The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-26

its ancient tombs It was in this church that,
on juno 10. 1544 four prelates and twenty one
nebles met and constituted Mary OF Guise
Queen Regent of Scotland during the minority
of her daughter. ltwas here, also, that Ohm Knox
preached the coronation sermon of James vi,
the infant king 1t was in Stirling Castle that
Lord Darnley courted the beautiful Queen
Mary and here James VI lived until he was
thirteen years old. Having been named after
the heroine of the Scottish Chiefs" | took
deep delight in visiting Mars works and every
spot made memorable by the noble deeds
of Sir Wallace. Like beautiful picture
imprinted upon my brain will ever remain the
view from Stirling Castle as the slaptlng rays of
the setting sun reflected the marvellous beauty of
this charming landscape.
EDINBURGH
A few hours by rail and we reach Edinburgh,
which justly claims to be the Athens of the
North. Her castle towering over four hundred
feet right out of the heart of the city, her nu-
merous graceful spires. towers and mnarets,
Holyrood Palace, her historical street-old Can
nongate-and scores of attractions, made me hun
cry to spend a whole summer within her gates.
Part of Cannongate was built as early as the
twelfth century, and many of the existing
houses built alone of lath and plaster, date as
far back the sixteenth: one bears the date
1865 "As the main avenue from the palace to
tuo ClCyy says CudmU oTS, IL udo uOfHO Upou ibo
pavement the burden of all that was beautiful,
all that was gallant. all that has become his
torically interesting in Scotland for the
last six seven hundred years" All
buildings in Edinburgh are grey stone,
city ordinance preventing the erection
of any other kind The public buildings are
mostly of Grecian-D oric architecture, it being
the purpose of the city to initiate Athens as
nearly possible. She is specially proud of
being noted for law, learning, printing and
hra vin Tho uoop1A i0nk fnrtah la we'll
behaved, thoroughly satisfied and religious.
Sabbath is strictly observed; no street cars run
and no business Of any public character is car
ried on, even the outside doors of hotels are
locked during portion of the day. hope the
fates will yet permit me one season In Edin-
borough, surrounded by her books where may
read her history, SCOTS works, and tarry here
and there, pleasure may direct, In her castles,
cathedrals glens and galleries or rusticate
among her moors, mountains and lakes To the
south. on our route to London, we visit the ruin
of Melrose Abbey, that has become the food for
the ivy, on our way to Abbottsford, nestled
among the hills of Eddon, where lived, wrote
and died Sir Walter Scott This immense cas-
tie is in state o. perfect preservation. /
wandered through the library, containing 10, 900
volumes, noted the tables covered with books of
art, inches filled with statuary and bric-a- brac,
the desk upon which, and the pens with which
the master wrote. 1t seemed that Sir Walter
had merely stepped out to take morning stroll
along the pebbly shore Of the Leeds, that winds
| gracefully under the shadow of great elms but
| few feet away. and that he would walk in upon
| us to chat in living words. Every room IN Alb
bottsford is individualized and one may readily
see that no ordinary spirit planned and perfected
this tasteful, elegant home.
The ripe Scotch character is most admirable.
It's sturdy manhood has backbone" about it
that bespeaks intellect sustained by the power
| of assertion; both men and women have ruddy
glow of health about them that is charming.
The Scotch lasse! Well. do not wonder that
the '1addies" stood upon the banks of the Rye to
watch the lassies take off their shoes and stock
ings to wade the shallow stream, and seeing the
water taking liberties with their little pink toes,
wished also to
kiss the lassie comm thro' the Rye"
The young Scotch woman, with her pink and
white complexion her pearl white teeth, ner
clear Sparkling eye, her sly, coy demeanor that
turns into perfect self possession when in con-
versation, is certainly very lovely and loveable.
She is intelligent. sensible, practical and
complshed, and has opinions of her own which
she dares to hold and maintain. She would
prove terror to mustached dude. but make a
model wife for an ideal man. The Scotch are a
hospitable people to travel among, and are most
kindly to the stranger within their gates. In
the north, among the crofters who live upon
the rock bound coast there is necessarily MUCH
suffering; there are too many people for the pro-
ductions of so poor country. The burdens of
life fall upon women, who do the heavy work,
and the men are largely idle, drunken and disso-
lutte. Inere are many poor In the cltles as
there is an immense amount Of drunkenness
sapping tho very life of the people. Among
the artisans, especially among the young wo-
men, there is most shameless immortality; lille
gitimacy ia thought nothing of among them, it
being the rule rather than the exception. One
lady keeping large hotel there the women
manage hotels as they do in England and Ire
land) ISSUED me it was almost impossible to Sc
cure a servant girl above the age of fourteen
years that had not been mother. Their chill
dren are thrown upon the parish and nothing
more thought Of them. This drunkenness and
immortality of the working masses of Great
Britain will yet cauSezher downfall unless rem
edled at a rapid rate. We do not see the amount
of street begging in Scotland that we do in Eng
land or Ireland
Farmers have larger holdings than in Ireland,
and country homes have an appearance of COM
fort about them, much like the same class in
America but there is great dissatisfaction with
the tenant SYSTEM and Parliament will be called
to remodel the land laws of Scotland at very
late day.
Much attention is being given to educating the
lower classes and the compulsory education law
is making inroads upon ignorance and vice that
bespeak better condition for the next genera
ton; religious and philanthropic associations
the sturdy, determined character of the Scotch
will yet redeem the masses in the fulness of the
light of this last half of the nineteenth century.
''Old Mortality" would have nis hands more
than full to keep clean the grkvestones of Scot
lands honored dead and the honorable living
are no less numerous HELEN M. COUGAR.
BLACK AND WHITE MASONRY.