Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-01
THE nuMBIE PLACE IN WHICH
ne WAS BORN.
POET WAEEMAN'S WAADERlMGS.
How Some Old Scotch Women Talk
ed ofthe Famous Scotch writer--A
Rare aud Royalty Rampant Gen.
ius-whnt He saw as a Boy.


their breakfasts before the doors of the
grave Scottish villagers of Ecclefechan
when l trampcd into the hamlet behind
them. There We're five of them. great
hulking fellows. and their hoarse and ag-
gressiye believing was the only sound
indicative of human life in the village
even at that late hour of the morning.
They stood beside mciodious burn which
dashed from under covered way and
eourscd ON through the village street.
At one side OF the stream was an
ancient wall. On the other We're strag-
Cling houses, and the one before which
the vagabouds lifted up their narrowing
voices was one of the plainest and quaint
est in Ecclcfechan. From its appearance
It might have been an old stable; an
abandoned lodge at the entrance to some
gentleman's establishment formerly To-
Gated behind il; or the ancient jail Of
the village, now smartiy whitewashed and
transformed into a lOwly habitation. 1t
was u mite of a thing with an archwny
through II Occupying one-third of The
lower story.
At each side was II narrow oaken door,
and, nearer each end, a tiny window ln
the second story another lttle window
above each lower one looked into the
street; and over the center Of the nrchway
were two still more dininutivc windows,
side by side, 1t was q double house OF
the dwarf variety, and the one al the
north end. where the strong-lunged
Elners sang, was the birthplace OF
Thomas Carlyle.
Tbs believing had brought mutdh-
capped guid-wlves TO yarlous WINDOWS
and alley entrances. az safe distances
i .uitered near enough TO hear theni dis
cuss the niatln.song of the tramps as
well az the house and its former oceu-
pants
They medina fash (troublel theirsels
tae sing there's" cronled one old dame
with gentle swayiug of her head be-
tokeninr reminiscenial vein OF re-
mark 7They'fe like lnecht roar their
sels black Il the face. aforc they eer
wrlng bluid frae that neep tturnip)n
"Ol. ave." crooned still older old
woman. 'its wcel kent nae puir body
Iypr saw. sync or soon, the recht side
o. the Carlyles' sil.er.n
How Carlsles hosts of adorcrs would
have croancd to hear these his old
noiI,hiors 20 ont One limited at their
pride with. "They thocht theirsels nae
ehaep-shnnksr Another of their thrift
with. "Thpy ne'er se,'d their hens on a
rainy DAY." Another. of miser.incss with
"rhry gaze tlicir banes to nae dogs"
AmnfnfF. oil tntlf luslNIltN WIKI. hoy
wprp0 auid To npebor VII" And an
other hent Old body summed mp the fee
ing OF many OF the testy villagers with
the crisp epitomr, "'rhcy were i'll to
tho.e,' That Is, 1t was hard to get along
with the CRrlyles And 1t Is historic
.hat Others besides these dim old souls,
aome who lived In the same houses with
them. found II Just that way.
The trlinps got nothing for their Of
fertory. and, after few vigorous kicks
at the door, departed; giving me opp0r-
tunity to reach the house just as the
huge form and rcd, veinous face OF Mrs.
Inc door. Shaking Il fine blndeeon after
,hr vanishing yagrnuts she relieved her
Indignation with; "lIootsi It's weary
day for aud Scotland whan there's nae
body . fr1l hoose like this trae tia
low English beggirsw and then, In
radiant expectancy Of low English sax
pencps," babe me enter.
/ doubt n there ever lived a writer
about whom more has been wri;trn by
little and grei; writer's than has been
penned in criticism or praise of Thomas
Carlyle Aud / am just as much In
doubt whether any one or al of these.
from passing essayist to stately bioga-
phrr. ever really visited the birthplace
OF this rare and royalty rampant genius.
Yet that should have been every scri-
ons hiosrapher's first duty. Interesting
turer career OF the man of genius. when
we have learned each one by heart. and
have been given standards by which to
find his place, measure his personality
and weigh his influence. we are still IN.
sati sled What made this man what he
wnsY VIVA; were the potent forces
which sent him on his way. or which
were overcome. IN his upbnildng? Out
of what manner Of mold did lir come?
What was IN. actual environment of the
babe. The child. the yonths We wish
10 be shown the ultimate perspective
II IA moi to be found IN any biography
OF CARLYLE.
And 80 ] think there is an unusual
fascination In coming to this hard little
hamlet and seeing with your own eyes
pretty nearly the same sort Of folk and
precisely the same scenes rs those the
boy Carlyle knew. hard as il Is to be-
lleye from his blogrnphers he ever was
which his had their turtpgt mt