The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-09

~ N
HE COLUMNS.
tramping over the hills where they
lived. You see their Wonderful works
in the museums; you meet with their
portraits in the statues; and among the
ruins which are scattered almost every
where sou can easily rebuild the famed
structures Of the past.
take the Parthenon, the remains OF
which lie on the Acropolis, on the very
edge OF modern Athens. They were
built upon solid rock OF pink marble.
which ended in plateau OF about ten
or fifteen acres This space is now
covered with ruins, and a large por-
ton OF the great structure still stands
went over |, TO day and made photo
graphs OF some of the columns, dis
covering queer things about its con
struction. One is that the building
was largely a graft. The columns on
the outside are OF excellent marble,
and they stand we'll to-day. Those
within another part. which could not be
seen, or which probably at first looked
as we'll as those farther out. were
backed with inferior stone. and the
| marble there is now rottlng away. The
stone is chipping off. and the beauty
OF the old columns is fast disappearing
The Pnrthcnon IN 1911.
I wish could show you the Parthc
non. Every one has read of 1t. but it is
| Impossible 10 comprehend IL just as II
| is. Imagine a forest Of marble columns
| which rise from marble floor. the
area OF which is nearly an acre. Let
| each column be as big as cartwheel
and let II rise to the height of
three-s story house in the most SYM
metrical forms Of artistic beauty. Let
| it be huted, and let the capitals. rich
| in their plain Doric grace, uphold
| wall OF marble. around which runs
| frieze CT exquisite carvings. and you
| have the skeleton of the building. The
| interior contains other columns which
uphold the roof. the whole forming
! temple which was regarded as the most
/ beautiful of the known world.
| day the Parthenon is visible fol
| miles around Athens. 1t Is the first
| thing seen on approaching the Piraeus
| and 1T stands out far above the plain
upon which Athens lies y great part
Of the building has been carried away
| and it's most beautiful carvings are in
the British Museum at London. They
! We're taken there many years ago by
| Lord Elgin, who got permit from tho
sultan authorizing him ito remove a
| few blocks OF stone from Athens to
| England" The cost of the transporta-
! ton of those few blocks was $lS0.000.
| from which you can see that shiploads
must have been carried away M
| The columns Of the Parthenon were
| made in sections which were placed one
| on top OF the other. Some of these
sections are scattered over the Aero
| polls and not few stand on the plat
| form. ! photographed an American
| girl sitting on one, which gives a fair
idea of the diameter. and made also a
! picture of myself as I measured the
{ circumference.
| m
| years ago IT was temple put up TO
the Goddess Athene or Minerva whose
statue was erected within. The statue
! was made by Phidias. 1t was Of gold
| and ivory and was forty-two and one
| half feet In height. 1t is supposed
| that the inner kernel Of the figure
consisted of wood. upon which the form
| of the Athene was modelled in some
| plastic material. and that this in turn
was covered with plates of ivory and
| gold. The ivory formed the nude por-
! lions Of the figure, while the gold
| represented the garments The value
| Of the gold in the statue was about
| three-quarters of million dollars.
| There is an imitation of this statue in
the National Museum II is a pygmy,
! however in comparison with the great
| statue Of the Parthenon. being only
three and one-half feet in height and
| made entirely Of marble
Excavatipg by Lottery.
| The modern Greeks are anxious that
new excavations should be everywhere
made. They are spending n great
] deal upon archaeological research and
they have department Of antiquities
connected with the ministry Of educa-
ton at the head of which is an Off
| cial who gets about $4,000 a year.
| They have raised g great deal Of money
for eXcavating- old Greece by means of
q lottery, and tickets are now sold on
the streets at 20 cents each, which
give you chance to make fortune,
ana al the same time aid in digging up
! the past AT first only 100000 tick
/ kets were allowed to be issued. and
! this number was subsequently Increased
to quarter of a million. OF late years
some Of the funds Of the lottery have
been applied to the navy, and the num-
Der OF tickets is now more than dou-i
hled. being 100000. The lottery has
a55 prizes. The first is $4,000. the sec
ond 5000. the third s4oo. the fourth $3.50,
and the fifth 500. After this there are
thirty prizes OF $50 each and 600 of
$40 each.
The average net yield Of the lottery
until recently was about $4,000. and
4 altogether II has produced several hun
dred thousand dollars. This sum has
been spent in cxcavating tho old cities
OF interior Greece. in establishing mu-
1 seums, and in biEtorical and archeologi-