Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-03-01
JOHN swINToN's TRAVELS.

JOIN SwINTON, whose reputation as
newspaper correspondent and editor is
not confined to the limits of the United
States, is one OF The crisp writer's Of the
short and sparkling editorials for the
New York >td. Last summer Mr..
SwISToN picked up his wife and his
lead-pencil and hied himself to Europe
for a forty DAYS rCcre alton; and alter
his return he sat down, one afternoon,
and wrote 4 book OF his travels. And
it is the brightest little book OF travels
ever written. "What is the great secret
of the popularity OF your preacher
asked an curious brother from another
congregation of a worthy Deacon. "I'll
tell you, ii you will not speak OF it,
was the response; "he breaches short
sermons and takes long vacations"
SwINroN visited Ireland and he tells
us all about what he saw and heard:
81 had flying ride in an Irish jaunt-
ing car, bought shillelah, procured
bunch of shamrock, got hold Of an Irish
bull, was taken in q shebepn kept by
queer old crone, saw Danish tower,
ate cookies soll by a widow with seven
children, heard queer speech, visited
the costly new cathedral at Queenstown,
met fine old Irish gentleman in the
person OF Richard O'Sullivan, question
ed men and women as to sundry things,
saw some OF the more palpable evils OF
the Irish land system, and was grieved
as | saw the fruits Of the wrongs of Ire
land.
But brevity is far from being Swim
tons rarest virtue, rs this touching bit
of romance and pathos" about the late
Thomas CARLYLE will testify:
Wandering around the quiet enyi-
rons of the place (Haddington,) / am
surprised at suddenly finding myself
gazing upon the majestic, venerable,
picturesque, ivy-clad ruins Of Golhic
cathedral of the twelfth century, built
By that remOrseiul monarch David |,
whose splendid architectural achieve
ments are yet 10 ba found in SO many
parts OF the land. The scene is impres
sive and inviting in the sunshine Of this
soft summer day, and the peaceful grave.
yard around the ruins is rich with the
mortal relics of many generations. The
rustic grave digger is at work with his
spade in secluded quarter OF the
grounds. and glad enough, in his broad
scotch dialect, to welcome a stranger in
hiS lonesome toll. The walls OF the
cathedral, with their grand Gothic win
dow spaces, and the columns If the in
terror, stand aS they were built seven
centuries ago, but nearly all the roof is
gone, and the sky is above you as YOU
stand within the corsecrated precincts.
Here, says the grim sexton, lis the
grave OF suCh-an-one, aad there is the |
tombstone OF such-another-one, and F,
yOnder is the monument of that great
man about whom he tells rs of tale
oi veal or woe as We pass hither and !
thither among the mounds.
Inside the cathedral walls the grassy
sod is dotted with tOmbstones, bearing !
names almost obliterated by time and /.
tempests, and in the alcove OF the wal!
itself is the vault with the recumbent
marble mailed sttigies OF two knights or
edrlS who were honored with arhyming
and drooling inscription from the royal |
hand Of King James |. With pride
the sexton showed the etligies, showing
a'sn other titled names that decorated F,
the spot. And there" said he. while
mooling along, as he pointed out flag
stone bearing two names, one of which
was hut a icw years old, "there is Mrs.
CaTly,eS grave"
The wife CT Thomas CARLYLE" l in
qnired
'Ay," sa,d ne, cay, ay."
And ! saw that il was, and that this
was the tombstone gloriiied by thst i'm
mortal epl'Gph, the finest tribute ever
phd TO wife or woman, in which the
iiustriOus literary giant
Might. st Titan 81 ruyyetcSt mind.
foSniEg mslSs:ic on feeble mankind
after uf'rring to her Tor: wears of pa- /
tent AMI helpful comprehensive. saws /
trs', by her death, "tha LIGHT Of his life |
is lie n zone ont"
And Mr.. Carlyle" said the sexton
comes here from London now and tber
to see this grave. He ia & gaunt, shaggy.
wieri, kind old msn, looking very old
the last time he was here"
"He is eighty-six now" said I. "Ay,"
he repeated, "elghty.siX, and comes
here to this grave all the way from Lon
dem"
And told the sexton that CARLYLE
was great man, the greatest
man OF the age in hooks, and that
bis name was known all over the
world; but the sexton thought there
were other great men lying near at
hand, though told him their fame did
aot reach beyond the graveyard. and
brought him back to talk OF CARLYLE.
mr.. Carlyle himself" said the grave