The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-18
THE BRAVE DOGS
OF ST, BERNARD
Live Where It Is Deep Snow
Even In August
TEN MONTHS OF WINTER
Heroic Service of the Monks Whose
Home Is the Worlds LoftIest
House of Charity and Won
derfuI Work.
W. G. Fitz-Gerald in August st. Mich.

W. G. Fitz-Gerald in August st. Mich
olas.
Come with me in the alpine diligence
for drive up the queer zigzag road
that goes twisting and climbing until it
pierces the wet and misty clouds and
reaches region of eternal ice and
snow. Here. in a climate almost as cold
as Greenl1nd we shall find band of
men who do a great and good work,
assisted by dogs. as Bernard de Men
thon did long years ago.
We start from the lovely village of
Chamonix at the very foot of mighty
Mont Blanc and drive to Martigny. This
diligence" is the road coach of the
Alps, drawn by five big horses all
decked with bells and fy-flickers The
air is like wine for it's braeing sweet
ness, and all around us are roaring
cataracts. glistening glaciers, or NOV
ing ice-seas; gloomy ravines and tow
ering peaks, below whose topmost
crags thin wisps of cloud float like
wreaths of gauze.
Round and round, up and up. 1t
grows colder as we ascend, and the
smiling landscape fades away. The
pretty flowers disappear too-the name
one and gentain; dark-leaved saxi-
frage and sweet alpenrose. We SILVER.
even In August, and put on our wraps
and furs.
We have passed from summer to
winter in a few hours. Now we enter
the Valley Of Death, so called from its
many fatal memories. Here at the
most dangerous part of the st. Bernard
Pass little shelter house has been
built; and parties climbing still higher
to the famous hospice or monastery
can now telephone their coming This
has saved hundreds of lives For now
adays, after such a message the good
monks at the top look out for ~the
travellers, and If they fail to appear
after certain time search parties of
dogs are sent out to look for them.
Here Is deep snow even in August. 1t
Is so bitterly cold that we get off and
walk to warm our numbed limbs; and
soon the bare, bleak walls of the
worlds loftiest house of charity loom
through the damp mist.
Winter fingers here for ten long months:
and the few weeks of summer do not
suffice to melt the wilderness of ice and
snow. We are here nearly 5000 feet above
the level of the sea, and the slightest
exertion distresses our breathing appar-
atus. SO rarefied is the air. No sooner
are we at the door than a dozen mon
strous dogs come baying forth to greet
us. No questions are asked. 1t is I'M
derstood we require dinner, warm and
comfortable bed breakfast next morn
ing, and full directions and potection for
our onward journey.
In the reception room is a big piano
which King Edward, then Prince of
Wales, gave the monastery nearly 90
years ago. The Emperor Frederick of
Germany and his consort also passed the
night here, as also have a host of world
famous celebrities. For nearly 10 centu-
rfes, from generation to generation, some
IA monks and eight or nine attendants
have occupied the monastery and helped
travellers crossing over the summit Of
the Great st. Bernard.
1t is sad to think that even these help
ers have to descend periodically in search
of health, so terribly trying is the eli
mate. The dogs themselves. even, suffer
severely from rheumatism.
At present the monastery costs about
$4,000 year to keep up, and this money
is partly collected in Switzerland and
partly derived from the revenue of the
monastic order But in the middle ages
wealth. though it still continued and con-
tinues to this day to carry out the work
of st. Bernard. over 10000 travellers pass
this way every year, and hundreds of
these, at least. would lose their lives
were it not for the guardians of the
mountain.
The poor emigrant laborers from switz-
erland are often found by these faithful
dogs, In the snow, utterly exhausted from
hunger and fatigue, and often with bad
ly frozen limbs. These are tenderly
nursed in the spotlessly clean inflrmary
of the hospice. I visited this lofty house
of charity in the clouds OF course the
great attraction Is the kennels of the IA
nous st. Bernard dogs One Is grieved
to learn that even these hardy and in
telligent as they are. often perish in ter
rible storms. They are big. powerful.
short-haired animals, most of them
white, but with few brown patches.
Last winter five magnificent creatures
were lost in furious blizzard. I saw one
or two aged veterans over 20 years old;
these are now privileged to lie before the
kitchen fire, and each of them has saved
over 20 lives in the snowy wastes. The
monks are not now so dependent on the
dogs for news Of travellers in distress,
because of the telephone have already
mentioned. The scent of these dogs Is
so wonderfully keen they can track
mans footsteps in the snow two or three
days after he has passed. 1t is grand
sight to see the monks and their attend
ants go forth in their big fur coats, high
rubber boots, helmets and swans-down
gloves. Behind them come assistants with
long ash poles, ice-axes, alpenstocks,
spades, wine and provisions.
When the first snow comes in Septem-
Der the paths are marked with posts
QiSaDDear