The morning call., 1890-08-03
Special to THE SUNDAY CALL.

HkUMFRIES Scotland, July 10, 1890.
Border wars and border mlnstrelSy
EzzzgA have given the whole south of Scot
land Il heritage of undying interest and en-
thrallment. Coming upon it with eyes
: looking out of the depths of history and
sentiment, every object in nature marshals
host. of armored specters from the
crowded cloister of a romantic and thrill
ing past But there is another and an i'm
mortal presence here. One Scottish south
land peasant voice not only fused into
iIlimitable tenderness all Scotia's stern and
granite soul, but gave imperishable songs
20 the universal human heart.
To all the people of Scotland so dear has
the memory of this man become that three
of the southwestern shires of the kingdom
Ayrshire, in which.the peasant-poet was
born, Kirkcudbrightshire, where he wan
dered and sang, and Dumfriesshire, where
he lived, loved, sang and declare known
only as Burns Land" However winsome
are the memories of his early life beside the
Doom, in Ayr; however stamped by the
wondrous roiuage OF his genius, which like
some magic alchemy transformed all things
Burns touched OF named, or knew, to gold,
the braes and burns of kirkcudbright may
be; to my fancy fair DumfTiess was the
imperial palace of his worldwide realm;
and this gray old town Of Dumfries itself
his very throne. Here flows the whipping
: NTH, from its sources in the Lead and Low
Their hills, down past the little farm OF Ellis
land, where, with his faithful vile, Jean,
lie wrought those brief and
~- HAPPIEsT. DAYS OF HIS LIFE.
:. Here still stands the house on Bank
street. formerly the "Wee Nennel," the
= three little upper rooms of which were his
first ''city" home. Tie old tavern where
he registered and sang is just as he left it.
. His last earthly habitation was the same
{. humble cottage you now find alongside the
. !" Ragged School " in Burns street, known
las Mill street in the olden days. And in
:: the stately mausoleum beneath the shadows
Of ancient st. Miehaefs kirk, surrounded
:: by the graves and monuments OF those who
'.I0r 500 years went before him into the infin-
=. tie mystery, he lies asleep, true and loyal
. Jean still near him, and all their BARNS be-
: side them in the wakeless rest.
- You or | pilgriming here to the shrine of
Burns will first involhntarily recall the
principal incidents in his career previous
10 his Identification with the old border city
Of DUmfries. This can be best told, par
tally in the language OF others. In the
period between May, 17S6, at the age Of y
years, and the end of the year 1871. when
he came from the Ellisland farm to the
three rooms in the Wee Nennel," in
DumfrieS, q period Of but four and half
years, more personal hope ana disap-
pointment, JOY and suffering, anguish
from impulSive Wrong-doing and heaven
. of .hs purest domestic bliss, temp
.tatiou and victory, agoniZed despair
and triumph, had been crowded into
the poets experiences than fall to the lot
Of most great men in their entire lives. In
This brief time, first he was disOwned and
deserted by Jean Armour, through the bit
ter and ever unreasoning opposition of her
father. He was then betrothed to High
land Mary" Campbell, the heroine OF his
immortal ode to ITO Mary in Heaven
who shortly died II malignant fevef at
= Gireen0ck, and over whose grave in the
. kirk-yard OF the Old or West Church, in
1hat city, monument was placed bear
. Ing the inscriptions: