The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-10-16

gence for a drive up the queer zig-zag
road that goes twisting and climbing
until it pierces the wet and misty
clouds and reaches region of eternal
Ice and snow Here, in climate a.
most as cold as Greenland, we shall
ind band of men who 90 great
and good work, assisted by dogs, as
Bernard de Mention did long years
ago.
We stare 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 fiy-flickers. The
air is like wine for its bracing sweet
ness, and all around US are roarlnh
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 ane-
none and gentian; dark-leaved saXl-
frage and sweet alpenrose. We shiv-
er, even in August, and put on our
wraps and furs.
We have passed from summer to
winter in a few hours. Now We ente.
the Valley of Death so called from its
many fatal memories. Here at the
most dangerous part OF the st. Bern
ard Pass q little sheIer-hOuse has
been built; and parties climbing still
| higher to the famous hOSpice or mon
astery can now telephone their COM
! ing. This has saved hundreds OF lives.
For nowadays, after such a message.
| the good monks at the top look out
| for the travellers, and if they fail to
appear after a certain time search par
| ties of dogs are sent out to look for
them. Here is deep snow even IL
August. 1t is SO bitterly cold that
we get off and walk to warm our
numted limbs; and soon the bare
bleak walls of the worlds Hottest 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 nine thousand feet above
| the level of the sea- and the slightest
exertion distresses our breathing ap-
| paratus, so rarefied is the air. No
sooner are we at the door than doZ-
en- monstrous dogs come bayinS forth
| to greet us No questions are asked.
| 1t is understood we require dinner,
| a warm and comfortable bed, break
! fast next morning, and full directions
and protection for our onward jour-
ney.
! In the reception room is big pialo
which King Edward, then Prince OF
! Wales, gave the monastery nearly fifty
| years ago. The Emperor Frederick CT
! Germany and his consort also passed
the night here, as also have host OF
world-famous celebrities. For nearly
| ten centuries, from generation to gen
! Grafton, some fourteen 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
helpers have to descend periodically
/ il search of health, so terribly trying
/ is the climate. The dogs themselves
even, suffer severely from rheuma
/ tism.
At present the monastery costs about
! $4,000 year to keep Up, and this
money is partly collected in Switzer-
land and partly derived from the rev.
enue of the monastic order. But in the
middle ages the monastery was strip
ped of all it's wealth, though it still!
continued and continues to this day
to carry out the work OF st. Bernard.
Over thirty thousand travellers pass
this way every year, and hundreds o.
these, at least, would lose their lives,
were it not for the guardians of tn.
mountain.
The poor emigrant laborers from
Switzerland are often found by these
faithful dogs, in the snow, utterly ex-
hausted from hunger and fatigue, and
often with badly frozen limbs. These
are tenderly nursed in the spotlessly
clean infirmary of the hospice. | Wis
tied this lofty house of charity in the
clouds. Of course the great attrac-
ton is the kennels of the famous ST.
Bernard dogs. One is grieved to learn
that even these, hardy and intelligent.
as they are, often perish in terrible
storms. They are big, powerful, short
haired animals, most of them-whito.
but with a few brown patches. Last
winter five magnificent creatures were
| lost in a furious blizzard. | saw one