Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1891-06-16
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS
ROBERT BURNS FARM HOME At
ELLIsLAND, SCOTLAND.

The Only Spot on All This Earth Where
Comfort and Happiness Were His-LOv-
ing Memories of Seotia's Immortal Bard
ReeAned-The NTH and Its Glorious
vaneJ.
Copyright, 1871. By Edgar L wakeman-l
ELLIsLASD, Scotland, June 2-Pilgrim-
ing among the countless shrines created
By the living presence Of Robert Burns in
Southwestern Scotland, and looking down
along the flaming shaft Of Light that links
his genius and his world girding human
love and magnanimity to the fadeless i'm
mortality Of his memory and name, have
always felt that the one among them all
which most breathes 20 the beholder the
spirit Of inefable pathos and tenderness,
was this, the bard's farm home Of Ellis
land
In the period between May, i7S6, at the
age Of twenty-seve years, aud the end Of
the year 1871, when he came from this
Ellisland farm 70 the three rooms in the
Wee Vennel," in Dumfries, a period OF
but four and one-han years, more personal
hope and disappointment, JOY and suffer
ing. anguish from inpulSive wrong doing
and heaven Of the purest domestic bliss,
temptation and victory. aRonized despair
and triumph, were crowded into the poets
experiences, than fall 70 the lot Of most
great men in their entire lives. In this
brief time, first be WIS disowned and DE
serted by Jean Armour. through the bitter
and ever unreasOning opposition Of her
father. He was then betrothed to High
land Mary" Campbell. the heroine Of his
immortal ode, ITO Mary In Heaven" who
shortly died Of malignant fever at Green
ock
About 100 Of his most Characteristic po-
ems were already written, and the now
priceless first edition OF the same had been
issued from the rural press Of KilmArnock,
In the county of Dumbarton. Twin chill
dren had been born 70 him out ot wedlock
by Jean Armour, of whom Robert, in
after years a man Of rare character and
worth, survived the poet ffty-eigtt years,
his derease occurring at Dumfres in 1857,
and his body being inferred in the Burns
mAusoleun in that city. Burns local
fame having attracted the attention Of the
literary coterie at Edinburgh, he Was in
vited % that city, where be was affiliated"
At the famous lodge Of Freemasons (which
stu meets in the veritable room then used
and subsequently "inaugurated" as its
poet Laureate, the latter event being the
subjeot Of a celebrated painting, while be
was made the literary lion Of the day. as
new and enlarged editions Of his poems ap-
pes-sd
Ce then made a tour Of the border coun-
ties Of England and Scotland, and, untar-
nished by fame, returned 70 MAuchline,
the old home spot in Ayr, drawn there by
his true love for bis Jean, who repented
here renunciation, and with whom the for
mer intimacy was renewed The tour Of
the north was then made Burns returned
ta greater Edinburgh literary trTumpfrs
He was introduced 70 Mrs MAclehose, the
''Clarinda" of his famous correspondence,
and again returning to his beloved Jean,
took her secretly 20 Tarbolton Mill, where
twins, both Of which died, were again born
u them. Being now independent Of scan
dalous opposition, Burns publicly and
proudly acknowledged" Jean Armour as
his wife, then as sacred and binding mar
rage in Scotland as any other, and in this
instance necessary only because debarred
formal marriage by the wife's parents, who
| thus were solely responsible for the cloud
upon the poets marital record Burns also
satisfied" the church, which in those days
was not so very difficult of satisfaction.
He was also in a position to satisfy"
Jeans parents, for on settlement with
| Creech, his Edinburgh publisher, the then
astounding sum Of $500 was found to be
At his disposal
Then came the brief, bright days. Mag
unanimously generous always, much Of this
sum, the first and last good fortune Burns
ever knew, went to Jeans parents, and TO
assist his brother, Gilbert Burns, in avert
ing disaster in the latter's farm life efforts.
His lucky 1eeting with the ingenious and
| kindly Patrick Miller. Of Dalswinton hall,
/ Te ha1 haar laA hat 4 he
poet, who hated the city with a royal
! hatred, should return 20 the pillow. The
nobility OF the day never quite forgave this
| plebeian longing and love, the source of his
/ grandest inspirations. This beautiful farm
/ OF Eliisland, five miles above Dumfries,
was taken at a rental Of fifty pounds per
year. Burns, unaided, began his farm la
| bors the first Monday after Whitsunday,
1 1TsS He toiled manfully until the autumn
/ of that year, meantime singing many a
/ lusty song 10 his absent wife, and built the
lovely cottage which stands here embow-
cred in roses TO this day. And then was
/ celebrated the simple but glorious home
coming, when, with rustic ntes, and his
/ bonny Jean upon his arm, preceded by
peasant girl carrying the family Bible
and bowl Of salt, he marched proudly
into his little home heaven beside the
! Winning MIL
All evidences agree that in the brief pc
Rod Of a tribe over two years, between
whitsunday, l7SS, and Martinmas, 1871,
Burns and his good Jean experienced an
Eden Of labor and love, despite their final
enforced departure. IL was also the pc
nod Of Burns best and greatest poetic fe-
cundity. But more children came to them.
These must be supported Thecrops failed,
and inevitable ruin was approaching lt
was then that, 10 save his wife and chill
dren from actual want, he was forced to
accept the government position OF excise
man, at the beggarly pittance Of ESQ per
yearl The five remaining years Of his life
-~after the poet. his Jean and their three
children, Robert, Francis Wallace and
William Nicol, removed to the humble
lodgings, their first home in Dumfrtes-
checkered, sad. pathetic beyond compre
hension. are known to all
Leaving the quaint old city Of Dummies