Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-29

THROUGH SCOTLAND.


In our last letter We promised to
write about Scotland. Unfortunately
We can say but very little of this beau
tiful country outside Of Edinburgh, as
the greater part of tie journey from
Liverpool was made at night; and even
of Edinburgh We can speak but COM
paratively little as we were so crowded
for time that we could spend but one
day and a half there. However, what
we saw of Scotland was most beautiful
and in many places reminds US of our
own native state of Pennsylvania Of
course the buildings are very different,
We speak only of the geography of the
country.
Well, we had come to Edinburgh to
see the city; we didn't know a soul
there and scarcely knew how to go
about our work.
If stranger in Edinburgh asks a
native where he ought to go for the
best view of the city, it is quite anus
ing what answers he will get. One re-
ply will be, From Blackford Hill, on
the SOUTH" another will say "From
Wardie on the north, sir" \ third
one will say that no view is so fine as
that obtained from CorstOrphine hill on
the west; and the stranger scarcely
knows how to proceed, and after he has
viewed the city from all these different
points he concludes they are all fine.
and that "a city set on hill cannot be
hid" Edinburgh stands on three hills
and spreads its beauties all abroad.
Wherever the spectator takes his stand
point he will find that ''every prospect
pleases." In all our travels we found
no country that surpassed in beauty
grand old Scotland, the land of Knox
and Burns; and no city in which we
felt more at home, than in churchly old
Edinburgh. The boys and girls, the
young men and women and especially
the old folks, all seemed more like the
dear good people with whom we love to
associate in America.
Here is where the pious Knox prayed
so earnestly, "Give me Scotland or l
die" And while we admit that there
is much of sin here, yet we find, com.
paratively speaking, less of it here than
in most of places We have visited, and
we believe the good mans prayer was
answered. We surely are in love with
Scotland.
During our short stay we ''tramped"
the old city pretty well. 1t looks queer
in many respects. Wherever you 60
in every street you see nothing but
stone buildings, and the style of archi
lecture so different from that we have
in America. The streets also are all
merchandising Nicholson pave
ment, nor Asphalt, but only cObble
stone. Everything about the city looks
old, strong and solid, and wherever
you cast your eye, on wall, or street, OF
spire, each seems to have voice that
speaks, 1--WE have come to stay"
OF the numerous places of interest
and Importance that we visited We
shall have time to speak of only few,
and of these not in detail. Our first
visit, OF course, was to the castle, which
is perhaps the most interesting place in
the city.
Castle Rock las it is called is gen.
orally admitted by historians to have
been occupied as fort by the aborigi-
nal tribes long before the conquest of
the country by the Romans; and as its
situation must have rendered it i'm
pregnable, previous to the invention of
artillery, and pointed it out as an i'm
portant stronghold, there is no reason
to dispute the antiquity claimed for the
castle. The earliest name by which it
was known was the Gaelic Magh-dlm
1.-THE fort or rock of the plainl, which
being supposed to be the same as
maighdean tmaidenl gave rise to the
legend that it was the residence of the
ancient British or Pictish Processes.
The greater part of the present castle
buildings are modern. st. Margaret's
chapel, and the part of the castle which