Wisconsin School for the Deaf - Tattler Yearbook (Delavan, WI)

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most beautiful view In oil Europe. In the foreground we ace a lovely fertile plain, dotted with little village , wood , and farms. Here and there U a mas of trap rock, which add to the beauty of the landscape. Beyond rise softly rounded hills, clothed in a gorgeous green. Farther still our eyes catch sight of the bcuutifu! winding Forth, about which poets have written so much. To the west can he seen the valleys of the rivers which rise in yon distant Southern Highlands. Closer to uj we find many objects of interest. To the east is Cowan Hill, now used for cemeteries Here once ramparts were thrown up to besiege the castle. To the north Is Moat Hill, the feudal place of justice, where executions formerly took place. This is where many Eurls and others of noble birth died under the axe. Between these hills and the CJurtIe a steep road leads up from the viUiagc below to a large gateway dug out from the castle wall. On the other side of the ramparts is a plucc known as Queen Mary's Lookout. Very appropriately named, for from here she could get a perfect view of all her kingdom. Below in the volley is King’.' Park, once thickly wooded and full of deer. Here the royal hunts took place, and at the end were the exquisite royal gardens. While the flowers and fruit tree are gone, several mounds and terraces remain. One of the mounds, fiat on top, known as the King's Knot, rises high ubovo the other.; The knightly reunions were held on this; nl .o various festivities of the court. The stories that nre told us by our guide of the early people and events associated with the castle, that dutc far back to the early ages, hold our closest attention. We are loath to leave, but leave we must. One beautiful day in June we were in Kdinburg. Capital of Scotland on the Firth of Forth, making preparations for the tour through the “Lady of the Lake country, the most frequented and admired spots in the world since the poem, “The Lady of the Lake , written by Sir Walter Scott, had made such a grout impression on the public. Edinburg is noted for its wonderful statues of famous people whose birthplaces were in Scotland, and they were seen almost everywhere In the city. At every intersection of Prince Street one tood. The most beautiful of all is the one which the city erected to the memory of Sir Walter Scott. It is a very graceful Gothic spire of red sandstone more than two hundred feet in height. It arches, turrets, and retreating pinnacles rise with perfect grace and lightness toward the sky, and in its principal hollows nre figures representing characters in Scott's writings, while in the centre under this monument, is a marble statue of Sir Walter himself, attended by his favorite dog. One of Edinburg's hotels on this street, said to be one of the most beautiful in the world, gives to the tourist a pleasant view of Edinburg's Castle Bock which rises above the city. By way of Princes Street we made our way to the castle, famous for it? many stories of royal history, having been the abode of many Scottish kings and queens, and having been the scene of many joy and sorrows in the early life of James V. Holyrood Castle, the residential palace of Mary, Queen of Scota, was another point of interest. Just when a royal residence was erected in connection with the abbey is not known. Probably the Bring quarters were enlarged at various times, as the needs of the royal family crowded the original apartments designed for guests. Jam. IV however, began the erection of n truly royal palace which henceforth was even more beautiful than the monastery, and it was finished by the fifth James. The original palace we destroyed by Hertford at the same time as the abbey by the army of Edward III, hut whs rebuilt. Again it wa partially demolished by the soldiers of Cromwell, the lender of the Puritan government in England. At the orders of Charles II. it wa? rebuilt in its present form by Sir Walter Bruce so that visitors see the apartment of Mary, Queen of Scots. There she lived almost nil her life which was . o crowded with tragic events. From Edinburgh we went by train through the lowlands where the Highlanders, led by their chiefs, used to muke raids against the Lowland villages. On the way to Callander we caught sight of Stirling Castle, surrounded by high walls, which towered above a lofty cliff that looked down over the beautiful valley of Montieth. A Tour Through the “Lady of the Lake” Country By PAULINE LONG — 15 — N I NETEEN THIRTY-SBVEN

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there. Elizabeth refused to sec her because she remembered that the English claimed that Mary should be queen of England because they said Elizabeth's father Henry VIII wa not legally married to Elizabeth's mother. All those twenty years she was in many plots, trying to escape. At a trial in an English Coutt she confessed that she made all the plans for her escape, but she denied that she aided any plot against her cousin's life, llut Elizabeth didn't listen to her and signed a warrant for her death. The day before htr execution she aid to her friends, I die firm in my religion, a true Scotchwoman and true to France”. Then she died ver bravely. Thus ended her life when she was twenty-five. The next who came to the throne of Scotland was her son James. latter when Elizabeth died, King James became king of England. Just before he took over the government the English people had become not only Protestant but Puritan. Hr disliked them, lie himself was a queer man although he was well educated and wrote interesting books and articles. Two things James believed in, the divine right of kings and the divine right of bishops. After King James died, then was a great conflict in the English Parliament. The next king was hi son King Charles I hut he was weak. After hi death Oliver Cromwell became l.ord Projector of England. Thu? the line of the Stuart came to an end. By LA JUNE DUKENIIORST Reading the sixth canto of The Lady of the Lake aroused my interest in SUriing Castle, In which tne scenes of the canto are laid. And I should like to have you go with me on an imaginary trip to this great historical forties, on which, for so many years the safety of Scotland depended. Our first glance at the imposing structure which stands high nliove us on a great mass of dark gray rock fills u with awe. The Castle hill of Stirling is at first a gradual slope but end in on abrupt precipice, rising two hundred and twenty feet from the level plain of the Forth. It is a natural stronghold. as are the other castle of Scotland. By it passe.- all the traffic between the Highlands and Lowlands. Through u street of the ancient town near the castle we wend our way up the hill till we come to the lawn which lie before the castle. To enter the structure we must first walk over it picturesque draw bridge and pass through a double gate which was formerly defended by a double ditch, uch as those used in Queen Ann’s time. After crossing the bridge, the earlier entrnnee gateway with its two round towers i? now before us. As we pass through it, we find ourselves in the outer courtyard. On the outside of the palace, which is to our right, is a queer mixture of statues representing dicties, myth , and soldiers; also interesting ones of King James V and his daughter Mary, and of Cleopatra and the asp. To the west Is another courtyard Called the Lion's Den; so nnmed because it i said that James IV used to keep hi lion here. The square guard tower of the palace we are told Is much older than the palace itself. As the palace I now used for military purpose , we are not allowed to enter it. Through an arch we pass into the inner court. The fir t building that we see here is the ancient parliament, of pure Gothic design, built by James III. This spacious hall has been cut up into several rooms for barracks. Another interesting building in the court Is the Chapel Royal, erected by James IV for the baptism of his son. iVince Henry. It i hard to associate the English history of ancient time with this place, for it. too. hu» been sadly mutilated; and part of it i used as an armory. To our surprise we see several modern buildings, which have been put up on the site of the first royal residence, the home of James II However, some of the original wall remain. We are asked by our guide if we should like to sec the Dougin Room, where James II assassinated the Earl of Douglas. Our thoughts immediately turn to Scott's vivid description of this incident in The Lady of the I-ake.” It doesn't take long for u to decide. We wouldn't mi this for anything. Wc linger long, looking over the relics in the room. The guide inform u that the wall have been remodeled because of the fire that wrought much destruction a few years ago. To get a full view of the whole castle. ground let us climb up the battlement to the east of the Dougin garden. This is considered by some the — 1-i — Till . TATTLER

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We remembered thut it had made « grand fortress for the Scottish Kings ami their soldier . It win to this impregnable place thut Mary, Queen of Scots, when a mere baby, was taken for xicurit)'. By motor coach we left Callander and. on the way to I»och Katrine, we passed Coinontogle Kurd, the spot where according to Scott in his “Lady of the Lake ’. Sir Roderick Dhu, chief of the Highlanders and King James, who nt that time , disguiecd us a hunter, and calling himself James Fits James, hud their hand-to- hand combat. Wp al- pained Lnnrick Mead on the north shore of l-ach Venmtchcr. the muster place of Roderick's clan, after l aving been summoned by the Fi :ry Cross, for battle with the advancing Lowlnnders. After passing Loch Aclimy, another beautiful lake, we seemed to have come to the end of the road, and then suddenly we found ourselves in the thick forests of the Tro ch. . There i vented to be but one opening through which a road ran and somewhere in the midt of it. there was a hotel where we stopped for lunch and rest. After this we continued until wo came to the shore of l.och Katrine where we boarded u steamer, which took us up the Inke; passing Ellen's Isle, which was mentioned in the poem. Along the shore of this lake ran the beach culled by Scott. “The Silver Strand which was the spot where Fit Jumps, who had lost his way while hunting, and Ellen, Lady of the Lake , first met. All around us were great, bure-loppvd mountains, one »f which was Ben Vennv, looming far above us. As wo sailed along, wo seemed to see four small boats dashing up the lake, bearing bold Sir Roderick’s bannered Fine. In tlu bright sunshine, we could almost imagine that we saw the Hash of the Highlanders' spears and axes. Their plaid and plumage seemed to wave. Wo nls o seemed to hear the scream of the bag pipe. and the men loudly singing the praises of their chief. On leaving Loch Katrine, we continued by horse coach to Loch Lomond, and although the drive whs rough urn) uncomfortable, we greatly enjoyed the wonderful scenery. While on the rest of the trip, the beauty of Loch Katrine and the memories of all that had taken place there followed us. At Invorxtmid we once more embarked on a ship, and sailed the length of Ix ch Lomond, the largest lake of all, until we reached Lulmami, a small city in Scotland where we boarded n train for Glasgow. Though wc were rather weary from our long day, we were glad thut we hudn’t missed it, ai the scenes of “The I.ady of the Lake were so beautiful that we are sure they will always stay in our memories us long as we live. — If. — T 11 E TATTLER