Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-26
IBy Associatod Prsssl

ceremony Of "Anathema" against
Elephtherios .Yenizelos, former prime
minister of Greece. is still continuing
in the lesser towns OF Old Greeces
Every Sunday In villages scattered
here and there over the country,
where the ceremony has not yet taken
Iplace. the people come together, gene
rally under the leadership Of the local
priest, and go through the age-old,
Isemi-religious act of calling down d.
vine wrath upon 4Elephtherios Veni-
zelos who has imprisoned priests and
who has plotted against the royal
house and against the country, as
the wording Of the anathema runs.
The anathema ceremony Is by no
means an unusual one in Greece today
especially in the outer islands and the
rural districts. II is so usual indeed
that the word anathema' appears
in the current Greek-English converse
ton books, under the heading oil, CON-
mon religious terms" Nor is 1t the
first time that Venizelos has been
mathematical. According to General
vesos, who worked simultaneously
with Venizelos for the freedom Of
lCrete the ceremony was pronounced
lagainst Venizelos by the Cretans some
20 years ago.
4 On the present occasion the cere-
monies have been more widespread.
Few villages now remain in Ola
Greece where the anathema against
the cretan has not been PRONOUNCED,
with all the forms of the days tyhen
i Alcibiades. having deserted the Athen-
fans for their Spartan enemies 7some
Itwenty-three centuries ago. was
stoned in spirit after his 1e8arture.
IN each instance the clergy OF the
Greek church have not only sanction.
led but taken active part in the cere-
monies.
The first of this series of anathemas
against Venizelos was pronounced In
Athens. The spot set for the cere-
lmony was the immense military exer-
tcise field of the garrisons of Athens.
THE government formally forbade
1.-THE ceremony the day before, fearing
disturbances, and 1t was thought that
the ceremony would be abandoned.
At daybreak. however, peasants from
their African and Boeotian farms be-
gan to flock into town, each carry
ling stone from his own soil tucked
Iaway among the accordean pleats OF
Ithc white skirts that the Greek pea
Isants wear upon Occasions of cere-
lmony. Many brought their wives and
IchiIdren, the women all carrying their
Town stones and frequently the
Ichildren also.
BY noon the streets of the capital
witnessed an amending procession of
peasants and poorer folk bound in the
Idirection of the 3Kypselis quarter
where the exercise field is located.
ION the Patissia road, which leads to
1.-THE field, a house. was in process of
CONSTRUCTION and piles of stones were
heaped in the yard to be used in
building. As the people passed, those
who had yfergotten to bring stones
took each one from this pile. In a
lquarter Of an hour but one was left.
THE building contractor who had been
Trying in vain to protect his property
shrugged his shoulders, hoisted the
REMAINING rock onto his back and join
ed the march, to pronounce an
anathema of his own partly against
EVenizelos but probably partly also
against those who had stripped his
yard.
Immediately following luncheon, the
weather Athenians began to appear
in carriages. On the seat of each
smart turnout was a small stone and
each coachman had one for himself
hidden between his feet. Ladies' Of
the best Greek society clutched In
Iwhite-gloyed hands vanity box-and
la rock. The Archbishop OF Athens
in full canonicals drove in carriage
which was followed by procession
of other carriages bearing the mem
bers of the Holy Synod of the Greek
church AS the prelates passed
through the crowd the men uncover
ed and all bowed their heads to re
lceive the blessings Of the priests. In
lone carriage the venerable bishops
lof Corytsa and Larissa sat together,
gentle old men with whitening boards,
who raised their hands constantly in
La sign of the cross above the people
crowoing against the wheels of the
4 vehicle.
i Finally. the carriages could go no
farther; the crowd was too dense.
The aged priests dismounted, the
people pushing back to make path
| for them. AS each prelate stepped
! from his carriage, the hand that had
been distributing blessings fumbled
under the flowing black gown and
drew from its folds stone to cast
upon the pile being erected to the
anger of the Greeks against their for.
mer fayorite, Venizelos.
The pile of stones of which each
man had cast one, pronouncing at the
same time the words: Katara kai
anathema" courses and anathemaD
was already higher than mans head
when the Archbishop mounted 1t.
Standing well above the crowd, he
pronounced the stigma. Of the church:
Accused be Eliphtherios Venizelos
Il - H. 4 - oYa1 lnk.