Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-08-21
MEXICO THURSDAY,

noble educational work. Certainly 1t
has all the surroundings, in building
and equipment, to make 1t great.
There is much in Glasgow as a city
to suggest ca american city. 1t has
the same push, the same dirt and the
same busy population, walking over
each other in the streets. 1t affords a
welcome relief from the politics Of the
average large city In ''the states, show
ever. Men are elected to city office not
because they are for or against some
national policy but because OF their
ability to serve the city. National
political lines are not drawn in NUM-
cipal campaigns.
A MILLION DOLLAR BAPTIST CHURCH.
In Scotland where Presbyterlanism
Is the religion OF the state and also the
religion OF the people, the costllest
church edltlce is an Episcopalian ca
thedral at Edinburgh and second only
to 1t is Baptist house OF worship at
Paisley. Upon the latter has been ex-
pended over million dollars. 1t is,
so far as beauty and comfort and con-
venience are concerned, ahead even OF
its more expensive Episcopalian con-
temporary. Through the courtesy Of
Mr.. James McNaughton, OF Paisley,
nephew of Mrs. Alex. Stewart, Of Co
lumbia, We visited this magnificent
Baptist temple. 1t is known as the
Goats memorial church and was pre-
sented to the Baptist congregation of
Paisley by the family OF Sir Peter
Goats, the thread manufacturer, and
is maintained from the same source.
Only the salary of the pastor is paid
by the congregation. The windows
are Of stained glass by great artists,
the wood work is hand.carved, the
floors are Of hard wood, the pulpit Is Of
alabaster and gold. There are electric
fires In the pastors study and each
individual candidate for baptism has a
private dressing room. The organ is
somewhat near twice as large as all
the organs In Columbia combined and
has as much machinery as a great fac
tory. The choir stalls are OF the most
beautifully carved wood. There is a
choir Of men and boys wearing sur
plices and the preacher wears gownl
Not only this splendid church edi-
fee was "glftedr--as the Scotch say
to Paisley by the Coats family, but
much else has been presented from this
same source. There Is also the Clark
Town Hall, building for public as
semblages Of all kinds, given by another
member Of the great thread firm.
There are schools, hospitals, museums
all established and endowed by menu
bers OF the philanthropic families.
There could scarcely be more fitting
public benefictlons than those which
have interviewer the names Of Clark
and Goats inseparably with Paisley.
IN THE COUNTRY OF BOBBY BURNS.
Ayr will ever be famous as the place
where Robert Burns was born, lived
and wrote. A plowboy himself his
poems plead for the common people.
"What, though on homely fare we
dine,
Wear holden gray and a that,
Give fools their silk and knAvOS their
wine
A mans a man for a. that"
The birthplace of Burns, a tiny
thatched cottage, with but two rooms
and a stable for a third room, is nearly
two miles from Ayr, by the side OF
a country road. 1t will be reproduced
In every detail at the st. Louis Worlds
Fair. Near by is the old graveyard
with the ruins of galloway Kirk" and
the tombs of the father and mother of
Burns. A few yards distant is the
striking Burns memorial or monument
and near it "the Bridge o'Doon, over
which Tam o'Shanter's steed, carry
ing its master to escape the witches,
lost its tail. An old Scotchman, on
the 'brig," recited the Burns poem,
with all the exquisite flavor Of the
Scotch accent. "More Americans
than any other people, except our own
Scotch, come to see the Burns cottage, ="
said the custodian. "He seems TO
appeal to the Americans" 1t was
not unexpected, therefore, to find
that in the walls of the Burns cottage
the three poems framed were all by
Americans - Robert G. IngerS0ll,
whose lecture on Burns was a marvel
or eloquence, Wallace Bruce, lately
American consul In Edinburgh, and
James Russell Lowell.
The grave of the poet himself is not
in Ayr but In Dumfries few miles
toward the south.
Stirling Castle, with its fine old
ruins, well repays a passing visit. It'll
stands upon an eminence several hun
dred feet in'heighth rising abruptly
from the middle Of large plain. The
view from the battlements is superb.
The castle itself played prominent
part in Scotch history. Edward l. of
England captured 1t, but ten years
later Robert Bruce, whose statue is a
feature of the castle yard, retook it
after Bannockburn. James ii. and
James V. were born in the castle and
here James II. stabbed the rebelliouS
Earl of Douglas. The field Of Ban
nockburn where Bruce defeated the
English army, thrice the size Of bis
own, is easily seen from the castle and
the huge stone upon which the Scot
tlsh standard was planted was pointed
out. At Stirling Castle the Kodaker
endeavored to take picture OF the
Highlander who, in tartan and kilt,
stood as sentinel at the gateway. Now
the Kodaker, on occasion, can wear
gum shoes and move stealthily but
here he was discovered. The huge
marched over sharply and
ordered him to stop. We wondered II
in castle dungeon was
10 follow and trembled. But no: the