the decks were boarded by a horde Of
Greek pirates who had forgotten their
cutlasses,s but nothing else. The oar
row passageWays were biockaded with
baggage. The decks were covered wit /
a mass of struggling men, women and
children. An escape avenue via the
ladder was forced after some delay.
Our party, loaded with baggage, finally
got away at the imminent risk of be-
ing pushed or thrown of into the
waters below. Quite appropriately, the
footlights had been extinguished fo"
this piratical scene. AS we were rowed
away. the noise of the struggle was
still heard, but we were rot able to
say upon whose shoulders perched the
final victory, nor to estimate the total
sum of the carnage Our last view
showed the captain standing compla-
Gently on the field of battle, smoking
a cigar, la General Grant. as if the
whole show was designed for his II IL
cation. Seriously, such disgraceftil and
dangerous conditions would call for
, vigorous language IN some localities
know of. but this was Greece and the
company Khedivial.
| On account of the lateness of the
hour we decided to take electric cars
10 Athens, and thus missed the thor
ougbfare of the noble Greek from the
time of his former grandeur to his
present insignificance. At last at 4
good hotel, where the kind host had
kept a warm dinner waiting for two
hours, we soon forgot the tribulationS
Of the landing. The next morning
opened with cold north wind, quite
: TO be expected in early March. Secur-
ing a guide, we drove around 10 many
of the ancient ruins, and were enabled
during a sojourn of three days to cur
surily examine about all that Athen:
: has to offer in that respect
The AcrOpolis.-Naturally all fee
turn to this classic hill with as mucf
certainty as once upon a time all road,
: led to Rome. Upon its eminence W,
: are standing at the summit of Greciar
: art and achievement in every sense OF
the word. The Parthenon and ruin:
are generally regarded as the most re
znarkable in the world. We have jus
: come from tombs and monuments ant
: temples that We're already ancient be
s fore these ruins were called into theil
( ords of warriors and statesmen WhC
i lived thousands of years anterior in {
2 state of civilization, founied upon {
S system OF morality, beth equal TO any
] of ancient times. Yet through thu
], genius of its sculptors. its orators, ii
. philosophers and poets. Greece has
e teen conceded a transcendent distinc
| ton, and here where Pericles, Phidiaa
. and Demosthenes walked and labored
e is the epitome of its greatness. :. Thu
e Parthenon stood through all the middle
e ages unimpaired, having been used al
t a Greek church. 1t was only about TIVE
] hundred years ago Q6SO that a bom
Y barGment of Athens by the Venetian
: under Morosini nearly destroyed ii
s This knowledge seems 10 add to TIN
t pity of it: that having existed intac
, through so many hazardous centuries
{ il suffered at a time when it would
e have been most admired.
AS we climb up the seventy-fve o
S more marble steps and pass through
: the Propylaea, we get = general ide.
s of the architectural features. The va
t riOus buildings were so placed viii
reference to each other that the light
=, and shadows would vary at any on
S moment Architects point out how tn
!. builders. well versed in all that per
! tains to their art gained new effect
= by deviating from strict mathematics
n he ha lire Of fba IOal.f henOl