The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-10

Passed Their separate Reminder
@ Scotia's Best Loved Bard-Inter
esting Identification OF Poet With
Places The Doom From It's Source &c
the Sea.
Copyright 1899
Ayr. Scotland Aug. 26.-ln that broad
and measureless sense in which poet oil
the people l1nits his personality adorably
into the hearts Of an entire nation all of
grand old Scotia is truly the Land Of
Burns" In closer geographical aspect,
where both personality and genius have
been all pervading. and have lefton every
hand some memory of association and en-
during reminder of the bard's actual
presence, there are, prominently, distinc-
lively two Burns Lands in Bonnie
Scotland
These are Ayrshire, on the Firth of
Clyde, and Dumfriesshire, on the Solway
Firth, adjoining counties OfSouthwestern
Scotland. From the top of Merrick Noun
tain in the northern part of kirkcud-
brightshire, which wedges a strip of glO-
rious hill country up to the north between
the two former shires, to which | had
tramped to wander down the Doom from
its very source, the sight can traverse
the entire breadth of both the Ayrshire
Land of Burns and the Land of Burns Of
Dumfriesshire. There is not another
scene in all the world more fraught with
glowing natural beauty; not another one
more mournfully sweet and tender in
gentle and pathetic memories
To the eye the panorama Of all the love-
ly land in which the brief life Of the bard
was passed IS practically complete. To
the mind all the vast host of his poetic
creations; the JOY and sadness of the man
in their doings the perjury, struggle, glory
and despair, from birth to death, are
here massed with overwhelming i'm
pressiveness. To the west is Ayrshire,
at first, by the birth spot near pleasant
Ayr, sunny and low besides the sea
Then, following the vale of the Doom, it
comes all the way to your feet, in gentle
uplands, then in rugged hills and shad-
owY burns and finally in huge mountains
and savage glens Passing over into
Dumfriesshire, the noun tains spread into
broad. luxurious vale. One where the
murmuring NTH winds to the Solway, is
dream Of opulence and
rest. Then as the spires of old Dunn
fries town blend with the ragged Selway
edge, "hoary Cr1feln looms threateningiy.
At last CLINT of blue shows where is
Brow Well, from which the poet, close
to death, was carried back 90 the little
Dumfries cottage and his loyal Jean; and
like tiny dazzling cone Of white is seen
the dome of the huge mausoleum where
old Scotia's dearest bard is at rest in
eternal peace.
The two shires and their very topogra-
ply the western sea'and its soft shores, the
wales, the uplands, the midshire rugged
heights, the sweet valley where the
bard S most fecund and his happiest hours
ID aAT
the lowering mountain again, the CLINT of
the sea and nations .grave-powerfully
suggest the two epoch's of Burns event.
full life. Asyrhire saw his youthtide; his
feverish, ferVent early struggles. DUN
friesshire gave the only blessed calm he
knew; the sad and desperate later DAYS
and yet it was In Dumfriesshire that the
great heart grew still. Ayrshire gloHes In
his birthplace, the scenes Of his youth,
the unfolding of his genius, the first &C
acknowledgement of his fame. Dumfries-
shire is glorifed by his ripper fame, his
better accomplishment, even by the
pathos of his later days, and by the
precious heritage of cherishing his mortal
remains.
Though here to wander by the Doom, to
which the mind unconsciOusly reverts at
mention of the poets name, while pill
grIming among countless shrineS created
by his living presence in these two shires,
and looking down along the flaming shaft
of light that links his genius and world
girdling human love and maEnanimity TO
the fadeless immortality of his name
cannot but feel that the scenes which
most breathe 10 the behOlder the spirit of
ineffable pathOs and tenderness belong to
the second epoch Of his life, and lie along
the NTH instead OF clustering about the
bank sand braes o. bonnie Doom True,
from where youmay stand here with me
on Merrick's heights the Ayrshire
shrines, almost within the limit of vision,
are rich and countless. You may not dis
Germ each one with the naked eye, but
you can plainly see where all may be
found in a short days journey
The spires of Ayr seem almost beneath
your feet just outside the rim Of YER
dure shutting in the city where a faint
curling line of misty purple outlines the
sinuous course Of the Doom as it nears the
sea, are the lOw-roofcd matched cottage
where Burns was born, beside the SPLEEN
did seat of RoseIe, on the little farm of
seven acres which was rented by the
poets father, and the spot where the
Gipsy hag foretold, as the father was
riding in haste for the doctor, that
Wen "a be proud of Robin.
Not half mile distant can be deserted
tic IOLLluE Dtll-tDWCE OF 'AllOWdN S
Aud Haunted Kirk" All about are the
scenes of Tam o. Shanter," and near on
a slight eminence can be seen the white,
colonnaded shafts of the great Burns
monument. But a few miles to the
northeast in a pleasant champaign coun-
try now dotted by thriving villages and
threaded with emerald lines of hedge.
cOppice and plantations, are Tarbolton
and Mauchline, but four miles apart
AT the former was laid the scene of
death and DR. HorbroOk." and it was
here that the pathetic parting of Burns
and his Highland Mary occurred You
can see the square tower of Mauchline
Castle, whose owner, Gavin Hamilton. be-
came Burns patron, and will know that
at this village was Johnnie Dow S"
house, and still remains unaltered the
public house Of "Poosie Nansie.' scene Of
the Jolly Beggars;" while over there
but mile and half west of Mauch line
Is the noted farm Of Mossgiel. once con
Quoted with such ruIuous her0ism by the
poet and his brother, Gilbert II was
here that the "Cotters Saturday Night"
and others Of Burns greatest poems were
write Il, and where the poet, after pre-
pairing to fly to Jamaica and suddenly be-
ing called by DR.. Blackjack to Edin-
burgh, from which he had returned in
triumph was clasped in his poor old
moJher's embrace while her ecstatic lips
could only utter the cry, On, Robert !
Robert -
These and countless other interesting
with many tender identificati0ns of bard
and place or object are yours when wand