Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/237

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
*
207
*

GREECE. 207 GREECE. cousiilcrable numbers in other parts of the Old World, while tliuiisaiids have eoiiie to the United States. Over 200. (tOO non-CJreeks reside in t^reeee, of whom the Albanians, the most numerous body, are l>eeuming largelj' assimilated with the native population. The Greeks sur])ass all the other peoples of the Balkan Peninsula in homogeneity and national unity, .md in this way, as well as in conniieree and navigation, have shown themselves to be worthy successors of the old Ilellenes in spite of the misrule and other misfortunes whieh for eenturies tended to impoverish the soil and decimate the pojmhition. Most of the people, a.s well as their government, are poor. It is foreign capital that has to a large extent made public improvements and brought about some develop- ment in manufacturing. Ethnology. In racial characteristics the Greeks belong to the ^Mediterranean race, and are akin to the Iberian of Spain and the Ligurian of Italy. They are above the average in height (1.65 mm., or ."> feet inclies). dolichocephalic (index 75.7 to 83 according to mixture), with dark skin, hair, and eyes. The face is a long oval, and the features are most attractive. Where those of shorter skulls or lighter color have crept in, the effect is seen in the population. Slavs, Avars, Turks ( I'ral-Altaic) , and Albanians (.driatic or liinaric race ) have invaded Greece and added their racial characters to those of the older popu- lation. The Greeks of classic times were of the longheaded ilediterranean type, as the crania that have been recovered show, though their statuary, as is pointed out by Stephanos, is bradiycephalic. In speaking of the ancient in- habitants two names stand out prominently for recognition, that of the Hellenes and that of the Pelasgians. Relying chiefly on the testimony of Herodotus. Scrgi places the Pelasgians in the great Jlediterranean family, where, before Greece was Hellcnized. they completed the circle formed else by Iberians, Ligurians, and Libyans. This aboriginal Pelasgian stock was Hellenized after- wards, just as the inhabitants of Gaul and Spain were Latinized. Behind the cla.ssic age lay the age of bronze and the age of stone. But the scarcity of osteological material renders it im- possible to form opinions on the race of the men who peopled them. In .Etolia, Acarnania, Thessaly, the greater part of the Peloponnesus, and most of the inlands, the descendants of the old Greeks are still pre- dominant ; but a very large admixture of Al- banians (.see Alb. i.) prevails in Attica, Boeotia, Phocis, and Argolis, with the islands of Spczzia, Salamis. Hydra, and Andros. The true Greek is easily recognized by his tall .stature, slim body, aquiline nose, oval face, and mus- tache, the beard being worn only in mourning. The Greeks are temperate in both eating and drinking; flesh is seldom eaten so that the diet is principally vegetable. The Greeks are devoted- ly attached to their fatherland, and their love of liberty and independence is strong. Though they are loyal to a good ruler, they are easily roused to resistance by the infringement of their rights. Commercial bargains are the delight of the Greeks. Early marriages are eominon, and the Greek matrons take pride in large families. Two peculiar branches of the Greek race are the ^lainotes of the Peloponnesus and the Palikars of the northern hichlnnds. The former, who boast to be the descendants of the ancient Spartans, inhabit principally the mountain fastnesses of Taygetus, where for eenturies they defied the power of the Turks. In recent times education, intermixture with other raci's, and commerce have to a great extent removed their distinctive ])eculiaritics. The red cap, the white shirt, and the golden jacket mark out the Palikars even to the casual obijerver as a separate class. They go about armed, and attended by armed followers; their houses are fortrcs.ses, and their .servants form a little army. The islanders arc almost all seamen or traders; they wear the red cap, a short jacket, and wide Turkish trousers. The Alba- nians are a strong, hardy race, and engage in agriculture or other severe labor. The Wallachs, of whom there are a considerable number in the region of the Pendus, are a nomad and pastoral race; they sleep on the hillsides with their flocks, which are guarded by ferocious dogs. There are large numbers of ^Maltese at .Athens, and espe- cially the Pirieus. The settlers from Western Europe are not nimierous. There is a consider- able Turkish element in Thessaly. Religion. The predominant religious faith ia Orthodox Greek, which is the State religion, though the fullest liberty is given to all sects. The ecclesiastical authority of the Greek Church is no longer vested in the Patriarch at Constan- tinople, but in a council known as the Holy S,iiod, under the presidency of the Metropolitan of Athens. The-Christian sects, other than Greek, number about 25,000 : .Jews, 6000 : and Moham- medans, 25,000. See Greek Religion (ancient) ; and Gkeek Chukcii. Education. During the fifth and fourth cen- turies B.C. the education of the Greek boy was divided into three branches. (1) dytii nasties (yi'/ivadTiKi/), including all forms of physical training, wrestling, running, leaping, etc., taught by a trainer (iraiiSoTpih/f), at a palwstra. (2) Grammar (ypajifiariKfi ), including reading, writ- ing, and the elements of numbers. In this school the boy learned by heart many of the ancient poets, and studiecl carefully their works. (3) Music (finviyiK!/)^ an essential part of a Greek liberal education, including singing and playing on the lyre. This training lasted from ab(nit the sixth to the eighteenth year. Further training in philosophy and rhetoric was in the hands of the Sophists (q.v.). The boy was accompanied to and from school, and in his exercise, by a peda- gogue, who was not a teacher, but merely a slave, who had general oversight over the boy and could punish him if necessary. In later times other luanchcs, notably geometry, were added to the tisual training, and in some places schools were provided by the city for boys and even girls. For the education of the youth by the State, see EpHEnts. In modern days education from the humblest school to the university is free to all. Tgnnrance, however, is rife in the rural districts, where the law requiring all children to attend school is not well enforced. Educatiim is upon a somewhat higher plane among the islands than on the main- land. The school system is only partly supported by the Government, being largely depcn<lent upon private contributions. Only 15 per cent, of the army recruits can read. Education is in a more flourishing condition in the higher schools, .qnd the T'niversity of .Athens, with 2S53 students in 1000. attracts over SOO sfmlonts from other Medi-