Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-09-23

prepared BY the National Geographic So
c.ety. Washington. d. CO
An International commission official
ly rules the destinies of "the Zone
OF the Straits" Only since the World
war has II been zone" For CEN
turtles 1t was the heart of Turkey--the
Dardanelles, Marnora, the B6sphorus.
Over 1t sat not a commission, but sui
tans and caliphs. Jealous of the dem
onstrated power of political Islam.
And ages earlier Byzantine Greeks,
and before them their Ionian and
Peloponnesian cousins ruled those
same straits. The new commission
does not find it's rule unquestioned.
Descendants Of Turk and Greek
Turkish rebels, in open revolt against
the commission, and modern Greeks.
entirely willing to rule in its stead
over the important waterways Of their
fathers--are fighting II ont In the Near
East; and the Black sea and It's gates
are again field of world events, while
Russians. Roumanians and Bulgarians,
and the great powers of the West look
on, all to be affected whatever the
outcome
This is historic ground and water,
from the mouth of the DardaIelles at
the tip of the Gallipol peninsula, to
the point nearly 200 miles to the north
eastward where the narrower Bosphors
us sucks a mighty stream of water
m oh 81 II
and Legend first made them its theater.
The legfannaires of the Trojan war,
Phryxus and Helle. and Jason and his
fellow godseekerR sailed over their
waters and around their headlands ;
and later Greeks. Romans and Genoese
built grest cities on their shores and
established over their waters the
world-important trade routes of their
days.
Center Of the Old World.
II is against the current that flows
from the north that civilization as we
have known II has worked its way.
The first adventure was to enter the
Dardanelles or the Hellespont, as the
Greeks called it, THIS is the longer
of the two great saltwater Evers that
separate Europe from Asia Minor. 1t
winds its way. with two sharp turns
and numerous gentler curves, for 40
miles before its expands into the Sea
Of Marmora, the Grecian PrOpontis.
The strait varies in width from a lit
tie over three-fourths of mile to five
miles. On the European side rises the
steep ridge of Gallipoli where the i'll
fated expedition of Australians and
New Zealsnders suffered so keenly in
the World war On the Asiatic side
of the Dardanelles lies the plain of
old Troy and the foot hills of Mount
Ida.
The Sea of MarmOra from which the
Hellespont leads is about 140 miles
in length and 40 miles wide Mt its
greatest width, and is thus somewhat
smaller than Lake Ontario, the small.
est of our Great Lakes. But though
relatively small. 1t has In Its time been
the center of the world. Probably
about no other lake or sea In the world
Of such size have so many important
cities stood. or these, Constantinople
alone retains importance today; but
living and dead cities cover the shores
of practically every harbor and head
land of the little sea. The settlements
that still exist are not even the heirs
of the great cities Of yesterday, but
rather ill-kempt nterlopers-squatter
that under Turkish domain occupied
| their sites.
ceIonixed by the Greeks.
CoIonists from the Greek cities and
islands pushed up through the HelIes,
| pont and settled on the Propontine
shores at the dawn Of European his
tory. Byzantium, on the site Of pres
eni-day Constantinople, was member
Of the Second Athenian league; ant
the Dardanelles, already a Greciar
strait, was the scene of the battle
which closed the Peloponnesian wars
The Marmora really came into its
own in the period, following the dealt
OF Alexander when the kingdom o.
Bithynia fourished on Its shores, ant
| Pontus and Pergamos grew to pros
perity on either side. Cyzicus on thu
peninsula Of that name on the south
ern shore Of Marmora was the chic
city. 1t was founded earlier thar
Rome or Byzantium. It had a lonl
life, possessed at various times b,
Athens, Sparta, Persia. Macedon. Per
gamos and Rome. 1t was rated on
Of the splendid ancisnt cities. and n
gold coins were the standard Of thei
day, a. Florence's 6orins became u
Renaissance timea.
| hit wAsn Byzanuum. II In incsm
| pasabls oesaessa ~ ~ nespAeru1