Evening star., 1948-07-03
St. Bernard Monks to Leave Alps
Celebrated Hospice Will Be Abandoned Shortly AS
Result of Two World Wars
By II. ChalIiSor ysmss

/ perished In his unequal tight against the
elements.
II was to help such wandering souls that the
monks reared and trained the famous race
Of st. Bernard dogs. After every storm they
would explore the snowy wastes. and hundreds
Of lives have been saved by their timely aid.
Brothers Are Expert Skiexx
Nearly aN the priests are expert skiers Each
brother has his special function. The clavan.
dier receives guests, the hospitalier serves
meals. thes cellerier il responsible for catering,
the infafmier looks after the sick and injured.
while the sacristan has charge Of the religious
duties.
Head Of the community is the revered Pere
Maitre. Qather SUPERIOR.
Mass IN the hospics chapel Is an impressive
spectacle.
AL the pomp and mystery Of the Roman
Catholic Church are seen In . devout atmos-
phere Of religious peace. Though al the winds
Of Heaven rage around the walls. the con-
tented monks roll the psalm to wintry skies, :"
undaunted
TIistery is undecided whether Hannibal
crossed the Alps with his "elephantized" army
by way Of the st. Bernard or the Mont Gents
pass. but in his Commentaries" julius Caesar
records having sent an expeditionary force,
uAluCH t4lC CV0uAdl0 u OtlC 1ulUA, 70 HSSuES q
the safe passage Of the st. Bernard to Roman
travellers.
After the Romans had opened highways
throughout Europe, the st. Bernard, during its
brief summer. became almost a thoroughfare,
| with posts established at regular intervals
along the route.
The first practical attempt to prove the
theory that Hannibal's elephants crossed the
st. Bernard was made some years before the
last war by an American publicist. He hired
an elephant from Paris zoo and early one
morning set out from Martigny, on the Swiss
side Of the pass, to make the experiment.
Frightened by Motor.
At an ambling gait the animal covered the
! first few kilometres completely unperturbed
| by its novel surroundings. Disaster threatened,
however, when 1t met a motor coach coming
down the pass. Alarmed by the unusual sight,
it took to its heels and nearly ended its career
| at the foot Of precpice.
| small motor-lorry was procured to hide
downcoming trafic, and with its view thus
| shielded, the animal made steady progress,
| tethered to the back Of the lorry.
| Serious trouble began soon after the oddly
| assorted caravan had passed the little village
Of Bourg st. Pierre, where Napoleon halted
with his army of $1,000 men on his historic
passage of the Alps in May, 1900.
When the elephant reached the dead" zone
| near the summit, where many motorists have
! trouble with their engines, she dropped on her
| knees. making signs of distress. This was re-
| peated every hundred yards until the summit
was reached. II the elephant had been forced
while passing through the mystery zone she
| would not have survived
| According to experts, dead" zones Of rare
fled air exist in different parts of the Alps
which may explain why Hannibal lost so many
Of his elephants when crossing the pass
When the American reached the Italian
plains, the elephant was so exhausted that the
projected march on Rome" had to be
abandoned.
Their historic mission in Europe having
come to an end, the monks Of St. Bernard now
are migrating to Tibet, where in the desolate
frontier region they will continue the sacred
traditions of st. Bernard Of Mention.
Distributed BY Star Newspaper Service, Toronto.