Norwich bulletin., 1915-03-16
CONDITIONS IN GREECE
 AS THEY EXIST TODAY
Character Much the Same As Two Thousand Years Aeo-Emigration Large and Beneficial.
(Snecial to The BulIetinl

Especial to The Bulletin)
 Washington, D. C., March 15.-With ,1ucedsion marking the attitude of Greece toward the Anglo-French and Turkish struggle on the outermost fringe of the Balkans, and while her political leaders are working for and against the continuance of neutrality, a general sketch of this modern king dom prepared for the National Geo. graphic Society by George Higgins Moses. United States Minister to forms a timely and instructive com mentary upon present events there In the last two generations the interests of Greece have expanded so rapidly as to awaken in the minds of many of it's patriots ambitions of Eastern Elm pire. a re-inspiriting of Byzantium's s dust.
 Modern dwellers in Greece feel themselves to be the direct descend ants of Byzantine Greeks and of the heroes of glorious classis Greece, MT. Moses writes; and, he continues, their life has shown a persist continu- ity which warrants their claim; for, whether their land has been ruled by Roman emperor, a Frankish duke, a Venetian bafueb or a Turkish paSha, the thread of Hellenic existence has remained unbroken- Their relig- ion. their tongue and their traditions have survived all change of masters and all forms of dominion, and so, Greek character is much the same to- day as 1t was two thousand years ago.
 In many respects Greek life today, also. IS the same as it was at the birth of Christ, says this writer, who has seen Greek peasants ploughing with bent sticks, just as Adam may have accomplished his ploughing af- ter being banned from Paradise Ath- ems, the splendid of old, and today be- coming the Paris of the Levant" however, according to MT. Moses, is distinctly modern city. It has wide and gay streets, dotted with small parks. and adorned with many hand some public buildings, most of them gifts of rich Greeks who have spent in the mother country money earned abroad.
 Greeks swarm the seas for a ltv- ing as of old. he Says, and, as of old their passionate sociability draws and cities. One tenth of the popula- ton of Greece is to be found in Athens and Piraeus- The drain of emigra- ton from the rural districts to native cities and to cities in other lands Is enormous, and, in the words of a cab snet minister, it constitutes "a grave national hemorrhage". In some will lages the Poloponnesus, MT. Moses ex- plains, there remain scarcely enough men to fill the offices. Nevertheless AC NOuAAAoCS, C1IIlS1dllOn Ilel5 been a benefit to the country. for large sums of money are sent back each year especially from America, to families who remain behind, and to this steady American stream of gold may be traced the appreciation of Greek paper currency. Many of Europe's back ward nations, like Greece, gathered much of their early stimulus from the money which poured out of the rich United States back home.
 My chief criticism of the modern Greek life" MT. Moses says, would be that the young men of good fami- ly and of fortune have not turned themselves to the economic develop ment of their country. Manufactur- ing and agriculture have been almost wholly neglected, and all that one wears and much of what one eats is brought from abroad. The owners o1 estates have considered them chiefly useful as a foothold for a seat in Parliament-that -chambered and often turbulent body where have cen tered the chief defects in Greek de- velopment.'
 Politics have been a curse of mod ern Greece as well as they were a curse to ancient Greece MT Moses concludes. ITO speak the truth, he says, politics in Greece has meant a sordid thing. There are no questions of principle which divide parties there but parties have arisen from time to time in accordance with ambitions or political necessities of individual lead ers-and the struggle has been wholly between the 1ns and the outs'".