The Crittenden press., 1922-09-15

prepared by the National Geographic
Society, Washington. D. c0
Within 'the Zone Of the Straits"-the
strip Of land bordering the Darda-
neiles, the Bosphorus and the Aegean
sea, whose international control is
likely TO be altered somewhat by re-
vision Of the treaty Of Seyres-lies the
subject Of one OF the worlds greatest
epics: Troy, where two nations
fought for the fair Helen.
The Trojan walls, unyisited BY the
idle tourist, are still In evidence;
those same walls that deGed the on
slaughts Of Agamemnon and Menelaus
Of Ajax. Nestor, Domed, Ulysses and
Achilles, to fall at last by stratagem.
They remained as ruined and aban-
doned stage minus It's pnraphernalla,
whereon was played 80 many centuries
ago an insignificant little drama COM
pared with modern events; but II was
a drama so big with human interest
divinely told that tie world has never
known It's eQunl.
To be sure. II was all In the telling;
and what would Troy have been with.
out It's Homeri Stlll. as the theater
Of the worlds greatest epic poem. II
deserves a visit any year. every year.
In the thoughts and emotions II re-
wives and stimulates. In the aroused
sense Of Indebtedness Of all subse-
quent literature and art, II richly re-
pays a visit. The classical student
will leave II In a daze OF meditation
upon things more real 70 him than the
actual things he has secn and touched.
In visiting the ruins Of Troy. one
sets out from the village u Darda.
nelles for n tye hours hot and dusty
ride.
After a couple of hours travel
through the plain the rad grows
rougher and begins to ascend into hllly
country. The traveller realizes that he
should be- nearing historic ground
now and he glanccs around the horizon
to see II he an idrniify Mt Ida. and
toward the sea for n Art sight Of
Tenedos. but no. this i only common
soil Rounding the summit Of the next
rise one sees the rad leading down
into Ercn Koui. Turkish village, n
convenient haltlng place for coffee
Then the road begins to wind through
the village Ia a gradual descent until
u makes sudden jerky little turn
into the open country, and behold me
plain Of Truy not the plain of the his.
toric action. but the drainage ARA
which includes Troy.
To the Hiu ot lllum.
The rad leads slrplght toward a
ridEc In the distance, the INN Of
nium," at the lower point u which
will presently appear the ruins Il
was down that identical ridge. or 70
one tells oneself uiat the angry god.
Apollo. strUjy toward vengeance.
while the arrows In the gulycr On his
shoulder changed In uminols music.
Yondcr the summit " NJ Ida. whcre
the gods In solemn conclaye 70 often
sat Away over ihcrr sklrting the
ridge u nlum. IL Slmgls stream. or
should be. but the bridge across it
shows upon approach that modern
simols il no more than a creek. Worse
than that; following It's attcnualcd
course. less than a nile downstream.
oae discovers that u ends In a moraSs
Instead Il iuiuInE che Scimandcr as q
yore And the latter stryam u scarcr.
" less disappoihilns for Il "a no m0ge
diguinri 10 dte " appeauncc. In
tact. their sluggish guffvnls united caa
carccly beast u banks cxcept az oc.
casional intervals for both streams
are now only broad swsles merging
with the adjacent plain. with no con.
tinuous current toward the sea except
In seasons of high water. n such are
ever known.
Behold the ruins at last A long.
low ridge some four or nye miles Ia
length, ends abruptly like a prpmpa.
tory projecting into the sea, above
which Il rises about 10 feet The ridEe
IL the so.callcd "illll Of Tlum.~ the
sea ls the ioodplaln Of the Slmols and
scamsnder, historically known as the
plain Of Troy. aud the prumon,crI.
with lts crown u ruins, Is Troy itseli.
rou walk srvuhd the ruins and make
the surprising discovery that n the
walking were evod yvu could easily