The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-08-10

tact, are eXaSperatlngly uenclent. III
appears to me that in the days of the
prehistoric man, somewhere about the
time the Cincinnati STRENGTHENING De-
partment horses and the Board of Pub
lie Works were colts together, some
body made an encyclopedia of the peO-
pie and population of the world. The
guide-boOk makers have been copying
that encyclopedia ever since. Not one
of them reads as though their authors
have been over the grounds themselves.
They have almost without exception
simply sat down and copied lot of
musty, antediluvian rubbish. have
searched guide-bOOk after guide-book
printed on both sides of the water to get
at the present population of Scotland
and some of its principal cities. For
instance, the people of Glasgow claim
that they now number, as an actual
fact, eight hundred and fifty-6ve thOus-
and souls. looked into the most reli-
able guide -bOOkO | can find, and no two
of them agree, and none give anything
like that number. In one we find how
many people there were in Scotland in
1871. This is the latest news. The
pretty pale green volume which you Will
be asked to buy as your guide, compan-
ion and friend when you embark ON
Loeb LOmOnd disdains to mention such
an unromantic fact as population at all,
and scOrns to say a word about when
HOlyrOod Abbey was founded or how
high Ben Lomond Is. UnVarnished
truth cOmpels one to say that too many
of these inviting little volumes read
likeimere advertisements of hotels. Shall
guide-books therefore be abolished? No,
they shall mend their ways. Like an
almanac, they are worth nothing unless
they are up with the time.
70 laouo fha chin Of GFnnOnak anH oO
by rail twenty miles to Glasgow. When
you land at GreenOck you will open your
eyes first thing at the magnificent ely
desdale draft horses that haul your
baggage up the wharf to the railway
station. 1t is worth trip to Scotland to
see them. They fairly look like small
elephants, they are so big. The driver
of the largest one told US that he weighed
eighteen hundred pounds, and could
draw ten tons on the level. 1 don't
know whether that was so or not. He
heads, and are very intelligent and do
cile. They turn their bright, gentle,
spirited eye upon you with look that
is far more human than that of some
people you've seen. No wonder they are
such pets as they seem to be. The horses
that hauled US around through the rain
among the lOchs, are much the same
sort of animals, though not so big.
They are, nevertheless, much larger
than the average of our best farm horses,
and can travel far better. They seem
built both for strength and travel. All
have very large strong limbs, and long,
heavy fetlocks, so that they look 70 an
American like swelledlegged horses.
The price of one Of them is said to be
about $3.50. When the wagon is loaded
full of tourists, the driver cracks his
whip, and away the handsome creatures
dash up hill at gallOp. The sight
seer's coaches are all open. They are
like deep box, having shelf at the
top with rim around 1t. The tourist
sits upon the shelf, and puts his feet
into the box.
what do you call such wagon as
this?" we asked our driver.
This is nawt wagon; it's a br-r-aik,'
said he. And braik it is, though l don't
know how to spell it.
The Scotch love flowers as much as
the Germans do. The entire absence of
weeds will strike an American dumb
with astonishment. They have literally
been abolished. About the little rail
way stations the ground is carefully
leyeled, the walk is firmly gTaveled and
the space around divided into emerald
grass plots and beds of flowers. Banks
q
call to mind the tumble-dOwn look of
our American railroad stopping places,
and think how they must appear to the
BTitOn when he first sets foot in our
country.
The solid stone walls and houses in
are an additional reason why
an American should land here first.
They will be revelation in mason
work to him. | cannot describe the
country all about here better than to say
it has a wholly foreign" look. That is
the word. 1 have studied why it was so,
and find it is not little owing to the
neatness and sOlidness of everything. l
don't remember seeing a wooden house
in Scotland. Edinburg is built of stone
gray and reddish gray-and all is put
up to stay.
"How long will one of your stone
fences last without any repair" asked
a Scotchman.
"AbOut thirty years" he said.
There is an exquisite finish about every
thing. We could easily have such walls
and houses at home, with the beautiful
limestone all about us. Nothing here
Is left half done. Even the furniture
is satisfactory. Doors shut and bolt,
and the knobs do not come off in your
hand. Will my native land ever be like
that? Not in my time, I'm afraid. I'm
like the man who was kicked by the
mule, our country will be handsomer
when it knows more. At Glasgow, we
staid at the COckburn Hotel, which you
must call COburn. The name occurs
in Scotland, and is every
where pronounced so, as far as we can
learn. The American flag flies over
numerous buildings in Glasgow and
The first sight that greeted
us when we entered the hotel was
picture of Garfield; rather good one,
too. The well known signature, "Jas.
A. Garfield" was underneath. 1t was
placed there two weeks after the mar
tyred President was shot, and there it
has hung ever since. 1t was goodly
sight to Americans.
We left Glasgow by rail for Balloch,
on Loeb LomOnd. On the way we passed
tremendous cliff with the ruins of
Dumbarton Castle, VIM. Wallace's seat
on top Of it. Robert Bruce's battle ak is
there, it is said. @
"How do we get access to the castle?"
asks somebody.
''Bruce's ak, that's the ax-cess," says
the punster. We axed no more ques-
tiOns.
The steam whistle now echoes among
the hills where Rob Roy stole cattle,
and shrieks over the waters where the
Lady of the Lake ,rowed her little skiff.