Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-06-02

eral miles wide, with fat and barren
surface. It is the last place In the
world tourist would care about visit
ing, If he was simply travelling IL search
Of beautiful objects. In winter the
coolest winds blow over it with wild
force, and in summer it is unprotected
by trees or shrubbery from the scorch-
ing shafts of the sun. But it is not
wholly uninteresting, and I propose
that we shall make short visit to it.
We will suppose, then, that you and
[ are stopping at one of the quiet
taverns In Carnac, and have wandered
toward the plain for walk. Just out
side the town bit of hill rises high
enough to show us the surrounding
country.
There are few houses or trees on the
plain; but it is divided into several ave-
nues by long rows of unhewn upright
stones, which, as far as the eye can see,
are ranged IN almost perfect order, like
an army prepared for battle. There are
over a thousand of them, and they
stretch across the country from east to
west for nearly seven miles. The largest
wre twenty-five feet high, and the small
lest ten feet. A few have fallen, and
others have been carted away; but origi-
naly they were placed apart at regular
distances.
When you come nearer to them you
will see many signs of age upon them
| They are scanned, messy, and battered.
How old do you guess they are +? No
body is quite sure, not even the wisest
Of the historians, but we may safely say
that they have held their present posi-
tions for over eighteen hundred years
For eighteen hundred years they have
chung to the meager ground, and with
stood the combined assaults of time and
| storm, while generation after genera
tion of the living has passed away.
How did they come there9 The sim
pie, credulous people of old, to whom
all fairy stories were The truest histories,
believed that giants brought them and
planted them; but we know better than
that.
They were erected by ordinary men,
and you may imagine how much labor
the work cost at q time when there were
no carts or wheel barrows, much less
| railroads or massive cranes. Years,
perhaps centuries, were occupied, and
to the builders the undertaking must
have seemed as stupendous as the cree
ton of the East River bridge seems to
us.
Similar stones are found at other
places in Brittany; but the most famous
collection is on plain near the town of
Salisbury, in England. This is called
Stonehenge, and consists of one hundred
and forty stones, the smallest of which
Irh for To- 49,,
tons. The remains of men and animals
have been also found in the vicinity,
and these have given the antiquaries
clue to the objects for which the stones
were raised.
Nothing positive is known about
them, but it is supposed that they mark
the temples of the Druids, a religious
order which possessed great power in
France and England during the century
before and the century after the COM
ing of Christ. They obtained a COM
plete mastery over the ignorant and su-
perstitious people then occupying those
countries, by the practice of mysterious
arts which often were extremely cruel.
They protested to know the hidden ma
ture of things, and the forms and move
ments of the sun and stars; but in reali-
ty they were not as wise as the children
in our primary schools, and the simplest
tricks of good modern conjurer would
surpass their most wonderful ones.
They were astrologers and herb-doctors
as well as priests and historians, and
they attributed q sacred character to
many plants.
Human sacrifices formed one of the
most terrible features of their religion.
The victims were usually criminals or
prisoners of war; but when there were
none of these, innocent and unoffend-
ing persons were sacrificed.
The favorite resort of the Dr11ids was
an island opposite the mouth of the
river Loire. in France, where, once ev-
cry year, between sunrise and sunset,
they pulled down and rebuilt the roof
of their temples; and any priest who al
lowed the smallest part of the sacred
materials to fall carelessly, was ton to
pieces by his fellows.
The only traces of the order left to lis
are the rude stone buildings at Stone
henge and Carnac. Retreating before
the Romans, the Druids went to the Isle
of Anglesey, in Wales: and when they
saw their conquerors following, they
made preparationsfor battle. Among
their preparaticns-not exactly for the
battle, but for what they expected to
follow it-were immense affairs, on
which they intended to sacrifice the I'M
fortunate Romans who should be left
after the battle. They were quite sure
that they would need these affairs, fer
their oracles gave them every reason to
believe in glorious triumph of their
arms. But the Romans were again vic
torious, and the Druids themselves were
the ones sacrifced.-St. Nicholas for
June.
A Snake Adventure.
Franklin IN. CO. Courier.
* < While walking through a