Omaha daily bee., 1893-10-01
same houses with them, found it just

the same houses with them, found it just
that way.
The tramps got nothing for their offertory,
and, after II few vigorous kicks at the door,
departed, giving me opportunity to reach
the house just as the huge form and red,
veinous face of Mrs. Jonn Gourley, care.
taker, appeared at the door. Shaking n fine
hludgeon after the vanishing Migrants she
relieved her indignation with: "IIoots
It's II weary day for auld Scotland whan
there's nae body T. fend a hoose like this
trae the low English begglrs ~ and then, in
radiant expect ancy of low English sax
pences," bade me enter.
Criticised and Praised.
Idoubt if there ever lived a writer about
whom more has been written by little and
great writers than has been pcnned in criti.
cism or praise of Thomas Carlyle. And |
am just as much in doubt whether any one
or all of these, from passing essayist to
stately ~biographer, ever visited the birth
place of this rare and royalty rampant
genius. Yet that should have been every
serious Diographer'S first duty. Interesting
as may be every little detail in the maturer
career of the man of genius, whcnw we have
learned each one by heart, and have been
given standards by which to find his place,
measure his personality and weigh his in
fuence, we are still unSatiSiled. What made
this man what he wasl What were the
potent forces which sent hinl on his way, or
which were overcome, in his upbuildingl
Out OF what manner Of mold did he Gomez
What was the actual environment of the
babe, the child, the youth! We wish to be
shown the ultimate perspective. IL is not to
be found in any biogra ply of Carlyle.
And so L think there is an unusual fascina-
tion in coming To this hard little hamlet and
seeing with your W eyes pretty nearly the
same sort of folk and precisely the same
scenes as those the boy Carlyle knew, hard
rs IL is TO believe from his biographers he
ever was a boy and, in sympathy and feel
ing, getting as far rs possible into the same
framing and setting as those through which
his eyes had their earliest outlook upon the
close material and spiritual HORIZON about
him. No truer hint OF all this could be given
than in that morning incident of the grim
old danes and their tongue-wagging about
the singing beggars and the house before
which they sung. 1t was in itself simply n
bit out OF Carlyle's famlly's time, l almost
felt the Carlyle folk were 'glowerin' ahint
tn door" 1t is but two years less thar 100
since Thomas Carlyle was bora III that little
stone cottage. There is no place in Britain
where less change has come in that period
than IN the stern and tiny lGcclefechan
Where Time Has Sot Worked Wonders.
Indeed the changelessness of all these an
Gent border owns and hamlets is one of
their most impressive characteristics From
Getholm TO Dumfries along the Scottish bor-
der, and from Berwick to Carlisle along the
English border it is just the same. They are
all as they We're; only a a little more asleep.
Tho railway stations are about all the strur-
lures in them that have large windows or
smell of paint. They remain chiefly as they
stood when the border RAIDS were ended.
They are. gray, battle SCARED, ancient.
They were built in fighting times and have
their records in their hard old faces. 10
wander among them is like being whisked
back two or three centuries aud set down
face TO face with tho grimness and cruelties
of feudal times and | sometimes think that
the nature of the lowly folk, beaten TO saw
age hardness in those sorry times, is in this
borderland of both kingdoms a long time
taking on the gentler touch of our time.
Scotland Is richest IN these weird old border
relies OF u sorry age. The Scotch ovid
close TO the border; built moro and stronger
places of sally, even the finest of hamlets
having likeness in sturdiness and strength
to the larger towns, and then, being the live
liest on their legs, "harriedn the English in
such a brisk and occupying way that they
had little time on their hands after chasing
the raiders home for building important bor-
der to xns.
The quaint hamlet stands in q little hol-
low OF the champaign land OF southeastern
Annandals. The same old post road which