The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-02-24
CARNAC.
Meaning Of Strange Monuments
Around a Breton VILLAGE.


Nothing more curious could well be
imagined than the low plain on
Qulberon Bay, with It's vast number Of
prehistoric monuments. They say
there are 1888 separate stones, any
way, there are far too many to count,
and they stretch over acres Of ground
with nothing to break their serried
monotony but patches Of gorse and
heather.
The only way to get general I'm
preston of Carnac Is to ascend the
tumulus known as Mont st. Michel
Eastward Is the Gulf OF Morblhan,
with all its islets, and at our feet the
wide, wonderful plain, with It's lines
of menhlrs and doimens, It's stern
avenues of upright stones, which
might well be supposed to mark the
last resting places of race Of giants
Here and there the lines are broken
by a rude semicrcle, place where
an altar probably stood, or by two or
three huge blocks of stone supporting
another laid horizontally upon them,
thus forming a gigantic table for shell
ter. Such an arrangement Is called
a dolmen, or II very large, an alice
couverte. The Menhr Is single
standing stone; when these menhrs
are so placed as to form circle they
are called cromlech, but II they
stand together In parallel lines we
have an alignment Some of them
stand thirty feet above the SOIL though
none Of exceedingly great height is to
be found at Carnac. The tallest ever
known in the whole country was sixty
four feet high, but unfortunately 1t
was shattered by lightning.
The real meaning Of these mysteri-
ous monuments Is subject of much
different opinion, even after the lnves-
legations oi recent years. The Sc
crets Of these silent stones have a
tremendous fascination for some peo
pie. A Scotch antiquary, James Min,
lived at Carnac for several years,
from 1874 to 1880, devoting all his
time to the subject. His conclusions
are the same as those of the French
authority, M. Lee Rouzie, and Barring
Gould, who has given infinite study to
the Dartmoor ignments-antiquitie
which In way are even more val
liable than those at Carnac, because
they have been left absolutely un-
touched, while the Breton farmer has
been unabl to resist interference with
the treasures Of his own land.
Bering Gould says: "The dolmens
and allees couvertes we're sepulchres,
family or tribal, and the alignments
consist of stones erected by the tribe
in honor of the several dead who were
laid In the dolmens. He reminds US
that to this day the Bedouin when he
visits the tomb of Moslem saint
erects rude block Of stone In token
of homage. The same authority furth-
er tells us that: "The stone circles
were either places where the dead
were burned and funeral feasts were
held or, were places Of tribal gather
ings for palavers; generally they
served both purposes. Isolated men,
hirs were either memorials to the dead
or boundary marks. All dolmens
were originally buried under cairns or
tumuli'
But 1t is hardly likely that the peas
ant will be content with scientific
explanation. He tells you that every
stone on Carnac plain was once a
human being; that all together they
formed vast pagan host who cruelty
pursued the blessed st. Cornely, the
patron Of the parish church, until he
was in imminent danger Of drowning.
But when he got to the edge Of the
waves he made last effort and
cursed his pursuers vigorously, and le
bon Dieu turned every one into a pill
lar OF stone.-New Orleans Times
Democrat.