The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-13
Mr.. HOSMER
At MELROSE
Visit in the Valley
of the Famous
Tweed.
LATE PRESIDENT
OF OAHU COLLEGE
WHAT he Sees During His Tour of
Scotland "A Visit TO
Abbotsford.

On arriving at the beautiful little
town Of Melrose in the valley of the
Tweed, we went to the Abbey Hotel and
found that our windows overlooked the
old church. No ruined edffice in the
british Isles seems to have the charm
of this famous pile or to speak so plain
ly concerning the glory of ecclesiastical
architecture in the middle ages. We
, spent two days within its walls and
also visited it
by the pale moonlight,
For the gay beams of lightsome day
cid but to f1out it's ruins gray
Like all ancient churches. it was
built in the form of huge cross and
stands due east and west On entering
the long nave. now roofiess. small
ichapels are to be seen on the right or
south side and one perceives from the
remains that similar chapels formerly
extended around the whole structure
The burial vaults in these are still used
by titled families of the neighborhood
Part of the nave was rooted in 1913 and
this portion was used as a church by
the Reformers of that day. They were
successful in the reformation of dog
mas but certainly not in reforming
this edifice, for they spoiled whatever
they touched The carved remnant of
the stone screen across the nave was
the limit beyond which the laity were
not allowed to go, and from here to the
transept the roof, finely groined, still
exists and also that over the north and
south aisles, the key stones and bosses
still preserving their original beauty.
As we turned from the nave to enter
the south transept our attention was
called to the carving upon the capital
of the corner pillar pronounced by
connoisseurs to be the most exquisite.
1t represents the curly leaf of the kale,
so common in the kitchen gardens of
Scotland. This pillar is one of the four
which supported the central tower, now
fallen From here we have a view of
a wonderfully carved window in the
north transept made to represent the
crown of thorns and the stone shafts
of the grand east window above the al
tar remain almost in their original per-
lection. The thick glass fragments
have long since been carried away by
relic-hunters. A broken column in the
transept was pointed out by the old
caretaker as the favorite seat of Sir
Walter Scott, who used often to drive
over from Abbotsford. On the second
day of our visit we We're quite favored
by being taken up the winding stair
case of the beethoven, where the public
is seldom allowed, and was enabled
to get a better view of the roof and
also to enter a part of the gallery
which once ran around the Whole
church, choir of monks making the
circuit, chanting during the service.
This is the same, of course, in all old
cathedrals. Through the small open
arches the choir could be occasionally
seen by the congregation The gallery
was very narrow and there was no
room for the proverbially fat MONKS
like Robin Hoods Friar Tuck. In the
south transept is an inscription stat
ing that John Morrow had In Keeping
all mason work" of this church as well
as that of Glasgow and elsewhere.
This Morrow or Moray is claimed to be
the first master of the Free Mason
lodge of Melrose, the Oldest IN Scot
land, and the present master informed
me that the records of the lodge are un-
broken since 1860 while there are rag
ments at earlier dates. The compasses
and other Masonic emblems are to be
seen on almost every stone in the alb
bey. In the eastern side of the south
transept is a grave said to be that of
the wizard Michael Scott, noted for
his black art which perhaps means
that he had more knowledge OF natural
science than the people of his day. Ad-
Joining is the grave of Sir Ralph 1Vers
sent by Henry VIII of England to raw
age the country. The Englsh troops
injured the abbey, desecrated the
tor,bs of the Dbuglasses within it and
retreated to Aucrum Moor, where the
scots overlook and defeated them
Ivers was killed and taken to Melrose
f2r burial The caretaker told me that
RECENTLY in repairing the flooring ne
ra;sad the slab over this grave ana
found II to be the cover Of a stone cor
g, Nothing was left but one thlgh
hove and a portion of the skull rest
inc on a stone pillow. In the chancel
near the high altar is deposited the
,.a.rt Of Rruce. brought back from
swain after Douglas unsuccessful at
49r,,+ TO carry it to the Holy Lana.
NIoar nv Alexander II is buried anu
tI,a +oD,hs of the Douglasses, alreauy
mentioned appear The carving I'M
dar the roof of the CHANGER Is even
| r,ora beautiful than in other pdl 70,
Subjects from sacred story are trdceu
- etone and the intersections OF the
er,oins are ornamented with roseltee,
0,,a of tbe side windows of the chancei
.t,o,,,s tho three crosses of Calvary. III
~ ,,or+b transept upon the central pm
.o,,da ,f,1Hy carved hand grasp
.al hnncb of flowers Lockhart de-