Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-08-16
Matuhman & Journal.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST l6, 1877.
TEnNs $40 per year, strictly In advance or t25o
fnot paid within three months.
Sir Walter Scott.


Sir Walter Scott.
One hundred years ago, August, 10, III,
Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh,
ninth son Of Walter Scott, writer to the
signct'--that is, a profession corresponding
to the highest grade Of lawyers in England
The father was a rigid Calvinist in religion
dignfod in his manners, but of singular
kindness of heart, and independent as to 100.
perty and the mother was well educated for
women Of the time, remarkable for her talents,
but as rigid and formal as her husband
Walter the poet and author was the third
living SON. and naturally received no literary
culture beyond his older brothers who, how
ever, were well educated and became officers
in the British army Before his second year,
Walter became cripple by disease, and on
account OF the general delioacy Of his con-
stitution, he was removed to a farm on the
Tweed which was surrounded by natural
beauties Of scenery, crumblng towers, Dry.
burgh Abbey, and other objects Of historic in
terest Here, before his school days began,
he heard many tale and legend Of the border
and by such sights and teachings he became
when q school boy as he himself said, lin the
general preface to Waverly, written in 1922
distinguished as a teller of tales to his com.
ardes
1t was " at a time when the applause Of my
companions was my recompense for the dis
graces and punishmonts which the futur,
romance-wrter incurred for being idle him
self and keeping others idle during hour
that should have been employed on our tasks
The chief enjoyment Of my holidays was t.
escape with chosen friend, who had the sam,
taste with myself, and alternately to recite Il
each other such wild adventures as we wer,
able to devise We told, each in turn, inter
minable tales Of knight-errantry and battle
and entertainments, which we're continued from
one day to another, as opportunity offered
without our ever thinking Of bringing then
to a conclusion"
The father had intended the lad for biz
own profession, and gave him the best mean
in Edinburgh for that purpose. As schoo
boy, he had for teacher Alexander Adam
LID, head master of the High School a
Edinburgh aud compiler Of Roman Antiqui
attt, I and otbae p,h,,l bob.
{ Then he went through a University course
and next a course of law studies, and in July
1892, was admitted to the bar. But Walter
/, had no taste for the classics, or the sciences
or even for the profession designed for him
At eight years of age he had had six years
Z Of country life, and this had decided his fate
" The boy was father to the man, and tn,
truant story.teller of the High School becam,
the greatest romance-writer of the age. I'm
der any after circumstances the sights and
stories of his earliest life would had influenced
him in all future time but this influence was
powerfully supplemented by an accident in
his student days, which entailed long illness.
Then he read every work of fiction he could
find in a circulating library. OF this he
wrote " as my taste and appetite were graft
fed in nothing else, Unidentified myself by
becoming glutton of books. Accordingly,
believe | read almost all the romances, old
plays and epic poetry, in that formidable
collection, and no doubt was unconsciously
amassing materials for the task in which it
has been my lot to be so much employed"
OF course this was all against success OF
eminenee in the profession he was formally
intended and educated for, and he never
achieved either in it but his bent and geniu.
gave him richer fruits than his profession
ever could have done, even under the most
favorable circumstances.
SCOTS first literary publication was il
l796-ago % ; and pecuniarily it was a fail.
ure 1t was only a translation. His first
success was measured by exactly eos ant
then his destiny was fixed in his own estima
ton set up like hawker, on the strength
/ of couple of ballads
On Christmas eve, 1897, Scott marie,
Miss Margaret Carpenter, daughter of Johl
: Carpenter Of Lyons, France, and removed t,
a Lasswade few miles east of Edinburgh, an,
u in 1904 he removed TO residence Gale,
It " Ahiestiel," on the banks of the Tweed
n Here he dwet until 1872, and in that perio
= wrote the principal works on which his fam
+. as poet rests. These were, doubtless tn
h happiest years of his life his wife and chi
it dren healthy and in high spirits his poet
y fame established; and the leisure of his dali
"a life spent in enjoying the beauty and bouni
4. of nature, without the annoyanees of nois
al and nasty streets.
be Lockhart describes " Ahiestiel" with fe
r. touches that bring the whole scene before Il
10 eye.
q. " \ more beautiful situation for the home of
N. poet he says " could not be conceived 4
: house was then a small one hut compared wi
o. the cottage at lAsswade, its Accommodations we
IN amply sufficient You approached II throul
~ an old fashioned garden, with holly hedges Al
IN hruNu green teflhce NhlkHs On one sluc, clu
r1 under the windows, is a deep nyine, clothed wi
venerable trees, down which a mountain ryul
lu is heard, more than seen, in Its progress to t
he Tweed The river itself is separated from /
?" high bank on which the house stands only By
a narrow meadow of the richest yerdnre Oppos
and all around, are the green hills. The vail
h there is narrow and the aspect, in every directiC
lg is that Of perfect pastoral repose
lr' Byron had then achieved fame as pc
~, aud Scott chose another field Of literatu
al still better suited to his genius, and gave
for it all his power, Between July I, lsl4, a
be June 1926, he wrote twenty-five Of his
Wy mances, and these had charmed all I
readers of the language throughout the wor
g.. There had never been such romances and 81
,ut the author was unknown" Tux GREAT
or KNOWN" The time had come, however,
ort Scott to throw away his disguise. His pr
1t fishers had failed, aud their fall entailed Il
The of the printing, house, in which Scott hims