Mentone, Cairo and Corfu . ithout its canal; and that the neighborhood ofthe gay little port resembles, on a small scale, thestreets which border the harbor of Genoa. In spite ofthis, we have only to look up and see the sky, we haveonly to breathe and note the quality of the air, to per-ceive that we are not in Italy. Corfu is Greek, with acoating of Italian manners. And it has also caught astrong tinge from Asia. Many of the houses have thelow door and masked entrance which are so character-istic of the East; at the top of the neglected stairway,as far as possible from public view, there may
Mentone, Cairo and Corfu . ithout its canal; and that the neighborhood ofthe gay little port resembles, on a small scale, thestreets which border the harbor of Genoa. In spite ofthis, we have only to look up and see the sky, we haveonly to breathe and note the quality of the air, to per-ceive that we are not in Italy. Corfu is Greek, with acoating of Italian manners. And it has also caught astrong tinge from Asia. Many of the houses have thelow door and masked entrance which are so character-istic of the East; at the top of the neglected stairway,as far as possible from public view, there may be hand-some, richly furnished apartments; but if such roomsexist, the jealous love of privacy keeps them inconspicuous entrance is as universal in theOrient as the high wall, shutting off all view of the gar-den or park, is universal in England. The town of Corfu has 26,000 inhabitants. Amongthe population are Dalmatians, Maltese, Levantines, andothers; but the Greeks are the dominant race. There >vU y» mm. STATUE OF CAPO DlSTRIA 301 is a Jews quarter, and Jews abound, or did aboundat the time of my visit. Since then fanaticism hasraised its head again, and there have been wild scenesat Corfu. Face to face with the revival of persecutionfor religious opinions which is now visible in Russia,and not in Russia alone, are we forced to acknowledgethat our century is not so enlightened as we havehoped that it was. I remember when I believed thatin no civilized country to-day could there be found,among the educated, a single person who would wish topersecute or coerce his fellow-beings solely on accountof their religious opinions; but I am obliged to con-fess that, without going to Russia or Corfu, I have en-countered within the last dozen years individuals not afew whose flashing eyes and crimson cheeks, when theyspoke of a mental attitude in such matters which dif-fered from their own, made me realize with a thrillthat if it were still the day of the stake and the t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidmentonecairo, bookyear1896
