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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1912)
I APRIL. 1913. 3 n '. tM fame MONK REPUBLIC MAINTAINS PATROLS TO KEEP GENTLER SEX AWAY air. THtRn 1 one country on thi planet which h.i very definitely mettled the question of woman' suffrage. It ha not done so by giving the women the ballot either. But In spile of that. It has nothing to fear from suffragists, even of the militant variety. There Is no danger that women will break their chop winioirs or that they will chain themselves to railing: In the public Miuare." in order to convince the legts lators that female suffrage Is an abso lute necessity. They have settled the matter ence for all by excluding; women from the country. This curious nation is a little re public south of Macedonia. There are It.Oui) men In It. but not a single wom an. Women are barred, and men pa trol the barriers to prevent them from stepping Into the pl.iee. For centuries It has been sacred to men. The Inhab itants are very peaceable: they are even hospitable to men. But they find It tie.:eary to maintain an armed force for the purpose of keeping women out nf tHeir borders. They have never .f"ii7tit a battle wltb any nation. Their army Is for that one purpose. . The place I' Mount Athos on the rl.tMC peninsula of Akte. It is called Terse Tales From A C IIAXCE. Th- mercury never goes too low in Washington to make Vice-President Sherman forget that he Is a loyal lase ba'.i fun. When the recent cold snap at the capital was at its worst a young New Yorker who had been a candidate for appointment at the West Point Mil itary Academy, callud to pay his re kpert and report progress, knowing t.-at Mr. Sherman was interested In his iipo'Siaticn. "I'm sorry to tell you." said the Em pire ttate youth, "that Fo-and-So got ine appointment. However, I have some hope. 1 was appointed first alternate.' "Cheer up." said the Vice-President. "That's a good deal better than noth ing. Why, you're the batter up. and. you Vnow, the batter may fan and stv you a chance to score." THE -MINISTER'S IsprU.XEM, A.ticiij the members of a fashionable country club of Washington are a doc tor and minister, who dellclit In the exchange of rerartee touching their re spective professions. As they in-t one day. the minister oH. eerved that he was "going to read to uld Cunningtiiru,'' adding .ns he vs jlllnlGi CI 0&: f0 the Mount or the Twenty Monasteries. This Jittle republic Is much older than any that is In existence today, ior it was'founded away bark in the fourth century. Ten thousand monks are liv ing there now and they govern them selves without Interference from Tur key or any other country. They have their own laws, conspicuous among which Is that debarring women; they elect their own officers and take turns at serving on the police force, whose sole duty Is to keep out the dreadful women. ' -, To the south of Salonlca. the home of the old Sultan Abdul Hamid. where women are distinctly not barred, the ountry reaches out Into the Aegean Sea In three long, narrow peninsulas, which look on the map like three fingers of a giant hand. On the north ernmost ot these stands Monte Panto, the sacred mountain, known to us aa Mount Athos. It stands out at the very end aa though guarding the male republic from the approach of woman by sea. Date Bark Foarlb Ceatary. The peninsula is almost an Island, 'about 31 miles long by an average breadth of about four miles. At Its 60ME - 0f - THE - Humorous Pens am-are that the old man was a patient of his friend, the doctor), "Is he much worse"" With the gravest of expressions, the physician replied: "He needs your help more than mine." Oft his guard, the minister exclaimed, anxiously: "Poor fellow! Is It as bad as that?" "Yes; be Is suffering from insomnia." Llrplncott's. A MODER.V FATHER. "Yes, before papa would consent to my marrying George he Insisted on looking up his past life.'' "Mercy! That was risky:" "But he didn't go very far. He topped just as he found that George was the only nephew of three rich uncles." Cleveland Plain Dealer. AITO-IRRIGATIO.V. Luther Burbank, the plant wizard, dismissed with a Jest at a Spring lunch eon In Los Angeles a somewhat over whelming compliment. "Really." ha said, - "I hardly deserve such a compliment as that. Really, if 1 could do what the comic actor pro MY I I IT 23 m V SB narrowest point it is a little less than a mile wide. Its coasts are cut Into bays and beaches bounded by promon tories. At the southern extremity an Immense naked rock, emerging abrupt ly from the oaks, chestnut and pines which encompass Its base, the conical peak of Athos elevates Itself some 6000 feet In ancient times the peninsula con tained many towns, of which the sole vestiges today are fragments, such aa pillars, capitals and sculptured stones, utilized In building convent walls. The old Athenian philosophers frequented Athos In the Summer seasons. The Macedonians, proud of the exploit of their ruler, once formed the project of having a sculptor carve the mountain Into an enormous statute of Alexander, holding a town In. the hollow of one palm and having a cataract 'flowing down the mountainside from the other. In early Christian days numerous as cetics and anchorites chose its sandy retreats: some of these gradually grouped themselves into religious com munities, which aa years rolled by were endowed and enriched by Byzantine, Servian and Bulgarian magnates. The earliest monastery Is said to have been founded In the fourth century, but the written records run only to the ninth century. In the tenth century i11tc5 QUP5'AND - J5T5 - fW posed I'd hardly deserve such a com pliment as that! "A, comic actor, you know, was talk ing about the Spring planting that was under way In his suburban home. " "I propose,' he said,- 'to plant onions with my potatoes, the Idea being that the onlon'a tear-compelling powers will work on the potatoes' eyes and thus cause the plants to Irrigate them selves." Exchange. ANSWERED THEM ALL. Glancing hastily down the pages of Tommy Jones' examination papers, the teacher's heart thrilled over Tommy's unexpectedly good showing, lor not one of the questions remained unanswered. But upon subjecting the papers to a more careful perusal her pride In Tommy's proficiency had a fall. After seven of the ten questions Tommy had written politely: "I am sorry that this la a subject on which I hav no Information." Wash ington Star. WELL CHOSEN WORDS, The Rev. R. J. Campbell, at farewell luncheon In New York, said of a famous bishop who had' married a tremendous ly rich widow: "I suppose he proposed to her In ap propriate and well-chosen term. I sup pore he said: " 'Dear madame, will you exchange the widow mite for the tnitert' " i i .V 8 1 3 many monasic communities existed there. St. Athanaslus was much in terested In Mount Athos. He united the monks of the peninsula under the austere regulations of St. Basil and es tablished the theocratic republicswhich haa existed unchanged amidst all the changes and revolutions of adjacent countries for 1400 years. During many centuries by favor of Eastern Emperors, the monks of Athos enjoyed Immense revenues and wielded a dominant authority in Oriental Christendom. They acquired princely estateV on the midlands of both the Asiatic and European continents, and as they held the nominations to the wealthiest dioceses, the highest eccle siastical dignitaries became subservient to them. At their pleasure they In stalled prelates and dethroned patri archs. Men of genius. Intellect, cul ture and ambition entered their monas teries aa the surest and speediest way to imperial Influence and patronage. TVhen, at the fall of Constantinople, the Crescent surmounted the Cross, the Mount Athos rulers with astute diplo macy received the conquering Otto mans as welcome guesta. and by pay ment of an annual tribute secured the protection of the Sultans. But It waa the beginning of a change. Hitherto each year the Byaantlne Emperors had m Quips and Flings "Pa. what's sareasmT" "Pasting a 'Shake well before taking slip on a bottle of ague cure." Satire. " Ella Did you ever read Longfellow' Bridge? Stella No. I hi game different from the one we playT Judge. Judge What i tho charge against tho prisoner? Policeman Holding a man up and knocking him down. Your Honor. Bos ton Transcript. "All sign sooner of later fail." 'True. According to the present state of my coal pile. It ought soon to be tirao to go fishing." Detroit Free Press. see "See. I am familiar with your music," remarked the amateur at the musical the other evening. "It seems so," replied the popular composer. "You are taking liberties with it." Judge. "Which side of this controversy do you take?" "Walt till it's over," replied Senator Sorghum. "It is wiser not to make a was m 2 V1 sent a gilded vessel with costly gifts to Athos: henceforward Athos had to send a yearly subsidy to Constantino ple. And as the voice of the monks was no longer potent at Stamboul, the talent and energy of ambition sought other avenues to power. Gradually Athos fell outside the stream of human progress, becoming completely lost to Western life. En Joying quietly under Turkish suzer ainty their large revenues, the monks forgot everything else, to be suddenly awakened from tbelr lethargy of r.ear ly four centuries by the great Jel, lenic insurrection. Hoping for a re covery of their past pre-eminence Id Oriental lands, they furnished money to help the Greek patriots. When that long struggle was ended the Greeks were free. They chose a King and be came an independent nation, but the boundary of their kingdom was finally placed several miles south of the pen lsula of Mount Athos and the monks who had aided them were left still un der the power of the Turks. These latter had got wind of the help which the monks had given their re fractory province and avenged them selves by Invading the sacred penin sula, seizing the convents and also con fiscating most of the monastic proper--. in ih,r Tin rin of the empire. It selection until you see which side is to remain uppermost." Washington Star. "Sir, are you opposed to votes for women?" "Certainly not: but if women had the ballot, then suffragettes would want it, too." Siren. Uncle Dick Young man, 3o you study diligently at college? Young Man Nix! There ain't no such course. California Pelican. - Post Thinks he' the whole thing, does he? Barker Well, I'd hardly go as far as that, but he certainly considers him self a quorum. Smart Set. In the Boxes "Shall we go Into the East Side and take a look at the 'great unwashed?' " ' "No, let us go to the opera and see the great undressed. Lippincott's. "Barber Suggests 'Hair Tonitf to Bald-Headed Man." "Pastor's Parrot Tries to Help Him Ask a Blessing at Company Dinner." "Great Airing of Soiled Linen; Fire In Chinese Laundry." "Two Society Leaders Accidentally Meet in Pawnshop." "Manicure Lady Recognizes Runaway Husband by His Warts." "Fighting Editor in When Kicker Calls at Office." Chicago Tribune. str Men DC Ml vN .i fi- .23 i yes mm 'lN&Jr taskedthe monastic statesmanship "to the utmost to Bave the independence of the brethren from the ruin and to re tain even a relatively small portion of their aclent inheritance outside of the peninsula. But they at last did suc ceed in doing it. The immense piles of buildings and costly objects of art yet left in the treasures of the 953 churches and 20 great convents of Athos testify to its former paramount prestige, power and wealth and to the high esteem in which the potentates and aristocracy of other days held its sanctuaries. Relics of saints enshrined in gold and incrusted with jewels still abound at Athos. In every monastery are valuable vases of Athos, onyx and porphyry; massive gold, silver and ebony candle sticks and chandeliers; sacerdotal gar ments of costly brocade, heavy with pearls, rubies and emeralds; icons, cru cifixes, crosses and missals of ancient and elaborate artistic execution, cov ered with diamonds and other precious atones; mosaics so delicately done that powerful lenses are needed to trace their lines, and paintings 700 or 800 years old. of still vivid colors. In one convent is a large lemon tree of silver, richly laden with golden fruit. The pulpits and stalls of the churches and chapels are of costly woods, elaborate ly and curiously carved. There are at present on the penin NURSERY RHYMES UP-TO-DATE. Hark, hark. The dogs do bark, .i The crooks are all over the town! They're making grabs From taxicabs, And no one runs them down: Diddle diddle, dumpling. My son John, He came home, but His watch was gone! Little Miss Muffit. She sat on a tuffit. Her diamond made a display; A pickpocket eyed her, Then sat down beside her. And got all her sparklers away! Taffv is a burglar, Taffy is a thief, Taffy has a pull, though. And never comes to grief. Mary, Mary. Quite contrary. How do your valuables go? Biffs and bangs From hold-up gangs I have the scars to showl Little Cop Horner I A m ond the Poets of the DailyPregaj 1 2 V 5s t! sula "0 large convents or monasteries, most of Ihem counting their member ship by hundreds and one or two con taining considerably over 1000; a few, less fortunate now, have fewer mem bers. Each convent is independent, en joying Its own revenues, and admin istering its own domains. But all are united in a federal republic, governed by a legislative council ot 20 monks, one from each great monastery, elected annually. How Monks Are Ruled. The executive head of tho republic is vested in a cabinet of four members, each elected annually by a group of Ave monasteries. The member selected by the elective group of Ave principal communities (Larva, Vatopedi. Chiland arl, Yviron and Gregorls) Is president of the confederation. The common seal is divided Into four parts, one part be ing entrusted to each member of the executive, so that the seal of the com monwealth can only be affixed to any doucument by unanimous action of th cabinet. The interna! management or 11 01 the monasteries is committed to a prior, elected yearly in each monastery, who wields the executive power, carrying on occasions of state an ebony cane and a golden apple as emblems of hia office He is assisted by three other He stood on the corner. Watching the robber go by; He twiddled his thumb, And he pulled in a bum, nd he said, "What a good cop am I. Town Topics. MARY JANE. Mary Jane asked sao to wed. Just four years ago; Waited till I shook my head As I answered no. Mary Jane has married three Since four years ago; Now again they say she's free And with lots of dough. I am wiser far today Than four years ago; If she aske I will say Well. I guess you know, Cleveland Plain Dealer. ALL SHE ASKED. "AH that I ask is love," she sang; They pitied her for her choice. And thought as they eat there listen ing. And suffering torture, that the thing She needed most was a. voice. Chicago Kecord-Hcrald, (Conel-Jdtd on Page 7.)
