The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-08-05

Aegean. and amply provided with the
various resources of field, wood, and
water, should long have been known
to men, and that its possession should
often have been disputed.
Founded by kassander Of Macedon.
Yet compared to its two great neigh
bors, Athens and Constantinople,
Saloniki is relatively a modern town.
Founded originally as an Ionian col
ony, the place was first known as
Therme, or Therma, from the hot
springs which still exist In that east
ern district of the bay.
The present town was founded about
315 B. c. by King Kassander Of Mace
don, and named after his wife, TheS-
Great The adjoining peninsula Of
Kassandra takes its name from the
king himself. who founded another
city on It's shore.
Under the Romans, Saloniki grew
greatly In Importance. Made free
city, the capital of the surrounding re-
gion, it became the home Of many RO-
man colonists, and not a few famous
names associate themselves with the
town. Cicero lived there for time in
exile.
During the Byzantine period Salonih
became the second city Of the empire.
It's situation made it the commercial
capital Of the Balkan peninsula, and it
rivaled Constantinople as a port Of
traffic between eastern Europe and
Alexandria.
Saloniki has been compared to
Genoa But ones first impression is of
disappointing flatness, not in the
least comparable to the lofty air-the
piled, Fashioned, demonstrating air
of the italian city. Yet Saloniki
scales heaven, too, in her more dis
Greet manner.
And there is even something family
italian about her. This is most palp-
able on the broad quay of the water
front, especially when veritable row
of fishermen from the Adriatic are
drying nets or sails under the sea wall,
just as they do in Venice. The cres-
cent of white buildings facing the blue
bay would not look foreign in any
Rimini or Spezzia. The White Tower,
which is the most conspicuous of them,
might have been the work of an Ital-
ian prince.
What the People Arc Like.
AS for the people, good many
would pass without question. Just
such slight and trim young men in
Italy would sit at little tables on the
sidewalk. Just such young women,
rather pale and powdered as to com
plexion, rather dusky as to eyes and
hair, would sit beside them. And you
hear a good deal Of Italian. But you
hear more of other and less familiar
languages. And those red fezzes are
new note.
A more striking note is afforded by
numerous dignified old gentlemen
taking their ease In bathrobes, as II
were, slit little up the side and tied
about the waist with gay silk girdle
Over the bathrobe they usually wear 9
long, open coat lined with yellow fur
which guards them from the cold iI
winter and in summer from the heat
And none of them Is without a strine
of beads, preferably of amber, dangling
from his hand and giving him some
thing to play with.
A dozen different estimates Of the
population will be given an enquirer
varying according to the race Of the
informant; but they all agree on the
point that Sal0niki contains not fal
from 10000 people, and that more
than half Of them are Jews.
There is also considerable Moslen
population of Hebrew origin, mainly
descended from the followers O,
Sabatai Levi of Smyrna, would-bt
Messiah of the Seventeenth century
who created a great stir In this par
Of the world, and who, being at las
offered his choice between death ant
Islam, elected the latter.
DmH