The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-23

was ll midsummer, there was "a cherry,
comforting blaze. s hu-h arch sustained
tine uuWeu cottage wall. This stone arch
was really the base of the chimney. ln
IT'S center was the oneu fireplace hung
ABOUT with chains, h0Oksand cranes. and
al each side was a narrow splayed win
uOWr IKE those OF "a castle tUrrct tiny
outlooks from this peasant f0rtalice or a
suuggefy; and She dark mouth Of the
chimney above must have been nearly six
rect across. | have found the same old
arrangement in the cottages of old Cla-
chans ia the Hebrides, IN the Scottish
highlands, and In the anciOnt half-de-
serted we2vers' village Of GattOnside,
near Melrose, beside the Tweed. The
states Of the floor In front of this fire
place were decorated with grOtesque fig
ures aud designs one of Noah dove. and
scroll-work IN Ochrc and vermilliOn chalk,
an universal homcside custom among the
lake district peasautrv
The chairs were huge and high and Of
oak The bureaus and dressers, quantity
decorated with shining pewter and
strange old bits of chinaWare, We're high,
narrow and sprawliug-le legged, and all Of
mahogany. The bCds-tOr one for the
house master occupied corner Of the
room-were high, huge and strong enough
Tor the rcpose of giants and were Of
strangely carved oak. Out from this
taS through l0W-CCiliuged ''lcan-tOs, -
each one doubtless built in a different
century, aud each provided with many
tiny windows with deep easements,
through which could be caught a CLINT Of
blossom, spray of foliage, or the lichened
gray Of some ancient structure the whole
dream of sweet old age, CentUries-Old
roofing TO the very rocks of the hills,
endless content and unbrOken repose.
No tfavs - H.. -
dercr, when coming upon scenes like this,
for the moment thrills with longing to
end his pilgrimings, and bidc for aye
where the bitter struggle Of life may no
more come within such WiusOme, storm
defying walls
This picture of a single peasant home at
ancient BOwnes-o n-SOlway is one of even
tone with thousands OF others, from
the Scottish border down through the
mountain dales and passes of the
grand lake district across Cumberland
and Westmoreland, past Morecambe Bay,
almost to the River Lune, in Lancashire.
It's 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 tiXcdness of his
environment. 1t is true of them all. These
statesmen are peasants absolutely pos
sessing the soil which they till. There is
bringing among such as these in England
or any other country. In the ancient feu-
dial times the barOnS We're often in sore
stress to repel the Scottish border in
cursions, or to make equally bar
barOus forays of their own. To provide
retainers who would fight to the death
for these barOnS as well as for their own
mOuntain-side, rock-hcwn cabins. it was
found wise thing to parcel out the
lands in tiny bits to hirelings; and these
Viilein retainers were in time franChiSod
They were only bounden to their liege
lords for military service in defense
When feudalism passed away the villein
landowners remained freemen and pos
SCISSORS in fee of the little estates -
hence statesmen" the n0blest peasantry
of all Europe, and a wOndrOus though
slnguldrly unheeded example to the re-
mainder of Britain in its endlessly per-
picking agrarian problems.
In no other portion Of England, unless
it be in the quaint old-stone built villages
among the Malvern and Cotswold Hills,
has there been so little change as in this
English Alpine region. But two faint ar
teries of travel thread through it. One is
railway from ancient Penrith to Work
lngtOn on the Irish Sea. The other is the
most picturesque coach road in Britain
1t leads from KesWic6 where the shrine
OF Southey is found past lordly Helvellyn,
the mOuntain-mOnarCh Of the region, and
mystic Dunmail Raise, through Gras-
mere where DoQuincy lived and
Hartley Coleridge and Wordsworth
sleep side by side, on past Rydal
Mount and quaint old Ambeside with
its cherished memories of Harviet Mar
tineau, Christopher North and DR. Ar
mold, TO Windermcre and the little Bown-
ess Of WestmoreLand, where the kindly
face of. Mrs. Hemans seems pressed
against every rOSe-embowePed window
pane, So, but IA little walk through any
away from these thor
Oughfares and you will come to the an
Gent stone-built "stateSmeu's' homes,
and nearly the same manner of peasant
mountain life as existed hundreds of
years ago. Wordsworth was born among
this folk. He enEagingly speaks in this
wise of their mountain-side habita tions
& Hence buildings, which in their very
form call to mind the processes of nature,
do thus. clothed in part with 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 a half dozen
to a score will croodle together in some
pockety dell, huddle beneath the frown-
height of a dreary scaw, nestle along the
side of foaming ghyll, crouch closely to-
gether in the tangled verdure of some
narrow pass or staud like a clump of
messy rocks beside some shadOwy upland
tara Wherever found, many of their pc
culiaritieS 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 always
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 whore the whipping
sOand of near running water is not end
lesslY heard The orchards are large and
bountifJu. The stout-walled gardens are
splendidly kept and fruitful. There are
always comfortable stone outbuildings
for cattle. walled and covered sheen
folds TO withstand the most pitiless
mountain tempests; invariably a tidy
stone shed for the many hives of bees
which distill from the mountain heath
the sweetest "hinny'' in England; and in
summer time every cottage wall is a mass
of flaming roses. EVERYONE of these
habitations is a museJah of ancient house
utensils The oldest one known to man.
the quern, is here all implements of the
hand weaver and spinner are here; the
antique fullmg' boards are here; and
have as often found in habitations the
neither, that most ancient of GAELIC and
Celtic drinking vessels, as | have come
upon them in the cabins of the Hebrides
or the west of Ireland
When folk have stood still so long and
have steadily Tended all change, they US
"a Irr fHrF IN doh, fY,%. Hfv