Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-02-18

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washing ton, D. CO.
In the combination of present pic
turesqueness, wealth of historic asso-
Citations and interesting ruins of past
greatness, few regions can surpass the
Islands Of the Aegean off the coast Of
Asia Minor, the region that consti-
tuted the seed bed for the glory that
was Greece.
Not only has Asia Minor and the
Islands facing it's shores been the stage
upon which have been enacted some
of the most pOrtentous events in hui
man history, but it Is at the present
time one of the most interesting and
picturesque regions in the world. 1t
has often been termed the quintessence
Of the East. For nowhere else will
you find, thrown together in close as
ISOLATION, so many things Of the East
the camel caravan; the groves of
cypress, olive, plane and valonia
trees; the mosque and towering
minaret; latticed windows and yelled
women; quaint and picturesque cos
tunes, and a background made up of
the remnants of an ancient civillza-
ton in the form of ruined cities which
dot the surface Of the whole country.
Among the Aegean islands Chios
and its neighbor Samos are favorite
spots with the few tourists who fire.
quent this region, because Of their ac-
feasibility. They are situated but a
short sail from Smyrna.
AS early as 700 B. @. Chios was
one of the richest and most important
members Of the Ionian Union. 1t has
disputed with Smyrna the honor of
being the birthplace Of Homer Chios
has been, in turn, Ionian, Persian
Athenian, Roman, Italian, Turkish
and finally, In 1913, after a separa-
ton Of nearly 2,300 years, it was
united once more to the parent coun-
try, Greece. AS one well may i'm
agine, a little island which has
changed masters so many times nee
essarily must have suffered much
from the strife which swept over it.
Twice has this island been visited
~ lCAlAbiC ColLllQudhGS. IG HE
was away back In the year II A. D.,
and 1t was only through the fostering
care of Emperor Tiberius that the
people were able to make a fresh
start. The second was in 1881, when
the town of Kastro was practically
laid waste. Mosques, churches and
dwelling houses disappeared into the
bowels of the earth, engulfing no less
than 5000 people. This earthquake
visited the whole island, and many
beautiful and historic monasteries,
some of which contained priceless OBJ
Iects of art, valuable libraries and
monuments of antiquity, were COM
pletely lost.
Happy In the Old Days.
But in spite of all these vicissitudes
Chios has also seen many happy days.
Even in the old days of the Ionian
Union it was celebrated on account of
its commerce and industries, especial
ly for its native wine, and the manu-
facture of beds and sofas. Under
Rome the island was ruled as an In
sular province, and enjoyed several
hundred years of almost unbroken
peace and prosperity. The people
have always been sober and indus
trious, and not only have they grown
opulent in the various fields Of COM
merce, but many have also succeeded
In literature and art as we'll
Chios real troubles virtually began
in the Greek war of independence.
Somewhat against the will of the peo-
pie, the island became involved in
this struggle and was visited by a
massacre which appalled, humanity.
In 1922 the Captain Pasha appeared
before Kastro with a powerful feet
and landed an army of Moslems, who
slaughtered, in the space of two
months, no less than 10000 Chians.
1t is estimated that $4,000 were sold
into slavery. The entire island was
given over to pillage, and scarcely a
village, church, or convent was spared
the flames.
Home of Gum Mastlo.
One Of the chief products Of Chios
Is gum mastlc, which is grown on the
southern part Of the island. 1t is
used as a gum, and also distilled as
a liquid, which is used throughout the
Levant as an appetizer Immediately
before meals. When mixed with wa
ter this liquid assumes pale milky
color and is an intoxicant If used in
immoderate quantities.
Many pleasant drives may be taken
from Kastro, along the coast and into
the interior of the island. There are