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Show Greek figures on top of the front wall. It is tho dream of even the bootblacks, who ewarm the streets in such numbers, num-bers, that the old days will come again. Unfortunately, this passionate loyalty loyal-ty to the old heroes and the old ideals is not accompanied by a loyally to the present rulers and leader. The hold of the royal house upon the nation is very tenuous indeed. No political leader can command a national following fol-lowing for any considerable length of time. The present-day Greek has no capacity capac-ity for self-subordination and discipline. discip-line. Even the army and navy, as the bloodless "revolution" of a year ago showed, is completely demoralized. demoral-ized. With all his devotion to patriotic patri-otic ideals, the Greek has not learned how to keep quiet and do what he is told in support of his leaders and country. He lacks capacity for cohesion, co-hesion, co-operation and efficiency. The Turkish soldier is a stupid fellow, by no means the equal of his Greek enemy, yet he knows how to obey his officers and fight like a demon. Perhaps, Per-haps, as some say, here, Greece has too many university students out of jobs; she is overtrained sentimentally and intellectually. I listened in the nwwiw n iiiiiimii iiiiii mi mm f Bin inriiir wtMr'nr iTini -iir- n im-wniiniiirTnUT JL OLDER SANATIONS Greece Trembles Under War Clouds Dread of Turkish Invasion the Supreme Su-preme Sentiment Among Hellenes Help From American Greeks. By WILLIAM T. ELLIS. Athens. "If war does not come within six weeks, it probably will not come for six months, because of the difficulty of moving troops in winter. I expect It to come by the unannounced un-announced Invasion of Thessaly by Turkish troops." That is the essence of a report that may be found In the secret archives of at least two governments. Moreover, More-over, I have it upon the highest authority au-thority that a recent dossier contains not only the foregoing alarming statement, state-ment, but also the substance of the terms which Turkey will exact namely a huge indemnity, the cession of a large part of Thessaly, and the disarmament and neutralization of Greece by the powers. At the same time, Crete will be given up by Turkey, Tur-key, for the turbulent island is only an apple of discord, of which the Ottoman Ot-toman empire will be glad to be rid, when It can do so gracefully. As to the outcome of this inevitable war, the opinion of one diplomat with whom I talked is that "Turkish troops will be in Athens In just the time that it takes them to march from the frontier." fron-tier." , Greece In e. Blue Funk. Greece is scared cold. It was a negro, In the latter case even supplying supply-ing the equipment for the 50,000 troops immediately available. When the moment mo-ment comes for action, and it cannot long be delayed, for this splendidly fit body of men is spoiling for a fight, Russia will throw this force against tho Moslem, and in support of Christian Chris-tian Greece. This will be not because she loves Greece more, but because she loves Turkey less, and Turkey's new ally and controlling genius, Germany. The new alignment of forces created by the Roumanian-Turco agreement, with the" "understanding" that is now believed be-lieved to exist between Germany, Austria and Turkey, has changed the situation in the Balkans. At present .it stands as I have portrayed it. Great Britain, once the first factor to be considered, has sunken in influence in-fluence until she is scarcely reckoned with. The panicky state of mind of the past year in Great Britain has produced a situation in these parts which neither Britishers nor Americans Ameri-cans view with satisfaction. Greece Is Europe Turkey Is Asia. One who is studying the awaking of the older nations finds a striking Illustration of his main thesis in Greece. Of all living nations except China and Japan, Greece is the oldest. It once was the greatest. Civilization owes more to Greece than to any other oth-er country. This point is familiar to every schoolboy. Monuments of her departed splendor are all about: they constitute a large proportion of the world's precious art treasures. But Greece herself had become a mere memory; her glory had departed, and she had come to be spoken of in the past tense. Within the lifetime of old men in Athens a new Greece has been born. Athens itself has grown in less than a century from nothing to a modern, well-kept, beautiful city of 200,000 inhabitants. in-habitants. The contrast between it house of deputies one day while the members wrangled and quarreled like monkeys on the eligibility of a notary no-tary public to parliament; all the while the national feeling is that the Turks are at the gate. The need for a Demosthenes is plain. For all signs are wrong, and all prophets misled, if Greece is not now at the crisis ot her modern history. Greeks Abroad Drill for Fight. There are more Greeks outside of Greece than within the country. Turkey Tur-key has more than- Greece. The persistence per-sistence of the Greek national spirit is almost as marked as that which makes the Jews in all lands a peculiar pecul-iar people. No measures that Turkey has ever been able to take have been effective in transforming her Grecian subjects into true Ottomans. The fundamental reason for this is religious. relig-ious. Now, in her time of danger, Greece looks to the dispersion for succor. I learned here, confirming my information informa-tion from the proper American official sources, that the Greeks in the United States are diligently drilling for the great issue. In Boston, Lowell, Manchester, Man-chester, N. H., Chicago and many other oth-er centers of Greek immigration, the men have formed military companies, and In some cases even have uniforms and arms. They are making ready for the call which every Greek in the world is confident will shortly sound, in response to which there will be a swift and simultaneous migration of Hellenes from Turkey, Egypt, Macedonia, Mace-donia, England and North America, to the scene of what they fondly nope will be a new Homeric struggle. A level-headed official remarked that it would be more to the point if the rich Greeks who are equipping military, companies would instal experiment ex-periment stations in dry-farming; to help Greece develop her resources. The national spirit is talking about what will happen when Greece gets back her lost territory; whereas the more sensible course would be to make the most of 'what she now has. It is very fine for men and women to parade in the old national costume, and to dress their children in it, and to sit about the cafes talking patriotism patriot-ism and singing national songs; but the present need of the nation is for greater individual efficiency, subordination subordi-nation and loyalty. The tragic phase of the present crisis in Greece is that the whole nation na-tion is awake to the possible impending impend-ing fate. A peculiarly sensitive people, peo-ple, of most ardent and patriotic temperament, tem-perament, they are yet so hampered by conditions, including their own mercurial and impractical temperament, tempera-ment, that they must face the encroachments en-croachments of the hated Turk with flowing speeches rather than with, well-drilled rifles. (Copyright, 1911, by Joseph B. Bowles.) .-;-- ;i ' ' X " - " v ' J fc - t - , . t Tt( , i A Typical Greek Soldier. surprise to me, I confess, to find everybody here so sure that the conflict con-flict is not only certain, but also that it is near. In Constantinople I discovered dis-covered no signs of an immediate purpose pur-pose to have it out with Greece. My judgment was, and Is, that the Young Turks have trouble enough at home for the present. Their own house needs to be set in order; and I cannot can-not agree with the careful observers over here who think that the best . cure of Turkey's internal Ills would be a short and easy war. Greeks listened lis-tened with incredulous hope when I told them why I thought hostilities remote. re-mote. Even the new hero of the nation, na-tion, Venizellos, late prime minister of Crete, to whom all Greece looks as a deliverer, fervently told mo that he hopes my optimism Is warranted, so that Greece may have more time to make ready. A nation scared is not a pretty sight. The thrill which a traveler feels as for tho first time he looks upon the Acropolis, and the other magnificent ruins of Greece's ancient glory; or as he stands on the top of the Parthenon and looks off in one direction to Marathon, and in another ' - to Salamis, must give way to quite different sentiments as he observes the present-day population of the city suffering from a bad case of "nerves," aware of its own Inability to fight, M and momentarily expectant of news of a Turkish invasion. The two hopes which the people cherish, and repeat to one another reassuringly, re-assuringly, are that the powers will prevent a war; and that an alliance is now assured with the once-hated neighbor, Bulgaria, which is a fighting fight-ing force not to be despised. The men In high place, who are Informed upon what goes on behind the scenes in Near Eastern politics, also say and they doubtless are right in this that Russia has officered and drilled the troops of Bulgaria, Servla and Monte- and Constantinople Is the contrast between be-tween Europe and Asia. Here is order, or-der, cleanliness, up-to-dateness; there is helter-skelter clutteration, dirt and archaism. The European dress, the familiar urban customs, and the general gen-eral sense of at-homeness, put the sympathies of the traveler from Asia at once with the Greeks. America's Influence Upon Greece. The new life of the west has permeated per-meated this old nation. There is a constant Interflow of thought between Greece and Britain and America. Three million dollars are sent here annually by Greeks in the United States. Last year, from only one American consular district in this country, the number of emigrants to the United States amounted to one per cent, of the entire population of all of Greece. Of course, this is a serious drain upon the vital power of the nation. Hut the Greeks abroad send and bring back modern ideas. The labor union is flourishing. ' I saw- it work on a Russian steamer in the harbor. The Russian officer in charge of the loading load-ing of the cargo flew into a passion at one of tho hands, bacause the latter lat-ter could net understand Russian. He ordered the interpreter to discharge him, whereupon all the stevedores left the ship within five minutes. The poverty of the country is being ameliorated, amel-iorated, and compulsory education is general everywhere, although far too large a proportion of the curricula is devoted to Ancient Greece. This influence of the Greece of twenty-five centuries ago is at once a pernicious and a noble force in the life of the nation. Everybody is posted post-ed upon who was who in the cycles B. C. Antiquities are guarded most carefully. The beautiful Acropolis overshadows the life of the nation. Models of the great statues are found In most buildings. I saw a moderate sized house which had three great |
