July–December 1935

BALKAN HERALD, DECEMBER, 1935 7

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H. M. King George II of the Hellenes whose return to Athens on Monday, November 25th, brought to an end a period of uncertainty in Greece, and appears already to have produced a trend towards peace in Greek internal politics.

A Bishop on the Holy Mountain Monks Favour the Monarchy

The monks of the holy mount of Athos—the religious republic within the Greek monarchy—welcome the return of King George II to his throne.

This was revealed by Buxton Bishop in whose diocese lies the whole Mediterranean Sea, and who is the first Anglican bishop ever to visit the Holy Mountain.

"Accompanied by one English friend", said the Bishop, "I went ashore on the Athos peninsula at Daphne, whence we travelled on mules, the only form of conveyance up the rough tracks to the largest of the monasteries.

"I was during the whole of my stay the guest of the Supreme Council consisting of one member from each of the twenty monasteries, which rules the peninsula. They showed me every hospitality.

"I travelled with two members of the Council from monastery to monastery on mules, the only animals allowed on the island. The monks import meat from the mainland, but the keeping of any domestic animals is debarred.

"There is not a wheeled vehicle on the whole peninsula, which is about 30 miles long and is dominated by the 6,000 feet high peak of Mount Athos.

"At the largest Greek monastery they showed me with great pride the signature of King George V of England in the visitors book in which I was asked to sign my name.

"King George signed the book when he was a lieutenant in the Mediterranean Fleet, and went ashore on Athos with the Commander in Chief.

"His signature is a treasured possession of the monks."

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BISHOP of GIBRALTAR, Dr Harold Buxton, was guest of Athos monks.

A Letter from Athens

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GRECO-SLAV JUBILEE November 24th was an important jubilee for Yugoslavs, Bulgars and Greeks, being the 1050th anniversary of the death of St. Methodius, one of the two first apostles of the Slavs and the creator of the first Slavonic — glagolithic — alphabet.

The Yugoslavs and Bulgars honour his memory as the founder of their literature and to a great extent, because of the conversion of the Slav peoples to Christianity by him and his followers, of their mediaeval civilization.

The Greeks honour his memory as a great teacher who was born and educated in Salonica. Special services were held in the Yugoslav churches, both catholic and orthodox, for the civilizing work of these pioneer Slavonic apostles was carried out before the Great Schism of the churches and had the blessing both of Constantinople and of Rome. The service originated by them is still in use in many of the churches of Croatia, by agreement with the Holy See, while the work of their pupils, Climent and Naum, in creating the second Slavonic — cyrillic — alphabet was the necessary basis for the development of the arts and literature not only of the Serbs, but also of the Bulgarians and Russians.

EXCAVATION FINDS British archeologists, Dr. Hill, Mr. Daniel and Mr MacFadden, have discovered the ruins of a magnificent palace with fine mosaic and other buildings at the village of Episcopi near Kourion in Cyprus.

Over the lintel is the inscription 'Areti — Sunesis' (Virtue and Prudence). The particular point of interest is that around the building is a great inscription in Homeric Greek containing a hymn to God and passages from the Gospel. This is the first time Homeric Greek has been found in such close connection with a Christian building.

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