The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-16

monastery sends one representative. But
the government is very primitive as are
! the lives of the monks.
The monastery libraries are vast store
| houses of information, containing until
comparatively recent times many priceless
relics which the monks, their intellectual
development having been left to it's own
devices, cared little or nothing for. Many
of these documents tell in the language of
Xenophon Of the glories of a Greece that
was. Indeed much of the history of
the east is locked up in these dust filled
coffreforts in which from time to slime
this or that wanderer has come across
priceless relic to carry off to the muse
ums of Europe.
One of the most notable finds was a
papyrus containing the fables of Esop
lin Coliambic verse. But so many curio
collectors, attracted by the fabulous
tales of voyagers, have taken passage
for Mount Athos that the monks have
become suspicious and now refuse en-
trance to nearly all strangers. The
larger part of the monastic valuables,
however, are in safe and more worthy
hands.
The Turks destroyed much of the
valuable papyri in the monasterios in
making cartridges during the war of
the Greek independence in 1S20-29.
| Other valuable documents were torn up
| by the monks themselves for fishing
| bait. Such is the value of historical
documents to these monks who spend
| their time apart from their religious
ldevotions in fishing and ti5ling the
land.
In 1749 an attempt was made to es-
tablish an academy on the mount. For
a time it flourished, drawing the flower
of the youth of the east, but the teach
ing was SO primitive that the academy
became deserted and today is mass
of ruins over which tangled vines,
lizards and other crawling things hold
sway. When the star of the Byzantine
empire was at its zenith Mount Athos
was a chosen retreat for those in court
idisfavor. Many others, wealthy and
noble, had their fling at life and then
banished themselves to Mount Athos.
Viewed from the sea in the fall of
| the year Athos is a mountain CT ex-
quisite beauty with its shades and tihts
of dying foliage. High up on the noun
tain the monasteries can be seen clus-
ltering in the inches scooped out by ma
ture. They are all strongly fortified
and with the exception of Rossikson,
1.-THE Russian monastery, their architcc-
| ture is a quaint representation OF the
Byzantine period which had so much
Influence on the sacred mount to Its
inhabitants. On the isthmus which sep
traces can still be seen of the canal
jdug by XerXes and his men before the
Invasion of Greece in 4S0 E. c. 1t is
the story that Xerxes dug the canal
because he feared lest he lose his ships
lin doubling the cape.
| 1t is more than probable that by
this time Turkeys crushing defeat al
1.-THE hands of the Balkan allies has
Preached the ears of the monks, and 1T
lno doubt has become cause of dis
lpute between the Russians and the
lGreeks. Among the Turks who in
habit the main land in proximity to
Mount Athos there has always been
Superstition that the Russian monks,
some 5000 in all, are in reality Rus
sian soldiers in disguise, and II ever
should war break out between the two
lcountries the monks would seize their
larms and march down onto the plain.
With the passing of Turkey IN Europe
lit can only be conjectured what new
latitude will be assumed between the
monks and their 'unholy'' neighbors-