The morning call., 1891-02-22
THE HOSPICE
ST. BERNARD.
Two California Girls Cross the Mountain
Pass in Mid Winter.
The Only Ladies Who Ever Made the Ascent
During the Winter snows-Reception
at the Asylum on the Mount.

Miss Elizabeth W. Porter, who is well
known in San Francisco, and a young lady
companion, Californian, were in Switzer-
land last December, and in private letter
to a friend in this city writes as follows
descriptive OF trip they made in the winter
snow to the Hosuice st. Bernard:
In all the snow regions of the world l
thought there could be none so silent, SO
desolate. so bleak as that l beheld last week
from window of the Hospice on st. Ber-
nard.
The winter SHOWS have already fallen
deep on this the highest dwelling place in
all Switzerland, up in that lofty elevation
where mountain speaks to mountain, where
the snow spirit dwells, excluding the habi
tations of man from his widespread
ing white domain. Not all habita-
tons either, for there still stands
the famous Hospice-the only object
for miles, which breaks the monotonous
white desoation-a huge oblong structure
which has stood the siege Of two centuries
of snowst0rms and an Austrian lombard
ment, besides yearly attacks by an army of
curious tourists, which last-named enemy |
find more destructive to tIme-honored insti-
tutions than the raging of the elements or
implements of human warfa
Yet, in spite of all these its enemies.
the Hospice, which the oldest Of you dwell
fondy over in history and geography, is
still existing with its forty monks and as
many servants. though modern invention
has somewhat changed its original func-
tons. And it was this desire to see what
had been hallowed by picture in this dear
old geography that took me up here in these
winter SHOWS. For what is st. Bernard in
the summer? l thought not surely the one
of my youthful dreams, not the SnOW-pasS
which Napoleon trod, leading his great
army, but only a barren rocky waste, alive
with curious tourists who fill the historical
building and convert it into fashionable
summer hotel. To see it under other con-
dit0ns required Napoleonlc determination
and strategy.
SHOOK THEIR HEADS.
Hotel-keepers. guides aud other Geneva
savants shook their heads and declared it a
dangerous enterprise at this unsuited sea-
son. But we set out, and without one of
those Swiss nuiSances-a guide-to lord it
over us and rob the journey of all its de-
lightful favor of danger, we made our way
into Italy.
The night before the final climb to the
Hospice was spent at Bourg st. Pierre, the
last village of the mountain, in the very
inn where Napoleon slept and ate the
famous breakfast which endowed it with
the attractive name, Dejeuner de. Napo-
linger in the mind of this glorious warrior as
he reviews, in some spiritual state, the hard
ships OF his terrestrial campaigns? Ii he be
capable of such memories, this sojourn here
must be uppermOst in his mind.
The cold, not over clean, eating-rOom,
cold chocolate with fiayoring of coffee
grounds, lingering under the stronger flavor
of goats milk-the pain de menage that
might have served him as cann0n-balls-
poor soldier, he had sufferings which the
world knows not OF.
IL was hard struggle up the steep noun
tain that next morning against bowling
bitter wind, harder than we had imagined
a great deal. The snow which had ceased
falling only two days was almost traceleSs,
and in all that five hours not one shelter or
resting place, and not fellow traveller eX-
cept an occasional Italian, a Siragger of
that army of workmen who had crossed TO
their winter homes, and these as they
passed us struck terror to our hearts by
their desperate brigandish air. Once, one Of
them paused a hundred yards III advance,
took something from his pocket, wheeled
around and waited for us to come NJ. We
prepared to yield up our pocket-Go0ks and
to die If necessary, but resolved TO walk
boldly into the jaws of danger.
"HAvE SOME wINE?"
viii you have some wine?" he said tim
idly and gently. After that we felt safe
AT every step toward the last we slipped,
fell or sank deep into the soft drifts, and
the jest of being rescued by the dogs seemed
at one time only too probable cOnsumma-
ton Of this fearful journey. We became
thoroughly exhausted, but summoned all
our remaining strength and rushed ahead,
for fear OF freezing to death in the bitter
wind and penetrating snow. But new and
more terrible danger than death by freezing
met us when in sight of the Hospice. The
dogs, those gentle, sagaclOus creatures to
whom we had come to pay homage. who
had come down from past ages, they came
to meet us like pack of Tavenous wolves,
threw us over in the snow, snarling ana
barking as horribly as the monster Cerberos,
and every moment it seemed as if we would
be torn to pieces. Why had we invaded
their frozen home they seemed to demand
of us.
We were saved from this ignominious
death by workman of the piace-ons of
the numerous hefs, not a monk, as the
legends would have had. We would have
willed it otherwise, too. but satisfied our
DELIVERIES with thanks in tangible form.
Then we were taken into the hospital, into
an ante-room flooded with golden light
from Stained-glass window. A monk was
aroused from his cell and descended TO vel
come US.
With sobs and tears we poured into his
ear the tale of our mutifarious escapes
from death. He was sympathetic, listened
attentively, then showed US into most
comfortable suite of rooms, excused him
self and requested that he might cali upon
US after dlnner-a favor rarely shown 70
visitors, since discovered, many people
leaving without a glimpse of monk
He came, and whether it was to atone for
the inhOSpltable reception of the dogs or a
taste for worldly society contracted by his
two weeks summer vacation do not know.
but he made himself decidedly agreeable for
month in such Isolated hermitage and gave
us all the gossip OF the Hospce, this being
Of most respectable and conventional ma
ture. But we could have wished for more
in the conversation of our interlocutor
One always thinks of monk as so delight
fully impractical aud different from other
men, and here was this one evidently enjoy
ing the idea OF modern improvements on
st. Bernard, and oyerthrowng our roman
tic ideas with twinkling eye.
THE ONLY LADIES.
You are the only ladies' who have
ever walked over this pass in the win
ter" be said, but what lie added rather
took the wind from our sails. "You
were in no danger whatever. Your de-
parture from the Bourg had been tee-
phoned, aud had you not arrived by
noon, a servant would have been sent in
search of you?'
do you mean to say that YOU have
telephone connection? And the monks
themselves do not go out TO save the lost?"
He confirmed his previous remark.
Then why do you stay here?"
This he explained at length and with fer
vor. 1t was t. extend hospitality to travel
ers who wished to spend the nisht on the
mountains These were, for the most part
miseraby poor people, unable to paw for
good lodging, and no charge was made here
for rich or poor. However, there is a box