Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-09-04
In SCOTLAND.
The "heathery Isle" Of the Bruce,
the Douglass and the Wallace.
(Editorial Corr~sp,ndence }


east, and these two connected by
canal, make water access possible across
the face Of England 8 greatest isle, and
prevents many a shipwreck in thus
avoiding passage around the cold north
islands. This line of the canal. long
before the trench digger struck mud,
became the demarcation for that great
division in Scotland-socially, politically.
commercially and belligerently. This
narrowest part of Britain's Isle divided
the Lowland Scot from the Highlander.
In steaming up the Clyde, or down the
Forth, both rivers now teaming with
commerce, shipbuilding and industries.
to the left is the heritage of the hardy
Highlander, whose hatred to subiuga-
ton, and his mountain Businesses. have
today left heritage of language, dress
and customs not unlike the time when
Rob Roy and his picturesque gang of
thieves held sway and sprinted from
peak to peak, as do the wild sheep,
when pursued by outraged countrymen
or the red-coats of old England. To
the right. or south, of these rivers and
canal is the land of the Lowlanders.
who, when not harassed by English
marauders, or at war with that country.
were ''scrapping" with their Highland
kin. There was war Of old between
the Highland and Lowland clans con-
tinually unless a common foe appeared.
Glasgow, commercial city of 300, 600
people, is on the north bank of the
Clyde and the canal, while Edinburgh,
one OF the quaintest, sweetest and his
toricslly most interesting of cities, is
on the South bank of the Forth, not
forty miles from it's greater rival. The
one was, with its river and turreted
walls, breastwork to invasion from
the south, while Edinburg, the capital
of Scotland, with its broad river and
impregnable castle of the Kings, stood
sentinel to repel the rapacious noun
taineers. Sir William Wallace was a
Glasgow man; hence a Highlander. The
Douglass, possibly the greatest family
in Scotch history, was of Lowland
birth.
What seems to be an irony of fate,
yet showing unified country, is great
Stirling castle, at Stirling, the most
ancient capital, frowning from it's
Butchers Hill across to heroic monu-
ment the Scots have raised by consent
of England to their great Wallace. In
Stirling castle, if we recall Alright, Rod
erick Dhu was brought face to face with
Fitz-James, where ''Snowden's Knight
was Scotland's King" Every castle and
ancient town is full of interesting and
curious things. None could be more so
than Stirling and Edinburgh castles. The
latter, on a rocky prominence. one
time almost surrounded by water, was
fertilization long before the coming
of the Roman, shortly after our Savior's
BIRTH 1t escapes the average students
recollection that the Roman held domi-
nation over England, Ireland and Scot
land for about three centuries. His
works are seen still throughout the low
country but none are higher than the
foot of the Highlands. The hardy
mountaineers of Scotland and Wales, by
aid of their impregnable mountains and
fortresses, never actually submitted to
England any more than they did to the
Roman, who gave up chasing them, and
this retirement has left the Gaelic inn,
print and speech still intact in the
north of Scotland.
To land at Glasgow means an easy
jaunt to the lake and mountain country.
Loeb" means lake and ben" means
mountain in the Gaelic tongue. A half
hours run by rail brings one to Ballock
pier, near Dunbar fortress, and the
foot of Loeb Lomond where it tumbles
into the Clyde. A quaint but hospitable
steamer awaits some two hundred ex-
cursionists, and away we speed up
Lomond at l6 miles an hour, through
islands some mo bigger than your fist"
and some of a thousand acres. A din
ner of four courses is served for two
shillings (about so cents), and we at
once observe that money goes further
here than in ''the States A beautiful
day. fitting clouds needless of high
mountain tops, speed over our heads as
though hurricane were raging at the
peaks. With us it is calm and sunshine
and shadow. For the first time we see
purple mountains, and inquiry discloses
that it is the heather in bloom. Just
to think that huge mountain for miles
may be purple giant for part of the
year, white at another when the white
heather is out, and green the rest of
the time. as the fern holds sway when
the heather is not overlapping it. Bar
rem almost entirely of trees, these great
peaks have stood sentinels for ages over
the placid and crystal waters at their
feet. On we speed, and presently we
make sharp turn of the boat where
precipice butts into the lake, and old
Ben LomOnd, made historical by Sir
Walter Scott, bursts into view. When
sighting the old black sentinel from
our ship coming up the Clyde we re.
marked that he was not snow capped.
Sometimes in summer he is free of his
white mantle and this was one of the
times. But he would not let the clouds
go by without parting kiss.
Even if our memory were so tenacious
as to recall the achievements of Rob
Roy, the champion runner and gentle
man cattle thief, the career of the
Wa lIac On o nj tho Rruca O MA. tla no,,r-lo~