The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1921-01-12
GREECE; NEW NATION OF
AN ANCIENT PEOPLE.

The question of succession 10 the
throne of King Alexander of Greece
turned world interest once more to
southeastern Europe. Tie changes
Greece has undergone territorally and
the part it has played in the wars and
crises of its corner of the world, are
discussed in the following bulletin is
sued by the National Geographic So
ciety:
"What Is Greece?
"In the light Of the past the answer
might well be tentative. for dehni-
ton of Greece's area at any time DUR
ing the thousands of years of It's MS
tory would have held good hardly for
a quarter century; and in latter years,
SO swift have been the changes In the
new Greece, each decade has seen the
fixing of new boundaries.
Not until modern times-cxcept
during the momentary empire OF Alex
ander-has Greece meant nation.
In the Grecian Golden Age, as well
as before and since, Greece was
house divided against itself. Its de-
tailed history would mean the history
of more than $50 separate states.
And yet there was at all times some
feeling of Hellenic nationality even
though the rivalries among the va
rious groups stood in the way OF fu-
sion into a single nation.
while Great Britain may be de-
scribed as a land surrounded by seas
Greece may be said to be "a sea sur
rounded by land The Hellenes have
always been sea-faring folk, and
the Mediterranean sea, and more par
ticularly the Aegean have been their
own particular herring ponds The
islands of the eastern Mediterranean
became Greek territory in their en-
tirety, and this was true also Ut the
island-like Peloponnesus and some
other portions of the Greek peninsula.
But an equally important part OF
Grecce-or better. of the land OF the
HellenesAwere the settlements made
by its mariners on the shores of the
mainland that hem In the Mediter'
ranean. These settlements consti'
tuted an unbrOken fringe of Helias
along the shores of Asia Minor. and
scattered communities on the shores
of Italy, in Sicily, even in northern
Africa and what Is now southern
France. This was the loose Greece
or Hellas at its greatest-a domain
Of one people but of many states.
Greece gave the world its frs
League of Nations. the Delian league
organized in Hi B. c. by way of nu
tual protection against the 'externa
aggression of Persia, which had
sort of Berlln-to-Bagdad ambition o
its own in those days. Athens wa
the only principal power in thi
league, and was the recognized leade
of the organization.
Later came the hegemony of Ath
ems by force. the paradoxical emp!r
Of democracy. bereft even of tn
trappings of monarchy. At this pc
Rod and under what may be terme'
the empires Of Sparta and Thebes.
close approach to Greek nation ma
be said to have existed; but In non
Of these eras were most Of the terri
tories peopled by Greeks included, an
even large parts Of the Greek pen'r
sula itself were governed by othe
Hellenic states. For brief per:o
under Alexander the Great, Greco
reached the status Of a nation, but
was a fusion forced by virtual or
slider and contained much territory II
habitcd by others than Greeks; an
on the death Of the great militar
genius the Hellenes separated agai
= into numerous governmental units.
Greece expanding from the cit
state, had comprised for momer
, almost the whole civilized world: b'
| the great dilation was followed by a
| equally great contraction. Greece fe
| under the rising power Of Rome. ar
became a mere province In the ives
/ ern empire.
| "The military ability and power
the Greeks died under the Roms
yoke; but when the Eastern empi
was formed with Constantinople as /
seat, Greek culture conquered whe
creek arms could not. and Byzant;u
became in reality great Greek stat
| Once more the territory that, by co
struction at least. can be regarded
Greece. spread outward until it he
within its boundaries much of sout
eastern Europe. II is on reviving 4
glory of this period in Grecian hiStO
! that Greek ambition. when it cou
/ 1.-Two at oil has dWC1t"