The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-06-17
BILKINS IN GREECE
He Says the Grecians are
Highly Educated and
Up to Date.


A Rough Old wozid-Athens, the
Home Of Art and Sculpture-
Where the Oceans Congregate-
The Greeks Are Strong Physically
and MentaIly-Greece Rich In Sa-
cred and In Modern History-The
Land Of Oratory-Oorinth,a a City
With a History-Saint Paul and
His Great Work-Ancient Oratery.
Athens. Greece. June IL, 1909.
Correspondence OF The Caucasian
Enterprise.
doubled back from CONSTANT
nople to Athens, a course one must
pursue in more than one case when
travelin', fer you will meet difficulties
at every turn in life, at home or
abroad. This IL a rough old world.
Some ov hit IL land, smooth, level
land. But the most ov hit IL water,
real wet water. An that IL especial
ly true ov this part ov hit. The At
lantic Ocean liz still in buziness here.
Then we hev the Mediterranean
Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Artic
Ocean, the Red Sea, the Dead Sea,
the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, A
rabian Sea, the Sea ov Galilee. Some
ov them air not large, hit IL true.
But they air wet, very, an deep, too.
Athens, the capital ov Greece, hez
a populashun ov more than a hun
dred thousand people, and liz the
most important city in the little
country. But hit liz real city. Hit
liz clean, neat, hez splendid buildins,
publick an private. Flowers bloom
everywhere, an they hev several
beautiful parks.
The total populashun ov Greece IL
erbout two an half millions. But
that does not include awl ov the
Greeks, fer they air an educated, en-
ergetick people an they air ter be
found in every civilized country,
quite number being in America at
this time.
Greece hez awlways bin up-ter-
date az a country. Her people anr
strong, physically an mentally, an
hev led the world in some things
air leaders yet. In the days when
Greks wuz known an ter-day they
air rite up with the great world pro-
| cession.
A large mountain near Athens con-
tains vast quantity ov fine marble.
This quarry hez bin worked fer
twenty-five hundred years. an still
| the end IL not in site. This accounts
fer the splendid an substantial ap-
pearance ov the city, in part.
Herodotus, Homer, an Demos
themes air among the great men
| Greece hez produced, an their names
will never die. Then, greater than
the ones named, perhaps, wuz So
crates an Plato, the two wor1d-fam-
Gus philosophers; awlso Lycurgus an
Solon, the great lawmakers whose
work IL shown even ter-day in the
laws ov awl civilized countries. But
Greece awlso produced other famous
men in her day. Her people air still
strong, air still in the fite, no signs
ov decay. I wish I could remain
here an grow younger an wiser an
better.
Greece hez bin a leader in other
respecks-in statecraft, in oratory, in
poetry, history, philosophy, literature,
art an athletics. Hit wuz ter the
Corinthians that Paul wrote the
Epistles In which love IL given the
first place among the virtues. Cice-
ro, the Roman orator, made hiz
spread-eagle speeches at the Forum
in Rome. But hit wuz Demosthenes
the Greek orator, who hurled hiz elo.
quence at the Greeks from the vast
ledge ov rock on the shore ov the
Aegean sea near Athens An they
say that Demosthenes wuz sumpthin
ov speaker. Hit liz not certain
whether Cicero or Demosthenes origi
mated that style ov stump-speakin
in which a great stone rostrum tool
the place ov the ordinary stump. But
hit IL certain that Cicero ov Rome
an Demosthenes ov Athens, wuz boil
top-notchers when the game ov pub
lick speakin' cum on the boards.
But thar wuz other orators IL
, Athens. Mars Hill, whar the ancien
court ov Areopagus wuz held, il ;
great rock. When an altar wuz erect
ed to 'the unknown god," Sain
/ PauPs address to the "men of Ath
/ ems" wuz delivered from the top o.
: this rock, an hit il quite likely tha
the great inspired apostle delivered ,
/ speech or sermon that would hev pu
Demosthenes out ov buziness had b.
been on earth in that day.
In the good old days the Greek
sought ter perfeck an strengthen tn
human form, to add health and beau
ty. Most ov them do the same te
this day. The result IL strong me-
an women, strong physically an
mentally. The Olympian games wu
= one ov the methods. At Athens
= wealthy citizen hez recently given
. million dollars ter restore the stadi
um a great, buildin' that will sea
fifty thousand people. The seats 1
this buiidin' air made ov Peuteli
marble, which will last fer ages al
Il the race course liz more than six hun
dred feet long an a hundred fee
: wide. Here men run races ter anus
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