London Central Secondary School - Golden Glimpses Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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sour. There is very little drunk- enness in Greece. One traveller describes the wine as a mixture of raspberry vinegar flavoured with snuff! However, the beer is very good. The same traveller tried a mouthful of eel and - did the only thing to be done with it. At weddings the Greeks eat, drink, and are merry. There are usually three instalments of food, consisting of chicken and rice soup, joints of lamb, bread, vegetables, pudding, sweetmeats and sugared almonds. -Marjori.e Fetherston EIU The Corinthian Canal The idea of cutting a canal is said to date as far back as the reign of Periander, who was ac- counted one of the seven wise men of Greece. The Corinthian Canal was begun by a great number of soldiers and prisoners with much solemnity, apparently about the end of 67 A.D, Emperor Nero himself, after chanting hymns in honour of the marine deities, set the example by giving a few strokes with a golden pickaxe which the Governor of Greece formally handed to him. A beginning was made on the western end of the Isthmus but operations were sus- pended soon in consequence of evil tidings which Nero received. The modern canal, completed in 1893, has a striking appearance to one sailing through, owing to the height of its banks on either side, rising like walls to a height of more than one hundred feet At one point the railway passes over it one hundred and seventy feet above the water. Unfortunately the canal is too narrow to be of much use to larger ships and there is little prospect of it ever becom- ing one of the great highways in the east. -Helen Elliott DD Travel in Greece There are certain traits about the Greeks which make you won- der if these people think enoughg for instance, the launching forth into roads that are never finished. The roads that are completed are so roundabout that one travels five times the distance to get from one THE REVIEW place to the next as the crow flies. There are so many hair pin curves that travellers are frequently car- sick and curse the bus drivers, who are very unwilling to let them out and delay the bus. Many moun- tainous regions are traversed only by mule tracks. -Nora Fetherstozze ECI A Grecian Trireme The word trireme comes from the two Latin words tres, three and Uremusf' oar. Hence a tri- reme was a warship with three banks of oars. Long before the battle of Salamis in 480 B.C., the Greek warriors decided that they needed larger warships. Yet to add more oars to the one tier would necessitate the lengthening of the boat. This would make their ships too heavy for rapid progressg and so they devised a boat with two banks of oars, one above the other, and later a third was added above the second. The lowest deck was barely three feet above the water level and required fifty-four rowers, each at his own oar. On the second tier there were fifty-eight rowers and their oars were longer than the ones below. Finally the third bank numbering sixty rowers had oars which were longer still. These measured thir- teen feet six inches. This bank was eleven feet from the water. The trireme had sails but these were only used in ordinary cruis- ing, never in battle. The ship was built extremely light so that it not only skimmed over the water with great rapidity but it was easily hauled up on shore. At the battle of Salamis, the Greeks had a fleet of three hundred and eighty ships, most of which were triremes. -Victoria Dearle. UU Princess Marina All the world loves a lover, and this phrase is no more applic- able to any other race than itis to the people of the British Isles when it concerns a member of the beloved Family. Every Britisher is anxious to know more about Princess Marina of Greece. In the first place Marina has not a drop of Greek blood in her, as her grand- father was elected to the throne of 45 Greece. He was Prince VVilliam of Denmark and took the title of King George of Greece. Princess Marina lived with her parents in their modest Bourgeois flat in Paris, near the Bois de Boulogne. Their flat occupies the fifth and sixth floors of the house. Each member has his or her own apartment. The Princess has had to over- come many handicaps. Not only the money problem confronted her, but the heel of her left shoe is a bit higher than the right. The hrst time she saw London was when she went there to undergo treatment, and as a result, the limp is scarcely noticeable in her athletics, golf, tennis and riding. She makes all her own clothes and her cooking is to be envied by any woman. She uses make-up like any other girl, relies on a permanent wave which enhances her individuality, has a clear skin, dancing eyes and an enchanting smile. The Princess is a woman of perfect poise, keen personality, and charm, but she confides only in her sisters and closest friends. To our new British Princess we extend our most sin ce re wishes for her future happiness under the throne of the British Empire. -.Marjorie Roulston EIU Did You Know That? 1. The first trireme was built at Corinth? 2. Friendship was the greatest ship of ancient Greece? '3. Muleteers supposed to speak English are an irritating breed that should be specially avoided by the traveller? 4. None, save people with ostrich-like digestions, can travel in the interior of Greece with com- fort? 5. French is the language used on Greek postcards and even in English hotels there are French maids? 6. In Greece you are not hounded with people trying to sell knick-knacks and postcards but have to hunt for them in curio stores? 7. Most Grecian stamps have a picture of Lord Byron on them? I Continued on page 97

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44 The Greek Flag The blue and white which form the colouring of the Greek flag shown in our illustration was adopted by the National Assembly at Epidaurus on january seventh, eighteen hundred and twenty-two. The stripes are nine in number- five blue and four white. In the upper corner of the hoist is a can- ton bearing a white cross on a blue ground. IIIIII The Citadel of Corinth Qfrom a Diary, 103-IJ . . . Haven't seen much of Tripolis, but what I have seen doesn't impress me favourably. It is quite a large city, but the streets are narrow and dirty, and there are no good restaurants or parks. There are, however, innumerable barber shops, and I had a shave and hair cut for five cents. . . . Secured a front seat on the bus, so that I could have a good view. I had thought that the road to Delphi was steep and wind- ing, but as there is a high moun- tain between Tripolis and Argos, only twenty-five miles or so away, this road is both very steep, and has more curves than a cork screw, No wonder people have the bus stopped while they get out to recover equilibrium-or whatever it is they recover. It took two hours to reach Argos, over a gravel road, now being resurfaced. From Argos to Corinth the road is very good. In fact, Greece now has THE REVIEW f Greece ' Editor-Nora Fetherstone many miles of either paved or well surfaced roads. I was told that it was six miles from Corinth, at the entrance to the canal, to the site of old Corinth, but I walked it, with a knapsack, on a very hot day, in about an hour, so it is not much more than three. Old Corinth is still inhabited, though it is only a tiny village, but new houses are being erected. Very extensive ruins have been excavated since 1929, but they say that only one one-hundredth of the total has been uncovered, so Corinth must have been a magni- ficent, if wicked, city. The climb up the abrupt slopes of the citadel hill, which is 1,886 feet high, took over an hour, but it was worth it. The citadel is very extensive and could contain a town of several thousandg indeed for several centuries during the troublous middle ages, it was the town. Here there are still good remains of French, Venetian and Turkish walls, towers, battlements, mosques and minarets, and it is said to be the finest group of forti- fications in Greece. One can easily see where later and much poorer fortifications have been added to remains of Greek and Roman walls, and in the main they follow the lines of the original fortifications, which go back to prehistoric times. The Citadel at Corinth I spent over three hours wander- ing there, absolutely alone, in the early evening. Some of the finest views in the world may be obtained from almost any point of the citadel. Far away to the east, through an opening in the is'and of Salamis, one can see the gleaming marble of the Parthenon. On all sides, far and near, rise mountains, range behind mountain range, until they fade in the blue grey mist of evening, or under the ' glowing splendour of the setting sun. Far below stretch for miles dark and bright green fiefds, and olive groves, with roads and rivulets winding through them like white and silver threads. Softly comes the faint tinkling of goat and sheep bells, and an occasional cry from the vil- lage. To the north opens out the Gulf of Corinth, four miles to the east, the Bay of Aegina, with the Corinthian canal connecting them. It seemed so. easy to build that I wondered why it took so many centuries, and so much money to complete. I discovered later that it had to be blasted through solid rock. . . . Eventually I found the ancient spring of Upper Peir- ene, which now has a cement roof. The steps are very slippery and worn .by thousands of years' use, but I managed to climb down in the dusk, and get a drink. The water is said to be pure. and I hoped so. In fact I counted over a dozen deep wells up there, many .with water, and there is a curious Byzantine brick vaulted well with steps. . . . managed to get a meal, of a sort, at the village, but found no place to sleep. The restaurant keeper eventually fixed up a mat- tress, pillow and rug on the cement verandah of a new store then being built. However, I should have slept well, had not four or five men and women on the next verandah carried on an animated conversa- tion until late into the night- and the mosquitoes were bad! DEI Greek Meals Butter and cheese are exceed- ingly scarce. Bean soup, olives, bread, good coffee and wine are the staples, if you like that kind of wine, mixed with water and very

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46 The Flag of France The National Flag of modern France dates back to the year 1789 when the French people first rose up in righteous rebellion against the h a t e f u l conditions of the Uancien regime. Thus the French Revolution. Before this date, the iiag of France was the Hfleur-de-lys, of which we really know very little. What it was supposed to represent we are not certain. It may have been an iris, or a lily, or perhaps the head of a lance. At any rate, with the coming of the Revolution it quickly fell into disuse. The Tri-coleur as it is popular- ly called is composed of the three colours, red, white, and blue. The red and blue are the colours of the city of Paris. The white was add- ed at the suggestion of the Marquis de Lafayette, famed for his part in the American Revolution. The French flag has often falter- ed under the storms of revolutions, political dissensions, world wars and civil strife, but its engrained traditions of liberty and loyalty have always carried it through triumphantly. Indeed, the French people may well be proud of a flag which has stood for so much and played such a prominent part in history. -Claire Hicks EIU Raymond Poincare In this section set aside for France it seems fitting to mention one of France's greatest and most beloved statesman, the late Ray- mond Poincare. Tl-IE REVIEW Editor-Elizabeth Harvey H f France f Raymond Poincare was thrice premier of France. From 1913 to 1920 he was President of the French Republic. Five years 'ago he re- tired from the premiership and the politics of his country, and until his death was announced on Oct. the fifteenth, 1934, the world had all but forgotten that he had lived. But history had already judged and marked him for one of the notable figures of his age. He was a mild-eyed, rotund little man, with a pointed beard. Noth- ing in his outward appearance sug- gested the man of iron which he proved himself to be. He strove for the security of France with passionate devotion and cold real- ism. His mind mirrored with cur- ious exactness the mind of France, and in more than one moment of decision his voice proved to be the voice and his will the will of the French people. Raymond Poincare was a man of whom France may well be proud, for he did much to make her one of the leading nations of the world. -E. Harvey EIU The Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysees The Place de la Concorde by day is vast rather than beautiful, and by night it is a congress of lamps. l-ln' Sucre Lim-ur. 4-Avcuue des Champs Elysees. 10-Pluce-de la Concorde. Because it is sacred ground Paris is unthinkable without it. In 1763 the open and uncultivated space was enclosed, surrounded with fosses, made trim and called La Place Louis Quinze. Twenty-two years later, kings having suddenly become cheap, the statue of Louis XV. was melted down and cast into cannon, while a clay figure of Liberty was set up in its stead, by the order of the National Convention. La Place was to be renamed La Place de la Revolution. A little later the guillotine which was to see the deaths of the king and queen and the proud rnobility of France was erected there. In 1799, the Reign of Terror being ended, the Place won the name of Concorde. Since then certain symbolic statues of great French cities have been set up, and the Place is a model of symmetry. Its two great fountains are a source of joy and coolness in hot weather. This basis of safety assures hap- piness in the presence of so much tinkling, falling water. If the Place de la Concorde may be called at night a congress of light, the Champs Elysees may be called in the afternoon a congress of wheelsg wheels revolving along this superb roadway, so wide and open, climbing so confidently to the Arc de Triomphe, with its graves on either side at the foot and its white mansions afterwards. Marie de Medicis in 1616 planned and laid out the Champs Elyseesg but Napoleon is the father of the scene which culminates so mag- nificently in the Arc de Triomphe. The particular children's paradise of Paris, where they bowl their hoops and ride the horses of minute roundabouts turned by hand and watch the marionettes is between the main road and the Elysees. -Marjorie Vining DEI Carnival Days on the Riviera Laughter, shouting, music, con- fetti, gaiety, confusion, milling crowds of gayly dressed people, nightmarish alarm clocks ten feet high, men in skirts, girls in trousers, and the Carnival is on. In the middle of the parade rides King Carnival, a gorgeous dummy on a wild steed, surrounded by his court. His reign is short but furious and then he is burnt at the stake. This is the Riviera in Carnival