New Britain herald., 1917-01-11

Washington, D. C., Jan. 11.-The Aegean island of Chios, once more news center owing to it's activity in connection with the revolutionary movement which the Venizelsts in augurated to force Greece into the European war on the side of the En- tente Allies, is the subject of a strik- ing COmmuni cation to the National Geographic society from Ernest Lloyd Harris, part of which is issued as the following war geography bulletin: "Chios. which is separated from the mainland of Asia Minor by the Straits of Chios, only four and a hair miles wide, has long been bone of conten- tion between Turk and Greek and dur ing the earlier part of the nineteenth century was the scene of some Of the bloodiest tragedies known to history.
 AS early as 700 B. c. 1t was one of the richest and most important members of the Ionian Union. It has disputed with Smyrna the honor of being the birthplace of Homer. When the Ionion cities rebelled against the Persian yoke. Chios manned and equipped 100 ships and sent them to the battle of Lade. This stands for something when we take into consid- eration the fact that at that time namely 494 B. G., the population of the island numbered only 30,000 free men and 100000 slaves.
 "Chios has been, in turn, Ionian Persia, Athenian, Roman, Italian Turkish, and finally, in 1913. after q separation of nearly 2,300 years it was united once more to the parent coun- try Greece. As one may well imag- inc, little island of 31s square miles which has changed masters so many times necessarily must have suffered much from the strife which swept over It.
 'Twice has this island beer visited by terrible earthquakes. The fire was away back in 17 A. D., and 1t was only through the fostering care of the Elm peror T1berius that the people were able to make a fresh start. The sec ond was in 1881, when the town Of Kastro was practically laid waste. Mosques, churches and dwelling houses disappeared into the bowels Of the earth, engulfing no less than 5000 people. This earthquake wis ited the whole island, and many beau tiful and historic monasteries some or which contained priceless objects or art, valuable libraries and monu- mentS or an0lqulty, Wele SoihPio'ei! lost.
 "But in spite of all thesc vicissi- tudes Chios has also seen many happy days. Even in the old days of the IOnian Union it was celebrated on account of it's commerce and indus tries, especially for its native wine and the manufac cture of beds and sofas Under Rome the island was ruled as an insular province, and enjoyed sev- l era1 hundred years of almost unbrok l on peace and prosperity. The peo- l pie have always been sober and 1n- 1 dustrious, and not only have they 1 grown opulent In the various fields of 1 commerce, but many have also suc- ceeded in literature and art as we'll "Chios real troubles virtually be- l gan with the Greek war of independ- l ence Somewhat against the will of l the people, the island became in- 1 volved in this struggle and was visited 1 by a massacre which appalled, human ] ity In 1922 the Captain Pasha ap- 1 peared before Kastro with a powerful fleet and landed an army of Moslems who slaughtered, in the space of two months. no less than 30,O00 Chians, while 32,000 were sold into slavery. The entire island was given over to pillage, and scarcely q village, church or convent was spared the flames. These acts of ferocity did not go unavenged. While the MoSlems were ravaging Chios, tho islanders Of Psara and Hydra were planning an attempt on the Turkish fleet. which was lying in the outer harbor of Kastro. just off the Genoese citadel. The authors of