Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-09-30
by fancy and hearsay.i iiAuother monk
startled him BY asking 4 What sort Of hu-

by fancy and hcarsayJ iAuother monk
startled him BY asking 4 What sort Of hu-
man creatures are women p He had seen
his mother only, aud had forgotten. even
her appearance, having been rccluse ever
since he was four years old. lao.i'."l 9di ;
An amusing incident occurred during
Mr.. Curzon's stay in the house Of the Turk
ish collector at Karyes. One morning o
cat with two kittens entered the room.
."Ah y said the traveller, " how is this ?
Why, this is Cat feminine! What bust.
ness has she on Mount Athos ?"' = 'l's' I
Hush" replied the host with a solemn
grin. g Do not speak Of 1t. Yes, it Is a
she,cat; l brought her, from Stambodl
But do not tell it or they will take her
away 1t reminds me Of my home, where
my wife and children are living, far away"
Several Of the monastcries are very pic.
turosquely situated, perched on high cliffs
of difficult access. Built in turbulent
times, when attacks from banditti and pi-
rates might not be improbable, they are, in
fact, fortresses with massive walls. The
offices within include granary, mill, bake.
house, Kitchen, workshop and in6rmary.
Recruited entirely from the outer world,
the inmates are natives of every part of the
Turkish empire where the Greek language
is spoken, though chiefly Greeks, 10 blood
and speech from Roumelia. y " W..
As there is no unappropriatcd ground,
every new conner has to seek admission
into one of the existing societies. To OBJ
tain this, he must devote his time and la
Dor to the common. service-till the land,
tend the vines, help Ia the housework, or
engage in somc haudicraft. For three
years he is probationer then if he has
proved able to, keep the monastic vows, he
receives his first tonsure and becomes a
monk. The discipline is severe-ordinary
church services seven hours day, extra
ordinary, fourteen sleep, FIVE hours; food
-pnor iu quality aud .meagre in quantity.
The monks profess never to taste meat,
but how this is to be reconcilcd with what
is brought from the main land every week
for sale at Karycs, do not know. One
hundred and ffty.nine days in the year
they have only one meal 10 day, and At
this eggs, cheese, fish, wine and oil, arc
forbidden.
/ In some Of the establishments, a candi-
date is admitted upon the payment Of 8, 900
piasters (s225), aud he becomes caloyer
-gentle-monk- being xempt from servile
labor aud excessive devotion. For this
money he obtains cell in perpetuity, and
the usual daily allowance of. bread and
wine; but additional fare he must provide
for himself. The caloyer neither eats in
the refectory nor necessarily performs his
vows ip the chapel; he may come and GO
as he pleascs, aud he is at liberty to pos
scss money, and make what use Of it he
thinks best, Few Of these gent!e-monks
care to take orders. 4a.7 .r. .0a
or the libraries belonging to the monas-
teries Of Mount Athos. there is little to be
said here. All taken in the gross, they
probably contain less than 30, 600 volumes.
Most of these are valueless, being either
mere books Of rules aud ascetic devotions,
or the old wives fables Of the middle ages.
Parchments 700 years old are no. uncem-
mon. but 80 Thorough have been recent ex-
plcra'ions by English and German schol.
ars that i, is almost certain no,hing more
valuable will turn up.--IN. s. Dodge.