The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-19
Irish Priests Proposed
Trip to America.
Visit 10 Worlds Largest Ship
Building City.

The rluts from Dublin to Belfast is
highly attractive, since ID passes through
the best Of the Irish domain and COM
prises some Of its finest scenery. The peo-
pie In the vicinity are 50 well-to-do that
very few Of them emigrate to our country.
A young Irish priest, who was our travel
ling companion for while. told US this,
and gave as u good deal OF genera
Information He said that young men
from his parish frequently went over on
the steamers as st,kers, thus earning
their fare, and after looking OVER the sit
uation returned Ia the same capacity.
He himself, ne said, intended before long
TO take summer outing in America,
since one Of his college chums had short
time ego received an appointment with
Archbishop Ireland in the West, and he
had arranged to meet him In Chicago.
whence together they would look over a
part of our great continent. He had evil
IDENTIFY been saving up for the passage
over only, for when I accidentally r,-
ferrsi to the greater COST Of travel In the
United States, he seemed crsstfallen, as
he thought, no doubt, of his soanty stors.
At Belfast, the largest ship building
city IN the world, we visited the ship
yaris and began to understand what
those huge open-work, crate-looking
structures out In the water mean; for
here you can watch the progress of the
steamer all along from the first steel
bands strung into shape for the keel
which make up the foundation of the
iron olads, through all the stages up to
the fuilfiedged great ocean liner such as
the Oceanic, just nsaring completion.
Our visit to the shipbuilding island was
especially Interesting since 1t happened at
the noon hour when the fifteen hundred
men employ Ell on the Oceanic were going
to dinner, while other ships were dismis-
sing their crews for the same purpose.
The measured tread Of this strong pha-
lanx seemed almost like an army going
forth to battle. When they returned we
noticed that the employees Of the Oseanio
were Obliged to obtain tickets OF admis.
sion at an Office, 30 rigid at that time
was the scrutiny lest some stranger should
get on board and do harm TO the ele-
gantly equipped esssl.
Oar sail from Belfast to Ardrossar was
were entertained with music Of the In
comparable Scotch airs We would ad-
wise instead for thoss who do not wish to
60 directly across the Irish sea to Gias-
cow, the shorter passage from Belfast to
Stranraer, which takes but little time.
On this trip across people seemed. for the
first time, to grow meroenary; for In all
our dealings with the Irish people we
had thus far noticed no instance OF any
one trying to overreach or deal unjustly.
We arrived at Glasgow at 1880 In the
evening and found all the hotels full,
which was an experience We had through
Scotland and England since the home
people as well as Americans were on the
move after their summer outing.
When we awoke the following morning
we founf the ouiens in Scotland against
us; for tbs heavens for the first time
had begun to weep, and this disagreeable
moisture was kept up all through the
Highlands.
An old lady at the hotel in Dublin haa
expressed surprise that anyone. for any
purpose could h3 about to visit Glasgow,
and We certainly understand her feeling.
Excepting as good starting point for
Ayr and several other routes, We failed to
lind anything of interest, barring the
splendid Cathedral, with q Crypt which
vies with the rarest Of sucn structures in
England, and the Metropolis. laid out
high up above 1t on the hill side, verita-
bly, magnificent city of the dead.
We went to Ayr Notwithstanding the
rain, as We had the assurance Of an old
Scotch gentleman who took palms to tell
rs at the breakfast table that 1t was a
much bstter day for the Burns Country
than for the Troesachs, which every body
agrse1, and which we afterwards expert
enced, were likely to be wet.
At Ayr We realized more than any
whers else. the struggle OF a poetic sou !,
in fornad thrnn1h y 70
manhood to a life behind the plough.
How strange 1t lie. and yet not perhaps
unnatural, that SO many gifted bards
have made shipwreek of the craft
which should have borne them safely and
gloriously over the shifting sands Of life.
With bis back SO early bent by toll, and
his unframed impulses thwarted by too
hard physical labor, 1t Is not wonderful
that Burns early found mental stimulus
and momentary oblivion in the cup Of
all sorrows. But Scotland only remem-
hers his genius. Dumfries. where hellived
on seventy pounds year and died In
poverty and which contains his grave.
abounds In "reminiscences of him. From
this city to Ayr the country Is full of
monuments to his poetic greatness. At
the farm at Ellisland, near LinclUden
A bbey he wrote lam o'Shanter; ut
Mauohlins he married Jean Armour and
there and at Mossziel he composed some
Vi nis pcss poonhsS nEu ~ hliunrnooas -
| museum contains the most OF his origi-
| nal manuscripts. Ii was here that the
first edition OF his poems was published.
| Visiting Ayr We comprehend the
breadth Of Burns great genius, which
the monument two miles distant nemor-
iaiizes. inside the large garden, In which
the monument stands, the figures OF Tam
o'Shanter. Sauter Johnny and the land
lady start up as II into real ezi.tsnce.
| In the room from which the itairoE 50
lsads TO the tower, are various relics,
looks OF hnir ami the old Burns Bible be-
sides photographs for sale, among them
Burns and ais Highland Mary. From
the tower there is lookout oser the
whole surrounding country with the
.sauid brig" over which rnm o ShanteI
escaped with ST much dtlleulty, whils