Charlevoix county herald., 1913-05-03

NI--aAD teresting in the world On the end
OF a peninsula jutting into the
Aegean sea, the mountain shoots up more thah
5000 feet, and it's peak of white limestone Is
landmark for many miles out to sea. The old
Greek legend was that the giant Athos hurled
this mountain at the gods upon olympus but
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 width
cut by numerous ravines and by long arms or
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 hermts of
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 96S There are still several
thousand monks living upon the mountain, sup
porting themselves by filling hillside farms and
living very much as their predecessors did a
thousand years ago
In 1900 years no woman has been allowed to
set foot on Athos. Few travellers come to
Athos: it 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
uaIly under Turkish rule The Turks however
have been liberal in their treatment of the Greek
Catholic monks, and have permitted them prac
tically to govern themselves. A 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 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
Giimpses of the deep blue sea which frets at
Athos' feet
Through the Middle Ages the Athos monas-
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. today, contain much that is fascinat
fng TO the antiquarian and the booklover But
the monks themselves have fallen into sad igno
rance; the libraries of the monasteries are little
used and of them have been permitted to
go completely to rack.
At Mount Athos, according to legend, the Vir
hin Mary and St Thomas wrecked and then
miraculously saved; and since that day of grace
no female foot has been allowed 10 tread the
peninsula of Athos; indeed, since the eleventh
century 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
dred years was in favor Of Lady Stratford de
RedcIfe, and It is kept 50 strictly that not only
must the whole population be masculine, but
hens even may not live the rock, hence all
the eggs OF which a great number consumed,
are imported. The population OF the Holy Noun
tain called generally THE Garden OF the Moth
or Of God" Is between six and thousand,
made UP of some three thousand monks and three
or four thousand lay brothers. Most OF the
monks are Greeks. but there also many Rus
slams a ROumanians, and Bugarians.
Scrvians and Georgians. The Turks respected