|
 Electric
Scotland's Weekly Email Newsletter
Dear
Friend
It's your
Electric Scotland newsletter meaning the weekend is nearly here :-)
You can view what's new this week on Electric Scotland at
http://www.electricscotland.com/rss/whatsnew.php and you can
unsubscribe to this newsletter by clicking on the link at the foot
of this newsletter.
See our Calendar of Scottish Events around the world at
http://www.electricscotland.com/familytree/calendar_help.htm
CONTENTS
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Electric Scotland News
The Flag in the Wind
The Scottish Nation
Poetry and Stories
Book of Scottish Story
The Concise Household Encyclopaedia
Old Time Customs
MacKenzie, Selkirk, Simpson
Guide to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Public Entertainers, from Scots in America
Men of Letters, from Scots in America
Among the Poets, from Scots in America
Loch Etive and The Sons of Uisnach (New Book)
Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Kent
ELECTRIC SCOTLAND NEWS
----------------------
Many thanks to those that suggested various cold cures to me in
emails, they were much appreciated. My cold is mostly gone now and
hopefully next week will see it totally gone :-)
In particular I tried the one part honey, one part lemon juice and
one part whisky and that seemed to kill the cough so thanks to Neil
Fraser for that one :-)
-----
Have now got my roof re-roofed but still haven't been able to see
the finished results due to all the snow we've been getting. As it's
very cold here in Canada the snow just isn't melting. In fact the
other day when we didn't have any snow I popped into my local
grocery store only to come out around 40 minutes later to find my
car was covered in snow. In fact the fall was so heavy that as I
cleared the windows they were being covered again so quickly that it
was a real problem driving home.
-----
You will enjoy seeing the video of David Hunter's talk about
photography that he gave at the Oor Club in Toronto. Lots of great
pictures of the Scottish Highlands. It included a tribute to Tom
weir and it can be viewed at
http://www.scottishstudies.com/920oorclubtalk010909.html
-----
Scottish Heritage Symposium At St. Andrews, N.C.
The annual Charles Bascombe Shaw Memorial Scottish Heritage
Symposium will be the weekend of March 20-22 on the St. Andrews
Presbyterian College campus in Laurinburg, N.C. This event, now in
its 19th year, will feature scholars from Scotland and the United
States.
All interested are invited to attend.
“Since its inception in 1989, the symposium has provided a forum for
those interested in Scottish history, culture, and genealogy to
learn from top scholars in their fields,” said Bill Caudill,
director of the Scottish Heritage Center. “Our symposium is
nationally considered a leader in the exploration of Scottish
culture.”
Five guest speakers headline this year’s event.
Eleanor Harris, a native of St. Andrews, Fife, will present “Local
Sources for Global Communities: An Overview of the Local Collections
Held by Argyll and Bute Library Service Highlighting Resources
Pertaining to Early Emigrants from Argyll.”
“Those with research interests in Scotland and Argyll in particular
will not want to miss her presentation,” said Caudill.
Dr. Philip D. Smith Jr. serves as president of the Scottish Tartans
Authority and he will present “Tartan Since Proscription.”
Patrick King is a writer, director, and producer making documentary
films for international broadcasters including PBS, The History
Channel, A&E, and BBC Channel 4. He will present “Bagpipes in the
Movies.”
Bridget O’Brien’s presentation on “Early Scottish Farmsteads in the
Eastern Carolinas” will focus on the floor plans, building
materials, and construction methods of several emigrant homesteads
from the Highland settlements as well as the genealogical
information relative to the families who built them.
Isla St. Clair will present “The Songs of Scotland”. She is a native
of North East of Scotland, growing up in Buckie, Findochty, and
Aberdeen. She is a well-known exponent of Scottish traditional song
and at age 12 was recorded by the legendary Hamish Henderson,
principal of the School of Scottish Studies.
For a schedule of events and registration information, please visit
http://www.sapc.edu/shc/scottishheritagesymposium.php or call
the Scottish Heritage Center at (910) 277-5236.
-----
This week I have just completed the 200th publication on the site.
By that I mean ocr'ing in 200 individual books or volumes of books
in a set. I'm quite chuffed to have achieved that as it's been a
great task over many years. You can see the list at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/books.htm
I am celebrating the event by starting on a new book "Loch Etive and
The Sons of Uisnach" By R. Angus Smith (1885). This is actually a
book about where my own clan lived for many years and the story is
told in a novel manner. More about this can be read below.
-----
I am looking at doing a Clan Society / Scottish organisation project
that I think will be of value to the members and hopefully will help
to retain and grow memberships. Should you be interested in learning
more and would also like to have input to the project please feel
free to email me and I'll add you to a email group so you are kept
up to date with developments.
-----
For some reason we don't understand the formatting of our Article
Service went weird this week and you had to scroll from side to side
to read the articles. We've fixed it now but as to how it happened
we simply don't know.
-----
We're nearing the time when Robert Burns Suppers will be held and of
course for the 250th anniversary of his birth there are special
events being scheduled all over the world. Electric Scotland has an
excellent Burns section where you can listen to an actual audio
record of a Burns Supper plus loads of other information. We also
have that excellent "Understanding Burns" for those that are unable
to read or understand the old Scots language that he wrote in. Our
friend Frank Shaw has loads of articles on Burns in his "Robert
Burns Lives!" series and even a video recording of him giving the
Immortal Memory at the Burns House in Atlanta. You can visit this
section at
http://www.electricscotland.com/burns/index.html
-----
Steve is confident that he can bring up the vbulletin service by
next weekend but might manage sooner or so he says :-)
-----
We plan to do an upgrade to our ScotGennealogy.com site over the
next week or so that will bring in new features. We also want to
check that we can restore this service as well so we'll be testing
things out after the upgrade has been completed.
ABOUT THE STORIES
-----------------
Some of the stories in here are just parts of a larger story so do
check out the site for the full versions. You can always find the
link in our "What's New" section at the link at the top of this
newsletter or on our site menu.
THE FLAG IN THE WIND
--------------------
This weeks Flag is compiled by Richard Thomson. As usual he gives us
a couple of indepth articles one of which covers broadband and
Internet access in Scotland.
In Peter's section he gives us a Scots language account of Robert
Burns in his "A Scottish Vyce" and I thought I'd give you a
challenge by quoting it here as Peter's wife, Marilyn, has also
recorded in in real audio so while you read it you can also listen
to it as well. The audio url is at
http://www.scotsindependent.org/features/scots/AScottishVyce.rm
And here is the text to read here...
Lyke Scots, the warld owre, we tryst at hame ilka Janwar fir ti mynd
o a chiel wha haes liggit i the mools fir owre twa hunner yeir. A
chiel wha tyauvit aw his days as a fairmer sinsyne as a gauger -
hard darg then as nou. Gin he haed bin nocht bit a fairmer or a
gauger, aiblins evin his ain kin twa hunner yeir oan wad hae kent
nocht about him. Sum o thaim micht hae redd up thair forefowk an fun
names, dates, whaur thai bade an aiblins thair daillie darg, gaun
back to a chiel cryed Robert Burns.
We aw hae forefowk wha hae liggit fir owre twa hunner yeir i the
mools. A ken frae ane o ma faither's kizzens at his faimilie fir the
hinmaist twa hunner yeir flittit atween the Glens o Founland,
Huntlie toun and Inverurie. Bit apairt frae the fack at thare war a
wheen o thaim cawed Peter, A ken nocht about thaim. Aiblins thai
luikit lyke ma faither an his aunties, bit A dinna ken.
Bit o the chiel we honor ilka Janwar we ken juist about athin warth
kennan. We ken hou he luikit, we ken his forefowk, we ken whaur he
bade, we ken o his daillie darg, we ken o his mairrage, o his lou
trysts, o his bairns, an we ken his thochts an ideals frae his monie
skreeds, poems an sangs.Fir we ar spikkan o a chiel wha wis a
genius. A cheil wha still spiks ti Scotland an the warld the day.
Scotland an the warld still sing his sangs an reads his poetrie.
We hae aw drank wi him, lauchit wi him, grat wi him - we aw think at
we ken him. The umquhile Orkney makkar George Mackay Brown skrievit
at his faither an his billies spikkan o Burns as gin he wis still
alieve an amang thaim. Weill throu his poetrie, sangs an skreeds, at
is vera mukkil the case. Whan ye lig yir haun oan his wark, ye feel
gin ye touch the chiel hislane. Burns ligs i the herts an mynds o
Scots the day juist as he did twa hunner yeir sinsyne.
Our auld fier Dr Robert D McIntyre tuik mukkil delicht in tellin a
tale o his graunnie wha as a yung quean kent an auld chiel wha kent
Burns' kithend. 'What did thai think o him?' she spiert at him ae
day. His repone says it aw - 'Thai revered him.'
In onie poll o gryt Scots o the past, Robert Burns maun staun heid
an shouders owre aw ithers. He myndit his ain kithend at thai war
Scots whan Mither Scotland cuid hae bin lost i the incorporatin
Union. He mynds us o that fack the day. Throu Allan Ramsay an Robert
Fergusson, in particklar, he fun his poetic vyce i his Mither Tung.
The fack at Burns skrievit i the Scots Leid haes keppit it ti the
fore i the face o the encroachin Suddren. He gied us our National
Anthem, 'Scots Wha Hae', an the warld an International Anthem, 'A
Man's A Man', alsweill as the International pairtin sang, 'Auld Lang
Syne.' (Aiblins fir neist Hogmanay BBC Scotland wull tell thair
sangsters at is 'Auld' no 'Old' Lang Syne!).
As Scots we awe our makkars a mukkil debt, fir thai hae owre the
centuries taen Scotland's side, frae John Barbour ti Hugh MacDiarmid,
bit nane mair sae nor our National Bard, Robert Burns. Gin the day
evir daws whan Scots dinna revere an haud Robert Burns i the
heichmaist staunan, then Scotland wullna be warth a docken. A Toast
ti Burns is a Toast ti our auld respeckit mither - Scotland - fir
Burns an Scotland gaun thegither.
Notandum : Taen frae 'Immortal Memory' ti Peebles Burns Club 25
Janwar 2003
You can read the Flag, listen to the Scots Language, enjoy the Scots
Wit and lots more at
http://www.scotsindependent.org
Christina McKelvie's Weekly diary is available at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/mckelvie/090115.htm
The Scottish Nation
-------------------
My thanks to Lora for transcribing these volumes for us.
Since the last newsletter we've added to the Supplement...
Dick, Edmondston, Ferrier, Forbes Leith, Forrest and Gardner
An interesting account of Thomas Dick this week which starts....
DICK, THOMAS, LL.D., author of ‘The Christian Philosopher,’ and
other works devoted to the literature of religion and science, was
born in the Hilltown of Dundee, 24th November 1774. He was the son
of Mungo Dick, a linen manufacturer there, and a member of the
Secession church. He was taught his letters at home, chiefly by his
mother, and could read the New Testament before he went to any
school. He first had his attention drawn, and the whole after-bent
of his mind directed to astronomical studies, and the investigation
of the arcane of nature, by the following circumstance: About nine
o’clock in the evening of the 18th of August, 1783, a meteor
appeared in the heavens, which at the period created an
extraordinary amount of wonder and alarm among all who saw it. At
that very time, Thomas Dick, then a boy of nine years of age, was in
his father’s garden with a female servant, who was folding linen. On
the first flash of the meteor, the girl looking towards the north
whence it came, exclaimed, “You have never seen lightning before.
See! There’s lightning.” Overcome by the remarkable phenomenon, they
both fell to the ground, and it was some time before they could
recover themselves. From that day, anxious to penetrate the
mysteries of astronomy and meteorology, he eagerly inquired for all
books that treated of such difficult and abstruse subjects,
preferring them to every other.
You can read the rest of this account at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/nation/dick2.htm
You can read all these entries at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/nation/index.htm
Poetry and Stories
------------------
John also sent in another poem, "Muckle Kye Doon In The Park" at
http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doggerel298.htm
And of course more articles in our Article Service at
http://www.electricscotland.com/article
I might note that there is an interesting article about the
Clydesdale bank issuing new bank notes to celebrate Homecoming
Scotland.
Book of Scottish Story
----------------------
Our thanks to John Henderson for sending this in for us.
This week have added...
Part 2 of The Laird of Wineholm
Here is how it starts...
"If you dare disturb the sanctuary of the grave," said the doctor
vehemently, "or with your unhallowed hands touch the remains of my
venerable and revered predecessor, it had been better for you, and
all who make the attempt, that you never had been born. If not then
for my sake, for the sake of my wife, the sole daughter of the man
to whom you have all been obliged, let this abominable and malicious
calumny go no farther, but put it down; I pray of you to put it
down, as you would value your own advantage.”
"I have seen him, and spoke with him--that I aver,” said the
dominie. "And shall I tell you what he said to me?"
"No, no! I’ll hear no more of such absolute and disgusting
nonsense,” said the doctor.
"Then, since it hath come to this, I will declare it in the face of
the whole world, and pursue it to the last," said the dominie,
"ridiculous as it is, and I confess that it is even so. I have seen
your father-in-law within the last twenty-four hours; at least a
being in his form and habiliments, and having his aspect and voice.
And he told me that he believed you were a very great scoundrel, and
that you had helped him off the stage of time in a great haste, for
fear of the operation of a will, which he had just executed, very
much to your prejudice. I was somewhat aghast, but ventured to
remark, that he must surely have been sensible whether you murdered
him or not, and in what way. He replied that he was not very
certain, for at the time you put him down, he was much in his
customary way of nights—very drunk ; but that he greatly suspected
you had hanged him, for ever since he had died, he had been troubled
with a severe crick in his neck. Having seen my late worthy patron’s
body deposited in the coffin, and afterwards consigned to the grave,
these things overcame me, and a kind of mist came over my senses;
but I heard him saying as he withdrew, what a pity it was that my
nerves could not stand this disclosure ! Now, for my own
satisfaction, I am resolved that, tomorrow, I shall raise the
village, with the two ministers at the head of the multitude, and
have the body, and particularly the neck of the deceased, minutely
inspected."
"If you do so, I shall make one of the number," said the doctor.
"But I am resolved that, in the first place, every means shall be
tried to prevent a scene of madness and absurdity so disgraceful to
a well-regulated village and a sober community."
The rest of this story can be read at
http://www.electricscotland.com/books/story/story74c.htm
The other stories can be read at
http://www.electricscotland.com/books/story/index.htm
The Concise Household Encyclopaedia
-----------------------------------
Added four more pages which include Chrysanthemum, Chubb, Chuck,
Churn, Chutney, Cicatrix, Cider, Cider Cup, Cigar, Cigar Case,
Cigarette, Cigarette Case, Cinchona Bark, Cinders, Cinder Sifter,
Cinematography and Cineraria.
You can read about these at
http://www.electricscotland.com/household/c.htm
Old Time Customs
----------------
Memories and Traditions and Other Essays
By John Burgess Calkin, M. A. LL.D. (1918)
Have now completed this book with...
Chapter XI
Christmas Scenes
PART SECOND
Chapter I
Jack and Jill
Chapter II
Culture and Agriculture
Chapter III
A Vision
Chapter IV
Letter to a Young Teacher
Chapter V
Free Schools in Nova Scotia
Here is how the account of "Culture and Agriculture"...
FARMERS often discredit their calling by assuming that their success
is mainly dependent on muscular effort. In fact, it has been
contended that the learning of the schools rather disqualifies a boy
for farm life, making him dissatisfied with its conditions. A claim
has arisen, too, for re-adjustment of the school curriculum, so as
to bring it into direct line with the work and interests of the
farmer. In this contention important considerations are liable to be
overlooked. The public school is not designed to prepare for the
pursuit of agriculture alone, or for any one calling. Hence, a
proper common school curriculum must be based on such broad lines as
shall meet the demands of the whole circle of human life, with all
its varied interests, industrial, social and moral. Nor would it be
wise or practicable at an early stage in a boy's life to determine
in arbitrary fashion what his life's work shall be or ought to be.
It may be urged, also, that whatever tends to the awakening of
observation and thought is in direct line with the education suited
to the farmer. Without intelligence one will follow routine, pursue
one beaten track, do things just as his father did, or imitate his
neighbors. In emergency he is without expedient. Whereas the well
disciplined mind is resourceful, ever on the alert for the discovery
of shorter, easier and more effective methods of doing things.
Further, it should be remembered that the life of the farmer touches
broader interests than those appertaining to agriculture. He is a
man and a citizen as well as a farmer. The man is higher than his
calling, and he cannot lightly ignore the claims of the great
brotherhood to which he belongs. True education does not aim simply
to make a man a better machine. It gives him higher ideals of worth,
develops a "reach that exceeds the grasp," and measurably enriches
the abundant life with a nutriment more satisfying than bread alone.
No calling demands more intelligence or finds within its sphere more
fruitful and varied sources of knowledge than does this pursuit of
agriculture. The farm is a natural science school, affording
unbounded facilities for the study of many subjects. Among these
subjects which appeal persistently and with the force of practical
interest to the farmer are geology, mineralogy, chemistry,
meteorology, botany, zoology, entomology, bacteriology, civics and
others that might be named. Even a superficial knowledge of these
subjects is often a source of power, and deeper research results in
greater interest and higher reward.
You can the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/articles/oldcustoms13.htm
You can read the others at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/articles/oldcustoms.htm
MacKenzie, Selkirk, Simpson
---------------------------
The Makers of Canada, By Rev. George Bryce, D.D. (1910)
We're completed the MacKenzie biography with...
Chapter XI - The Great Explorer's Impulse
And started on the biography of Lord Selkirk with...
Chapter I - A Youthful Philosopher
Chapter II - First Experiments in Emigration
Chapter III - A Dream of Empire
Chapter IV - The Colony Begun
Chapter V - Red River Occupied
Chapter VI - Angry Passions
Here is how Chapter I starts...
THE name and titles of the Earl of Selkirk are firmly attached to a
number of localities in the Canadian West: a town and county of
Manitoba, a range of mountains in British Columbia, a fort on the
Yukon River, and an island in Lake Winnipeg, all bear the name of
Selkirk; a part of the city of Winnipeg called Point Douglas, where
originally stood Fort Douglas, preserves to this day the family name
of the great colonizer. The ruins of a fort near the international
boundary, known as Fort Daer, long remained to recall one of the
titles of the noble house of Selkirk.
The man who thus impressed himself upon so vast a region was no
common man, and the story of his life is worthy of a place in the
treasure-house of Canadian and British worthies.
Thomas Douglas, fifth Earl of Selkirk, Baron Daer and Shortcleugh,
was a scion of one of the oldest Scottish noble families. As the
writer has said elsewhere, "The intrepidity of the Douglases, the
perseverance of the ancient family of Marr, and the venturesomeness
of the house of Angus, were all his inheritance by blood. Back
nineteen generations, and not less than seven hundred years before
his time, Theobald, the Fleming—the Selkirk ancestor—scorned the
quieter pleasures of home, and went to seek his fortunes among the
Saxon people of old Northumbria, bought himself a new home with the
sword, and the lands of Douglas were granted him because he had won
them honourably."
Time does not permit to tell the deeds of Theobald's great grandson,
Sir William Douglas, the hardy man who joined the unlucky Wallace,
and suffered death for it, and of Sir William's grandson, the grim
Sir Archibald. James, the second earl of Douglas, who fell fighting
against the Percy, was the brave hero of the battle of Otterburn. It
was his dying boast that "few of his ancestors had died in
chambers." Good Sir James Douglas lived in the days of the Bruce,
distinguished himself at Bannockburn, and figured in the attempt to
carry the heart of King Robert to Jerusalem. These might suffice for
a group of ancestors of remarkable distinction, but there was also
that other famous man, Archibald, "Bell the Cat," the Earl of Angus,
whose courage and resource have become watchwords in history.
With such heroic blood in his veins our great colonizer was born,
being the seventh son of Dunbar, fourth Earl of Selkirk. He was born
in June, 1771, at St. Mary's Isle, the earl's seat at the mouth of
the Dee in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. At the age of fifteen young
Thomas Douglas went to the University of Edinburgh, and there
pursued his studies till he was nineteen. His college days gave
promise of an energy, resourcefulness, and ability which were to
urge him to great achievements in his later days. With Walter Scott
he was a member of "The Club," a small society of ardent literary
spirits. The earl, young Thomas's father, was a broad-minded man,
who showed favour to rising genius, and patronized Robert Burns. It
was at St. Mary's Isle that Burns, on being entertained,
extemporized the well-known "Selkirk Grace" found in his poems.
You can read the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/makers/selkirk1.htm
You can read the other chapters at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/makers/
Guide to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland
----------------------------------------------
By George Anderson and Peter Anderson of Inverness (1850)
Making more progress with this book and have added the following
chapters...
Branch A. - Stirling, by Lochearn-head, to Tyndrum, and, by
Callander, to Loch Catrine, Lochs Lomond, Chon, Ard, and Monteith
Branch B. From Fort-William to Arisaig and Moidart
Branch C. Loch Arkaig
Branch D. Loch Lagan Road and Parallel Roads of Glen Roy
Branch E. From Invergarry to Loch Hournhead and Cluany
Branch F. From Invermoriston to Kyle Rhea and Kyle Akin
Here is how Branch A starts...
1. FOR several miles before it joins the Firth, the river Forth
rolls in many a tortuous maze through a rich and spacious plain ;
its ample flood but slightly depressed below the level of the
fattened soil. At a short distance from the northern bank of the
river, the Ochils bound this teeming flat. Until it reaches this
expanse, the course of the river lies through a wide and level
valley. At the mouth of the valley, an isolated eminence rises on
the south side of the river, with a somewhat steep slope on the
south-east, and on the opposite side presenting an abrupt acclivity,
surmounted by a ledge of trap rock. The stratum dips (to speak
technically) to the south-west, and the rocky precipice gradually
increases in height as it ascends from the plain, till towards the
summit it becomes a cliff of considerable elevation, composed of
basaltic columns, from the edge of which rise the walls of Stirling
Castle. The town is built chiefly on the slope of the hill.
Stirling Castle figures in history as early as the twelfth century,
having been one of the strongholds which formed the pledges of
payment of the ransom of William the Lion ; and indeed mention is
made of it as the rendezvous of the Scottish army some centuries
earlier, when the victory over the Danes at Luncarty was achieved.
And Stirling was a military station under the Romans. The castle has
sustained numerous sieges, especially during our struggles with the
haughty Edwards. Here James II. and IV. were born, and James V. and
Queen Mary crowned, and James VI. passed his early years under the
tuition of George Buchanan ; and it was a favourite residence of all
the Stuarts, by whom the greater part of the present buildings were
erected. They compose a small square, one side of which, the
parliament hall, was built by James III., the palace by James V.,
the chapel (now the armoury) by James VI. The exterior of the
palace, embellished as it is by grotesque busts, fanciful statues
and columns, affords a curious specimen of the bizarre and fantastic
taste of the period. The castle mounts twenty-nine guns; and the
armoury contains 15,000 stand of arms and a few reliques of Scottish
story, the most interesting of which is a pulpit of rude workmanship
shown as Knox's pulpit.
On the Gallow Hill, a mound on the eastward of the castle, Duncan,
Earl of Lennox, the Regent Duke of Albany, his son Walter, and his
son-in-law and grandson, were beheaded in May 1425; while Douglas'
room, looking into the governor's garden, was the scene of the
Earl's murder by James II. Stirling rock and castle are very
imposing in appearance from many points, but especially from the
vicinity of the field of Bannockburn, on the Glasgow road ; and the
view from the castle is perhaps unequalled in Scotland, combining
with great extent and extreme fertility a magnificent range of
mountains lining the upper portion of the valley, while the spacious
and luxurant plain at the head of the Firth gradually ascends on the
south in receding slopes of the same highly cultivated character. In
this direction the eye roams over a spacious flat of the highest
fertility ; ascending, on the south, in a far reaching inclination
of the same character, and to the east, giving place to the waters
of the Firth, with Edinburgh looming in the distance.
Northwards, the moderately elevated sides of the valley conduct to
the splendid mountain screen formed by Ben Ledi, Ben Vorlich, Ben
Lomond, and other alps. The convoluted windings of the river; the
strange contortions of which may be judged of from the fact, that
they lengthen the distance by water to Alloa to twenty in place of
six miles, betoken the dead level of the surrounding plain.
Altogether a richer prospect cannot be conceived, nor can there be a
point of view more favourable, commanding an unobstructed range in
every direction. A hollow below the castle parade, called "the
Valley," was the scene of the joust and tournament, where beauty oft
has dealt the prize to valorous achievement. At the lower end of the
parade is an antique square edifice, with central court and
extinguisher turrets, shooting up from the interior angles. It
belonged originally to the Earls of Stirling, and afterwards to the
Argyle family. Not far from it, at the head of Broad Street, is a
ruinous structure called "Marr's Work," built, about 1570, with
stones from Cumbus Kenneth Abbey. Beside it stands a handsome Gothic
church, built by James IV., the chancel of which was added by
Cardinal Beaton. King James VI. was crowned in the church, and the
coronation sermon was preached by John Knox. All these buildings are
near the brink of the rock, along the face of which a terraced walk
is carried round the castle. On the plain below is a circular mound,
the Knott, known as King Arthur's Round Table, once the centre of
courtly pastime.
You can read the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/travel/guide/part4.htm
All of these can be read at
http://www.electricscotland.com/travel/guide/
Public Entertainers
-------------------
A chapter from the book "The Scot in America".
The chapter starts...
IN the course of the present work we have several times mentioned
the name of women who have, for some laudable reason or other,
acquired publicity or deserved remembrance. But even with the
mention of these, scant justice has been done to the claims of "the
lassies" to a share in all that has made the Scottish name honorable
in America. It may not therefore be inappropriate to make the ladies
the text for one chapter in this book, and in the few names we will
mention we are sure it will be seen that the fair sex has not been
behind the other in good deeds and kindly ways. It is, of course,
difficult to get information regarding women's work, for most of
them prefer to do what good they can without attracting publicity,
and in the quiet of the domestic circle many matters have been
suggested and planned and projected which have done grand work in
the world. The Scotch-woman is naturally a housewife, bending her
energies to the care of the home in which she is recognized as
queen, and planning and contriving day out and day in for the
comfort of those who look to her for all the pleasures which are
associated with domestic life. If she be blessed with children her
whole heart goes out to them, and in the development of their minds,
their physical and mental progress, as well as their material
welfare, she devotes herself with a degree of self-abnegation which
is one of the highest and grandest tributes to the real majesty of
her sex. But for having been left a widow, with a young family
totally unprovided for, it is questionable if Mrs. Grant of Laggan
would ever have aspired to the honors of authorship or emerged from
the happy obscurity of her own fireside. That wonderful and
irrepressible production of nature and art generally called "a woman
with a mission" has her representatives in and out of Scotland, but
as a general rule Scotswomen who have become famous have become so
by force of circumstances bringing into action their innate
sentiments of patriotism, charity, and love. Outside of the people
of the stage and concert platform, and, of course, outside of the
woman with the aforesaid mission whose vanity is the cause of all
her silliness, we never yet heard of a Scotswoman who started out in
life or cut out a career for herself with the idea of becoming
famous or of even acquiring undue publicity. The fame which has come
to so many of them has been the result of work well (lone, of
service to God and humanity faithfully rendered, and of simple,
trustful devotion to duty in whatever sphere and circumstances they
happened to be placed.
You can read the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/scotinamerica_chap12.htm
Men of Letters
--------------
A chapter from the book "The Scot in America".
The chapter starts...
In the gallery of Scottish-American men of letters no name stands
higher, no personality was more impressive, no life was more useful,
than that of James McCosh, the gifted President of Princeton
College, N. J. He settled in America in the fullness of his powers,
and from the (lay of his arrival gave himself up wholly to it. He
not only strove to place Princeton among the world's great seats of
learning, but lie gave to America a system of philosophy, based upon
the old common-sense school of Scotland, which, if followed out and
studied with the closeness it deserves, will give a new trend to
American thought and scholarship, and to American metaphysical study
an individuality of its own. His administration of Princeton was a
model one. During his tenure of office he reorganized the whole
routine at the college, extended its curriculum, rebuilt most of its
halls, and when he laid down the Presidency it was second in point
of equipment, number of students, standing of Faculty, and moral
tone to no university establishment in America. Considered simply as
a man of letters, Dr. McCosh by his writings did much to advance
American scholarship, and his two volumes on "Realistic Philosophy"
and the one on "First and Fundamental Truths" are probably the most
important contributions yet made to higher American thought. "The
time has come for America to declare her independence in philosophy"
formed part of one of the opening sentences of the former work, and
the foundation of such a system was the purpose of his later
writings—the work of all his closing years.
But, full of American fervor as he was, he never lost his devotion
to his native land, and what Scot abroad ever sent back to the
country of his birth a grander memorial of his love than did Dr.
McCosh when he published his invaluable history of "Scottish
Philosophy"? As he well said in its preface: "This work has been
with me a labor of love. The gathering of materials for it and the
writing of it, as carrying me into what I feel to be interesting
scenes, have afforded me great pleasure, which is the only reward I
am likely to get. I publish it as the last, and to inc the only
remaining, means of testifying my regard for my country—loved all
the more because I am now far from it—and my country's philosophy,
which has been the means of stimulating thought in so many of
Scotland's sons." To understand Dr. McCosh's life work, too, it must
not be forgotten that he was a zealous and devoted minister of the
Gospel. That fact he himself not only never forgot, but lie placed
its duties above all others. In the preface to his "Gospel Sermons,"
published in 1888, he sufficiently enunciated this when he said:
"Hitherto my published works have been chiefly philosophical. But,
all along, while I was lecturing and writing on philosophy, I was
also preaching. I am anxious that the public should 'know that, much
as I value philosophy, I place the Gospel of Jesus Christ above it."
You can read the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/scotinamerica_chap13.htm
Among the Poets
---------------
A chapter from the book "The Scot in America".
The chapter starts...
FOR a variety of reasons, it is a difficult matter to reflect in a
single chapter any true idea of the variety and value of the
contributions which Scotsmen in America have made to the poetic
wealth of the continent. We hold that, even though the Scottish
poets domiciled in America continue to write in their native Doric,
and though their utterances are redolent of Scotland, it is American
literature that is enriched by their song. Time has shown that it is
seldom the song uttered on the soil of the New World is carried back
across the sea: indeed, the instances of that could be counted on
the fingers of one hand, and the Scot in America who commits the sin
of rhyme has mainly to look to the land in which he lives for a
clientage, and for that meed of praise which he regards as his due.
Scottish-American singers have been, in proportion to their numbers,
as plentiful as their brothers at home, and, while for none can be
claimed the possession of the very highest gifts, yet there are not
a few whose songs have added to the pleasantness of life and the
brightness of the world: and by the Scottish-American writers of the
passing clay there are many songs being contributed to the national
anthology which will live for, at least, some years after the
singers have laid down the harp and Joined the silent realms—to
us—of the great majority. We do not join in the cry against mediocre
poets and poetasters and the like. Every honest effort, no matter in
what direction, ought to be encouraged rather than sneered at, and
even if a man's song does no more than soften and mellow his own
heart, or afford a glint of happiness to his ain ingleside, the song
has not been written in vain. By constantly tuning the harp a song
might be evolved, even by chance, to which the world will listen;
but, if not, there is an exalted pleasure in the work for the
worker. Men who even "dabble" in poetry are rarely found in any
ranks but those who are earnestly striving to make the world better.
Even when they are not, the moral of their fall is so evident that
the life-story is of some value to the world.
You can read the rest of this chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/scotinamerica_chap14.htm
Loch Etive and The Sons of Uisnach
----------------------------------
By R. Angus Smith (1885)
A new book we're starting and I have the first chapter up for you to
read. We've also been supplied a few pictures of the Glen and you'll
find a link at the foot of the index page to some notes and pictures
supplied by Robert Allan.
I might add that this is the area that my own people settled for
many years so is of interest to myself as well :-)
Here is the Preface of the book...
THIS book was begun as the work of holidays, and was intended to be
read on holidays, but there is not the less a desire to be correct.
The primary object is to show what is interesting near Loch Etive,
and thus add points of attachment to our country. There is so much
that is purely legendary, that it was thought better to treat the
subject in a manner which may appear preliminary rather than full,
going lightly over a good deal of ground, and, from the very nature
of the collected matter, touching on subjects which may at first
appear childish. It is believed that to most persons the district
spoken of will appear as a newly discovered country, although passed
by numerous tourists. The landing of the Irish Scots has held a very
vague place in our history, and it is interesting to think of them
located on a spot which we can visit and to find an ancient account
of their King's Court, even if it be only a fanciful one written
long after the heroes ceased to live. The connection of Scotland and
Ireland, previous to the Irish invasion, is still less known, and to
see any mention of the events of the period by one who may
reasonably be supposed to have spoken in times which for Scotland
can scarcely be called historic, excited much surprise and interest
in the author of this volume, and it is believed will be pleasing to
those who for the first time read the account of the children of
Uisnach.
These two eras belong to the earliest notices of our land. The first
mentioned has generally been noticed by historians, but little has
been said to make us think it real. The other has not passed into
history, and it stands at present as our very first account of a
connection between Scotland and Ireland which seems to be authentic,
although despised as belonging only to Bardic legends. The dreamy
state in which the accounts come to us, has led to a desire not to
use either the historic or severely critical style in this volume.
In the discussion relating to places the wish has been to avoid
arguments well known, and as friends have in some cases communicated
new ones, these have been chiefly retained as more interesting. The
importance given in the main legends to Bards and Druids has led the
author to say something of them. It has been his aim whilst
beginning with the more distant allusions native to these lands, to
describe, after frequent visits and investigations, the remains of
antiquity of a pre-historic character as they now appear near Loch
Etive, connecting, by historic theories, the larger body of Celts in
Europe with the people who were the actors in that region. He wishes
to shew that it has required several races to make up the population
of countries called Celtic, judging either from their early history
or from their present condition.
The slightness of the older materials affected in various ways the
mode of treatment, and it was decided to bring together several
persons to represent the various views. A Highlander, of course, was
necessary to skew part of the ground, but an Irishman was equally
required—indeed nearly all the Celtic literature quoted is Irish. A
Lowlander was brought to give unbiassed opinions, and he brings
three of his family to vary the tone of thought or mode of
observation. All, however, take interest in the district, and are
supposed to have given to the subject some previous attention. A few
of the names are spelt in various ways by writers of good standing,
and the author sometimes thought it well not to confine himself to
one form, when it does not spew any quality that gives it
prominence.
You can read the first chapter at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/etive/index.htm
Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Kent
-------------------------------------------------------
Our thanks to Nola Crewe for transcribing these for us.
This week we've added...
Richardson, John at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/kent/richardson_john.htm
And that's it for now and hope you all have a good weekend :-)
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com
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