Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-03-04
PLEA FOR SAFETY
|SMADEBYM0NKS
Heads oi Converts in Country Sur
rounded by Great European War
Ask Assurances.

the Associated Press 1.-The monks of
Mt. Athos have appealed to the Holy
Mother church OF Russia for protec-
ton. Disturbed in their quiet unworld-
X lives by the approach of the world
war 10 a Balkan battlefield several
months ago, the holy synod of the COM
munity, which constitutes the thor
oughlv democratic government Of the
% converts, long deliberated the peril
threatening them. They are not ig-
norant of war. At one time their con-
vent walls we're mounted with cannon,
and in the early part of the last CEN
turv they took. with sad results for
themselves, a prominent part in the
Creek war for independence from OF
toman rule.
War, therefore, is very positive
horror to the monks Of Mt. Athos. SO
after due deliberation, they decided to
send two of their presidents (of whom
there are four named in rotation from
each Of the converts each year, to
Athens. TO lay their fears before the
representative of the secular head of
the Greek church. In pursuance OF
this decision, armed with a loaf OF
black bread, little paper of salt and
an ikon of great beauty, newly painted
with loving monkish care, the two
blaCk-robed elders of the ancient re-
ligious republic left the protected
peace of their cliffs and walls, sea-
girt. and ventured the troubled wa
ters of the Aegean TO put their diff
culties before Prince Demidoff, impe-
rial Russian minister to Greece. The
secular head and most powerful de-
fender Of the Greek church in the
world outside of Mt. AthOs Is the en-
percr OF all the Russias. To him in
person they could not go. The way
was cut off. Neither through Bulga
ria in arms nor by way of the besieg
ed BosphorOus could these legates Of
Mt AthOs come to their next friend
and protector. So they went as best
they could to his representative, dress
ed in their ample. flowing robes, their
pot hats like outwoTn- tiles" turned
upside down, and their uncut hair and
patriarchial boards. And the Russian
minister received them. gave them
food and drink in his exquisite palace
in Athens in return for their bread
and salt, and treating them with great
respect. assured them their case would
he put before the emperor himself, and
that a contingent Of Russian marines
would be seut to guard the peninsula
ii they had to come all the way from
Archangel to get there. He told them
not to fear, for the Bulgarians, too, are
Of the Greek church and themselves
have a convent all of their own on Mt.
AthOs and ii was scarcely cOnceiv-
able that even the least scrupulous of
Bulgarian "komitadjis" or bandits
should lay hostile hands upon the holy
things of the church
But what has bothered the monks
Of Mt, Athos has not been the Bull
garians. The monks in a vague sort
Of way know that their treasures of
golden images, brilliant studded altar
utensils, manuscripts centuries and
centuries old. are sufficient to tempt
almost any man. They fear, not per-
haps an organized attack, but raid
against which their hired guard of so
soldiers would be helpless. So a sec
0nd deputation has just been dispatch
ed to Athens, and some of the more
precious Of their sacred possessions
their bits of the true cross, their saint
" mementOes of the holy founders of
the various converts. around which
shrine after shrine has been built
through the ages-have been placed in
the security of the steel safe of the
imperial Russian legation at Athens.
Certainly one of the most extraor-
binary and beautiful sights of the
whole world is convent-crowned Mt
Athos. The Chalcidic peninsula,
stretched south into the Aegean sea
like three fingers of a great hand, has
the mountain itself as the nail on the
easternmost finger. But the mountain
Is merely q sort of lofty marble-white
and Oaken-green landmark, on the
garlanded sides of which are hundreds
Of shrines and huts OF individual an
choTites. The whole peninsula itself
IS the garden ground Of 90 converts,
most Of them either at the waters edge
or perched high upon cliffs or mounted
on the terraced hillsides overlooking
the water. Their architecture, their
extraordinary setting, stages a scene
tnF tho hyr tho HpPR nj
coasting steamer, rarely to be squaled
IN the entire world.
NorthernmOst, on the western slope
OF the peninsula is the monastery of
honstamonites. possibly the oldest of
the converts and certainly one of the
most picturesque. Its red roofs and
Incredibly lofty gray walls, Widowed
Ike most of the convent walls, only in
their upper half, rise from ring OF
expresses like fairy castle. Here
and there near the top Of ramparts
That seem those Of a fortress, little
bird cages of square bay windows stick
out, upheld by proping wooden beams.
The monastery was founded by Con-
STAINS, son of Constantine the Great,
early in the fifth century, no one quite
knows when. 1t still has charter
granted it by the Byzantine Emperor
Manuel Palaelogus, TO which the en-
perors signature is scrawled In red
letters, possibly red ink, possibly the
blood Of some animal.
Not far away towards the south IS
one Of the most interesting OF these