Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-08-16
nli steIlaneous.
NOTABILITIES IN SCOTLAND FIFTY
YEARS AGO.

at occurred to me several years ago, as q pity
that no private account should DO preserved OF the
distin guished men or important events that had
marked the progress of Scotland. or at least OF
Edinburg, during my stay. | had never made n
single note with a view to such a record. But
about 1921 l began to recollect and inquire"
as the friend and biographer Of Jefry, and the
companion of the gifted founders OF the EdtnJmg
Rerietc.
Or. CHALMERS.
Another luminary, which for several years had
been attracting notice, was now fixed in our Scot
fish sky-I mean Thomas Chalmers. | have known
him long and pretty well. There can scarcely be
q more curious man, He is awkward, and has a.
low, rough, husky voice, n cultural articulation, al
whitish eye, and u large. dingy countenancc. In
point Of mere feature, it would not be difficult to
think him ugly. But he is saved from this, and
made Interesting and loveablc, by singular modes
~, kindness and simplicity of manner, a strong
expression of calm thought ana benevolence, a.
forehead so broad that ii seems to proclaim itself
the seat of great intellect, a love of humor, and an
indescribable look of drollery when anything lu-
dicrous comes over him.
In spite of the external disadvantages Of a bad
figure, voice, gesture, and look, and an unusual
plainness of Scotch accent he is a great orator; for
effect, indeed, at the moment Of speaking, unap-
preached ii our day. Yet he seldom uttcrs an ex-
temporaneous word. His habit is to have every
thing written, to the very letter.
have often hung upon his words with a beating
heart and a fearful eye, without being brought 10
my senses sill | read next day tho very syllables that
had move d Inc to such admiration, but which then
seemed cold. The magic lies in the concentrated
intentensity which agitates every fibre of the man,
and brings out his meaning by words and empha-
sis of significant force, and rolls his magnificent
periods clearly and irresstibly along, and kindles
the whole composition with living fire. lie no
sooner approaches the edge of his high region, than
his animation makes the commencing awkward
ness be forgotten, and then converts his external
defects into positive advantages, by showing the
intellectual power that overcomes them and get
ting us at last within the flames of his enthusiasm,
Jefuey's desc ription, that che buried his adversa,
ries under the fragments of burning mountaius,'
is the only image that suggests an idea of his
eloquent magma ion and terrible energy. Person
ally, he appears to me to be sim pie, affectionatel
and true, devoted to useful objects, and utterly un-
spoiled by applause. | was so much struck with
the wisdom and energy of his system for the man
agement of the poor, that | wrote an article in ex-
nlanation and defence of it.
SLAVERY IN SCOTLAND.
There are few people who now know that so
recently as 1899 there were slaves in this country.
Twenty-Five years before, that is, in lII5, there
must have been thousands o. them for this was
then the condition of all colliers and s%alters.
they were literally slaves. They could not be
killed or directly tortured but they belonged like
the serfs of an Olden time, to their respective works,
wy MhiCt bbVI Z "a WV 90 u DnAt "a bN Ooi if6
With q few very rigid exceptions, the condition of
the head of the family was the condition of the
whole house. For though a child, i neCe1 entered
with the work, was free, yet entering was its nat
aral aad almost certain destination for its doing
so was valuable to its father, and its getting into
any other employment in the neighborhood was re
sisted by the owner. So that wives, daughters
and sons went on from generation to generation
ander the system which was the family doom. Of
course it was the interest of q wise master to use
llInr, ,,niA aS 4 . was r., Q tIa pthpr pnffln wpl1
But, as usual, the human animal had the worst OF
it. 1t had rights and could provoke by abiding to
them. 1t could alarm and mutiny. 1t could not
be slain, but it had no protection against fits OF
tyranny or anger, We do not know much of their
exact personal or domestic condition. But we
know what their work makes them even when they
are free, and within the jealous benevolence of n
softer aye. We know that they formed a seperatc
and avoided tribe, as to a great extent they still do,
with u language and habits of their own. And we
know what slavery even in its best form is, and
docs. The completeness of their degradation il
disclosed by one public fact, The statute in l70l
which has been extolled. as the Scotch habea'
corpus, proceeds on the preamble that "Our sover
eign lord considering that it is the interest of al
lis good subjects that the liberty of ,heir persons
be duly secured" Yet, while introducing regula
tions against "wrongous Imprisonment, and undue
delays in trials, 1.-THE statute contains these words
And sichlike it is hereby provided and declared
that this present act is in no ways to be extended
TO collicrs and salters." That is, being slaves
ehey had no personal liberty to protect.
These facts enable us to understand the hered
itaTy biackguardism which formed the secondary
nature of these fixed, underground gipsies and
the mysterious horror with which they wore regard
ed, and which in a certain degree attaches to all
subterranean labOrers.
The first link of their chain was broken in l775
by the 18th act Of George the Third, chapter %. |
sets out on the preamble that 'many golfers anC
salters are in a state of slavery and bondage
1t emancipates future ones entirely, that is, thos,
who, after the LIST of July, l775, shall begin T.
work as GOLFERS and salters." But the existin!
ones were only liberated gradually those unde
twenty-one IL seven years those between twenty
one and t~hirty-fve in ten years. The liberation o
the father was declared to liberate his family
And the freed were put under the act of l70l
But this measure, though effective in checking ney
slavery, was made very nearly useless in its appli
cation to the existing slaves by one of its condi
lions. Instesd Of becoming free by mere lapse O
time, no slave obtained his liberty unless he inst
tuted a legal proceeding in the sherih's court, anc
incurred all the cost, delay and trout lie of a law
suit; his capacity to do which was extinguisheC
by the iuvaria5le system of masters having thei,
werkmen ia their debt. The result was that il
general the existing share was only liberated b,
death.
But this last link was broken in Jnne, 1899, b.
the 39th George Third, chan. Sc, which enacte
that from aud after its date 'all the GOLFERS i
Scotland, who were hound GOLFERS at the passing
the 18th George Third, chap. %, shall be fire
frou, tkeir servitude." This ann;hilated tn
relic.
SCHOOLGIRLS OF HORNER AND SRouGMAM.
Not orc Of the boys Of my class has reache
any great eniuence; which, indeed, has been a
tanned by only two boys whe were at any of til
classes Of the High School ia my time. Thes
two we're Francis iIoruer and Henry Broughan
Hcrner, with whom J was ia the reetOr's class fo
ono yeSE, vas then exactly what he continued afte,
wards to be-grsve, studiOus, honorable, kind
steadily puIsSing his owR cultivation e~verythiu
he did marked 10y thOuShtfuiness aad creatures,
Before ieaSiag the school we subscribed for a BOOB
which re presented ia the rector proceedin
then unprecedent- II fell 10 norner as tue dat
10 give il, and he never acquitted hisseif better
II was on ia, day OF the public examination, an