THE GREEK BRONZES OF TUNISIA 
89 
by the defeat of our armies in conflict 
with Indian tribes, similar, in some re- 
spects, to the races that have made 
trouble for the Turks ; and as late as 
1798 a strong party — the Federalists — 
under the leadership of Alexander Ham- 
ilton, were contemplating an alliance 
with England, and the cry "Let us have 
a king!" was quite as frequently heard 
as "Support the President !" and such re- 
action against constitutional government 
finally led to the perfidy of Aaron Burr. 
America, as a Christian nation, now 
well advanced in years, bearing a history 
replete with unselfish action towards 
weaker nations, can well afford to con- 
tinue the practice of the Golden Rule in 
its attitude with respect to these people 
of the "Near East," who are the pio- 
neers, among Mohammedan races, in the 
struggle for government "of the people, 
for the people, by the people ;" and, if 
upheld by Christian sympathy, will 
surely spread the doctrine of freedom 
which came down to us as a birthright 
from our forefathers, who purchased it 
for us at a fearful cost of blood and 
treasure. 
This spirit, set up here in Turkey, has 
been carried like a tidal wave through 
Persia, the States of Central Asia, right 
into the very heart of the great Empire 
of China, where is begun an irrepressible 
conflict for liberty, toward which the 
whole world is marching. 
To America, the first-born child of 
political and religious liberty, this Eastern 
civilization turns in its hour of trial for 
the sympathy and encouragement which 
we so naturally should give, as the one 
power that can help them in their battle 
against despotism and oppression. Per- 
sia is now struggling in the throes of 
political reform, and is knocking at our 
door for a kind word to aid her in her 
eft'orts to secure freedom. 
Shall we not, then, in the name of 
Him who died to make men free, ex- 
tend to the regenerated people the hand 
of fellowship, as we watch, with sym- 
pathy and hope, their struggles for this 
divine right bequeathed mankind? 
THE GREEK BRONZES OF TUNISIA 
By Frank Edward Johnson 
M'^ith Photographs by Courtesy of Monsieur A. Merlin, Directeur des Antiquities 
et Arts of Tunisia, North Africa 
THE picturesque little Arab town 
of Mahdia (Mahadia) lies be- 
tween Sousse (Susa) and Sfax 
(Sfaks), on the coast of Tunis. The 
honk-honk of a tourist automobile sel- 
dom breaks the silence of this small 
town, and the coast steamers usually pass 
during the night, so that the beautiful 
skyline of the minarets and flat-roofed 
Moorish houses outlined against a sun- 
set sky are rarely seen by European 
eyes. Roman ruins dot the foreground, 
running almost into the sea, and on top 
of the hill are the remains of an old 
Spanish fortress that reminds one of the 
Spanish Invasion. 
Tn June, 1907, Greek sponge-divers 
were busy bringing up sponges out of a 
sapphire-colored sea, streaked here and 
there with emerald green, when one of 
the divers came up greatly excited, say- 
ing that he had seen what looked like 
cannon lying in the sand. He was laughed 
at by the members of the crew ; but the 
captain of the ship went down to investi- 
gate, and found the remains of a Greek 
galley filled with building materials and 
bronzes and marbles for the erection of 
a villa at Rome. The discovery was 
immediately reported to Monsieur A. 
Merlin, Director of Antiquities and Fine 
Arts in Tunisia, a man of great knowl- 
edge and experience, whom the French 
government had sent out to take charge 
