Show I GREEK CAPITAL PLAGUE RIDDEN I Smallpox Epidemic in Athens Ath ens Taking Heavy Toll Tollof of Child L Life e. e FEAR BUBONIC ALSO ALSO Belief in Efficacy of of ot St. St Barbara Profound Among Peasantry I I II Athens Athena Greece Sept Ic of ot Infantile f ln in New To 1 1 Is rivalled by an n epidemic of in itt Athens that I. I taking A heavy toll toU tollof tollof of ot both children and adults In Jn the tho city proper and In Piraeus the iii port of Athens In Incidentally Greek ships a- a riving from Alexandria report the th spread of ot th the bubonic plague hi in Egypt and cholera has bas broken out In the I. I land of oC due to th the arrival of or refugees from Asia Minor A qua antine has been established hed between the th Island and th the ports of ot Greece The epidemic of oC smallpox In Athena has haa resulted re In compulsory vaccination or reTae revaccination but It la is difficult to carry out tho the or orders era aa as B tho of va vaccine cine la is limited and tho the movement of ot the demobilized e troops Into the in In In- tenor makes It difficult to combat tho the spread rea of ot the disease The bl feature of the epS epi Is the reliance that is placed upon the efficacy of ot one en of the sacred acred or images Image of The of ot St. St B Barbara of ot In Asia Aela Minor has been brought ht with eTer every pomp and circumstance from th the ancient church of ot the convent of DaphnI near Athens Athene and sot set up In tho the church of ot In the quarter whore hore th the smallpox la Ss takIng ita its heaviest toll All morning during the transport tio tion Uon of ot the hol holy iko the bells of every church In Athens and the Piraeus tolled wiled at regular Intervals The Tho procession crept afoot atoot along the tho sun parched road that for tor five lies across acro the Attic plain the plain the ancient sacred ncnd way was BO so o graphically described by Chateaubriand The black robes robeo of ot the priests were slowly whitened by th the th dust and little streams of or sweat mad niad Irregular lines down the tho gray faces of those who formed the tho cortege corteg burIn bearing the tho sacred acred Image Belief i In the The belief In the ettl efficacy y of th the of ot Saint Barbara Is very profound among the simpler Especially ib 1 this true of ot the artillerymen and firemen whose whole p patron tron saint St. St Barbara Barbars Bar Bar- bara bars Is 13 not only In Greece but In Jn other countries as well weB where her r day dayIs Is celebrated on December 4 4 fit St Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara was a In 3 A. A D. D during during- th the persecutions which characterized the brief reign of ot the Homan Roman Roman Ro Ro- man emperor or according to another version her head was cut cutoff cutoff off ort b by her own father tather who had felled failed to persuade her to i renounce enounce Christianity Christian Christian- It ity In the year under tho the Emperor Still SUB further evidence of ot the belief belle in the power ower of or is Ie een seen In th the tho preparations for the annual pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of ot Tinos which will bo be made mads on August 29 38 It Is ii iia Isa a belief bellet current among among- the ordinary Greeks that the virgin saved the Ufa lito of oC ICing King Constantine Constantino I last lut year when he hovered between life and death att after r. r an operation at the hands of ot two fAmous famous fa fa- German surgeons Burgeons At a a. Urn time when whon hope had practically been given Alven up It was waa decided to bring brinE the sacred of tho the Virgin of ot Tines TInos to tho the bedside bedside bedside bed bed- side of or the sovereign All along the entire route route peasants gathered and knelt knolt at the ro roadside as tho the sacred Imago Image passed and a a. minister In the antechamber of ot the royal roal paJa palace marked on a no special map the of ot tho the procession while outside the palace thousands of humble Greeks with hysterical gathered man many weeping emotion Finally the image arrived and was waa set up in the bedroom of ot the monarch According to the Greek peasant from that moment the kings king's life Ufo was wu saved The Tho Imago image of ot tho the Virgin of ot Tino was then returned to its shrine on th the tha top of oC a mountain whither t every year come tens of ot thousands of ot the devo devout t tor of or the tho Greek church much as u French Catholics visit the shrine of ot Lourdes Tho inhabitants of ot the I Island land of ot Tines have a total Income of per annum from the tho yearly early pilgrimage which is over in one day |