Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-01-19
Along the Spanish Coast
of the Mediterranean.
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est possible contrast 90 stately Tara
eaua Euus is tle great seat Oi me
manufacture of French imitation wines.
.rmclpaIr ChabUs Macon ana very
poor champagne 10 is the hirth place
NJ thr painter FOrtuny end ala0 ui
General pum the sword Of whose Aifl-
cam campa.aro ls preserved as "a pre-
cioug relic in the town hall Prim you
remember. was made Condo count dc
Itcus. as reward for his cod-bI0odcd
murder of monks of this place In 1850.
A utue further on you Cross Che Ribd
river. on "a une new iron bridge. ana
PASS several cltt1n-fact0rles grouped
about la Biba station. Montblanch.
near fha footballs of the grand Sierra
Ia puHos. is dcoayed old moated
town. With f8uda walls towers ana
four gates. where the kings Of Aragou
Uel Dul'es lon the middle gacs Poblet
De- several miles nearer the mountains
over thp toughest apology of "a road u
s possible Co conceive, You take "a
.lr'1nI. the only public vehicle OF the
..sI0u Lut hud II advisable. out of re-
sUaDt 90 your bones 10 walk most oi
tine way a tJrtana ig "a sprIuglcss.
tWo.vhUa'eI cart resembling our emil
grant wagons from "a distance. ~
reason of The rounding canvas cover
but with several important differences,
these being merely am open frame WORK
of rough poles nailed together with mo-
bottom but knolted rOues. You
crawl into 10 from behind through the
circular hole in the canvas, ana catch
what glimpse you can Of the scenery
through this opening I'm the rear The
uropeHlng power is a mule. perhaps
Two or three Of them hltchcd tandem,
and never were seen such hcad-trong
beasts since BaIa8ms day as the hardy,
mountsiu-brol mules OF MoutblanCh,
AT first ours refused tO move at all
600 after long suasIon on tho part Of
the driver In the way OF shrieks and
wells and cudgelling with clubs and
poltlng with stones, and when at last
he ana conclude 10 start, 10 was with
the unexpected velocity OF a ball from
% lannon's mouth and a tremendous
urch that nearly ended our carthi}
career Head high ia air. he gal
Hoped on. regardless Of rocks ana gull
Hes and sIoughg of mud, pitching us
from end to end " the tartana' with
our feet heplesfly twisted through ihe
omen r0ues beneath, When human ma
tue could endure no more, we begged
f1 Doc let out which could only be ac-
straight ln Co o boulder ana We glady
paid the oxorbitant price demanded,
For the privilege OF trudging behind on
foot
Never have ! seen such "a melan-
cholv place as the old convent OF Pob-
let. which has stood since the year ll4s.
IN "a lonely hollow OF the hills, sur
rounded by venerable olive trees whose
trunks arc guared and twisted into
fantastic shapes. This is the story OF us
foundation In the time Of the Moors,
a holy hermit named Poblet retired 70
thlr secluded spot 90 pray; but an
Cmlr out hunting. discovered him ana
had him cast into prison Angels came
down from heaven. broke his chains
and let him forth. but be- was speeds
lv rrarrcstpd. After his miraculous
RELEASE had been three times accom-
ulIehpd. the Mulrs rcpenied ana grant
I'D him 600 the territory OF Hardetn, IN
which thp convent ia situated There
ba died In o. grass hut In the lonely
gorge when the Christians recon
0uored the country In lliO. the body
of Poblet was revealed by miraculous
LIGHTS. 10 consequence Of which Ramon
Bcrenguer ~ caused the great monas-
terry TO be built on the spot, and the
holy bones Inferred within &c. IL be-
came The Egcorial uf Aragon-the bur
iaI place OF the Aragonefc kings and
afterwards ~ the Dukes OF cardona
Every succeeding monarch increased Us
wealth regarding q not only Ia the
Ucht OF q sacred religious shrine. hut
as bis own last resting place. AS the
long lines of royal t0mbs rose thicker
ON either side VI the choir the living
KINGS came hlther too over mountain
and moor for penitence ana prayer
and lived for time the austcre con-
yenual NE Thus. though no sover-
cign ever actually assumed the cow
no poblot several left orders that their
cMgy should be twice represented on
their mouuments-ouCo in royal robes
and again Goo the mon8stic habit Five
hundred monks NJ So Bernard occupied.
but dld not hll, the magnificent build
mgg. Their domain became almost
boundess. their power absolute. their
wealth beyond computing, their libra
ry the most famous I'm Spain-so large
10 Was said set uf wagons. employed
u.sut and day "a whole year, could not
cart away ull lts books As Poblet
became the Spanish Westminster for
Engs ana queens. other distinguished
upreunages naturally desired to mngle
thair dust with that Of royalty, Dukes
and giaudees OF the first class were
hlul away. like moidy documents, IN
inches around the principal cloister
whore their t0mbs less injured than