The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-22
WORK OF MONKS
 OF ST. BERNARD SuppIiant for HeI p Is Never
 Turned Away ARE KIND TO STRANGERS Sacrifices Are Made as Duty to Hu- manty With Gratitude as the
 Only Reward-Tele-
 phones Are Used.
ARE KIND TO STRANGERS
From the London Express.

From the London Express.
 At the highest point of the Great St.
 Bernard pass. one of the highways be- tween Switzerland and Italy, stands the world-famous hosplce of St. Bernard. Here, for nearly 1000 years, in magnif- icent and yet desolate solitude, succeeding
 generations of Augustinan monks have kept lonely vigiI-a vigil not infrequently
 broken by calls to deeds of heroic valor. Here for nearly 1000 years has burned the
 beacon light of religion as morning, noon and night the monks, in their chapel, have said and sung the sacred offices of their church.
 During this vast chain of years the monks have never turned away a sup pliant who came to them asking shelter
 or hospitality. The poorest peasant and
 the richest traveller alike ask and receive
 a nights shelter and night and morning
 meals before the monks speed them on
 tHeir way. In the early spring, in the
 autumn, and in the winter, when binding
 mists hide all landmarks from view, and
 when the pass is covered with vast drifts
 of snow, the monks with their famous
 dogs, act as guides to those wayfarers who are compelled by circumstances to make the dangerous journey over the
 Great St. Bernard. For this duty-im- posed on them by their vows-they re- ceive, as they indeed desire. no other re-
 ward than gratitude. Many a monk has
 lost his life in the performance of this
 duty in the past.
 Telephones at the Hospice.
 Formerly the dogs were sent out regu- larly to search for lost wayfarers. Now,
 happily, sclence has come to the aid of the monks, and telephones on the Italian and the Swiss side of the pass link
 the hospice with the outside world. No
 traveller goes beyond certain point on each side without the fact being at once
 telephoned to the monks.
 The pass is a long one, reaching from
 Martigny, in Switzerland, to Aosta, in
 Italy-a distance of 50 miles. It is from
 Aosta that the monks draw their supplies. Every day during the brief summer weeks their motor wagon goes down to Aosta and returns fully laden witrl supplies for the day and stores for the autumn, win ter and spring. The motor wagon cannot be used on the Swiss side because one
 order of the canton of Valais, in which the pass is situated, forbids the use of any motor vehicle unless a horse Is at
 tached to it. This precaution is not alto
 gether stupid, for the greater portion of the pass skirts steep and rugged preci- pices.
 It was early in the present month that I crossed the pass and stayed for night at the hospice The walk from Martigny 1 is about 28 miles, but the distance seems | nothing, as every mile onward Drings l one into more bracing and invigorating I air. The road is a good one, and is 1 higher on the mountains than, but more 1 or less parallel with, the rocky way l over which Napoleon led his legions in
 1900. Napoleon passed one night at the l hospice.
 l Half an hour from the hospice one l leaves the road and follows the original | rocky path if one is on foot. As we started this last stage of the climb night began to fall. and dense mist plotted out everything that was more than a yard ahead. It was therefore not until we stood actually in the courtyard of the hospice that we knew the journey fop that day was at an end.
 Shelter But No Fodder. Around were several conveyances, and | the drivers were busy removing sacks of 1 fodder for their animals. The monks give stabling to the horses and mules, but owing to its bulk they are unable to pro- | vide fodder.
 | The hospice is a vast, simple building, ! with accommodations for almost 300 trav- eers. We went up flight of stone steps,
 
 | the rope attached to a loud, changing bell. The sound went echoing through the | vaulted corridor, and almost immediately | the almoner appeared.
 | We asked him for the favor of shelter | for the night and he assigned us rooms. | At the same time he told us that, we | were too late fc- the first dinner, another | would be served tor us in half an hour. | Our rooms were simply furnished, but | spotlessly clean. The washing utensils 1 were of metal, a few pictures of religious | subjects hung on the walls. Two beds l and one table completed the furniture. | On each bed were three heavy blankets l and the ordinary bed linen We did not 1 find these coverings superfiuous at night | when the wind came bowling up the 1 bleak pass and drove the freezing mist, l mingled with flakes of snow, through the | windows.
 We waited for dinner in the salon, | where there is the plano presented to the | monks by King Edward. We were CO.'S mopolitan company, about 80 in num- l Der, chiefly British, French and Germans. The dinner was simple but excellent. ] A consomme of yermicelli was served | first, followed by some praised beef with ] the most delicious potatoes that I have | ever tasted. Then came some stewed
 veal and kidneys with macaroni gen. | erous helping of rice and stewed prunes
 followed this, with Gruyere cheese and | as Anuch light red wine as each diner wanted. Considering the circumstances | this was an extremely good dinner espe-
 cially as 1t was admirably cooked and admirably served.
 | Meals for the Peasants. l The peasants who enjoy the hospitality
 of the hospice were given some soup, beef, | vegetables, cheese and wine.
 | At o'clock the next morning we rose l for mass, and at the usual breakfast of l coffee, milk, bread and honey was offered l us by the monks. The peasants had the | choice of this or a great bowl of soup. | Before leaving we were taken to see 1 the famous dogs and their kennels, the 1 library, and the museum of the hospice. l Then at 9 o'clock, having thanked the
 monks for their hospitality, we started | to walk into Italy.
 Although the monks never ask one | guest for even a centime one should 1 ever leave the hospice without handing | the almoner, or placing in his box in the 1 church, from eight to 10 francs (6d Sd | to Ss 4d.) It is estimated that on an l average only one person in 20 leaves l enough to have paid for moderate hotel l charge. The remaining 19 leave nothing. To the credit of our own country it | must be said that the great majority of l British visitors are not guilty In this re- l spect Frenchmen in many cases leave | a small sum, often inadequate to pay for | b,x