Through the Land of the SerbDurham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
History
Through the Land of the Serb
Durham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
Montenegro -- Description and travel; Serbia -- Description and travel
not let those others separate us. Your Church has shown great friendship
to ours. Your Archbishop has sent us a letter not long ago. It has given
great pleasure. Your Church is a Church; you have deacons, bishops; but
in Switzerland--the Protestants--that I cannot understand. It is sad.
"Savez-vous," he went on, "I know what a war is. I was a soldier in our
last war. We are all soldiers here, you see." "Where were you?" I asked.
"It was in the valley of the Zeta--the Turks came down." He stared
wide-eyed at a vision of horror and broke off. "It is too horrible to
speak of--these scenes; it is all horrible in war. I have seen it. Pray
God that we shall have peace. But a day of trial is coming to my poor
Montenegrins. Ah, mademoiselle, you understand them. They are so
uncivilised and so rough, but they are so good, so simple. You, who
travel among them, know how good they are. You will tell them in
England--will you not?--of my poor people. Civilisation brings knowledge
and many, many wonders, but it does not bring happiness. These poor good
people, they have no idea what life is out in the great world, and it is
coming to them. And I know what it means, this civilisation. I have
lived in Paris--in Paris, savez-vous," he said vehemently. "All I can do
is to help them to keep their faith. Till now they have lived with God
and the mountains. Here they come to me, the poor, the afflicted, they
come to me for help. Some nights I give shelter to as many as fifteen
wayfarers. Then they tell me their troubles, and I pray with them. Some
of them," he admitted regretfully, "have not lived quite rightly. In the
morning I celebrate the Messe in my little chapel, and then they go on
their way comforted. On Sundays many people come, and I speak to them,
here before the chapel, the words that are given to me. It is very
little that one needs in this life. We have so short a time here."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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