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

the privileges of the monks who submitted after
the capture of Salonica and agreed to pay
tribute. The republic has, up to this time been
directed by council elected by the monasteries.
The common seal of this council, which is divided
into quarters for that purpose, is in the GUS
tody of the four senior members. Mount Athos,
the second most holy place in eastern Christen-
dom, is at the extremity of the peninsula OF
Athos the easternmost peninsula of Chacidice
in Macedonia, Which projects into the Aegean
sea and is connected with the mainland by mar
row isthmus, which was pierced by canal dur
Ing the invasion of xerxes. The monasteries are
scattered over the entire peninsula.
most interesting account of visit to Mount
Athos is contained in a book written in 1887 by
an Englishman, Robert Curzon. who went book
hunting to the mountain. Speaking of visit to
one monkish library, he wrote:
THE library ! found to be in dark closet
the entrance of the church. 1t had been
locked up for many years, but the agoumenos
(head of the monastery made no difficulty in
breaking the old-fashioned paddock by which the
door fastened. found upon the ground and
upon of the broken-down shelves about 400
to 500 volumes, chiefly printed books, but among
them and then / stumbled upon manu-
script. OF these there were about thirty on vel
lum and fifty or sixty paper. | picked up
single loose leaf of very ancient uncial Greek
characters, part of the Gospel of st. Matthew.
I made bold to ask for this single leaf thing
of small value.
Certainly. said the agoumenos what do
you want IL Tor!
MY servant suggested that perhaps it might
be useful to some jam pots or vases Of
preserves which had at home.
"Oh!' said the agoumenos, take some more,
and without more ado he seized upon an unfortu-
nate thick quarto manuscript OF the Acts and
Epistles and drawing out a knife cut an inch
thickness of leaves at the end before could stop
him 1t proved to be the Apocalypse, which con-
cluded the volume, but which is rarely found in
early Greek manuscripts of the Acts. II was OF
the eleventh century. / asked him If he would
sell any of the other books, and he said GER
tainly; they of no to him.
One monk whom Curzon talked with in the
course OF his journey round the mountain could
never remember having a woman. He
asked the Englshman whether they all looked
like the pictures of the Virgin Mary. Curzon
had an amusing experience with the agoumenos
of another monastery He tells it thus
THE agoumenos declared his willingness TO
show me everything the monastery contained
But first said he 4 wish to present you
with something excellent for your breakfast.
$50 expressed my thanks for the kind hos
opposite me the divan proceeded to prepare
his dish.
"'This' said he, producing a shallow basin
half full of white paste. is the principal and
most savory part Of this famous dish: It Is com.
posed of cloves of garlic. pounded down with
certain Cdantity of sugar With it / will now r,ix
the oil in Just proportions some shreds OF tine
cheese and sundry other nice little condiments
and 1t is completed
Now said the agoumenos crumblng some
bread into it with his large and somewhat dirty
hands, this is a dish for an emperor Eat nv
friend, my much respected guest; do not be shy