The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-10-10
. MYTIEENE RECENTLY
RESTORED TO GREECE
Modern City Mutinied At Nations
Nonparticipation In European War
/ -Sappho Born In City.

Washington, Oct. 9-"The city Of
Mytilene, where the revolutionary
movement against Greece's nonpar
ticipation in the war closely follow.
ed the outbreak in the chief towns
of Crete, has been a part of the
Greek nation an even shorter time
than the latter cities. AS the capi-
tai of the Island of Lesbos (also call
ed Mytilene), it cast Off Turkish rule
at the end of the second Balkan War
/ (1913) and came once more under
/ the sway of its ancient mistress, ,Ath-
ems" says today's war geography
bulletin ef the National Geographic
Society.
Originally Mytilene is supposed
to have occupied a small island off
the southeastern shore of the larger
island of the same name, but as it's
double harbor soon made it the most
important city of the .Eolians on the
Aslatlc Coast, the population and
commerce. outgrew its islet bounds
tory. A mole or isthmus was con-
structed connecting the original sea-
port with the main island, and today
the smaller iSlet no longer exists as
such, but is promontory, with the
shores Of Asia Minor less than 20
miles to the east.
THE modern city is built in the
form of an amphitheatre around a
hill which is crowned with the ruins
of a fort dating back to the time of
the Genoese. The population is esti-
mated at goo and the outstanding
architectural feature OF the place is
a Greek college which is attended by
boys from the entire -Egean coast.
'Mytilene has written its name
large on the pages of ancient history
Its golden age preceded the era of
Pericles in Athens by more than 100
years. The two outstanding names
in its heyday of power and culture
were Pittacus, the statesman, and
Sappho, the poetess. The former,
whose wise and beneficent reign of
10 years earned for him immortality
as one of the Seven Sages of Greece,
at the age of 80 had, with the aid of
the brothers of the poet Alcaus, ov-
erthrown the tyrant of the island.
After slaying the Athenian comman-
der Phyren in single combat, he was
intrusted with despotic power by the
Mytileneafs. 1t was his lifework to
maintainSa balance of power be-
tween the mobiles and the commons.
Pittacus Ss famous for two of his
favorite sayings: 1t is hard to be
good and Know when to act
'.The 7reer of the great Mytilen-
can poe{Sss has been so widely adj
vertised Rough the ages by dramas
and nov eof notorious nature that
it is only Necessary to recall the fact
that rekE research has tended to
brix sozne extent sadly tar
n fGu IA. ~ ,ssecry OF
Sappho,s leap lnfo the sea from the
lofty Leucadian promontory, because
of her unrequited love for Phaon,
has neVen been proved. While no
ons will. contend that the gifted Les
bans morals were impeccable, it is
highly possible that posterity has
visited upon her head the sins of
some of the more licentious pupils
of her great poetic school. In any
event, her position as a poetess is
unassailable. The ancients accorded
her place alongside Homer, desig-
mating her as the poetess,' him as
the poet Writers who followed
her called her the tenth Muse and
the miracle The appellation the
beautiful which not infrequently
occurs, is said to have referred to
her verses only, for personally she
was small, dark and unprepossessing.
Shortly after the outbreak of the
Pelopannesian war, in the fifth CEN
tury B. c., the ruling mobiles of
Mytilene forced the city to side with
Sparta against the Athenians, to
whom they were under an agree
ment to furnish a naval contingent.