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APRIL.
1913.
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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
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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
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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' "
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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
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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
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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
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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.)