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Show u THE FAITH IN ALBANIA. .A lengthy and exceedingly Interesting Interest-ing account of Roman. Catholic Albania Al-bania appears in Blackwood's Magazine. Maga-zine. Mr. Reginald Wyon, the writer, has traveled among these rugged, but kindly and hospitable clans. In view of recent events, the following account ac-count of the folk who provoked the conflict with the Turks is noteworthy: "It was only last year that matters were in a bad state in Scutari again. The clan of Miridita, perhaps the strongest and certainly one of the finest clans in Roman Catholic Albania, Al-bania, has been up in arms for months. As they inhabit the land between, the capital and the sea, they were able to inflict considerable annoyance on the Turks. "When once he is convinced that the stranger means no harm to his country, then he opens his house to him, and give him the best. But the Albanians are extremely suspicious, and it is this trait that constitutes the danger of traveling in their land. In every stranger (and by this is meant a man dressed in western garb), they see a spy of some great power sent to discover their weak pjMnts. Every Albanian Al-banian is firmly convinced that one day an enormous foreign army will come to rob him of his dearly-loved independencee. In this tbey look ask:irce at strangers. But to go amorgst them as a sportsman (.and horo it is good to be an E.fellshman, as of this nation they have only remotely re-motely heard), as a good comrade that will drink with them, and play with them, is to be sure of such a magnificent mag-nificent and hearty welcome as must be experienced to be realized. Then the Albanian proves to be a thoroughly thorough-ly good fellow, and courtesy itself. ' "The priests of these northern clans are all Franciscans some of Italian nationality, not a few Austrians, and a large proportion of pure-blood Albanians. Al-banians. This latter class has been educated in Italy, and speak fluent Italian.. Indeed, an Albanian priest looks as much a monk as the rest of his brethren. A few Albanians likewise like-wise receive their religious instruction in Austria, but this is an innovation. These men are magnificent fellows, not clean shaven as in other lands, for here a beardless man commands no respect, but sturdy, fierce mous- ached. and sunburnt, like the fighting priests of eld. Their life is no easy one; their parishes are spread over vast , tracks of wild mountains, and to visit the sick they must often tramp from sunrse to sundown. In the inter-tribal skirmishes they tend the wounded in the thick of the fight, and administer the last sacrament amidst a hail of bullets. The writer's great friend, the priest of the Clan Trijepsi, has his ragged brown habit riddled with bullets, an eloquent testimony testi-mony to the dangers these servants of God risk in their daily life. "Sunday morning is an extraordi. nary spectacle amongst the Roman Catholic clans. Each monk has built himself a rude church some have been built by their predecessors ornamenting or-namenting it with lovng hands, carving carv-ing roughly the wood for the altar screen or the stone for the font. As the sun nears its zenith, the clan has gathered together, some members have traveled thither since daybreak, rifles are piled in long rows against the church walls, and, revolver in girdle, bandolee round their waists, they enter the sacred edifice, baring their half-shaveen crown from the enveloping en-veloping head cloths. Throughout the service they observe the deepest reverence. rev-erence. The monks have trainel choirs in many instances; the writer church in the heart of the wild moun-has moun-has oft been present in some remote church inthe heart of the wild mountains moun-tains where the high mass was fully choral. It is a strange and moving spectacle, and one not easily forgotten. for-gotten. "The men kneel apart fivm the women and children the women, as occupying the inferior position in life, being .relegated back of the church. Each clansman gives that which he can best afford, and that is given liberally. lib-erally. Again these men have religious religi-ous observancse, quite in keeping with their warlike dispositions. At the conclusion of some great festival of the church that of their special patron pat-ron saint, for instance each man goes outside, takes his rifle, and discharges dis-charges a cartridge In the air. With a congregation of one or two thousand thou-sand men, the effect is grand, if very startling to the uninitiated. This warrior's war-rior's salute to the Deity struck the writer as one of the most soul-stirring sights, and certainly one of the aptest customs that he witnessed. They sa lute their God, we our kings and princes, in precisely the same manner." man-ner." Mr. Wyon describes the customs of blood-brotherhood. The procedure is as follows, and, if it is not the same, closely resembles the custom of blood-brotherhood as once performed by the ancient Norsemen: The two men stand out in a ring and bare their forearms; each makes an incision with a knife, the blood flowing into a cup of wine. With linked arms the cup is emptied half by one, half by the other by the friends. A kiss. concludes con-cludes the compact, far mere real to these men than our marriage-vow, "till death do us part." It is a splendid custom, even if barbaric; but the writer may be biased, as he learned to love, these men for their many noble qualities. |
