The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-11
ANCIENTISLE OF MAN
ITS LAWS ARE UNCHANGED FOR A
 THOUSAND YEARS.
Tradition that Shakespeare Found Here Materials For "The Tempest"- Visit to Greeba Castle, Home
 of Hall Cnine.

0I ktAn CAfmSs
 Douglas. Isle of Man. Oct.10-The Isle of Man is famous off three things It has a form of government that has continued unchanged for upward of thousand years-a long time in the history of nations: 1t has produced peculiar breed of tailless cats; and 1t Is the home of Hall Caine. the worlds most successful novelist.
 As a matter of fact the two last mentioned claims to renown are more widely recognized than the first one and 1t was the combination of these that brought us to the queer little island lying in the middle of the Irish Sea. Hendrix had letter of introduce tion to the great story-writer from literary friend in New York which he was anxious to present. Mrs. Bsdell who Is president of the Lynnville Pet Stock Club had taken it into her head to secure genuine specimen of the Manx cat for the next club exhibition. As result of the discussion to which these twin enthusiasms gave rise we all decided to go along.
 II must be admitted that none of l us knew very much about the antiquity of the Islands civilization, but we were forced to learn a great deal about 1t on board the steamer that took us a cess fFeHf Liverpool. There was an Englishman on board, a non -conformist clergyman, who must have been studying up preparatory to the trip for long time for he talked all the way about King orry, a Morse viking who took possession of the Island in the Tenth Century and established the constitution and laws under which 1t Is still governed, and of how St. Naughold, leaving the coast of Ireland in wicker boat without oars or sail. was cast upon the Manx shore, and pre- ceeded to christianize the people. be- coming sort of patron saint like St. Patrick in Ireland. and of how Shakespeare in all likelihood got the material for '"rhe Tempest from events that happened here It was all very interesting and helped to give us a properly romantic idea of the place. Man certainly has a romatic setting though Of somewhat a grim kind It rises boldly out of the sea rocky Ioroidding coast broken here and there by deep bays that look all the more inviting because of the inhospitable appearance of the jutting headlands against which the waves are forever booming, throwing up clouds of spray. The round mountains rising from the shore hid their heads in misty clouds that gave them a mysterious appear ance. There was something depressing almost forbidiing. about the bare brown hillsides and wind-swept fore lands that was relieved only by glimpses Of the little green valleys with clusters of gray walled tbatched cottages that seemed to be hiding away from the elements or from too inouisi- tive humans. The whole setting called to mind the traditions of Mannanan the more or less mythical first ruler of the Island for whom 1t is supposed to
 nave been named, who is reputei to. l have protected hts sdsauaff4 from uarauding sea ruBbers by castfno a mist about the shores which made if invisible. Whether Mannanan ever existed or not the part about the mist is easy to believe Tor the Irish sea, as our amiable stewardess informed us, is
 "a reg'lar fright for fogs"
 There is no doubt that every great author ought to live in anunusual place like this to be appreciated AS we drove along the road toward Peel in the westerly part of the Island when Mans chief celebrity resides somebody remarked that if Hall Caine lived on Fifth Avenue--as no doubt he could afford to do since it Is said that he earns $5o.000 year from his books ana play$-random tourists like our selves would never think of visiting him. But because he lives in this ont of-the-way corner of the world. we. and no doubt hundreds of other in- quisitive Americans assume the right to trample on his lawn and invade his house and ask him all sorts of point ed questions.
 Then. too. this rocky Isle standine in its loneliness so wholly senarate from the rest of the world seems far more fit as a setting for Iterary genius than Fifth Avenue ever could On the way over we had been reading the authors reminiscence of his early days in a newly arrived copy of Appleton's magazine and as We drove along tha road we fancied him as he had pictured himself riding along this same high road to market in a jolting butchers cart and passing unnoticed, but not unnoticing. under the very gates of the castle which is now his home
 Our driver who had a brogue so delightfully."- Irish that it might have belonged to a Broadway policeman called our attention to various sights of local interest as We climbed the long slope of the range of hills that divides tho Island from North to South. As we neared the summit he pulled in his horses and waving his whip toward the wooded slope that led upward to our right said There it Is, ladies and sirs."
 We all craned our necks expectantIy. but all we saw was the summit of a green tower peeping over the tree tops surmounted by a slim hagstaff. It looked as though 1t were hiding among the tree-topss. Just as the little villages and farmsteads had seemed to hide among the hills, and 1t was only when we questioned the driver further that we realized that we had arrived at Greeba Castle. the home of Hall Caine.
 A group of big brakes. locally known as char -bancs, which convey sight seers over the Manx Hills were dis charging their loads of passengers at the foot of the avenue leading up to the castle. The clippers" had the blooming complexions and ill-made clothes that designate the middle class Briton of either sex. Whatever may be the local standing of prophets it was evident that eminent novelists countries. The whole crowd stheamed up the avenue to the castle. but while the English sightseers contented them selves with gazing at the ivy-covered walls and trim hedges and shouting under the authors window like a lot of untrained freshmen giving their college yell, We made boldly for tha doorway of the broad hall and des- patched the precious letter of introduc- tion
 Almost Immediately the novelist ap- peared walking down the long hall Mrs. Bedell pinched my arm. There he is" she whispered. 'T konw he'd look like that" For myself I hadn't had a notion as to whether he would be slender or fat with fowls hanging
 . 4ho oyd ea-,,io,a5 ,a.t