Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-11-23
CONSTANT|NOPLE
ANCIENT CITY OF
THE DORIAN GREEKS
The Turkish Capital Around Which
All the Fighting Now
centers.


I lis of the Dorian Greeks, which was
founded by them during the sixth
century before Christ. II became at
once typical city of the highest
Greek civilization in the beauty Of its
architecture and it's streets In addi-
ton it rose to the supreme CONNER
cial power of the Hellenic world be-
cause Of its advantageous position.
Even now, there may be seen in
Stamboul that portion OF CONSTANT
nople which was the actual site of
the ancient Greek city, remains of
walls and other works of masonry
built by the Greeks.
From the very beginning Byzantium
was coveted by every race and nation
within striking distance, and the city
was constantly hard pressed After
centuries of desperate fighting to
maintain its independence Byzantium
finally fell into the hands of Severns.
But this conqueror and his descen-
dents ruled the city in a wretched
manner. Civic pride languished, the
government rapidly grew from bad to
worte and finally in the year 1924 A.
d. the CITY surrendered to Constan-
tine. the first Christian Roman en-
peror.
Captivated by the city and its beau
tiful surroundings Constantine at once
adopted it as his capital, giving it the
name of New Rome and defeating
n Hfo fba carvina NJ Chrisf
But the world at large had chirsten-
ed the city in honor of its conqueror
and it has born that name ever since
1t was Constantine's ambition to
be known as the founder of the city
And to that end he instituted elabor-
ate ceremonials. Marching at the
head of vast procession he walked
over the hills which were then the
environs of the city, marked the
boundaries and laid an elaborate foun.
dation for future growth.
Then he set great armies of men
to work, building and identifying the
city. He spent vast sums of money
in erecting palaces, churches, aque-
ducts and theatres.
The most notable church he built
was San Sofia. But this church was
burned. 1t was rebuilt later by Theo-
dosius, and was again destroyed.
Then Justinian, on the same site built
a temple which was a far more splen-
did edifice than the other two.
This is the famous San Soufia which
stands today. But there have been so
many additions built onto it that the
original outlines of the temple are
entirely lost
San Sofia was sixteen years in
building and it's dedication lasted
fourteen days, beginning on Christmas
Day 54S.
All nations had contributed to its
costly and magnificent investiture.
The rarest jewels, marbles, mosaics,
mealas and worries, in fact all the
rarest treasures possessed by all the
nations, were used for the adornment
of San Sofia
1t was here that all the great
events in the lives of the Christian
emperors We're celebrated, and it is
said that the Crusaders, whenever
they met in this temple, were so over
come by the grandeur of their sur
roundings, they would lay aside their
differences and go forth in harmony
and good will.
/ Here also were stored many of the
precious volumes which kept alive
the Pickering light of learning
throughout the medieval period of
mental darkness, and which finally
burst out into an intellectual awak-
ening known as the Renaissance.
For centuries Constantinople re-
tanned her supremacy in the CONNER
cial world. But as she grew in wealth
and splendor, fetes and festivals like
| those of the old barbaric Romans, be-
came the order of the day. The city
| succumbed to the sway of it's volup.
tuaries. In the meantime il was being
constantly beset by it's enemies, the
Saracens and the Bulgars. About this
time, the latter part of the 10th cen
ury, the Turks began to cast his
sinister shadow across the Bosporus.
He had been gradually stealing in
from the East, from beyond the Cas-
plan and the plains of Kkorsasan.
He had established himself in Asia
Minor with the longer spear and the
scimitar His soul object was the let
ting of Christian blood This purpose
took precedence with him over every
consideration of government, law and
domestic economy
The Turks had secured possession
of all the territory adjacent to Con-
stantinople. They had destroyed the
city of Ephesus and wiped the BY
zantium empire off the map Then
they began to levy tribute on Con-
stantinople
The first concession the cross made
to the crescent was in 1347 when the
emperor gave his daughter in mar
riage to Orchan, son of Gilman, the
founder of the present Turkish dy-