New Britain herald., 1915-11-30

war, whose political moods today l form the most absorbing topic of in
 terest and study among the fore
 most diplomats of the entente and
 alliance belligerents, is described by
 a longtime friend for the people of
 this country in communication to
 the National Geographic society, by
 George Higgins Moses, formerly l United States ambassador to Greece.
 A sketch of MT. Moses intimate study
 of Greece of today, it's aspirations, its
 accomplishments, and its sympathies, has just been prepared for the press | by the society. Of the attitude of the
 modern Creek MT. Moses says:
 Greece of today deems herself
 and is in truth-the heir to the agas
 Not only from her classic past, but from every era of foreign domination 1 her 1ncomparable spirit has taken and l assllnllated some feature now dis llhSulShable in her every day life 1 Roman, Venetian, and Moslem havo lluS palu tribute to the brave people 1 whom they have overridden but
 whom they could not subdue. There are feW parallelS-indeed at the nres- | ent moment, I can recall but one-- 1 to the striking radical phenomenon
 of Hellen1c continuity throughout the NlcloSlIuoeS or two thousand years l Modern research has penetrated the 1 dark byways of medieval Greek his- 1 tory, and we now know that tho
 Greeks, whatever their temporary | fate, have preserved unbroken the 1 thread of their national existence,
 "As the central inspiration of Grao,x
 political development MT. Moses tell,
 of their Great Idea This Great l Idea, the writer says, has exerted a
 powerful influence both upon in- ] ternal and external politics of the
 nation for nearly half a century, In | brief, it is nothing less than a dream of establishing the Byzantine. En- 1 pire under the standard of modern | Greece. It is the most dazzling and
 steadfast inspiration of the modern Hellenes; and, In the present turbu- lent and conflicting policies of the
 Greeks its varying application will . likely be apparent more often than
 any other Greek motive.
 Out of the Great Idea arises that
 term of classification which refers to | those of Greek blood who exist un- i der Turkish, Serb, or Bulgarian jur- .1sd1ct1on as the 'enslaved brethern , 1 in contradistinction to those who 1 are free Creeks of the little king !
 blood, and treasure expended by the l free Creek in behalf of their sub | Jugated kindred in Crete and Mace i donia, even prior to the late Balkan l wars are incredible in amount.
 Tn pursuit of the Great Idea'
 Greek bands for years ravaged those
 portions of Macedonia and Epirns
 winch arc not prcpOndcrantIy Hc!- lonic in blood and aggravated the ago-long hatred between Greek and Bulgar. which with difficulty was
 laid aside but once, and then only
 long enough to dispossess the Otto
 man oppressor, when it broke forth once more with redoubled fur1, Because of the Great Idea Crata
 was periodically upset in revolution ano TOT century this, the largest ana the most fertile of the Aegean lsles, was rendered useless to eithor
 lurk or Greek. Spurred on by the
 Great ldea,' Constantine's flying co1-
 umns crossed the Thessalian frontier forced the Meluna pass, wiping ont US tragic memories from the war of losf, and came in triumph to Sal
 onlkl. 1t was the Great Idea which
 oroVe the southern Spirotes to their revolt against incorporation in tba autonomous Albania, which the am
 "ooe'uols had so Summarily set up at London up
 Modern Greece, the writer says has accomplished so much in SO short :,
 time for it's independence on1v heoon
 with the conclusion of the London Procticol in 1S3O,-that great nraisa can not be within cid from it's enerretic people, It is, he continues, essential
 ly land of agriculture, pre-eminent1v intended to be such; but owing to tho
 tremendous drain by emigration iron, the rural districts, the progress of agri
 culture has been painfully deficient:
 and in many places the land is titled
 only by women and girls, while the
 men are away in America amassing
 modern fortunes.
 Of the royal family, MT. Higgins of- 1crs the following interesting com ment:
 'The Royal family in my day was made up of many nationalities. The klhg was Dane; his queen Russian; the crown princess a sister of the Kaiser: the Princess George of the | Bonapartc family; the Princess Nicho- las a Russian grand duchess. Inc Princess Andrew a Battenburger. and 1 since they all had English nurses and SoVernesSeS, and since it was necessary ] 10 Ind some common linguistic ground | for the royal group, English was the | prevailing tongue in the royal house 1 holds; and it is spoken generally at the ministries, in the hotels, and in the l larger shops. The late king took a
 lively interest in practical agriculture. | and his farm properties at Tatoj. an l attractive chateau in the hills to the ! north of Athens, were profitabIv ad- 1 mlnistered. To his patronage the Row 1 al Agricultural society, owes much of l it's success, and under the care of this l institution there are now several agri- 1