The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-10-12

| poses or for others commended to thS
| generosity of the fathers.
How Mount Athos ls Governed.
In Karyes sits the Most Blessed AS
briefly, the Kinotis-a very Interesting
body. Mount Athos has always en-
| joyed,speclal privileges, whether under
Byzantine emperors, Turkish sultans or
Its present suzeraln. the king of Greecei
and the monasteries have always rne4
their own peninsula. OF these ther&
are now twenty, and they administer
their common affairs through parlia-
ment even more venerable than that Of
London, If that body be dated from the
recognition of the elective principle.
Each monastery annually elects rep.
resentative to this parliament, who oc-
cupies at Karyes house belonging to
his abbey.
These houses preserve the memory
of the long Turkish regime, in that
they are known by the Turkish name
Of konak-mansion Always roomy
and substantial, and sometimes hand
some they and the gardens In which
they stand add not a little to the ap-
pearance Of the diminutive capital. In
addition to the KNOTS. which Is q
dellberative, legislative and judiciary
assembly, there Is smaller executive
council of fve, called the Epistasia.
The parliament house OF Karyes iS
not very imposing structure, but IL
makes a picturesque group in the cen
ter of the town, with the cathedral Of
the community and the square old
tower beside It. Far more imposing
is the pretorlan guardsman, who stands
at the gate. Four Of these are at
tached to the service OF parliament,
while\a larger standing army of 10
men, called serdars, scour the lonely
trails Of the PENINSULA sort of Old
World Northwest Mounted.
When the hve-fold executive Of
Athos signs O document, each Of four
Of the members produces quarter OF
the republics seal, while the fifth, the
secretary, locks the fragments into q
handle which he keeps In his possess
sion. Here is a precedent for checks
and balances In governmental affairs
that extends into the distant past
The visitor who reaches Karyes has
Athos for II is for the monasteries
that this bit Of lnescapable government
machinery exists. At least one Of the
monasteries must be visited. and there
can be no better selection, perhaps
than vatopethi. The trail. narrow and
stony, leads through lonely woodA
fret slapting up the steep backbone q
the peninsula, affording romantic viswb
OF the Aegean and certain gray monae-
terry towers at Ito edge; then winding
down, a long amphitheatrical slope u
the bay, where vatopethi stands liza
q medieval castle
Life In q Monastery.
It's distant air OF grin1nesa chapges
az one comes down through the olive
Yards about It. Windows pierce the
upper part Of the massive STONE wallis
and high balconies lean out on curved
wooden corbels. Substantial outbuiid-
ings are scattered pictufesqueIy among
trees, their old slate roofs tinged with
yellow hchen and tipped with crosses,
The gay mountain water flashes paSi
in orderly little stone canals The very
mules have an air Of mildnsss, well.
being and digninsd superiority to their
bony brethren from Karyes, which b
not unnatural Of mules belonging to
one Of the oldest, largest, richest and
most interesting fnonastefiss on Mount
Athos.
4 Before the great cate On an ivrsGu-
lar stone bridge above . noisy mil
race, stands q eppola which shelters
an icon Of the Virgin. Here ali who
pass In or out stop and cross them
selyes, and here the satekesper gSsety
the visitor, takes his credentials and
revsrsntiy kissS6 IT. zeal. From there
the way leads through q vauited pas
sage guarded BY No more n,assIye
gates into the interior court Of the
monastery. This itself II Z plses of
interest, wide irregular slopiAa piack
overlooked BY open galleries, where 3
domed church, ! white bsll-towsr and
sundry smaller buildings are set down
at randow among orange and poplar
trees. OUTSIDE stairs, roofsd &l{h
slate lead to the susst-housA whste
an arriving guest h presented With the
tray Of Athos, the beAIneuia's UNIQUE
symbol Of hospitality. ftp bswilderina
multiplicity Of spoods. sauesfa s1AsseS
and refreshments presents problems
well-nish insoivabls By even he most
| soosonoa 0yrs,~ <~oxx~~ ~ --~--.-- -.