The Irish standard., 1906-08-04

No one mas done more ~ Popu
larize this famous health resort than
King Edward who is expected to ar
rive here for his annual "cure" about
the middle of August. The partiality
shown by King Edward for the Marien-
bad waters has been the means OF
greatly enriching one of the most re-
markable and wealthy Roman Catholic
institutions in the world-the mon
astery of Tepl, which was founded as
far back as 1893, says a correspondent
of the Chicago Tribune under date OF
July 10.
The whole of Marienbad and an i'm
mense area of land stretching right
across Bohemia belongs to the mon
astery. The monks run the entire
place. Here and there monks have in
.dulged in Industrial specialization with
excellent results, as in the manufac-
ture of liqueurs: but nowhere else in
the world are such variety OF mum
dane interests in the hands of men
who are supposed to be primarily de-
voted to affairs that concern the next
world.
That, however, does not prevent
them from being most excellent men
of business. Any commission, IN
search of information as to how to
run a town properly could not do bet
ter than study the methods employed
by the monks of Tepl. Under their
guidance the prosperity of Marienbad
has increased by leaps and bounds.
They have erected magnificent build
lngs, constructed public promenades,
cut down hundreds of trees to make
pleasant paths through the forests,
and have provided many other attrac-
tions for the varied tastes of the
visitors from all nations who fore
gather at Marienbad during the sum-
mer. Graft" among them is un-
known. There are no pulls" Every
thing is done honestly.
Thoroughness in whatever they
undertake always has characterized
the abbots and monks of Tepl. Dur
ing the middle ages, when Bohemia
was the scene of so many wars ana
bloody feuds, the abbot of Tepl was
a militant churchman who was quite
as ready to mount his charger and
lead his retainers to battle as he was
to celebrate mass or dictate penance
to refractory monks.
The abbots and monks of Tepl are
up to date in all things. Their sway
is absolutely free from the slightest
trace Of religious intolerance. They
display as much zeal in making here
tics comfortable as few centuries
ago they showed in making it hot for
them. They welcome representatives
of every creed, accept their money for
the good of Marienbad, and give them
good value for it. They do not let
religion interfere with business, or
business with religion. They have
made presents of land for the erection
of places Of worship for the large
numbers of Anglicans orthodox Greeks
and Jews who visit the watering place.
All the administrative posts are
filled by the monks themselves. One
monk is inspector of amusements and
conducts his department with thor
.ough comprehension of the tastes of
the gayest visitors making no effort
to impose more sacred music upon
them than cosmopolitan worldlings
usually care to listen to. Another
monk is inspector of sanitation and
thoroughly enforces the maxim that
cleanliness Is next to godliness. He
is assisted by a staff of doctors and
sanitary engineers. One monk is in
spector of springs and sees to it that
the requirements of the public are
properly satisfied in his department.
All the bathing establishments are
supervised by monks. All the ex-
tensive farm lands attached to the
monastery are managed by the monks.
Some idea Of the dimensions of the
business operations conducted by the
monks may be gathered from the fol-
lowing figures. During the four or
five months of the year when Marien-
bad is frequented by health seeking