The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-07-04
MANY CAVE JEWELLERS
FLOURISH IN FRANCE.
Caroiinian Describes Colonies of Tro-
glodytes.-Vast Chalk Cliffs
Honeycombed With Cells
and Galleries.
By McDavid Horton, Late Captain,
Field Artillery, A. E. F.

from the NatlOna1 deoSidpAiS AoS"
zine an article by J. S. Sitiington
Sterrett, descriptive Of the cliff
dwellers or troglodytes OF Cappa-
docia, their habitations, manners and
morals. The account had for me
special interest, because recently, IN
France, I happened to be stationed
for a time near an ancient and still
flourishing cave community and at
the time l made such research as my
duties and the available material al
lowed, with the idea in mind of shar-
ing some day with the readers of The
State the lore thus acquired concern
ing a housing practice, the physical,
social and historical aspects Of which
greatly intrigued. my curiosity.
Bourre, site of the colony which
first engaged my notice, was for
months a depot of the chemical war
fare service and both for this reason
and because it is near St. Afghan
Meyers of unhappy memory-where
luckless ''casuas" by many thousands
Gagged superfluous' through weary
weeks-the place should be more or
less familiar to a eat many mem
bers of the Amer expeditionary
forces; and the town lies, moreover,
alongside the railway by which troops
travel in moving to Brest and st.
Nazaire from the vast replacement
and classification camp on the Cher;
which brought upon the very name CT
gray and venerable St. Afghan an un-
deserved odium in the minds OF
American soldiers.
'sSeeing America frst," good
many South Carolinians must have
travelled through the clif-dweiiers'
canyons of Southwestern Colorado,
and others, through reading must,
have gained some knowledge of the
prehistoric ruins there; perhaps also
of the rock tenements Of the Pueblo
Indians near the Rio Grande, those
of the Zuni about the sources of the
ella and those of the Maquis in
Northwest Arizona; all of which have
been explored, pictured and de-
scribed, by Simpson, Powell, New
berry, de Nadaillac and others. Trav-
elers' tales have also made it more
or less commonly known that
throughout Asia rock houses abound,
as in the region of Asia Minor with
which Mr.. Sterrett deals.
Cave Dweller. of Today.
But it is ordinarily assumed by the
casual reader that in Europe at least
such warrens are but relics Of antiqu-
ity. historical monuments, long ago
abandoned to bats, owls and comics.
That is very far from being the case.
Great numbers Of them are teeming-
IL IN occupation. Normally, in Eng
land only the beggars and tinkers,
fakirs and others Of the dubious
fringes Of society RESORT nowadays to
the caves and even these habitants
are harried forth freqsently BY
police force imbued with zeal for
sanitation. In France. on the con-
trary, cave dwelling may be an hon
orable estate. Not only is it COM
patible in many districts with entire
respectability, but in some regions
it has special codes and social sane
tions. Possession Of particular
abode within the living rock may
even be the mark of certain local
distinction and the guaranty Of se-
cure solvency. You may meet on the
threshold of many a cavern residence
a clean and fresh faced housewife,
who is nightly pleased with her
home and will send to the right about
any one who presume to pity her lot.
Likely as not she will say, with a
quick smile and inimtiable shoulder
shrug: ''Mais, c'est tout ce qu'on
peut desirer; enfn, on s'y trouve tres
bien"
Many more people are SO housed in
France than might be supposed and
in this article, perhaps also in subse-
quent contributions-1f the State be
so indulgent-I will briefly describe
some phases of cave colonies there,
with which observation and inquiry
overseas, supplemented by study OF
such scant material as / have been
able to find in Washington, have
made me somewhat acquainted.
Natural Caves Abundant.
Cave dwelling naturally developed
as phase Of housing in regions
where natural caves existed. Subse-
-..&1x, tho motives having learned