The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-03-12
Over the Pyrenees.


which is to follow. A sudden turn in the
road, and nestled amid an amphitheatre
of mountains, appears cluster of white
and yellow cottages, with their Swiss ga
bles and roofs, their broad verandas, deck
ed with trailing vines and surrounded with
beds of variegated flowers In front of
them stretches the broad green sward,
bounded by the semi-circular curve of the
beach, and this again by the deep blue
sea, losing itself in the still bluer sky be-
yond. This is Biarritz, and, with its sur
roundings, is scene worthy of the mem
cries associated with it, when the gay and
fascinating Eugene, with her brilliant
Fetinue, used to stroll along these parterres
of beautiful flowers, look out upon this
ever-restless sea with the changing clouds
above it, little thinking how soon they
would come to reflect the destinies even
Of her royal life. Biarritz is still the re-
sort of wealthy Spanish families. Here
they flock every summer to escape the in
tense heats of Central and Southern Spain.
Then, almost before your are aware Of it,
the train has brought you to Irun, the
border town, where you enter the grand
de6les of the Western Pryenees. There
is no scenery like it throughout the whole
Peninsula. The great jagged hills, COW
cred with perpetual snow, stand like SEN
tinels to guard the entrances to the land.
Deep valleys stretch out at your feet;
streams come tearing down the mountain
sides, breaking into cascades of silvery
whiteness. You see ruins Of castles on
high hills, meats and bastions erumbling
and Iilapidated, but which once frowned
with heavy ordnance and bristled with
pike and bayonet. This whole tract of
country was field of war and carnage
during the days of the Peninsular cam
paisn Here Soult entrenched himself;
there Wellington led his storming battal-
ions of English and Spanish troops. What
a tale could these old hills unfold of FIRE
and slaughter, and yet, over the whole as
| now write, the setting sun is throwing
its violet rays, aud those hills and valleys
and snOw-white cottages breathe spirit
of quietness and repose which, one would
think, had never been disturbed.
But this border-land has history which
runs back far anterior to that of the Pc
ninsular campaign. In these secluded
valleys, aud over on those mountain slopes
running away to the westward, dwell the
Basque people, a strange race, entirely
alien from their Spanish neighbors to the
south The Basques are aborigines of the
country They claim descent from Noah.
They are to Spain what the Weleh are TO
England. When the tide Of Celtic inva-
sion swept over this land, these Basque
folk retreated to their mountain Businesses,
and there they have lived ever since, no
invader having been able to reduce them.
A Wild fearless, independents set you find
them still, different in language, religion
and customs from every other people in
Europe. Their language bears no affinity
to any Aryan dialect, and is impossible
fully to acquire except by those who are
native born '.They write Solomon, says
writer, ''and pronounce it Nebuehadnez-
Ear. They have a tradition that the
devil himself once spent three years among
them, and during that time learned to
speak only three words of their language
In their religion they retain many Of the
,, rites of the old heather world, such as an.
, nually visiting the tombs of their ances
, tors aud offering corn and wine to theiI
departed spirits, while their style of dress
aud mode Of living is the same as it wa.
hundreds of years ago, the tide Of civiliza-
, ton which has transformed the rest Of
Europe failing to affect them.
As we leave the Basque country behind
US, and before we enter upon the great
tableland of the interior, we are more and
more impressed with the novelty of every
.. thing around us You see mills of tbs
!, quaiutest and most outlandish construe
i ton carts whose wheels are formed on
v Of the solid block-a mere section from
It the trunk of some great tree-and draw
e by the most misunderstanding oxen
7, spades made of wood and pitehforks o
d the forked branches Of trees. The dres,
+ of the women, too, is quaint, though pic
d turesque You notice that they eros
j themselves when they enter the ears, re
!, peat when they take their seats, and stil
e again when the train starts. The aE
# proach to a station is generally announces
: not by the signal Of whistle, as with u;
t but the the blowing Of horn, which
/, answered by horn from the station il
5 self, while accompanying every train is
h guard Of soldiers, with scarlet coats an'
s. short breeches, and old triangular hats
d such as you see upon the boards of the
It atre. Everything tells you that you ar
/ in new land quite different from the ga,
and cultured France which you have LEI
behind you-new, and yet very old an,
Anticipated in all its features.
But as write, the shadows are deep
= ening and the valleys arc gathering tn
gloom of the night about them. One sol
itary mouutain-top, catching the rays o
> the fastfading light upon its crest o
snow, seems like lighthouse set agains
b the heavens-N. T. Observer.
Il A COOP REToRT-Rev. David Ric
Il settled in Kentucky, in 1888, and wa
: the first Presbyterian minister sent there
$ His leader Of the singing was a certai
e Joe Davis, noted genius of the day
d whose moral character was not wholly Ut
exceptionable. He applied to Father Ric
= to baptiZe his child for him Thinking n