The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-08-01
REMARKABLE TOWNS
One Is Built on Stills In the Ocean,
the Other on the Ice.
Athos, on the Coast of Macedonia, the
Most Curious Community In the
Universe--A Town with
out Women.

The marine village of Tupuselei, in
New Guinea, would take lot of beating
on the score of singularity. Here the
houses are all supported on piles, and
stand right out in the ocean, some con-
siderable distance from the shore. The
object of this strange position is to pro-
tect the inhabitants against sudden at
tacks of the dreaded head-hunters, who
are always on the lookout for victims.
Other villages in this happy land are
perched up in all but inaccessible trees,
for the same weighty reason.
Another curious place is a town with
out a name on one of the arms of Lake
Huron. This consists of some 500 wood
en- huts. During the summer these lit
tie dwellings are hidden away in clear
ing on shore, and the town contains not
a single inhabitant. But on the arrival
of winter, when the lake Is frozen over
with a thick coating of ice, the owners
of the huts arrive, and proceed to move
their houses out on to the surface Of the
lake. The floor of the huts is taken up,
and hole cut through the ice. Through
these holes the residents fish, carrying
on their operations until the spring re-
leases the lake from its icy bonds, when
this extraordinary town is once more
broken up, the shanties go back to their
resting place, and the fishermen scatter
over the country. This place even
boasts a curing factory and @ church,
not to mention several saloons-an on
the ice.
Athos, town situated on promon-
tory on the coast of Macedonia, well de-
serves the title of the most curious town
in the universe. The peninsula is known
as "The Mountain of the Monks" from
the fact that q score or so of monas-
teries are dotted about the rough hill
sides or the valleys. In these estab-
Eshments dwell numerous body of as
cetics, kind and hospitable to wander
ers, but full of superstition, and believ-
ing in the doctrine of separation to a
wonderful degree.
The actual town, as distinct from it's
monastic environs, is called Caryes, and
supplies the simple wants OF the monks.
Here are to be found streets of shops,
crowded bazars, fourishing trades and
all the hustle and energy of modern
town. But one thing soon strikes the
visitor as strange. There is not fe-
male to be seen anywhere, for the
gentler sex is vigorously banished from
the place. Even the small Turkish gar
rison, from the commandant down to
the privates, consists of bachelors
=. 5;,n 1oxr te iaI
even among the domestic animals. Only
the wild birds evade it, and then only
when free, for no female bird is ever
brought to table; the fowl one has for
dinner is sure to be cockerel. For this
unparalleled state of affairs, there ia
only a legend to account. Although to
our practical minds fimsy to degree,
1t is implicitly believed in by the inhab-
itants. 1t appears that in one of the
chief monasteries on the promontory
there is a miraculous icon, which is q
picture or image sacred to members Of
the Russo-Greek church. This particu.
lar picture is a representation of the
Virgin, and the legend says that one
day as Empress Pulcheria, who had lib
orally endowed the church, as well as
beautified and restored it, was engaged
in her devotions the Virgin spoke, ask.
ing what she, woman, was doing in the
church. The pious lady, no doubt
amazed, did not reply, whereupon the
voice commanded her to leave, saying
that the feet of woman should never
again tread the floor. The empress,
probably surprised at the seeming in.
gratitude of the speech, as well as awe
struck, left the place, which no female
has since entered. How the prohibition
thus arbitrarily established came to
comprehend the length and breadth Of
the promontory is not very clear. AS a
residence for bashful bachelors, we
should imagine, Athos would be hard to
surpass.-Household Words.