River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-09-10
MISCELLANY.
THE DRUIDs AND TBETR TEaTpLJ


France, there is an extensive plain several
miles wide, with Hat and barren surface.
1t is the last place in the world tourist
would care about visiting, if he were
simply travelling in search of beautiful OBJ.
jects. In Winter the coolest winds blow
over it with Wild force, and in Summer it
is unprotected by trees or shrubbery from
the scorching shafts Of the sun. But it is
not wholly uninteresting, and 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 outside the town
bit Of a 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 avenues
by long rows of unhewn upright stones,
which, as far as the eye can see, are rang
ed in perfect order, like an army pre-
pared for battle. There are over thous-
and of them, and they stretch across the
country from east to west for nearly seven
miles. The largest are twenty feet high,
and the smallest ten feet. 4 few have fall
en-, and others have been carted away but
originally they were placed apart at reg
ular 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 DO.
for OF
For eighteen hundred years they have
chung to the meager ground and with.
stood the combined assaults of time and
storm, while generation after generation
OF the living has passed away.
How did they come here The simple,
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 time when there wsre
no carts or wheel barrows, much less rail-
roads or massive cranes. Years, perhaps
centuries, were occupied, and to the
builders the undertaking must have
seemed as stupendous as the erection Of
the East River bridge seems 10 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
weigh ten tons and the largest seventy
tons. The remains Of men and animals
have been also found in the vicinity, and
these have given the antiquaries clue as
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 DruidS, religious order which
possessed great power in France and Eng
land during the century before and the
century after the coming of Christ. They
obtained comDlete mastery over the ig-
norant and superstitious people then Oc-
cupying those countries, by the practice
of mysterious arts, which often were ex-
tremely cruel. They prelessed to know
tie hidden nature of things, and the
forms and movements e the sun and
stars; but in reality they were not as
wise as the children of our primary
schools, and the simplest tricks Of good
modern conjurer would surpass their
most wonderful ones. They were astrol-
ogers and herb doctors as well as priests
and historians, and they attributed sa-
cred character to many plants.
Human sacrifices formed one of the
most terrible features of their religion.
The victims usually were criminals or
prisoners of war; but when there were
none of these, innocent and unoiiending
persons were sacrificed.
The iavorite resort of the Druids was
an island opposite the mouth Of the river
Loire, in France, where, once every year,
between sunrise and sunset, they pulled
down and rebuilt the roof of their tenn
pies; and any priest who allowed the
smallest part Of the sacred materials to
fall carelcssly, was torn to pieces 10y his
fellows.
The only traces Of the order left MS are
the rude stone Buildings at Stonehenge
and Carnac. Retreating before the Ro-
mans, the Druids went TO the Isle of An
gesey. in Wales; and when they saw
their conquerUrs following, they made
preparations for battle. Among their
preparatons-n not exactly for the battle,
but for what they expected to follow it,
were immense atars, on which they in.
tended TO sacrifice the unfortunate Ro-
mans who should be left after the battle.
They were quite sure that they would
need these affairs, for their oraclcs gave
them every reason to believe IN glorious
triumph OF their arms. But the Romans
were again victorious, and the Drmds
themselves were the ones sacrificed. NJ.
cxander wainwright, in ~ Nicholas.
"Canning had much festivity and froliC
and be retained TO The last years Of his
life no little Of the schoolboy in his man.
ners and conversation, with about the
same indifference whom they might of
fend. So unstudcd and ingenious were
his courtesies, that when George III saw
him again for the first time after his due
with Castlereagh, and inquired @ith his
usual curiosity where he was hit, b,
snatched the kings hand and placed il
on the part that happened to be among
the least opportune for inspection o.
demonstration. George raised his white
eyebrows, opened his CLASSY eyes, turned
round to the lord.n.waiting, and siit
n