Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-06-21
IN THE LAND OF THE eluE6eLl
AND HEATHER.
NO. 10.

| NO. 10.
(rum the Democrats Foreign Correspondent3
PAISLEY, SCOTLAND.
| Time warns us that we must Itn-
ger no longer, and experience has taught
"a that n we want to get anywhere in
Scotland Sunday We must 60 there SAT-
urday nIght-aud "a the neighboring
town Of Paisley offers more attractions
than do these uuromantic city walls, 70
its obscurity we hie. You will doubtless
| recognize the name OF Paisley as Ia
milisr one II You have ever been the
owner OF a Paisley shawl. At one time
| a very extensive business was carried on
Ia their manufacture, but the encroacn-
ments Of fashion having put shsws 10
disrepute, the industry has waned 10 tne
last two decades. Not so the great
thread factories, for be you rich or poor
YOU must now and then shave hole IN
- YOUR coats" To which Coats thread
will Offer a remedy. The free library
and mu scum Of the town was presented
by Sir Peter Coats, also the observatory.
and the New Memorial Church OF the
Coats family Is one OF the finest ecc!eeias-
tical structures 10 Scotland. A beauti-
| ful park was slso donated by the benevo-
lent Coats thread family, whose works
are the largest OF the kind In the world
employing $500 hands.
The Old Abbey Church Is very an
cient one. Attached 10 one side IL
small chapel containing the tomb OF
Msrjory Bruce, daughter OF Robert
Bruce, and wife OF Walter Stuart, found
er Of the church and ancestor or the
royal Stuart family, which began With
their son, Robert II. This lady was Kill
ed by fall from her horse In this neigh
borhood. Paisley Is the birthplace OF
Prof. Wilson, the American ornithoio-
gist.
Learning that there MAS an Auld LIGHT
Kirk In the ueiahboring hamlet OF ktrk
a. Dounell, the direction was sought,
and on enquiring how far IL WAS LAY,
it's GUIDE STEP" was the answer.
Contrasting To be but little wiser we
asked our informant how long It would
take TO walk there.
II diuna ken how lang II maun tsk
ye." saws the host, "but II Il wer' mysel
IL wad TAX me till Monday mornin',
from which We infer that our good hoH
OF this little hostelry, The Strath-Clyde'
IL not an Auld I.,cht. but New licht-
"Ah, mine host. then you would pre-
fer not to get there TIL the good ID ,minie
Ia through with his sabbath Dty lahore.
Il his doctrine such that YOU would pre-
fer 10 be out of hearing: Whit does ne
presch sboutg'
"Ay, mem, Gamma tell We muckle that
he breaches aboot, but gin he msun askit
o. me what he should preach sboot.
should ssy,-presch sboot twa meenits.'
Here the GUIDE wife put 10 her oar
with. "Ns, Ma, ne does na gle the Lord
q meenit's pesce. He's dinRin' at Him
the whole time. Its ssk-askin', an beg
beggin' frae mornin' till night. That's
a the way wi the Auld Lichts."
No conveyance could be hired on the
Sabbath day, even to take one to
church-indeed no labor or hire OF any
sort Il INDUCED 10. The housewife must
even peel her potatoes Saturday night,
and believe II WAS 10 this very parish
Of Kirk O. Douuell that the minister came
into the pulpit one morning with one
cheek unshsven, because the clock struck
twelve Saturday night, before he had
finished. But II they can tie up the iron
horse and the electric steed, and decline
TO encourage worldly traffic so far "a to
refuse 10 let you have four-legged
beast, they can't tie up your own beast
OF locomotion vulgarly called "shsnks'
mare" so that faithful sfeed was hsr-
messed up in pair Of stout leather shoon,
and with stout umbrella a. companion
to serve q triple purpose. viz: rain,
alpenstock and shiiiaidh-the long jour
ney Was begun.
But what need of weapon of defence In
this peace-abiding country, with guide
msn and gude-wife sac gentle and sac
kind, and lsddie and lassie sac GUIDE
and trues None indeed! We soon come
to the ruin Of Csdyon Castle, the ancient
bsronial residence nj the house OF Ham,
ilton, of which Scott sung In his Min
strelsy Of the Scottish Border
"when prpcely Hamiiton's aboie
Ennobled Cadyon's Gothic towers,
The song went round. the goblet flowed.
And reyel sped the laughing hours"
The situation OF the ruin is romantic
In the extreme, embosomed 10 wood, COW
cred by Ivy and creeping shrubs, and
overhsngiug the picturesque Evan. 1t
was In the house Of Hamilton that IA
vorite servant once offended his master
extremely and was commanded to leave
his service Immediately. "That will
not" said the domestic. "If your hon.
our disua ken when ye hae guide serv-
ant, ken when hse guide master"
On another occasion the master was
much tried with him and ordered him
ou, again, saying, John, you and ]
shall never sleep under the same roof
again." John replied: "Where the dell
can yer honor be gsnging?"
Just back OF the picturesque ruin Is .
grove of immense oak trees, all that IL
left Of the great Csledonian Forest which
snciently extended from one extreme Of
Scotland to the other. In this forest was
long preserved the white breed Of Scot
tish wild cattle, but their ferocity oc-
casioned their being extirpated, all ex-
cept a few, still kept here 10 con-
finement. Their appearance Is beautiful,
being milk-white with black muzzles,
horns and hoops. The males originally
had long white names.
Near by is Crookstown Castle. where
Queen Mary was betrothed to Darnley,
and where they spent their honeymoon
which did not last long presumably,
for, not being able to blow him up
enough to suit her, she caused 1t TO be
done effectually with gunpowder.
Boutwell, Bridge Is the scene Of the
famous battle Of the Covenanters 10
1879. Here also Is the birthplace Of
Wallace, called then the Manor Of
Ellerslie-now called Elderslie and
owned by Archibald Spelrs, Esq.
But now, as the picturesque little Kirk
comes In sight, the sad words "rOo late
Too late! ye cannot enter n0w," come TO
mind, for alas! the service had already
begun, and surely no stranger would
dare venture inside the sacred precinct
at such an hour, so all that was left for
the solitary wandering sheep without
the fold, was to sit down on the door
steps and listen. Presently there came,
waited through the crack In the door,
the sound of a hvmD sung by the cOn9re-