The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-05-14
r. F. HYND WRITES
OF HIS NATIVE LAND
Editor Gazette-Times:-

are spending our holiday, is located
on the east coast of Scotland and has
a population of $4,000. 1t is one OF
the oldest towns in Scotland, its his
tory dating back to the Roman in
vasion of Britain in the sixth cen
tury, and parts of the wall built at
that time to protect the Roman sol
diers from the attacks of the High
landers can still be seen at the foot
of the Grampian Hills, the most
southerly of the Scottish Highlands
about ten miles north from town.
The country for many miles around
is dotted with ancient landmarks, and
one can always find some old inhab-
liant who can entertain the visitor
with the written and unwritten his
tory of these early days. l met an
old lady recently who told me she
remembered her grandfather finding
high pile of bones ON the shores of
a lovely bay adjoining my fathers
farm, where the sea during fierce
storm had washed away the sandy
beach exposing the gruesome pile,
and as bones were in those days, as
we'll as at the present time, in de-
mand at the fertilizer factories this
thrifty Scot began hauling them to
the nearest factory. Needless to say
the authorities soon called a halt,
reverently covering up what the sea
had exposed and on further investi-
CATION there was found a hugh trench
of human bones we'll preserved in the
sand where they had been for CEN
turies, evidently the result of bat
tie where some foreign foe had land
ed on the beach, but as no written
history or legend recorded such an
incident the date would be prior to
the Roman invasion.
The town owes much of its place in
history to its Abbey, the ruins of
which are still much admired by Wis
itors. The original building was
founded in ITS and completed in
1898, and from the time of its COM
pletion till 400 was very often used
as a royal residence and seat of
Scotch government, the surrounding
country being at that time, as it is
today, one of the best agricultural
districts in Scotland. The church
building alone covered an cara Of
276 feet by IS feet and the walls are
67 feet high, and in many places
from four to six feet thick, with sec
ret passages leading through them,
this part of the Abbey being taken
care of by 40 monks and their ret
inue of servants. In addition to the
church were residences, banquet
halls, defense towers, dungeons, etc
forming a pile of masonry, much OF
it finely carved, and the ruins Of
which are still we'll preserved. Il
was in this Abbey that in 1920 the
Scottish Declaration of Indepen
dence' was written, a copy of which
is still preserved and which end
with the words: "It is not for glory
riches or honor, that We fight bu
for that liberty which no man vii
consent to lose but with his life.
The blood Of the trainers of this doc
ument has flowed through the Yien
! of Patrick Henry.
The old part of the town has yer
: narrow crooked streets, in man
+. places Just room enough for two vc
hicles to pass, while the sidewalk
, are only wide enough for two pee
1 pie to walk on. At every curve o
: angle the street takes another nam
I and altogether the arrangement @
i. the old town is most confusing t
| visitors. This condition is character
t istic of all the old towns in Europe
Y and even in small towns one ca
= readily lose their way at night. Th
r new part is quite modern and up-tc
= date, many of the residences bein
t superior to those of an America
d city of equal population, all bein
: built of stone with slate roofs. l
e fact these materials are used in a
= buildings here and lumber struc
e ure would be curiosity. Th
: streets and sidewalks are wide an
l. we'll paved, and the public parks ar
e large and beautifully located ovel
f looking the sea. The harbor, fa'
d tories, etc, occupy about one mile {
s the water front, while north an
# south for about mile in each dire,
It tion lie the recreation parks, tn
e level ground being utilized by tn
l. younger members for football, cricl
IS ct, ETC., while the higher ground {
e the back is well furnished wit
k benches where lovers and old peopl