The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-07
GREEKS OF THE WORLD NOW
 CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY.
NHIS- IS- INDEPENDENGE DAY. in Greece.


 world will celebrate the anniversary of that day in 1891 when the standard of the cross was raised and blessed by the priests, and the war for freedom from the Turkish yoke began. It was at Patras that Ypsilanti unfurled the ban. her of liberty, and the date was March 9, 1921, which date corresponds to the seventh of April, new style.
 While the hopes of the Greek people for a restoration of the Byzantine empire, with King Constantine sitting on the imperial throne at IGonstantinopIe, have not been realized, Greece has gained much valuable territory the fruits fef the recent war. Tn fact, the Hellenic king dom derived much more benefit and suffered Hess from the Balkan conflict than any of the other allies, and it's people have many reasons for rejoicing to day.
 Greece, birthplace of European civilization. ldegenerated into mere vassal of the Turks in the early part of the sixteenth century, and 1t remained "a Turkish province it's people sub- Ejecfed to every degradation that the Moslem mind could conceive, until it gained its inde- pendence by the instruction of 1891 1899. The inspiration of freedom, handed down from fath- CT to son through centuries Of slavery, took or fganized form in 1915, when the secret society Icalled the Hetairia was established
 Silently and surely the conspirators laid their plans, and in 1891 the match was touched l to the fuse and Greece resounded to the tramp l of marching patriots. The first answer of the Moslems to this declaration Of independence
  lConstantinople.
 While the Holy Alliance frowned upon the Greek aspirations for liberty, and the great 1aGhristian powers put every possible obstacle in the way of the struggling patriots, the Turks Iprepared terrible vengeance that was to serve las lesson for all time and to all the vassals of IGonstantinople.
 Tn April, 1922 a year after the beginning Iof the war, the most horrible massacre record ed in modern history was perpetrated by the l Turks at Chios, island of the Greek Archi- I pe1ago. Forty thousand people were butcher led by the Sultans soldiers. Old men and ba- I bies in arms were slashed to pieces, while the I girls and younger women were subjected to the I vilest indignities.
 Even the Holy Alliance could not quite ex- I cuse this butchery, withstand the tide of l public opinion that flowed So strongly against l the Turks.
 From all over the world, from America as we'll as from Europe soldiers of liberty floeked to the Greek standard. Among them went Lord Byron his poetic soul fred by the passion of liberty to become martyr to the cause he had fespoused. While the Greeks, in their celebra- E tions to-day, pay tribute to the memories ei ! their native heroes, Ypsilanti, kanaris, Pha- raeus Marco Bozzaris and Mavromichalis among others. they will not forget Byron, ano ], his name will be on many patriotic Greek lips :, Ito-day.
 2 After eight years of warfare in whicl . iGreece was devastated and it's people brought to the brink of starvation, the patriots vic 7 torious, although it was not the ancient Helas but only a small portion that became free iron > Turkish domination.
 The new kingdom was placed under tIt tprotection of Great Britain, France, and Russia r and the crown accepted by Prince Otto O ' Bavaria He reigned from 1883 to 1862, wheI he was expelled from the country. The crow1 was then offered to Danish prince, who rulee as George I, from 1863 until his death by assas lsination last year, when he was succeeded b. . his son. now King Constantine whom'i-as tn l(.-aaals will cry to-d whom God preserve