The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-12-06 00:00:00

THE SCOTTISH CORPORATION.

The two hundred and fifteenth anniversary festival of the
Scottish Corporation was held on Monday night in the Free-
masons' Hall, in London. Covers were laid for between 300
and 400 gentlemen, many of whom were in Highland cos-
tume, and the proceedings were graced by the presence in
the gallery of a considerable number of ladies,

The Earl of Rosebery occupied the chair, and in
giving the toast of the evening, "The Scottish Cor-
poration," said it had often struck him as a mar-
vellous feature in the national character of the Scottish
people that when their more mercurial neighbours
and fellow-subjects in Ireland were agitating for Home
Rule there had never been any demand of that kind
in the beloved land across the Tweed. (Cheers.) It
was not for him to put before them the benefits which
would arise from Home Rule in Scotland (a laugh),
but he might endeavour to indicate in the country in
which they sojourned what a dangerous question that of
Home Rule would be for Scotchmen to tamper
with. What would occur? In Edinburgh they would
have a proud Parliament with all the modern im-
provements—(laughter) ; with a House of Lords, a
House of Commons, an Opposition, a gangway, a
Black Rod, and Heaven only knew what beside.
(Laughter.) The City would be rent asunder in the
middle of its summer—when it had a summer
(laughter)—by the competing attractions of a House
of Lords, a House of Commons. three General
Assemblies, and very likely an Episcopal Synod
(laughter); and that House of Lords and that House)
of Commons would have the benefit of dealing com-
prehensively and intelligently with the political
questions which were dear to themselves, but the
very names of which, in the ears of South-
erners, were such as to forbid their entertainment
(Laughter.) There was, however, a dark contrast to
this pleasing picture. Let them think of the country
they would have to leave, Suppose that, like Israel,
they were to pass out of the Land of Goshen, and that
they took with them their songs, their dishes (laugh-
ter), their musical instruments (laughter), their dances
—why, they would not leave to England as much as
the wooden figure at the door of a snuff-shop.
(Laughter.) St. Andrew's day would then be kept on
this side of the border as a fast, and the Burns anni-
versary as a day of national humiliation. (Laughter.)
Every now and then tidings would reach the people of
England of magnificent goings on in Saotland—of
splendid festivities in the northern capital, of
brilliant debates in the purest Doric (laughter),
of concerts at which nothing was heard but
the sound of the bagpipes (laughter), of balls
at which nothing was danced but the " Houli-
chon " (laughter), and where the kilted leader
of the Opposition was seen, forgetting his
grievances against the Prime Minister, in a blue
bonnet over a glass of whisky toddy—(laughter)—the
savour o f which would not be forgotten by Southerners.
Laughter.) Such a project as that, if they could
entertain it at all, would, however, be selfish.
(Laughter.) They had no right to indulge themselves
at the expense of others—(laughter)—and, by depriving
England of their pleasant nreeence, they would be
shutting, so to speak, "the gates of mercy on mankind"
(Cheers and laughter.) Passing from the region of
fancy to that of fact, he must now make an earnest
appeal on behalf of the prosperity of the Corporation in
connection with which the present company had assem-
bled. That prosperity had been somewhat clouded by
one of those melancholy calamities which could not have
been foreseen or provided against—he referred to the
fire in Crane-court. The walls of a new structure
were rising; and i; would be a disgrace to Scotchmen
if that edifice were allowed to be completed as a mort-
gaged building. It was hoped that the work would
be finished in May next; a sum of £5,000 was still re-
quired to meet the expense; and he had no doubt
that his countrymen, not only in London—which was
a nation in itself—but elsewhere would readily provide
funds necessary for the purpose in view (cheers.) After
all, however, it was not wealth which had made
Scotchmen what they were—a great people. There were
other qualities which had achieved for them the position
they held. (Hear, hear). It was not wealth, for in-
stance, that had prospered smaller nations than Scot-
land, such as Switzerland and Montenegro. That
which made nations great, that which kept Switzer-
land and Montenegro independent, while surrounded
by powerful neighbours, had not been wealth, arms,
men, or population, but union, determination, and
energy; and the present was no bad occasion for
proving that the traditions of those qualities, here-
ditary in the Scotch nation, had not languished in our
day. (Loud cheers)
In the course of the evening, subscription were an-
nounced to the amount of £2,9oo—including a dona-
tion of 100 guineas from the Queen.