Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-07-08

a FEW years ago young Canadian
A achieved fame bs running from
Marathon to Athens, and winning the
classic Marathon Race" But not
every one knows why that race Is
classic and how and when It was first
run.
One September morning. in 400 B.
G.. 1900 heavily armed men lined the
crescent-shaped foothills OF Mount Pen
tellcus. overlooking the sea. Between
hills and sea lay the plain Of Mara
thOn, six miles long and two In width.
This plain. to seaward. was alive with
a carnival OF barbaric color. One hum
bred and ten thousand Persians were
encamped there. while the six miles
OF beach and harb0r were choked with
their warships. They were invading
Greece. and the only obstacle to their
triumphant progress was that handful
OF Athenlans on the hills. Just one
tenth the size OF the Persian force.
Greece, In those days, was made up
OF number OF small states, more or
less independent OF each other. Athens
was not only a city. but state, and
represented the highest form OF de
mocracy the world had then known.
II was divided into ten communities
or districts, each ruled by the people,
and each furnishing a general for the
army. Each OF these generals was In
full command for only one day at a
time.
Persia was then the strongest des-
potlc power on earth. Vast In wealth
and resources, IL was ruled by an
emperor, Darius I, who relgned with
absolute sway. Athens. Sparta and
one or two other Greek states alone
refused him submission. Hence, &C
cordIng TO the imperial will, Athens
and the other rebels must be crushed.
A fleet Of 1000 ships, bearing 1lO,OO0
Persian fighting men had landed at
Marathon. less than thirty miles to the
northeast Of the Athenian capital.
Thlther, to oppose the invasion, the
ten Athenian generals hurried oil the
men that could be mustered at such
short order. BIiltIades was Greece's
greatest soldier, and the other gen.
erals wisely surrendered their days
OF command" to him.
The fate OF the world hung in the
balance. Greece represented all that
was highest In art, culture, govern
ment and civilization; Persia, all that
was barbarlc, despOtic, non-progres-
sive. A Persian victory must mean
setback OF centuries In progress.
While the Persiaps waited, lazily
considering the easiest means 70 at
tack their puny foe they were dumb
founded to see the 1900 Greeks rush
at full speed down the slopes and into
the plain. Spread out In a thin line,
so that they could not be outfianked,
and shouting their Wild battle hymn.
the heavily armed Greeks-athletes
Affirm furlously across the mile OF
level ground at the base OF the noun
tain and hurled themselves on their
unprepnred- enemies. Through the
Iooser, more lightly equipped Persian
lines the two Athenlan wings bored
their way. The Greek center alone
gave back before superior numbers
The wings then whirled and, reinforc-
ing the center, again tore through the
Persian ranks. The Invaders, panic
stricken, fed to their ships. And
here, in the confusion OF embarking.
second and fiercer fight waged The
Persians got to sea at last, leaving
more than o,0O0 dead and seven cap
.ured galleys in the victors' hands
The Greek loss was but 1872.
Fearing lest the bafled foe might
IaiI TO the harbor Of Athens and take
he city unawares, Mlltiades sent q
witt runner to bear a warning and
he news OF the victory. Thus was
he first Marathon" race run. Thus,
oo-aRainst odds Of ten to one-waa
civilization saved.
Ten years later Xerxes, son OF Da-
Jus. sought to wipe out his fathers
Iisgrace by invading Greece with an
Irmy of more than million men. As
he mighty host lay encamped before
i'm the Persian monarch wept aloud
{ the thought that within a century
he entire million or more would be
cad. Eight hundred Persian war
hips entered the Gulf Of Salamis.
here they were attacked and routed
y a far smaller Greek squadron.
A mighty land force of PersIans,
had invaded Greece, con-
uering. burning and staying as they
dvanced. The only road from south
m 10 northern Greece lay through a :
arrow pass. ThermOpylae by name,
etween steep mountain and a
iarsh. Here the Spartan king, Leon
las, gathered about 5000 men from
parta and other Greek states to
lock the invaders way. For two '
ing days the PersiaBs hurled their a
ast iegions against the dauntless 4
900. On the third day. through h
-altor, secret road over the noun c
lin was revealed TO them and over I
lis they marched an army 10 hem IN d
he Greeks on both sides The de- d
snders, hearing OF the approach OF h
a a zFas.t- fo~ fto sncuf mart r.