The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-01
BY c. F. MARKELL

walls for a distance of three or four feet and one almost imagined himself in a magical hall of, mirrors or labyrinth of giass. The glaciers in which these grot- tos are fashioned move and the old grot- to of Grindelwald as I knew 1t ten years ago is now almost submerged in water and entirely abandoned, but new one has been cut in the ice high up in the glacier. Its approach is tedious, accom- panied with no little amount of danger and to the frail visitor is impossible. To avoid this climb a most unique but rather starting device has been employed. One can quit the railway train upon plain at the top of the mountain and walk to the top precipice of the glacier. Here he seats himself in a chain basket and is lowered over the cliff by steel rope which lands him at the mouth of the ice grotto.
 The most wonderful grotto cut in the ice, however is now to be found at Les Bossees at Chamounix. Its length is such that small track has been placed down the centre gallery and the arcade termi- mates in a circular tribune the dome of which is apparently supported by series of carved ice columns. The grotto is il- luminated by artificial light and many of these lights are curiously placed In tho centre of each column. The effect is quite weird and really startling
 Mar Saba. on the Kedron valley, about three hours travel from Jerusalem, is a veritable dove cote of mother earth's pockets These reticules of rock are not Co h,, t1a hon of ht1t a ra natural formations in the side of steep cliffs and constitute. as it were. large apartment house of stone. They are in- habited by colony of hermits who se- lected the site to be away from snares and temptations of the world and also to avoid molestation from wild beasts in their vocation as cenobites. A narrow dizzy path leads from the bottom of the
 e, along the face of the cliff, to the caverns and a pitiless sun beats down all day upon the strange habtations. A brook flows down the centre of the valley ana from this brook water is drawn by means of buckets running upon a long taut wire St. Jerome is said to have lived near here and it was In this valley that he found the lion suffering with a
 .a~ela. ed paw. The grateful beast refused to leave the saint and was com- missioned by him to protect a donkey employed in hauling wood Once when the lion slept the donkey was stolen and Jerome believing that he had devoured the beast, imposed upon Leo the duty of carrying the wood. But the lion dis covered the donkey in 6 caravan of those who had stolen the beast and drove all their camels into the monastery at Jeru- salem, which so frightened the thieves that they confessed their sin and were forgiven by St. Jerome.
 Nns of mother earth will suffice for the hour and we will pause to regard some of the good dame's ups
 All visitors to the exquisite vale of
 o'niH which rests as a gorgeous carpet at the feet of towering Mont Blanc are charmed with the impressive statue of de Sausure, who made the second as- cent of the mighty snow crowned mon- ster. In a manifest spirit of enthusiasm an Alpine guide is pointing out some dis
 e.evated object to the expectant
 Se Saussure and so perfect is the portrayal of emotion that the visitor sis