Photograph by H. G. Dwight 

 THE MONASTERY OE PANTOKRATOR : MT. ATHOS, GREECE 



This small but picturesque monastery, standing near the edge of the sea on the east side 

 of the peninsula, enjoys a wide view of the /Egean and of the peak of Athos. Founded in 

 the fourteenth century, it is the seventh of the monasteries in point of age. 



the brim of the West nor the upper flare 

 of the Greek clergy (see page 270). 



Not all the inhabitants were gowned, 

 however. Some wore white Albanian 

 ballet skirts, tasseled garters below a tight 

 white knee, and a pompon at the turned- 

 up tip of each red slipper. These, we 

 learned, were members of a local pre- 

 torian guard. Others were less amply 

 kilted or trousered in 

 of bagginess ; and not 

 prosaic as ourselves. 



different degrees 

 a few looked as 



WHERE VISITOR TS GUEST 



Our muleteer was a little surprised that 

 we preferred to put up at an inn instead 

 of at one of the monastic establishments 

 in the suburbs of Karyes. The reason of 

 his surprise lay in the fact that for many 

 travelers the true beauty of a pilgrimage 

 to Mt. Athos is that not only do you lay 

 up credit for yourself on high, but that 

 you do it for next to nothing. Any one 

 belonging to the worse half of humanity 

 may visit the monasteries and be gratui- 



tously entertained so long as he cares to 

 stay. 



So many avail themselves of this hos- 

 pitable privilege, however, that there are 

 degrees in the welcome extended by the 

 monks. If, for instance, the pilgrim 

 bring a letter from known ecclesiastical 

 authorities, he will receive more consid- 

 eration, and may even receive money for 

 his own purposes or for others commend- 

 ed to the generosity of the fathers. We 

 were not happy enough to possess a letter 

 of that particular kind ; but we did bring 

 a letter from the highest of all ecclesiasti- 

 cal authorities in the Greek world, namely, 

 the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 

 theory, therefore, we were entitled to the 

 best the monasteries had to offer and 

 transportation from one to another by 

 mule or boat. For ourselves, we found 

 this scheme of things more embarrassing 

 than otherwise, and in most cases it either 

 increased the expense of our sojourn or 

 caused us unwillingly to hasten our de- 

 parture. 



251 



