The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-18

spent in floating along the shores of Cyprus, the home of Aphrodite and the land of love- The spirit of ancient TO- nance rested upon each wave and bill low, and the sea was dQnned in it's tra- diticnal blue of cerulean tint The island is supposed to derive it's name from large quantitnes of copper which were once found there and 1t is the Chittin or kittim of Biblical days. But 1t has borne many names among the aneients such as Mscaria, the Fortunate island, Cytherea and Aerosa Centuries ago 1t raised fine grade of cotton to the extent of 30 900 bales annually and from an old writer we learn that these bales averaged 300 pounds. The island was frequently rav- aged by grasshoppers and this same old writer devotes a score of pages in spec ulation as to how grasshoppers could have gotten upon the island, suggesting that they may have come over concealed in a ship and finally concluding that they were waited by the winds from Arabia. His quaint pen tells LIS of the excellent wines of the Cypriots which was sold in dame- jeannes. which Is a corruption of our demi-johns, and how when a child was born a dame-jeanne of wine was buried in the earth and not delved up until the child was married. Here lived monks who raised cats In great numbers and taught them to catch snakes instead of mice, and here roved the galeode an enormous spider, and the laminga, four footed snake as large as an ordinary horse.
 The next morning by sunrise we were in the harbor of Rhodes and I sought the site of it's once famous colossus. The harbor was not impressive and I was dis appointed at the appearance of the local ity where Chares had placed his piece 1.,.. l. n dians in those days must have possessed a goodly amount of the present Birmingz ham spirit for tboosting and the colossus was not very far ahead of our own Vulcan. Rhodes means rose and 1t Is said to have emerged from the sea in obedience to the commands of Apollo, while Strabo preferred the city to Rome or Alexandria and the latter when view ed from the sea ie one of the most picturesque cities of the Mediterranean.
 About half the population greeted us at the landing as we arrived in small boat from the ship and the other half seemed to be asleep. The street of the KnilShts was the most wered. gloomy, solemn and at the same time impressive thoroughfare imaginable. It was as de- serted as a graveyard at midnight and my footballs echoed through the long avenue of dark gray houses that have withstood the shock of earthquakes and defied the devastation of Saracen the Turk The long tiers of stone palaces and hoary facades are rich with tolerably well preserved remnants of carved Via dows Gothic sculptured doorways, shields coats of arms. crosses and armo- rial legends of the knights of old. Many of the ancient fronts are sadly dishg- ured by the addition of shoddy Arabic balconies. Still. one here senses the breath of the troubadour and the spirit of chivalry as he notes most exquisitely wrought in marble intels flowers, fruits. dolins all bespeaking time when knight hood was in flower, when knights were bold and when moonlight, music, love-and flowers relieved deeds of prowess Sand softened the keen edge of scimiter, battle axe and spear.
 I visited the military prison and in my jaunt from the landing stage thither and back not a single person except my guide did I encounter in the street of the Knights.
 We sailed at 10 o'clock that morning and what string of pearls did I weave
 on my rosary of memory that day. Just of wonder in full view lay Cnidus that Dorian city which gave us the worlds most famous Venus, that exquisitely wrought breathing stone which we know only in replica; to my left was Kos. famous for it's wines and the birthplace of Apelles. Ptolemy Philadelphus and Hippocrates and a.little further on was Halioarnassus where Herodotus and Dionysus first saw the light and where