The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1893-10-07

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Precisely as He left Glimpses
OF the Ignorance, Cant, Rancor and
PositiveiSayagery That Fiercely Beset
His Childhood's DAYS.
EccLEFEcHAN, Scotland, Sept 25,
1S93.-Some English tramps we're
singing for their breakfast before
the doors of the grave Scottish villa
gers Of Ecclefechan when tramped
into the hamlet behind them. There
were five of them, great. hulking fell
lows, and their hoarse and aggres-
sive believing was the only sound
indicative of human life in the viii
lage, even at that late hour of the
morning. They stood beside a mel
odious burn which dashed from un-
der covered way and coursed on
through the village street.
At one side of the stream was an
ancient wall. On the other, were
struggling houses, and the one before
which the vagabonds lifted up their
narrowing voices was one of the
plainest and quaintest in Ecclefec-
han. From its appearance it might
have been an olden stable, an aban-
doned lodge at the entrance to some
gentleman's establishment formerly
located behind it; or the ancient Jail
of the village, now smsrtly white
washed and transformed into a lowly
habitation. 1t was a mite of thing
with an archway through it occupy
ing one third of the lower story.
At each side was narrow oaken
door, and, nearer each end, tiny
window. In the second story another
little window above each lower one,
looked into the street: and over the
centre Of the archway were two still
more diminutive windows, side by
side. 1t was double house of the
dwarf variety, and the one at the
north end, where the strong lunged
sorners sang, was the birth place of
Thomas Carlyle.
The believing had brought mulch
capped guidwives to various windows
and alley entrances, at safe distances.
| loitered near enough to hear them
discuss the matin-song of the tramps
as well as the house and its former
occupants.
"They medina fash (trouble their
sells tae sing there" croaked one old
dame with swaying of her head
betokening reminiscental vein of
remark. They're like mecht roar
theirsels black i the face, afore they
e'er wrang bluid frae that neep (tur-
nipD"
ooh aye" croaked still older old
woman, sits weel kent nae puir body
liver saw, syne or soon, the recht side
O. the Carlyle's sillerr'
How Cariyle's hosts of adorers
would have groaned to hear these
his old neighbors 60 on! One limited
at their pride with, 'eThey thocht
theirsels nae sheep shanks!' Anoth-
er. of their thrift with, They ne'er
selPd their hens on rainy day."
Another, of miserliness with, "They
gaze their banes to nae dogs" An
other, of their austerity with, They
warna guild to neebor VIII" And an
other bent old body summed up the
feeling of many of the testy villagers
with the crisp epitome 'They were
i'll to tholer' That is, it was hard
to get along with the Carlyles. And
it is historic that others besides
these dim old souls, some who lived
in the same houses with them, found
it just that way.
The tramps got nothing for their
ofertory, and, after few vigorous
kicks at the door, departed; giving
me opportunity to reach the house
just as the huge form and red, vein
Gus face of Mrs. John Gourley, care
taker, appeared at the door. Shaking
a fine bludgeon after the vanishing
Migrants she relieved her indignation
with: "Hoots! It's a weary day for
auld Scotland whan there's nae body
t fend hoose like this frae tina low
English beggarsv' and then. in ia
diant expectancy of low English
''saxpences," babe me enter.
| doubt if there ever lived writer
about whom more has been written
by little and great writer's than has
been penned in criticism or praise of
Thomas Carlyle And 1 am just as
much in doubt whether any one or
all of these, from passing essayist to
stately oiographer. ever really visit
ed the birthplace of this rare and
royalty rampant genius. Yet that
should have been every serious bio
grapher's first duty. Interesting as
may be every little detail in the ma
turer career of the man of genius,
when We have learned each one by
heart. and have been given standards
hy which to find his place, measure
h,s personality and weigh his infu
ence, we are still gBsatisfied What
made this man what he was? What
were the potent forces which sent
him on his way, or which were over
come, in his upbuilding? Out OF
what manner of mold did he comet
What was the actual environment ol
the babe, the child, the youth? We
wish to be shown the ultimate pcr
spective. 1t is not to he found in
any biography OF Carl, le
And so l think there 10 an unusual
fascination in cumipg to this hard
little hamlet and seeing with your
own eyes pretty early the same SORT
of folk and precisely The same scenes
as those The boy Carlyle knew. bare
as it is to believe from his biogra III
ers he ever was boy; and. in sym
pathy and feeling, getting as far u,
possible into the same framing and
setting as those through which biz
1 eyes had their earliest outlook upor
the close material and spiritual hor
lion about him. No truer hint o
all this could be given than in tina
morning incident Of the grim ole
danes .and their tongue wasgins
about the singing beggars and tn,
house before witch the, sang. +
was in Itself simpI, hit out of Car
lyle's family's Time. / almost fel
the Carlyle folk were s.glowerin
ahint TIL deer" 1t is but two wear,
less than one hundred since Thoma,
Carlyle was born in that little ston,
cottage. There is no place in Britain
where less change has come in tina
period than in stern and tiny Eccle
fechan.
Tndaad tho ahanco1oaouo.. - -,