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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



"great clouds like ushers leaning, Crea- 

 tion looking on" (see page 608). 



The rock barrier to the north has been 

 cleft by some convulsion of nature, and 

 through this opening flow the waters of 

 the Castalian spring, where pious pilgrims 

 went through the ceremonial purification 

 before proceeding to the sanctuary. 



By the ancients this spot was considered 

 the center of the world and was called 

 "the navel of the earth.'' From remotest 

 times Delphi, under the name of Pytho, 

 was a place of pilgrimage. At a certain 

 point in the side of the hill was an open- 

 ing in the ground, from which from time 

 to time noisome vapors arose. These 

 were said to have the power to intoxicate 

 bystanders. 



A temple was built about this opening. 

 Immediately over it was a golden tripod, 

 on which sat a prophetic virgin, later a 

 matron, whose words unintelligible, ex- 

 cept to the initiated, were taken down and 

 subsequently communicated, in hexameter 

 verse, to the inquirers by the temple 

 priests. 



It will be recalled that the ambiguity of 

 these utterances saved the reputation of 

 the priests in doubtful cases. In the vesti- 

 bule were carved the famous sayings of 

 the seven sages: "Know thyself" and 

 "Nothing too much." 



IMMENSE TREASURE WAS DEPOSITED IN 

 THE TEMPLE 



The treasure contained in the temple 

 must have been immense ; for, apart from 

 the rich offerings presented to it by kings 

 and private individuals, many of the 

 Greek states made it the depositary of 

 their most valuable possessions. 



The remains seen to-day are those of 

 the structure erected in the fourth cen- 

 tury B. C. Earthquakes and floods and 

 the hand of man have done their worst, 

 until there is now but little left of what 

 tnust have been a structure of unusual 

 ueauty in a land of wonderful buildings 

 (see illustration, page 588). 



On every side are seen, in varying de- 

 grees of preservation, temples and treas- 

 uries exemplifying a variety of Greek 

 architecture ; these were either offerings 

 or served as treasure-houses of various 

 Greek states. 



One of the most charming of the latter 



is the familiar Treasury of the Athenians, 

 which is a small Doric structure said to 

 have been erected with the booty captured 

 at Marathon. 



Not far distant stands the Stoa of the 

 Athenians. Along its walls are carved in- 

 scriptions dedicating certain slaves to the 

 service of Apollo. This was a Greek 

 method of emancipating slaves, since one 

 dedicated to the service of the god be- 

 came his own earthly master. 



The theater at Delphi is still in an ex- 

 cellent state of preservation. From the 

 seats one commands a view across and up 

 the valley. Far below lies the road over 

 which the pilgrims passed. The acoustics, 

 as is usual with ancient Greek structures, 

 are almost perfect, and the effect of 

 Keats' Ode, though said here in an alien 

 tongue, had rare potency and charm. 



DElyPHI BY MOONUGIIT 



We climbed still higher in the warm 

 sunshine, up to the stadium. Within, the 

 course was carpeted with poppies and 

 there was a buzz of bees in the noonday 

 air. Above us eagles were moving in 

 strong, level flight. 



We had brought our lunch and sat 

 down on the green carpet to eat our meal, 

 being careful first to pour a libation to the 

 gods. Our archeological friend laughed 

 as we did this, and pointed to an inscrip- 

 tion dating back more than 2,500 years, 

 which forbade the bringing of wine into 

 the inclosure. 



The rest of the afternoon was spent 

 wandering at random and alone over the 

 hillside. Night fell upon us gathered 

 once more around the table. 



After dinner, since it was moonlight, we 

 visited the Castalian spring and climbed 

 again to the temple and to the theater. 



Wisps of cloud began trailing in del 

 cate veils across the face of the moon , 

 earthy smells mounted to us from the 

 valley, now hidden in shadow ; a chill 

 wind swept down the pass and the coun- 

 tryside seemed to be repeopled with forms 

 of other days — the lowly and the proud, 

 the rich, the powerful, the weak, the poor, 

 emperor and clown — swinging in an end- 

 less procession through a thousand years, 

 to ask of the Oracle the question that has 

 puzzled the heart and brain of man since 

 the world began. 



