The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-06
PROFESSOR HOSMER IN XHE
LAND OF THE CANNY SCOTS

OAS oedutlIul morning during Oul
stay in Glasgow we took the train for
Ayr, about forty miles to the south
west, and soon after passing Paisley,
the seat of the great Coats thread fac
tories FOUND ourselves riding along
the shore of the Firth of Clyde The
manufacturing towns and country vii
lagos through which we passed all
seemed prosperous and the stone farm
houses and cottages were scrupulously
neat. The cultivated plots were separ
ated by hawthorne hedges or substan
tlal stone walls. Laborins men and
women were working in the fields and
groups of golf players We're observed
along the whole distance traversed by
the railway. Arrived at Ayr, we were
soon comfortably seated in hanson,
the driver being a well-informed man
and an excellent guide. Like most of
her sister towns, Ayr boasts a fine
statue of Burns. This vicinity may
Burns. The road to the south over the
new brig" takes one after "a beauu-
full drive of about two miles to the
humble stone cottage, which was the
birthplace of Scotland's great bard. 1t
was indeed humbie-a low matched cot
built like its neighbors close to the
street and containing barn, "byre,
parIor and living-room. The last serv-
InH
room. The bed upon which Burns was
born, tightly fitted IN a small recess,
was surrounded on three sides by the
stone walls There were no wooden
floors, only stone flags In most OF the
cottages we have seen, the windows
are exceedingly small and the panes
are set Horizontally instead Of upright.
The sunlight being excluded, dampness
prevails and yet the people seem
healthy. Numerous pieces of furniture
belonging TO the Burns family nave
been collected but these only serve 10
emphasize their poverty. An Old sec
rotary Which the poet is said to nave
used is pointed out, this with the tai
clock being the only pieces of any
value aside from the historic interest.
Some of his manuscript is to be seen
kept under glass. Nearly mile below
the cottage is Kirk-Aloway, the scene
Of the witches dance in Burns ia
miliar poem and in front of the church
| the father of the poet lies Inferred.
Near by is the auld brig across the
Dozen, over which Tam o Shanter rode
SO furiously to escape the pursuing
witches and warlpcks. In the gardens
adjoining the bridge is memorial
| structure of stone somewhat crudely
| designed and here are life-siZe statues
| of Tam O. Shanter and Souter Johnny
| The whole surrounding country side Is
| full of memories of Burns and the peo-
pie are thoroughly familiar with his
| life and writings. On our return in the
| afternoon we passed the camping
grounds of the mounted yeomanry and
| witnessed a military parade. These
troops correspond to our State militia
| and are composed of farmers sons who
go into camp for two or three weeks
every summer.
| Early ON a Monday morning we went
by rail to Balloch at the foot of Loeb
Lcmond and in an excellently appoint
ed little steamer made the voyage up
the lake, the largest sheet of water in
| Scotland The scenery was beautiful
rather than grand and the once wild
region which Scott has described is
now a succession of parks with pala-
| tia country seats seen among the
trees. Our little steamer wound it's way
through the numerous islands by the
base of Ben Lomond to Inversnaid.
! Thence our course lay by coach through
| Rob Roy's country, where sheep were
grazing amid the heather, past the
birth place of Helen Macgregor, to our
| Observation-Disclosures
| Where cleaning with the setting sun.
| One burnish'd sheet of living gold,
TLoch Katrine lay beneath us rolld
This gem of the Highlands. so famous
\ in the Lady of the Lake. presents I'M
doubtedly the finest scenery we have
l thus far witnessed. The gray heights
kof Ben Voirlich, Ben Lomond, Uam-
| Var and Ben Ledi are beheld in the
distance while the immediate shore is
bordered by densely wooded hills. The
spruce, pine and black birch predom-
| mate, though there We're open spaces
covered with heather, some of which
we gathered on the neighboring braes
of Balquhidder Another little steamer
carried us through the lake around Ell
| lens Isle to the eastern shore, where
we again took a coach through the
/ Trossachs' rugged jaws" AS we
skirted the side of Ben Venue. a fine
prospect to the east was presented of
Loeb Achray and far beyond,
| Where Vennachar in silver breaks. -
A glimpse of Loeb Ard appeared at the
south and the cliff over which the
| Highland gillies at the command of
Helen Macgregor cast the Inflated
hostage, Morris-a scene graphically
described by Scott in Rob Roy" A
rapid ride of ten miles down the steep
slope brought us to the clachan of
Aberfoyle whence we went to Stirling
and Edinburgh by train.
The latter city is one of the few
places in the world that fulfils the ex-
pectations or goes beyond. It's situa-
ton recalls Quebec each having a cas-
tie ON the heights overlooking the dis
tant water Our hotel was On Princes
street, nearly opposite the famous Goth
| ic monument to Sir Walter Scott. His
! Heart OF Midlothian makes one ia
miliar with Arthur's Seat, the castle and