Linda Saime, age l3, of Williams., Ariz., for her question:

How did the St. Bernard dog get his name?

Everyone knows his breed, even those who have never seen him. He is one of the biggest and heaviest of all dogs. The St. Bernard is famed in pictures and portraits. He is famous also for his sterling character and for his heroic rescue missions in the snow bound alps.

The St. Bernard dog is named for a rugged person who gave his name to a rugged place. The story is centered in europe, high in the lofty alps where a 50 mile pass cuts between the mountain peaks. The wind torn pass is 809 feet above sea level and meanders its hazardous way between Switzerland and Italy. Daring travelers ventured through this alpine skyway in ancient times. When Julius Caesar ordered his men to cross through it, the pass was a mere bridle path where mounted soldiers had to walk and lead their horses.

But, as time went on, traffic between the neighboring countries increased. Many travelers were caught and perished in the sudden storms that lashed down from the lofty peaks. Many were lost in avalanches and winter snows. The useful pass became known as a disaster area. Such areas cry out for help. Its call was answered by St. Bernard of Menthon and a band of Augustine monks. Early in the 11th century, St. Bernard founded and built a hospices a refuge for travelers, at the highest point in the treacherous pass.

The alpine skyway became known as the st. Bernard pass from the hospice that still stands there. For centuries the dedicated monks have given shelter and guidance to travelers and sought those lost in the sudden snows. For centuries they have used their trusty St. Bernard dogs to help them on their life saving missions.

The huge intelligent dogs have keen noses that can detect a person even when he is buried 2 feet under the snow. Then they lift their huge heads and the mountains echo with their bellowing barks for assistance.

We often see the St. Bernard dog pictured with a small flask around his neck, presumably filled with brandy to revive some snow bound victim. This idea started when the English artist Edwin Landseer painted such a picture. But the notion is untrue, for the noble dog carries no flask of any kind on his rescue missions.

In wintery the lofty monastery is isolated by snows. But the rescue work goes on, and nowadays, the big st. Bernard dogs are often assisted by German shepherds. In summer, alpine visitors flock to the famous hospice. They love to photograph the big dogs and their chubby pups as they bask on the flagstones of the sunny courtyard.