Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-04-11

OF pSHtuSuld Jultlh6 AA'o Se~
Aegean sea- the mountain shoots up more than
5000 feet and it's peak Of white limestone is
landmark for many miles out to sea- the ola
Greek legend was that the giant Athos hurled
this mountain at the gods upon Olympus Dut
that It dropped back and fell at the edge OF the
sea-
The entire peninsula of which Mount Athos
forms the southernmost point, is about forty
miles long and from four to seven miles In wl0Ih
cut by numerous ravines and by long arms OF
the sea- The narrow isthmus which connects the
mountain with the main peninsula was cut by
canal built by Xerxes when he came to invade
Greece and traces of the canal are still visible,
though it has long since become dry land.
The slopes of Mount Athos have for many cen
turtles been the home Of monks and hermits or
the Greek church Most Of the monasteries
which cling to the steep slopes of the mountain
were founded by Byzantine emperors; one of
the Oldest the monastery of st. Laura, has been
In existence since $685. There are still several
thousand monks living upon the mountain, sup
porting themselves by tilling hillside farms and
living very much their predecessors dd a
thousand years ago
In 1900 years no woman has been allowed to
set foot on Athos. Few travellers come to
Athos; 1t lies out of the beaten track of travel,
and the monks would not welcome intruders.
Since The fall of the Byzantine empire and
Constantinople, in 1853, Athos has been nomi-
nally under Turkish rule The Turks. however.
have been liberal in their treatment of the Greek
Catholic monks, and have permitted them prac-
ticay to govern themselves. council COM
posed of representatives Of the several monas-
teries has maintained law and order in the col
Ony.
The comparatively few English and European
travellers who have ever been to Athos unite in
enthusiastic praise of the natural beauties OF the
place. The steep sides of the mountains are heav
fly wooded with huge oak and chestnut trees,
while here and there pine and cypress give
touch of deeper color. The roads wind in and
out along the mountain SIDE frequently affording
glimpses of the deep blue sea which frets at
Athos' feet
teries were the treasure houses in which much
of the learning and culture Of the Greeks was
preserved to the world The monks must have
| spent a world of time patiently copying the
| works OF the old masters and the libraries OF
/ Athos even today contain much that is fascinat-
| ing to the antiquarian and the booklover. But
| the monks themselves have fallen into sad gno-
rance; the libraries OF the monasteries are little
used and some OF them have been permitted to
/ go completely to rack.
1 At Mount Athos according to legend. the Vir-
gin Mary and st. Thomas were wrecked and then
mraculously saved and since that day of grace
! no female foot has been allowed to tread the
peninsula of Athos indeed, since the eleventh
! century no female animals whatever have been
permitted there. 1t Is said that the only excep-
ton ever made to this rule in the last five hun
! bred years in favor OF Lady Stratford de
Radcliffe, and It is kept so strictly that not only
must the whole population be masculine, but
hens even may not live on the rock, hence all
the eggs of which a great number are consumed,
are imported. The population Of the Holy Noun
tain. called generally THE Garden OF the Moth
er of God" is between six and seven thousand
made up of some three thousand monks and three
or four thousand lay brothers Most OF the
monks Greeks but there also many Rus
slams. few Roumanians. and some Bulgarians.
Servans and Georgians. The Turks respected