Evening star., 1927-11-01

The prospect OF hunt for lost art
| trea sures beneath modern shabbiness
on the ancient market place oil
Athens, financed by millions from an
unnamed American, appeals strongly
to the imagination of the press. Ii
is assumed that all difficulties in the
way of clearing the site eventually
will be overcome and that wonderful
discoveries await the search to be di-
rected by the American School for
Classical Studies.
Speaking of the great progress made
during the last 20 years in archaeology,
the New York Herald Tribune says
illicit digging has been stopped; care
less digging is no longer possible
Every scientific aid in discovery
photography and measurement in stu;
proper care in the excavation; the
preservation, removal or protection OF
the buildings or objects found; the GER
tainty of accurate and reasonably
early publication-such are the safe
guards for the results that are confl'
IDENTIFY expected by the world from
American archeologists."
The thought that $4,000 900 has been
given ito be used for digging up %
acres of the city of Athens" inspires
the comment from the Grand Rapids
Press that "to the average man that
| would seem a shocking waste of cur
rent funds. Yet Probabilities are,
adds the Press, that it will be one OF
the wisest and greatest investments OF
our time. In effect, it is a philan
thropy to enrich all humanity. as vel
as sure-thing treasure hunt. Fol
the % acres form the old market place
of Athens. And back in time when
Athens was producing art we still car
only copy today temples and libraries
public buildings and statues of mar
velous beauty covered the site. II
they are as we'll preserved under the
soil and buildings of the modern city
as scholars believe them to be. the
find will include the only examples OF
Greek painting ever brought to light
besides innumerable inscriptions and
frieZes. statues and carved utensils
and vases"
"a half-political interest" is seen by
the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in the "re
ported anxiety of Mussolini to take ii
over il the Americans fail" and that
paper adds: 'Italy's dictator is
greatly intrigued by archaeology. but,
for obvious reasons, Greece is not par
tlCularly friendly 10 italy. Inc EaSie
finds it a matter for comment that
Greece is jealous of her art treasures
and her antiquities. and cites the fact
that ''as to sending things to America.
she only permits the excavators under
the 25acre concession to send dupli.
,ates away. or. in effect. such treasures
rs are like those already in the Royal
Museum Of Athens"
Temples. libra ries and other public
edifices full of artistic treasures" the
Hartford Courant explains, were
erected on this site by Grecian and
n-Greeian rulers. For nearly a cen
tury the project to dig there has been
agitated. Inaction in the past has
been due. we suspect. partly to fire.
quent changes in government and
partly to lack of funds. +"
Archeolosists in this country. in Eng
land. Germany and France will envy
the American School for Classical
Studies. and will be keenly interested
in the progress of the work"
THE glory that was Greece" ob-
serves the New York World. "haunts
the student in every civilized modern
state. Nowhere can more satisfying
results he expected from the liberal
expenditure of skill and money than