The Southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1895-1909, 1908-08-22

of the historic and notable places I have visited
in Scotland and England.
This, therefore, / now set out to do. beginning
at Stirling (thirty-six miles from Edinburgh.
for It was as I went over the moat- bridge into the
ancient gates of Stirling Castle with It's more
than thousand years OF checkercd and stirring
memories that I first felt the atmosphere of the
Middle Ages and of the romantic days of knight
hood and OF chivalry. Here for the hrst time
saw a great medieval castle with It's massive
stone walls and frowning battlcments and towers.
standing on, upon It's lofty cmincncc above all
he'surrounding country: secured in the front b,
moat and drawbridge and trap door a; the en-
trance on the gigantic outer walls. and then by
two or three inner walls. while from the rear a
ragged and prccipitous stone ascent of sixty feet
guards the approach OF the ancient fortress. And
Stirling has n history worth, of it's lofty eminenee
and It's isolated grandeur. I, looks out upon one
of the most beautiful and upon one of The mos,
historic views In all Great Britain. The battle
field OF Bannockburn IL before You here and Stir.
ling Bridge Of course. and 20, another battlefield
which Scots and picss
Tough, each other six hundred aud nifty years be-
fore Columbus discovered the Se~ World, II Ia
when you come upon tacta like these that YOU be-
gin TO realize that the annals Of America indeed
deal only with the ias, half hour of human his
tory. This very Stirling Castle. for example. Was
taken by Edward /. of England IN l1ot-more
than three hundred years before tho hts' white
man set foo, upon Jamestown aoil and ten years
later the famous Scotch e%hief,an. Bruce. recap
tured II. II ~as at Stirling tina; Lord Darnies
courscd Mary. Queen of Scotia. and l, vas here
tina, James l.. who WAS king OF England when
the nrx, permanent, English settlements were
made In America. was chris;cncd and crowned.
John Knox preaching the coronation sermon.
Stirling Castle. too. IA, The very nr#, brings
you face to face with the tragedy aH we'll as with
the romance o. the old. old days.. No, only does
the terrible dungeon-its opening u nero hole
In the ground twelve fee, down before you enter
the dark grim care.na in which captive enemies
or suspects wen; To the tornen, o! "A living death
not only. ! say. does thia foul dungeon ean, u
shadow upon the rosy pictures wc like 10 pain,
of the age of ehivairy." but Surfing and aimo~t
every other castle In Great Britain has It's story
OF crime involving one or more agures we'll
known In history. At Stirling they s,ill show you
the room where King James I. stabbed and xiii
I'D the Earl of Douglas Ave hundred and nifty
years ago. In Hollywood Palace In Edinburgh !
saw the little room where Rixzio. secretary To
Mary. Queen of Scots. was murdered by Darnicy
and others-and but n few months later Both
well. having plotted with the Queen for the muir
der OF Darniey. here married her himself. IN
Edinburgh Castle near by ! saw tho old banquet
ing hall where In 1440 the young Douglases were
invited to IA great dinner only to eco tho black
bulls head-the symbol OF death-put before
them on the banquet table. after which they were
dragged away and beheaded. Here. too. Oliver