The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-23
WAEEMAY'S WAyDERNCS.
Among the PeaSdntTy Of The English
Lake District.

Gus OF Their Tiny Possessions, Calm
and Firm in Their Simple Lives as
the Mountain Peaks Beside Them.
Colorful Portraiture of Ancient
stone-Built Habitations and Their
Charming Interiors-''JaeI Dences"
of the Pastoral Lake Region,
Cpyrght
Keswick, England, July 1O.-The first
time ever saw peasant of the English
Lake district-that splendid portion Of
England strewn with mountains, scaws.
fclls and hills and gemmed with countless
lakes, comprising the shires of Cumber-
land, Westmoreland and the northern
part of Lancashire-was in company with
a personal friend of John Ruskin, Mr.. A.
Nj, Fraser, of Scott street, AMMAN. Scot
land, who lives among his friends and
books not "a stones throw from where
Jane Welsh Carlyle's youthful ideal lover.
the gentlest soul that Scotland ever knew.
nobly, sanity Edward Irving, was born.
1t was gray, grisly, grewsome day,
when the mountain mists Ike gigantic
bellying sails were pounding back and
forth between the mountains of Scotland
and Cumberland, now and then IN their
tapping conclusions finging sheets of
slanting rain from their heavy folds.
which the wind instantly caught up and
swept stlngingly against the bare-head-
ed, bare-breasted and bare-legged fishers
OF the lcaden-COlOred Firth.
My friend had to do with the railway
service; took me TO the Amman station
yard secured huge shunting engine
with stoker and driver for our use; we
were soon reeling and cracking across
the great AMMAN bridge connecting Scot,
land with England; and our strange con
Veyance for sight seeing among peasantry
at last halted with hOarse challenges be-
meath the gray and echoing crags where.
on the English side of the Solway, tiny,
stOne-built Bowness looks out upon Scot
land and the Firth just where, nearly
1000 years ago the great wall of Roman
Servius came to an end because of the un-
conquerable Gaelic hOrdes of the wild
barbaric north.
Everything in and about this gray little
nest upon the heights above the SOlway
seemed of everlasting stone The
rough half-stairs, half-street leading up
to and through the hamlet. was Of stone
The few huddled structures were of
stone; rude stone window-ledgcs, caves,
gargoyle gutter-spouts and all The
little chapel was like a huge, unshapen
messy mass of stone prOtruding from a
shapeless mass of stones. The choked
yard surrounding it was enclosed by
Ht S TaIl Huee enough 70 nave oecn
lonU ~ ! tIdulluu ulnsGlI' ana ulle nuddled
slaeS sto.lSS SeCIueu IKE Jagged, hal1-do-
GSS 10y oo0yn " SUOMI WHIch lof centuries
elements as hard as stone. The spare
soil, showing between the stone roadway
and the stone houses and here and there
CIOPPlus up ueuWeeH mouse ana Dyre or
P9u"ONA anu "all, was InlcK ana Hlnly
mlui o'oIS' AIu even Ihe nara races OF
me lew oiu, oIo uduleS now ana Then seen
peeriu8 az US from the tlny ngle-neuk
WlIuo"s VI STONE were as Set ana liked
anu FaCuouS as uhcarVed stone.
~ ullo WAiiuoW VIC saw Uhe race OF a
udIuy man past Illudle age, and we
59lIals nu"ay huoeHSu at ms VIDE, low
uoor ana We're Dluden 10 enter. Among
Ulese uuiluie IoIhs Jne coming OF strang-
eIS az any Illhe or hour is not reckoned
du intrusion, ouI father pleasure; and
UiieIe are no poltS or locks upon the doors
o. any PEASANT habltatlon IN all this
e ~ il9n f1IPiro SouiuIy' Illey arc trust
t ~! any simple ana goOa III the lace OF all
LieI'ul$ dpprOdchcs' put nara ana dread
Iul dS oHelr own mountain scaWs ana fells
where wrong is found beneath friendly
duuFeSseS'
~ n"u OOALS oIIlpty 10 see ana Ualk,
ouI IL HlaItereu not what our coming was
Ior, ana the OLD man gave welcome as
StaIely as Iord. AS my friend engaged
MN III conversation IN a dialect and topic
common TO the region, | sat and studied
inns OLD man and his picturesque environ
ments, eager TO more fully know, as time
ana many wanderlngs among the lake
dlStflct peasantry nave slpce given ample
opportunity, OF the stun and stock of
winch such imposing human frames are
made, ana the influences of the centuries
that nave given TO ignorant men and
women, most remote from the activities
OF other men and things, such II won
drous' LOFTY ana almost lndetinable calm.
rms man was universal type of the
lake ulstflct peasantry. he was much
more IMAM SIX rect In height, and as he
moved about the large, low ROOM his head
Just escaped the open beams of the cell
ing. his halr was soft, silken and boun-
uful: naXen where the silver had not yet
come ana with his full, fine beard, sug-
gested strain OF the old Morse blood.
his forehead was nigh, wide. white. His
eyebrows We're bushy, but fine and flossy,
above large eyes OF lustrOus light, blue,
deep SET steady and almost mournful in
their gaze Inc nose was strOngly-Cut,
Truly classlci ana the mouth was large,
put characterful ana hfm. This sort of a
head set upon huge and perfect frame,
stout as the timbers OF his centuries-od
hahltatlon, gave man who looked