Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-06-17

Teistn Wsssinston. b. c.
Greece, In carrying on in Asia Mi
nor, against the Turkish Nationalist,
what may be called the only major
war now in progress, attracts attens
ton anew to the prolonged presence
OF the Greeks on the world stage.
There are few parallels to the strik-
ing racial phenomenon of Hellenic
continuity throughout the vicissitudes
Of 1000 years. Modern research has
penetrated the dark byways Of me
dieval Greek. history. and we now,
know that the Greeks, whatever their
temporary fate, have preserved I'M
broken the thread of their national
existence.
The firmest bond which .unites, the,
Greek of today with his illustrious
forebears of the golden age is the
Greek language. the essential ele-
ments Of which remain as they were
I'm the days when the tongue served
as the mediums of the noblest poetry
and the subIimest philosophy which
the race has yet produced. This
tongue traces its unbroken lineage
back through medieval and New Tes-
lament Greek to the classic speech of
Plato and Of his contemporaries.
And yet, with all this continuity
of language, there exists now In
Greece a linguistic condition OF af-
fofro a roun6 xuhfoh oortars N onrtro
versy at once comic or tragic; for
there are in Greece two languages,
or. rather, the one language in two
forms-One written by the newspa-
pers. spoken by the educated classes,
and used in pafiiahiehtary debates
and In public documents, including
the Scriptures, the circulation of
which 10 regulated by law; and the
other vernacular used by the mass
es Of the people, containing many
words Of foreign origin, especially
Turkish and Italian, arising from
those periods Of foreign occupation,
with much simphffed grammar fare-
" reduced to writing, except. for pri-
vate communications. The former is
the cultured tongue; the latter the
popular idiom; and between the two
there RACES merciless warfare, In
which fanatical students Of the uni
! versity have lost their lives, ministers
their portfolios, and a Metropolitan
ef Athens his inter.
.Greece of Today Almost New.
Greece Of today looks back only
three generations, II one places Its
origin in the war for independence
which was concluded by the protocol
Of London In 1880; and. witnessing
the progress which in that brief spar
has been made in q land Of sucf
sparse resources, one cannot see how
praise can be withheld from a PEG
pie who have accomplished so much
When the city OF Athens passed
from Turkish control and was des
ignated as the capital Of the new FREE
kingdom OF Greece, 1T was 4 rper
handful of wretched huts clustere'
about the Acropolis. Today it is
thoroughly gpodern city, with splen
did streets, magnificent public build
ings, handsome residences, pttraetiv
parks. and most OF the modern I'm
provements of which western cite
boast. The building of this city alon
in a land OF such scanty resources !
fairly comparable to the development
of our own rich West, and as mer
torious when all the circumstance
are considered. Indeed, had the Gree
of today nothing to his credit saw
the building of the attractive capits
Of his nation. that alone would b
sufficient to rank, him among the col
structigs agencies, Of fhee, modeer
world. :,
In this city Of old memories ar
new hopes. Greek life centers nov
in Its classic days, and bere, apsler
and modern Greece are inextricabl
mingled In a curious medley Of mi
dernity and antiquity. (which rolors Il
most ordinary of everyday affair
On every hand arise the Skaters
monuments of its splendid past. ar
even the tihiest fragmentsr :whif
serve te Ink the life of the presei
with the days that are gone are mo
carefully preserved.
Guards lts Antiquities.
The Greek government Is keen
alive to its responsibility for the SAT
guarding OF Its antiquities, and Il
department of archaeology, under Il
charge Of the ministry of educate
and religion. Is painstakingly orga
Lied and prudently administered. T.
museums at Athens are handsome
housed, conveniently arranged, q
Meurately cataIogued. and OPEN to
<pection and study without fee, Il
latter being . point Of great .pri