The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-21
STRANGE TOWNS OF THE WORLD.
One Built on the Ocean, Another on
lee aud Another Is WOmanIess.
From Household Words


From Household Words.
The marine village of Tupuselei. in New
Guinea, would take a lot of beating on the
score of singularity. Here the houses are
all supported on piles and stand right out
IN the ocean. some considerable distance
from the shore. The object of this strange
position is to protect the inhabitants
against sudden attacks of the dreaded
mead hunters, who are always on the
LOOKOUT Tor victims. Other villages in this
happy land are perched up in all but in
son. ~"
Another curious place is a town with
out name on one of the arms of Lake
huron. This consists of some 800 wooden
butS; During the summer these little
evenings are hidden away in a clearing
on Shofe and the town contains not a
single inhabitant. But on the arrival of
winter, when the lake is frozen over with
a mick coating of ice, the owners of the
NUS arrive ana proceed to move their
houses out onto the surface of the lake
Inc MOOR of the huts is taken up and a
mole cut through the ice. Through these
holes the residents, fish, carrying on their
operations until the spring releases The
lake from its ley bonds, when this ex-
tfaordInary town is once more broken up
the shanties go back to their resting place
ana the hshermen scatter over the coun-
Try This place even boasts a curing fac
tory and church, not to mention sew
eral saloons-all on the ice.
Athos, a town situated on a promon-
toIy 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 score or so of monasterles
are dotted about the rough hillsdes or
the valleys. In these establishments dwell
a numerous body of ascetics, kind and
hospitable to wanderers, but full of SUI
pesrstitlon ana believing in the doctrine
a arfr IL 4,
The actual town, as distinct from it's
monasic enVirons, is called Caryes, and
supplies the simple wants of the monks.
Here are to be found streets of shops
crowded bazars, flourishing trades and I'll
the hustle and energy of a modern town.
But one thing soon strikes the visitor as
strange. There is not a female TO be seen
anywhere, for the gentler sex is vigorously
banished from the place. Even the small
turkish garrison, from the commandant
down TO the privates, consists of Dache-
This extraordinary law is carried ont
even among the domestic animals. Only
the wild birds eVade ii, and then only
when free, for no female bird Is ever
dinner is sure to be a cockerel For this
unparalleled state of affairs there is only
legend 10 account. Although to our
pracIlcal minds himsy. to degree, it is
simplicity believed in by the inhabitants.
Ii appears that in one of the chief monas-
terieS on the promontory there is a mi
raculous icon, which is a picture or image
sacred to members of the Russo-Greek
church. This particular picture is a rem
resentation of the Virgin and the legend
says that one day as the Empress Pull
cheria, who had literally endowed the
church, as well as beautified and restored
il, was engaged in her devotions, the Vir-
gin spoke, asking what she, a 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 a woman should never
again tread the floor. The Empress.
probably surprised at the seeming ingra IT,
tude of the speech, as well as awestruck
left the place, which no female has since
entered. How the prohibition thus arbi-
trarily established came to comprehend the
length and breadth of the promontory is
not very clear AS a residence for bash
full bachelors we should imagine Athos
would be hard 10 surpass