The record-union., 1893-07-22

fIIeIF q
wardly, the sides OF each OF their stone
aperture as white as snow, and the sash
OF each was half hidden by milk-white
muslin. Huge settles OF OAK, with fleece
or chintZ-encased covers, were ranged
along the low, white walls. In one cor
ner, its face yellow with age, solemnly
licked an eight-day clock, its clumsy
frame built into the two abutting walls.
In the center of the room was a long,
strong table, with huge legs, ross-pieces
and braces, worn and polished from use,
and its great age was plainly told in one
half of its length being provided, as 1
have found entire tables in the peasant
homes OF Brittany with square, oval and
circular depressions, in which the food
OF the children and kinds was served
perhaps, an hundred years ago, when
even pottery was a luxury, and only the
peasant master, his wife and the elder
sons and daughters knew the use of the
rudest delft.
More curious than all else was the en-
tire side OF the 'tire-room" containing
the fireplace in which, though our visit
was IN midsummer, there was a CHEEKY,
comforting blaze. y huge arch sustained
the bowed cottage wall. This stone arch
was really the base of the chimney. In
its center was the open fireplace hung
about with chains, hooks and cranes, and
at each side was a narrOw-Splayeu win
dow, like those of a castle turret-tiny
outIookS from this peasant fOrtalice OF
snuggery, and the dark mouth of the
chimney above must have been nearly
six feet across. l have found the same
odd arrangements in the cottages of old
clachans in the Hebrides, in the Scottish
Highlands, and in the ancient halt-de-
serted weavers' village OF Gattonside,
near Melrose, beside the Tweed. The
states OF the floor i'll front of this fireplace
were decorated with grotesque figures
and designs, one OF Noah's dove, and
scroll work in ocher and vermilion chalk,
an universal home-siGe custom among
the lake district peasantry.
The chairs were huge and high and of
oak. The bureaus and dressers, quantity
decorated with shining pewter and
strange old bits of china ware, were high,
narrow and sprawling- legged, and all Of
mahogany. The beds-tor one for the
house master occupied corner of the
room-were high, huge ana strong enough
for the repose of giants, and were strange
ly-carved oak. out from this simple liv-
lng-room extended inviting Vistas through
low ceiinged "lean-tos," each one doubt
less built in different century, and each
provided with many tiny windows with
deep easements, through which could be
caught gIlnt OF blossom, a spray of
foliage, or the lichened gray of some an
clent structure, the whole a dream of
sweet old age, centurieS-old roofing to the
very rocks of the hills, endless content
and unbroken repOse. No wonder is it
that the heart OF the wanderer, when
coming upon scenes like this, for the mo-
ment thrills with longing to end his
pilgrimings, and bids for aye where
the bitter struggle of life may no more
come within such winsome, storm-defy-
ing walls.
This picture of single peasant home at
ancient Bowness-on-Solway Is one of
-, H.
the Scottish border down through the
mountain dales and passes of the grand
lake district, across Cumberland and
W estmoreland, past Morecambe Bay, al
most to the River Lune, in Lancashire
Its peasant owner was Statesman"
That one word Is the key to his splendid
Self-poiSe, his simple, strong nature, and
to the ample comfort and tiXedness of his
environment. II is true of them all
These Statesmen" are peasants abso-
lutely possessing the soil which they till.
There Is no tuft-pulling, head-ducking
or knee-crlnglng among such as these in
England or any other country. In the
ancient teuGaI times the barons were
often In sore stress to repel the Scottish
! border incursiOns, or TO make equally
Darbarous forays of their own. To pro-
vide retalners who would tight to the
death for these barons as well as for their
own mountaln-side, rock-heWn cabins,
1t was found wise thing TO parcel out
the lands in tiny bits to hrelings, and
these villain retainers were in time en-
franchised. They were only bounden to
their lIege lords for military service in
defense. When feudalism passed away
the villain landowners remained free
men and possesSOrs in fee of the little
estates" hence Statesmen" the noblest
peasantry of all Europe, and a won
drous though slngularly unheeded ex-
ample to tie remainder of Britain in
its endlessly perplexing agrarian prob
lens.
In no other portion of England, unless
it be in the quaint old stone-built viii
lagos among the Malvern and Cotswold
| Hills, has there been so little change as
in this English Alpine region. But two
faint arteries OF travel thread through it.
| One is railway from ancient Penrith to
| W orklngton on the Irish Sea. The other
is the most picturesque coach road in
| Great Britain. 1t leads from Keswick
where the shrine of Southey is found
! past Helvellyn the mountain monarch of
| the region, and mystic Dunmail Raise
through Grasmere, where De Quincy
! lived and Hartley Coleridge and Words
| worth sleep side by side, on past Rydal
| Mount and quaint old mbleslde with its
! cherished memories OF Harriet Martin
eau, Christopher North and Dir. Arnold
| to Wlndermere and the little Bowness of
! Westmoreland, where the kindly face of
| Mrs. Heman seems pressed against every
rose-em powered window-pane. So but
a little walk through any mountain pass
away from these thoroughtares and you
| will come to the ancient Stone-built
''statesmen's" homes, and nearly the
/ same manner OF peasant mountain life as
existed hundreds of years ago. Words
worth was born among this folk. He
| engaglngly speaks in this wise of their
mountain-side habitatious:
| Hence buildings, which, in their very
! form call TO mind the processes of nature
do thus, clothed in part with a vegetable
| garb, appear to be received into the
bosom OF the living principle of things
as 1t acts and exists among the woods and
| fields"
You will seldom find detached and
isolated habitation. From half-dozen
to score will croodle together in some
pockety dell, huddle beneath the trown-
ing hight OF dreary scaw, nestle along
the side OF foaming ghyll, crouch closely
together in the tangled verdure OF some
narrow pass, or stand like a clump OF
! messy rocks beside some shadowy up-
| land tarn. Wherever found many of
! their peculiarities are common TO all
You will always find them beneath the
shade OF lofty sycamore trees, and when
the leaves of these are gone there is al
ways near the cottage the green of the fir
| tree to gladden. the eyes in winter / do
not believe there is a PEASANTS home in the
entire lake district where the whipping
| sound Of near running water is not end
lessly heard. The orchards gre large and
bountiful. The stout-walled gardens are
splendidly kept and fruitful. There are
always comfortable stone outbuildlngs for
cattle, walled and covered sheep folds to
withstand the most pitiless mountain
tempests, invariably tidy stone shed for
the many hives of bees which distill
| from the mountain heath the sweetest