Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-08-09

drakes and ganders, billy-goats and rams
bulls and stations, only are exposed To-
sale. The buyers and sellers are boys anC
men. Even the Turkish official canno
have his wife with him. To the Greel
sailors and pilots, whose duties on ship
board frequently bring Mt. Athos within
vision, the whole peninsular is sacred tt
the lords of creation. They believe tina
any woman guilty of landing there, would
be struck dead for her presumption.
Up to 1868 few Europeans had ever
visited these monasteries. Since then no
few scholars, tempted by suggestion,
about ancient papyri which the Coder Sin
aaticuS controversy provoked, have every
year been exploring the old libraries anC
i turning over the musty MSS. The way il
now plain enough, and proper letter o.
recommendation unlocks all the secrets o
the ancient houses. But in 1887, wher
Carzon, an eminent photographic, present
ed to the Patriarch at ConstantlnOple a
letter of introduction from Dr. Howley
Archbishop of Canterbury. the great heaC
of the hierarchy asked
Who was the Archbishop of Canter-
bury?'
What , replied the English traveller,
not little astonished.
Who is the Archbishop of Canter-
bury ?
Why, the Archbishop Of Canterbury
the Primate Of all England
oh, An Yes . But how does it hap
pen that the head of the Church Of Eng
land is only an Archbishop | command
other patriarchs, and under them arch
bishops, archimandrites, and other digni-
taries. do not see how ne who Is only an
archbishop can by any possibility be the
head of a Christian hierarchy. But as
you come from the British embassy, | will
give letters as you desire.
The long bearded diguitary gave the
desired patriarchal sheet to the English
traveller 1t acted as a tailsman The
monastic authorities of Mt Athos paid
him every attention. He visited the IL
braries, and explored the Mss, said masses
and ate at the ordinary, lived in a cell and
did penance on the mountain, became in
fact so much one of the community as to
gain a toIerabe insight into their law of
life \ monk who was his daily compan-
ion told him his story. He came from
village In RoumcIia, but did not remember
its name. His parents had been massacred
and he put to conventual school. lie
had never lett the peninsula. His mother
he did not recoIect. 4 woman he had
never seen. and his only notion of the uhe-
nomcnon was put together hy fancy and bv
hearsay. Another monk startled him bv
asking, What sort Of human creatures are
women He bad seen his mother only.
and had forgotten even her appearance.
having been reclu-e ever since he was
four wears Old. An amu,ing incident oe-
CURED during Nr. Curzon's stay in the
nou.e Of the Turkish collector al karves
One plorpiug "A c4- with two kittens enter
ed the room.
An r said the traveller. .how is this ?
Whv. this Is 4 cat feminine What bu-i-
ness ha, She on Mt. Athos
Hush replied -he host with "a solemn
grin. DO not speak of it. Yes it Is
she-cat. brought her from Stamboul
But 10 not tell 10 or they will take her
away Il remind, me of my home, where
my wife and children are living far away
Several of the nonastcric, are very
picturcsmelv situated. perchci on hirh
cliff. Of difficult access. Buided in turbu-
lent times. when attacks from banditti auI
pirates might not be improbable they are
10 fact fortre~sc>. with massive wal s. The
Offices within include granary. mill. bake
house, kitchen. Workshop. and infrmary.
Recruited entirely from the outward world.
the inmates are natives OF every part OF
the Turkish Empire where the Greek Ian
cuare is spoken, though chiefly Greeks in
blood and speech. from Roumelia. As
there i no unappropriated ground, every
new conner ha, 10 seek admission into one
Of the existing societies. To obtain this.
he must devote his time and labor to the
common service,-til the land. tend the
vines. helm IN the hou,ework Or eprare in
some haaiicraft. For three wears he is a
probationer then if he has proved able to
keep the monastic VOWS. he receives his
first toDsure and becomes a monk The
discipline il severe. ordinary chIrch ser
vices seven hours day, extraordinary,
fourteen hours. sleep, five hours. food poor
in quality and meager in auartity. Tne|
monks profe,s never to taste meat. but how
this Is TO be reconciIcd with what is brouont
from the mainland every week for sale at
Karyes, | do not know. One hundred and
ffty-ninc days in the year, they have one
meal only day. and at this eggs. cheese
Il r. ~ IA