Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-07-15
 o,TTTlS or GREECE.
x ACCUSES WHO LIVED IN lS'pg ''o Fs IN THE CLIFFS.

..oded wholly Upon Charity For P Dsg i..',,psnoe and Remained Alwass
 i'r+ r,.is Aerial eaves-1he Monastery
 ss sferaeas
 .5o most curious scenes on the
 0s ,,.a 2. =, frontier is to be found at
 ll's9 so6e 50 miles by rail above
 lOa19 ,ts town lies on q plain
 Ila@ hacked by the extraordinary
 rl tieteora, rising preeipitously
 @ height aud commanding the
 ssi9@, sttqnfion of travellers. Ill places
 See 9ss s.' ascend like a wall to q height
 li,, lna feet. They are rough, free
 vy0 ,.'rdare and disfgured by innu- ,lDs ls'l. holes and caves all over their
 ..sosa caves and remains of monk
 feelings in them that give the
 4 Meteora the strange, almost ss.,o,ic appearance that has made sa.,a , are several monasteries at lsati s The largest is St. Stephen s. Ts1fe ss fhe other nonasteries, this is
 p'a l bv drawbridge thrown across
 ". lsaine chasm. This is one of the
 '' 't of the monasteries of Metoora @ 5ass guest chamber especially fit nn ~ for yisitors-that is to say, there sr .hrse iron beds ill 1t, and it is only ',sons to surmise that the wadded
 slst and single sheet that go to
 anna Greek bed once were new. SS. beooumenos is most hospitable. si,es lis visitors excellent monastie dinner of many weird courses < himself very good company. As ssI tbeYe are two churches ill this |s..ieTy. the smaller of the two pos n some very fair ikens set in |ntifully carved frames, and one very pctnre, dated 381.
 iss large church consists of a nave, Iwbapel. with the body of tine church r the dome, which is decorated tba asnal half length figure of Hare ire seen some of the in- |iiprg and mother of pearl stools l seturus which 1t one time were the Ia work of the Meteora monks. l n tbe manuscripts of any value have Rmayed to Athens. A long build l st the right of the bridge contains fells of the monks, which open into kcoqefed corridor. In time of war monasteries are used as places of |N
 |gm the least curious feature of these e foeks of Meteora are the holes caves which literally pepper the Of the eliGs in places.
 many cases these retreats of the ] nlts of St. Anthony are merely k Ata distance they look, some of b, like big birdeages hung up Ehst tie face of the cliff. As dwell. they are all exceedingly primitive. |ae Fhessaliah hermit did not ask of life. ! rocky floor to lie on, |an milings 10 keep him from fall out of his hole. a sbaky ladder n which he might HOW and then |eGd toearth and q basket and string kt down for supplies were all he |aa in addition to his crucifix and f religious necessities.
 hse aerial caves were occupied in iurleenth century. Thousands of nils, judging from the remains of htati0ns, must at one time or another n@ught refuge in these cliffs. Few hem can now be entered, for the seN have for the most part fallen sningly the way q hermit proceed ss to choose q hole that took his Eg Upt this he ran a ladder. Then. Fng poles into the rock before the
 he built out | little platform.
 ho roofed in and surrounded with all made of sticks or dried grass. n one platform to another these A0rites ran up their ladders until the hle face of the rock was alive with Y hennits of St, Anthony.
 iiisr tile time honoFed fashion of re- pa reelnses, the cliff dwelling her
 Of St Anthony depended wholly Aarity for their sustenance. Ear up Aeir aifg caves they spent their days hshts il prayer and contemplation. hungry or thirsty, they let down Baskets to the ground. and when
 were filed they pulled them up ae degont people of Kalihaki be- iliat these hermits were a special
 upon them and kept them well saea with bread and water. Every aMg men. women and children De seen tramping to the cliffs to As baskets that were let down by the ss from above. And so the hermits 3sanle to live their quiet, lazy lives 3soal single worldly care. New 4 World.
 3 Aa Opinion of coakling.