Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-09-21
The MODERN GREEK
Class Distinctions Unknown and
All Meet Upon Equal Terms
Greek Women Have Little Individual,
pitable of Modern Countrie.


what manner Of man is the ,noder,,
Creek" is question Of paramount, in.
terest in view Of recent dcvclnnuents
on the Salonika front where King Con-
stantine's subjects are hourly rvnacted
to be drawn into the all-Euroue cnnric,
A striking pen picture of the habits Of
thought and life of the n1oderu Uauene
is given in a war geopranhv buuotir
of the National Geographic societ,
based on n communication to the society
from George Higgins Moses. former,J
United States minister TO Greece. NJ,
Moses says:
The ancient Athenian democracy has
projected itself well-nigh intact into the
life of Greece as 1t is to-day. Class dis
tinctions are unknown Titles of nobility
are forbidden by the constitution. even
though every native Of Corfu claims to
be a Venetian count The Crow, Prince
is known only as the Diadochos or Sue
cessor. Neither wealth nor education
binders the association Of all upon terms
of the most absolute equality.
While the great ladies' Of Athens have
an active social career Grcek ,vor,an
generally speaking. have no individual
women
sit apart, while in the country the mr.,
almost never to be found at table if
guests are present, and uuon then, falls
the greater portion of tho labor of the
household Following the plow. harvest
ing, and working upon the roads are com
mon employments for the Greek peasaut
woman. Unmarried. her narents and
her brothers control her conduct. and -.
husband means merely n change OF
masters for whom she tolls white he sits
at ease. An Improvement however. is
gradually developing. The Greek much
more than some Of his Balkan neighboty
has outgrown the notion that the sole
occupation fit for man is warfare.
Through schools endowed and under
royal patronage: through other enter
prises, and especially through the de-
mands of modern business life. new
avenues for employment and advance
ment are opening for women. and in
another generation il ia altogether ike
ly that the women of Greece Will he
found with their sisters of the West.
demanding as rights what they now re-
gard as great privileges
Education in Greece is overdeveloped
/
school system is excellent. but the teach
ers' profession is held IT, slight repute
| and fails to attract either men or wo-
men of commanding ability.
The Greeks. externally at least. are
a deeply religious people. and the fcasts
and fasts are rigidly observed When a
| Greek fasts he fasts in earnest. almost
| his sole nourlshmeut being a coarse soup
| Of black beans palatable and nutritious.
but likely to prove most monotonous
| after 40 days
Greek labor. though extremely we'll
organized, is meagerly paid. dav labor
! ers receiving no more than three drach-
mae a day Ga little less than 60 cents.
! while skilled labor in the trades will aver
| age hardly more than twice as much.
! Carpenters masons and mechanics gen
| orally use the most primitive of imp!e-
ments; yet the amount of work which
| they perform In a day is astonishing.
The guilds. or corporations, which cor
| respond to our labor unions embrace
practically all the manual pursuits
| "The Greek of to-day. especially in the
| country. is the most hosuitable Of mod
erns. The best room in the house. the
| choicest tidbits at the table. all the re-
| sources OF the family. indeed. are free
| Nv AT the DISPOSAL of the passing STRANGER.
| without thought or desire Of payment,
| and il ia only by means of some sub
| ,erfuee such as asking the whole fam
| uv to drink ones health that one is able
with d,fficultv ia nress money upon n
| host who has denied himself TO make
| bis gues, comfortable
| "Recausa Of the great number of
| Greeks who have returned from Ameri-
p, E,nplisb ia often heard and few
,rovalers in the pelouonnesus will fan
% ohssrva at almost every railron
s,otio, tina anger face thrust in at the
! corriaga window and ouivering the de.
mard Won fellers from Americe?' 4 he
c,,rio,i,v thus manifest i'm friend,
s,,ri, 10 tvnical Of the modern Greek
| a., o,. ,ravolar recourts an exnerience
=, cha nrovircial caDital of Amhissa
| u.ha,o ~ neonla 9atbered and hung with
oosor i,terest unor the bargainine n,
| H., h,cgt,1 ,or three lemons lor 10 lenta
n r,tIe loss than two cents
| ..,rh oxt.,t n which .,njrrat ion has