The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-07-27

always fa1ned IN the t1lgnldnus u oCOl-
land After the tall, sombre houses of the
city are passed, then the little low stone
cottages are seen, surrounded with simple
gardens of flowers; then We presently
emerge into pastures, where the sheep are
grazing, and on past fields where the mar
vest stands garnered into graceful sheaves.
Then the whistle blows shrilly, and we
stop and enter the quaint little boat which
awaits us on the lake. Here We catch our
first glimpse of the beautiful Highland
scenery, and it is true, indeed, that the
misty rain but enhances the beauty of the
scene. The characteristic glory of the
Scottish hills is the infinite variety and
beauty of their shapes and the loneliness
of their color No mountain scenery in our
own country can give the faintest idea of
the grandeur, majesty and romance of
these mountains. But the fairy-like fam
tasy of the poetic realm was one all the
while, and Sir Walter Scouts spirited and
trenchant lines on the emotion of the
patriot sang themselves over and over
again in my thoughts. Ben Lomond, wrapt
in struggling mists, was dimly visible far
to the north. In the lake are thirty-six
islands, all of which are owned by one
man, ON the largest OF WHICH he HdS Ills
country seat. The northern waters of
Loeb Lomond will ever be haunted by the
shaggy presence of Rob Roy and the fierce
and terrible image of Helen Macgregor
The trail to his cave was pointed out to
US, where Rob Roy hid, and whore he
kept his prisoners while awaiting their
ransom The little old house on the side
of a mountain ravine, where Rob Roy first
found Helen Macgregor was quite near to
our path, and in romantic fancy We could
picture to ourselves the faithful wife as
she oftentimes watched the bold and fear
less Rob as he crept away to his mountain
Businesses The coach ride up the noun
tain road for the most part winds through
treeless pasture lands and in every direc-
ton you behold mountains equally bleak
save for the bracken and tGle heather and
the sheep, which wander and idly grace
or the Highland cattle, whose sole purpose
seems to be to lend picturesqueness to the
scene. Nowhere is there visible anything
edible; all is bleak and desolate. Much
to our surprise we we're told that the
Highland cattle carried off all the prizes
at the fair the week previous in Edinburgh.
In Lock Kathrine we swept past "Ellen's
the sentinel mountains of Ben Venue ris-
ing in the south and Ben A'an in the east.
The mountains are everywhere brown,
with bracken and purple with heather
rugged and desolate, and yet the mist soft
ems their aspect until one can scarce tell
where one begins and another leaves off.
Then we begin our last coach drive of nine
miles in the softly futtering rain, and as
the coachman in his quaint Scotch dialect
points out the old BRIG a. Turk and the
overhanging rock where brave Douglas
cried, Come one, come all; this rock shall
fly from its firm base as soon as l." and
many other scenes Familiarity described,
our minds were living again through the
stirring scenes of the old happy days of
Scottish history. when the chiefs and their
clans roamed the mountain sides and
hailed the coach from Edinburgh with its
living freight and boldly carried them off
for ransom. We had a merry party with us.
and just as the rain was recalling us to
some of the discomforts of the present,
two hardy. vigorous young Harvard boys
began singing their college songs, and then
with the sweet old Star Spangled Banner"
We all joined in and saw only the rainbows
of freedom which encircled the image of
the land we hold so dear. A quick, swift
railroad journey past Stirling, with its ia
crag fronting the vast mountains, and the
gloomy heavens of the north, and just be-
low we entered Edinburgh; we passed Lin
lithgon castle, where Mary Queen of Scots
was born and where she began her life
that promised to be so fair, yet which in
the end held only bitterness and an igno-
BILE DEATH And Edinburgh-how could one
ever describe this romantic and beautiful
city? Four days we have spent here eX-
ploring its quaint old scenes. Some how
each crag and nook seems to call aloud to
me of the greatest and grandest citizen
the old town ever had-the bold John
Knox, of whom Edinburgh can as yet
boast no monument save the tablet over
his grave, which is now covered by the
courtyard of the parliament buildings, and
which bears the simple initials ~. K" 1t
was here that the Regent Morton pro-
nounced the famous epitaph, There lies
he who never feared the face of man." In
strange juxtaposition there stands close by
an equestrian statue of the Merry Mon
arch" Charles H. Close by the last rest
ing place of John Knox stands old St.
Giles, so famous in the religious history of
Edinburgh, and where John Knox per-
formed the labors of his life, and in the
southwest corner the reformer preached
his last sermon. Just a little way down
High street from st. Giles is the home of
John Knox, which is shown daily to inter-
ested tourists for the small sum of six
passes 1t by, but, on the contrary, 1 am
sure with awe and reverential tread they
surely feel drawn to enter the modest
abode and look out the low window where
the great reformer was wont to preach to
the waiting crowds without and enter the
tiny study where so much of his thought
full, studious and prayerful life was spent
These foreign countries have a most
beautiful and interesting custom of hang
ing the colors of their famous regiments
of former days in their churches and mu-
sums. 1t gives a solemn and impressive
appearance to st. Giles. They are tattered
and torn and bear evidence of many
weary strife but they tell their own fearful
story of heroism and victory or defeat.
They are hung high above the reach of
ignoble fingers, but on a brass plate be-
meath is put the name of the regiment and
the battles and war during which they
were used OF greatest interest to us were
the two torn and battered flags of the
Royal Scots who fought so bravey at Wa
terloo and who played such an important
part in the days action. But speaking of
soldiers why go back to ancient history
ft,o lot IF i,,