The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-09-23

sure, in winter, blowing down from
the snow-capped hills above the town
or blowing up from the sea at Phal-
eron; but there were no frosts; the
roses bloomed during every month
OF the year in the legation gardens;
oranges rlpened in the open air and
we picked our breakfast fruit from
the trees outside of the window, while
the palm hourishes there as | have
seen 1t nowhere else. not even in the
Riviera. The summer heat is easily
endurable despite well-nigh con-
slant temperature of nearly 100, the
absence OF rain removing the humidi-
ty which makes American midsummer
so intolerable.
Socially. too. the Atnenlan year
divides itself with the climote. At
the end of the rainy season the court,
the diplomatic body, and the rich flee
away, the latter going. as they say,
to Europe; and to take their places
there flock TO Athens and to the sea-
side hotels ut Phaleron and to villas
and resorts at Kephisia-in-the-h hills
numbers of rich Greeks from Asia
Minor and from Egypt; and the whole /
city reverses the order of its winter
life. turning night into day and
spending most of the hours between
sunset and sunrise out of doors.
Athenian houses are built to resist
heat. The exterior and interior walls
are all of thick stone. and, with tight
ly closed windows, one stays in doors
until the afternoon tea, when the
level rays of the setting sun permit
adventure. Then ono strolls' or
drives, dimes wherever the dinner
hour may find him, and invariably
out Of doors, journeys by team to
Phaleron for the bathing and the
music or seeks the cool garden of
the Zappeion to sc themovies,' or
goes to Alyssida for dinner and the
vaudeville, and never loses caste by
returning home as late as o'clock !
in the morning.
Everywhere about the town, on
the roofs Of clubs or hotels. in the
gardens or on the terraces of restaur-
ants, beneath the pepper trees of the |
parks, and even in the streets tables |
are spread and venture to say that
more than 100000 people dine in the
open air each night of an Athenian /
summer. Greek cooking Is more
oriental than indigenous. Lamb or
kid, with chicken-which has always
seemed to me to be the national bird
of all Europe-are the principal
meats, though from the shorts of
Eleusis come delicious wild duck, and
other game birds are found near by.
while play. Turkish dish of rice
with chicken or lamb. and giaourti.
the Bulgarian ferment of milk. are
standards in every Hellenic bill of
fare.
Green Fields.
with the renewal of the rains the
brown fields and hill-sides quickly
clothe themselves in green. The royal
family returns from Its cure the dip
lomats come back from leave, the
great houses of the city open. the ho
tells and summer gardens close, the
Levantines take themselves home,
and the winter season begins.
Entertaining in Athens travels
somewhat narrow circle. State dim
ners at the palaces, reciprocal en-
tertainments at the legations, few
receptions, and still fewer dinners at
Greek houses form the backbone OF
the winters enjoyment. Greeks rare
~ invite n stranger to their board. al
though among themselves exists so
ciety which the foreign colony knows
of chiefly by rumor.
There is much conversation in
Athenian salons, and always of a
high order. In no capital of Europe.