=--The climate of Greece is mild. In Athens it freezes
hardly once in twenty years; in summer the heat is moderated by the
breeze from the sea.[46] Today the people still lie in the streets
from the month of May to September. The air is cool and transparent;
for many leagues could once be seen the crest of the statue of Pallas.
The contours of distant mountains are not, as with us, enveloped in
haze, but show a clear line against the clear sky. It is a beautiful
country which urges man to take life as a feast, for everything is
happy about him. "Walking at night in the gardens, listening to the
grasshoppers, playing the lute in the clear of the moon, going to
drink at the spring at the mountain, carrying with him some wine that
he may drink while he sings, spending the days in dancing--these are
Greek pleasures, the joys of a race poor, economical, and eternally
young."
=Simplicity of Greek Life.=--In this country men are not melted with
the heat nor stiffened with cold; they live in the open air gay and at
slight expense. Food in great quantity is not required, nor warm
clothing, nor a comfortable house.
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