The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-07-03

quaint old city with odd looking build
ings in the older parts, and elegant
homes in the newer portions, at once
attract the eye. But first of all we
must see and cross the "Twa Briggs"
immortalized by Burns. The first was
built in 1249-12S5, and the second in
1888. In 1877 the new one fulfilled
the prophecy of Burns, by tumbling
down:
Connected gowk! puff'd up wi windy pridel
This monte year I've stood the food and tide;
And tho in crazy eild I'm sair forlairn,
I'll be brig when yer shapless cairn.''
Looking a while at the brigs and
crossing them both, we are impatient
to see the famous place where one of
the immortal names in literature was
born, and SO pursue our way through
the main street of the town, long and
beautiful avenue, Of elegant seaside
villas, till we reach the banks of the
"Bonnie Doom" and near pretty
bridge. Crossing the truly "bonnie"
stream, we see ''the ford where in the
snow the chapman snored," and after
a mile or so we reach the humble cot
tage where, Jan. 25, 1859, was born one
of the most remarkable of human gen.
uises,- certainly the greatest and most
genuine poet during the century. The
house is mere "biggin," a one-story
cottage of stone, which was built by
Burns's father just before his marriage,
and which then contained but two small
low rooms, without chambers overhead,
and with only roof Of thatch to pro-
tect the dwellers. In the best room is a
little niche in the wall, containing a
bed, concealed by curtain, and in this
little nook the eyes of Robert Burns
first saw the light. The walls of both
rooms are of rough plastered stone, and
the floor is the same as when little
Robbie began to toddle about over the
rough flags of stone, and which he trod
till he was seven years old. Another
similar edifice has since been attached,
and also large high room, used as a
refreshment saloon for the benefit of
visitors. Here it was a source of literal
refreshment to find that the associa-
tion that has bought the place for the
benefit Of the public, and to make it
the depository of all attainable articles
connected with Burns, has established
regulations that can but please all.
Think of dining here, on the very spot
where the immortal singer lived, at the
modest cost of ten CENTS mutton pie,
four cents, tea, two cents, bread and
iss sters twoseeats, ss1iI q 5tsa Sw5censs,
which added to the cost of entrance,
four cents, makes in all fourteen cents,
and you stand on the very stones his
boyish feet pressed, and look on the
very walls that constituted his home.
Here we find many most precious
articles Of historical and personal inter-
est: Pictures and bust of Burns,
manuscripts and other mementoes.
Near by is the famous Burns monu-
ment, in an elegantly ornamented en-
closure, full of flowers and choice shrub
berry, and so elevated as to command
one of the most beautiful landscapes.
The monument is Grecian dome on
Corinthian pillars. Here we saw the two
little volumes of the pocket Bible Burns
gave to his Highland Mary when they
were betrothed, and lock of Mary
Campbell's golden hair. Written in
each volume is verse of Scripture in
Burns's hand, on the "sacredness Of
PROMISE A remarkably fine pair of
statues of Soutor Johnnie ana Tam
O'Shanter are here seen, and other OBJ
jects connected with the poets memory.
Leaving the monument we descended
to the banks of the Doom. We have
no English word that describes the ex-
quisite loveliness of this stream and its
borders, so well as "bonnie." 1t seems
pervaded by the very aroma and genius
of Burns's poetry. We could have spent
hours in lingering along its "banks and
braes" blooming ''sae fresh and fair"
and listening to the songs of larks and
mavis, and plucking that sweetest Of
blossoms, that starred the grass,-the
gowan, "wee, modest, crimson tipped"
which, as Hawthorne so finely says,
Burns "turned into an amaranthine
flower while seeming to destroy it."
No language within our knowledge
descriptive of any landscape we ever
saw, so perfectly succeeds in catching
the very spirit of the scene, as does the
immortal song, "Ye banks and braes !"
and the tune is as fitting as the words,
which seems to have been born from
the murmuring of the waters, the songs
of the birds, and the quiet and beauty
of the place
"Music married to immortal verse;"
A few rods from the monument is
Kirk Alloway, in which Tam O'Shanter
peeped, and saw that weird scene-un-
in consequence of having had