Home life in Hellas, Greece and the Greeks - eBooks4Greeks.gr

ATHENS 329game played in the island of Minorca—has noadherents in Greece. Cricket was started in theIonian Islands under the British regime, but ithas died out. The only memento of our occupation,except the roads, is—ginger-beer. TheIonians have stuck to that, but they have abandonedthe wicket. The prominence given tophysical culture in the education of the ancientGreeks has caused the moderns to make gymnasticscompulsory in the schools, and they wiselyinsist on its being treated as one of the mostimportant lessons. Athletic clubs have beenformed in various centres, but there is lacking thespirit of sport as we understand it, and athletesdo not receive much encouragement.If the Athenians do not play football or croquet,they have learnt how to play bridge. Cardsoccupy an undue portion of time, and althoughgambling does not prevail to anything like theextent it does in England, as on the Turf, forexample, play is an evil in Athenian society. Itwould be very unjust to assume that the wholeof society is given up to card-playing and trivialpursuits. The bulk lead a pure, sane, and affectionatefamily life, and a large section find relaxationin intellectual work. The Parnassos Society,which includes both sexes, expends its energiesin various directions, and its weekly lecturesand readings bring together a throng of the bestsocial elements in Athens. The Byron Society,a younger body—it was founded in 1868—circu-