Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-07-22

by elemnets as hard as stone. The sparse
stone, showing between the stone roadway /
and the stone houses, and here and there /
cropping up between house and byre or |
paddock and wall, was thick and hinty |
with stone Aud even the hard faces Of /
the few old, old danes now and then seen /
peering at us from the tiny ingle neuk |
windows of stons were as sst and fixed aud |
vacuous as uncsrved stone
At one window we saw the face of q |
hardy man past middle age, and We
straightwsy knocked at bis wide, low door |
and were bidden to enter. Among these |
humble folk the coming of strangers st |
any time or hour Is not reckoned an intru- |
sion, but rather pleasure; and there are
no bolts or looks upon the doors of any |
PEASANTS habiiation In all this English Al |
pine country. They are trustful and
simple and good in the face of all friend
ly approaches, but hard and dreadful as
their own mountain scavs and tells where
wong Is found beneath friendly addresses.
We had come simply to see and talk;
but 1t mattered not what our coming was
for; and the old man gave welcome as
statslily as a lord. As my friend en-
gagged him in conversation in dialect and
topic common to the region, / sat aud
studied this old man and his picturesque
environment, eager to more fully know,
as time and many vanderings among the
lake district peassntry have since given
ample opportunity, Of the stuff and stock
of which such imposing human frames are
made, and the influences of the centuries
that have given to ignorant men and wo-
men, most remote from the activities of
other men and things, such wondrous,
lofty and almost indefnable calm.
This man was universal type OF the
lake district peassntry. He was much
more than six feet In delight, and as he
moved about the large, low room, his head
just escaped the huge oaken beams of the
ceiling. His hair was soft silken and
bountiful; fsIen where the silver had not
yet coma; and with his full, fine beard
suggested strain of the old Morse blood.
His forehead was high, wide, white. His
eyebrows were bushy, but fine and hossy,
above large eyes of lustrous light, blue,
deep set, steady and almost mournful in
their gaze. The nose WAS strongly cut,
truly classic; and the mouth was large,
but characterful and firm. This sort of
head set upon a huge aud perfect frame.
stout as the timbers of his csnturies-old
habitstion, gave a man who looked straight
at you and made you, despite yourself,
| look straight at him In return.
I have found other tuch frames and
| faces among the hshers OF the English Eest
/ coast, at ColdIngham, below the Firth of
Forth, among the Highland crofters,
| among the petty "lsir6s" of the Shetland
| Islsnds, and not few among the mouu-
| tain pesssn;ry of Inishowen, round sb ut
/ Sieve Snsght, in the north Of Ireland, aud
/ have wondered if their endless commur-
| ion with nature IN hsr dreadful moods, ss
| well as their lives of danger and dspriys-
| ton, had not to do with tempeIiog the
| light of their kindly eyes with the change
lsss look of mournful resignation which Is
set there as IL with a grsysn seal upon
Il them. But have ever found humbls men
like these sturdy, tender, grave and true.
The interior of this Cumbrian peasants
home WAS as characteristic and fine ss the
appearance of its sturdy old pOsssssor.
/ The large room where we sat was the fire
house" or living-room of the habitatioa.
| Ii was fully eighteen feet wide and twenty
five feet long. All the door and window
easements, the ceillng beams and ihs tim
bers about the fireplace had bsen heWn out
of solid oak. The floor was of the same
huge slate slabs as the roof, and these were
| 80 clean from serubbing that they shone
like dusky mirrors bsneath yoRr feet.
There were many windows, no two in
| range, all little and splsysd inwsrdly. the
1 sides of each of their stone sPertures as
| white snow; and the sash of each was
half hidden by milk white muslin. Huge
settles Of oak with fleece or chiniZ en-
Il cESeu covers were TauStu atouB Nue low
Il white walls. In one corner, its face yel
low with age, tolemnly ticked an eight day
clock, it's clumsy frame built into the tao
Il sbutting walls. In the center of the room
| was long, strong table, With huge lsgs,
| cross-pieces aud braces, worn and polished
/ from use; and its great age was plsinly
| told in one half its length being provided,
as have found entire tables in The peas
ant homes of Brittany, with square. oval
| and circular depressilnP, In which the
/ food of the children and binds was served
perhaps an hundred years sgo, when even
pottery was q luxury, and only the pas
ant master, his wife and the elder soma ard
daughters knew the use of tbs rudest delft.
More curious than all else was the entire
side Of the "hre room" containing ths FIRE
place, in which, though o1r visit was in
midsummer, there was a cheery, cCmt. 1T
ing blaze. A huge arch sustained ihe
bowed cottage wall This stone arch w4s
really the base of the chImn-y- 10 Its
center was the open fTeplscs huug abou;
| with chains, hooks and cranes aud =. each
side was narrow splayed wiDdow, Ike
thoss of a castle turret-tlny outlooks
from this peasant fOTtslics of snugssTy
| and the dark mouth CT the chimney above
must have been nearly six feet sCEoEs. !
| have found the same odd arrangement In
the cottages Of old clzchan- Ia The he
brides, in tue Scottish Highlands, aad In
the ancient half deserted weaEers' VILLAGE
Of Gsttonside, near Melrose, beside the
Tweed. The Rlstes of the hoor in front
of this fireplace were decorated with gro
tesque figures snd designs, one of Noah,
dove, and scroll-work In oehre and vermil
| ioa chalk, an universal homs-side custom
, among the lake district psesantry.
The chairs were huge and high and oi
oak. The bureaus aud dresssrs, quantity
, decorated with shining pewter and stran2'
, | odd bits Of china ware, were high, marrow
= and sprawling legged, and all of mahogs
4 ny. The beda-for one for the house mas
, ter occupied corner Of the roon-Eer
: high, huge and strong enough for the re
pose of giants and were of strsngel.
carved oak. Cut from this ample living
room extended inviting vistss through
IloT-ceilinged 'lean. tos," each one doubt
i less built in different century, and eacl
d provided with many tiny windows will
/ deep easements, through which could b
! caught CLINT of blossom, a spray of foil
u age, or the lichened gray of some ancien
- structure; the whole dream of sweet oil
o age, centuriesol roofing to ths very rock
l. of the hills endless content and unbroke
repose. No wonder is It that the heart @
the wanderer, when coming upon scene
!, like this, for the moment thrills with long
Is ing to end his pilgrimings. and bide 70
y aye where the bitter struggle for life ma
;, no more come within such winsome, storm
u defying walls!
This picture of a single peasant home a
!, ancient Bowness- on -Solway is one Of eve
tone with thousands of others, from th
Scottish border down through the noun
tain dales and passes Of the grand lax
. district, across Cumberland and West
d morelsnd. pact Morecambe bay, almost I
d the river Lune, in Lancashire. Its peas
r. ant owner was 'statesmap." That on
:. word is the key to his splendid self-pois,
u his simple, strong nature, and TO the an
b pie comfort and 6xedness of his environ
1t ment. 1t is true of them all Thes
Statesmen" are peasants absolutely Do
ssssipg the soil which they till There
10 no tuft pulling, head ducking or kne,
bringing among such as these In Englsn
" or any other country. In the ancient feI
=, dsl times the bsrons were often In sol
:, stress to repel the Scottish border ineu
ID sions, or to make equally barbarous forsy
re of their own. To provide retaiuers WI
1t would fight to the death for theee baror
II as well ss for their own mountain-s.d
rock-hewn cabins, Ii WAS found a viii
u thing to parcel out the lands in tiny bi
ID to htreliDgs; and these villsin retalnei
" were in time enfranchised. They wei
n only bouuden 10 their liege lords for mil
tary service In defense. When feudalist
passed away the villein landowners r
le mained freemen and posssssors In fee
d the little "estates;" hence "'statesmen
;, the noblest peasantry of all Europe, and
wondrous though singulArly unheeded e.