The following is an excerpt from an article published in the Falkirk Advertiser titled “Mr Karl Creelman Visits Falkirk”:
Mr Karl M. Creelman, the young Nova Scotian, who is making a cycling tour ‘round the world, passed through Falkirk on his journey northward on Tuesday afternoon…Mr Creelman is a sturdy hardy-looking young man of 23 years who talks of his travels in a quiet, unostentatious manner. Pleasant in manner, he chats very freely. Questioned by an Advertiser representative during the brief period he was in town, some interesting particulars were elicited. He started from his native town of Truro, Nova Scotia, where his parents reside, on the 11th of May, 1899, having been on the road now for just over two years, his object being, as he himself put it, “to have a look round and gain a bit of experience”.
He has not been disappointed. A Canadian firm supplied him with a bicycle, and the Mayor of his native town furnished him with a letter, bearing the official seal addressed “to the world at large” and stating that he was “about to attempt a cycling trip around the globe on his own resources, not for the purpose of earning a wager, having naught of the gambling element to his composition, but for the higher and more laudable object of learning wisdom and “seeing the world”.
The article went on to include the Q & A from the Reporter with Karl:
Reporter: “Do you correspond with your friends at home?”
Karl: “Yes, I write to them every few days, but there is a little difficulty sometimes in their letters reaching me seeing I am always on the move from place to place.”
Reporter: “What is your mode of living?”
Karl: “Well, I neither smoke nor drink, I live plainly, don’t eat too much, and the fresh air ensures good health. I have gained two stones in weight since I commenced my tour.”
Reporter: “How have you managed to get along?”
Karl: “I used to lecture in different towns and always manage somehow to make a fair livelihood.”
Reporter: “How many suits of clothes have you had during the tour?”
Karl: “This is my third suit and ninth pair of boots. My bicycle is a Red Bird, Canadian make, and I have used it all through. I have had scarcely any mishap, with the exception of punctured tires. This is my fourth set of tires. I carry 45lbs on the bike - change of suit, and always carry a change of clothes, and when I am in a town for a few days I visit a laundry.”
After getting his booked stamped in Falkirk Post Office, where he and his bicycle attracted considerable attention. Mr. Creelman called at the Parish Church Manse*. In the course of the afternoon he gave the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. London an account of his travels and said he was anxious to see Sir William Wallace’s sword. After being entertained to tea by the kindly parish minister and his esteemed lady, the cyclist proceeded onto Stirling, where he will have an opportunity on seeing the sword once wielded by Scotland’s great hero.
Karl’s visit to Falkirk was documented by the Postmaster. The mail representative added the motto of Falkirk, which apparently Karl found quite interesting. The motto is: Better meddle wi' the de'il than the Bairns o' Fa'kirk. Touch ane Touch a’. Which loosely translates to: Better mess with the devil than the children of Falkirk. Touch any and touch all.
*The term 'manse' refers to a house provided for a Christian minister, typically of the Scottish Presbyterian, Methodist, United Free Church or Church of Scotland.
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The Karl Journey is now registered as an official expedition with the Royal Geographical Society