South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-11-14

The question Of succession 90 the
throne OF King Alexander Of Greece
turns world interest once more 20
southeastern Europe. The changes
Greece has undergone territorally
and the part 70 has played in the
wars and crises Of it's corner Of the
world are discussed " the follow
ing bulletin issued by the National
Geographic society:
What is Greece
In the light Of the past the an
swer might well be tentative, for a
definition of Greece's area at any
time duri@g the thousands Of years
% It's history would have held good
hardly FOR a quarter century; ana
in latter years. so swift have been
the changes iu the new Greece, each
decade has seen the fixing or new
boundaries.
"A Sea Surrounded by Land"
Not until modern times-eXcept
during the momentary empire OF
AIexander-has Greece meant
nation. In the Grecian golden age,
az well as before and since. Greece
was "a house divided against itself.
It's detailed history would mean the
history of more than 100 separate
states. And yet there was at all
times some feeling of Hellenic ma
tIonaIity even though the rivalries
among the various groups stood I'm
the way Of fusion into a single ma
tion.
While Great Britain may be de-
scribed as "a land surrounded by
seas, Greece may be said 20 be a
sea surrounded b. land The Hell
Ienes have always been a sea-faring
folk, and the Mediterranean sea and
more particularly the Aegean have
been their own particular herring
ponds. The islands Of the eastern
Mediterranean became Greek terri
tory In their entirety, and this was
true also OF tho island-like PelO-
ponnesus and some other portions
OF the Greek peninsula. But an
equally important part OF Greece
OF better. of the land OF the Hell
lenes-vere the settlements made
by its mariners on the shores Of the
mainland that hem IN the Mediter-
ranean- These settlements consti-
tutsd an unbroken fringe OF Hellas
along the shores OF Asia Minor. and
scattered communities on the shores
% Italy, In Sicily, even in northern
Africa and what is now southern
France. This was the loose Greece
or Hellas at its greatest domain
OF one people but of many states.
Greece Had League Of Nations.
Greece gave the world its first
league Of nations. the Delian league.
organized in 447 3. c. by way OF
mutual protection against tho 'ex-
tsrnal aggression Of Persia. which
had a sort OF Berlin-to- Bagdad am
bition OF It's own IN those days.
Athens was the only principal pow
err in this league and was the rec
Ognized leader OF the organization.
Later came the hegemony Of
Athens by force. the paradoxical
empire OF a dem ocracy. bereft even
OF the trHppings OF monarchy. At
this period and under what may be
termed the empires OF Sparta and
Theebes, a close approach 10 a
Greek nation may be said TO have
existed: but In none CT these eras
were the most OF the territories
psOpled by Greeks included. and
even large parts of the Greek pen
Ursula Itself were governed by other
Hellenic states. For "A brief period
under Alexander tire Great Greece
reached the status Of a nation. but
a. was a fusion forced by virtual
outsider and contained much terri
tory inhabited by others than
p Greeks, and on the death Of the
great military genius the Hellenes
separated again into numerous gov
ernmental units. Greece. expand
ing from the city state. had COM
prised for moment almost the
whole civilized world, but the great
dilation was followed by au equally
great contraction. Greece fell un-
der the rising power Of Rome, and