Evening star., 1948-07-03

News that the famous st. Bernard hogpice,
which, sentinel-like. has stood for centuries ut
the summit of the great Alpine pass between
Italy and Switzerland, is to be abandoned, ex-
cept for q skeleton stan Of priests and noviti.
ates, has caused universal regret.
Down the ages Popes, Emperors, and mobiles
showered wealth on the monastery. Lavish en-
dowments were made by high dignitaries OF
the church.
But since the World Wars sent the thrones
of Europe topping, many Of the rich Roman
Catholic communities, especially in Germany
and Austria, have lost their wealth, and the
hospice no longer possesses sufficient funds to
carry on its historic mission.
For generations travellers arriving ut the
hospice were given free board and lodging,
except In cases Of people Of known wealth.
In recent years. however, the privilege was
20 abused that it was found necessary to i'm.
pose a modest charge. In one short season
alone 10000 tourists were afforded hospitality
by the monks.
noblest form has been practiced by successive
communities OF neutrality-suspicious. for
practically nine months Of every year amid
the snowy wastes on the "roof Of Europe"
Lives Dedicated to Service.
The climate Is so rigorous that only the most
hardy can support it for more than . few
years, and before being admitted to the
order candidates had to serve q probation
period to test whether they were equal to the
physical strain.
The chosen" dedicated their lives to the
humane task of succoring humanity, 5000 It.
above the world, in temperatures often varying
from Is to 80 degrees eentigrade below zero.
Frequently the monks have been held prison.
ers in the hospice for weeks on end by snow
drifts 80 feet deep, and when calls for help
arrived they donned their skis and left the
building by the top-foor windows, often at
the risk OF their lives.
So sudden and terrible are the blizzards
whirling across this desolate pass that even the
most experienced monks are unable to ind
their way back, once out Of sight Of the
hospice's gaunt walls.
Many rescuer owes his survival to stout
rope fixed to poles running down to the Italian
frontier, which enabled him to regain the
hospice when every landmark was hidden by
the storm.
The original hospice was founded in ADsSo
by St. Bernard of Menthon stout-hearted
monk Of the ancient Augustinian Order.
Saracen Raids Once Common.
MOnt JOuX rs IL was KNOWN III tilOSe Gays
had a sinister reputation in Europe. For
centuries the saracens had controlled the ap-
proaches to the pass, pillaging caravans and
numbering lonely pilgrims and travellers, and
terrorizng dwellers on both sides of the Alps
With his devoted little band of followers, St
Bernard cleared the region of these marauders
gave help and succor to fugitives and proscripts
seeking safety in foreign lands, and so laid
the foundation for the noble work which has
since aroused the admiration of the world.
The st. Bernard pass was much frequented
highway for all parts Of Europe long before
the days of the Roman Empire.
Winter generally begins at the st. Bernard
about the first week in October, and the pass
rarely Is open to trafic again before the fol-
lowing June. The wind howls around the
hospice, driving the snow before 1t in sufiocat-
ing billiards.
Almost every summer the sun uncovers the
remains of some luckless traveller who has