The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-16


storm was coming, but the wind was STILL In the
midst OF this uneventful time this transition period
between the old and the new. Walter scott was
born. the son OF walter Scott, Writer TO the Signet
in Edinburg. and Anne Rutherford. MIS- wife.
healthy boy, with nothing particular about linn,
only having
SOUND MIND IN SOUND BODY;
but before ne was two years old teeLhlng fever IN
some way or other, produced a lameuess OF MS
right leg, from which he never recovered, and his
venerable maternal grandfather, DR.. Ruthcrfor, pre-
scroed country ar Tor boy and ne was sent on TO
Sandy knowe the tarmOf his paternal grandfather,
Robert scott, who, beginning life as sailor. got
so thoroughly disguised from being shipwrecked on
his Hrst voyage ne gave up the profession aud
took the farm OF Sandy Knowe In Peebleshire. on
his own responsibility, borrowing ESQ from an old
shepherd 10 stock II. Ills shepherd ana ne went 10
buy sheep for sandy Knowe; nut whle the saep-
nerd looked after the sheep the farmer. Influenced
hunter. much to The shepherds dlsmay. However,
a few days after ne rode the horse 80 well to the
hounds that ne sold him on the field for 500, ana
the farm was then well stocked with sheep. The
SCOTS were
POoR BUT OF "GENTLEn BLOOD,
and there Is marked difference In this respect be-
tween Scotland and England. Scotland never had
any yeomanry class; the people were either "gen-
tle' or ''simple'-that is, eIner belonging. though
poor, to the gentry or "smplo'-that is, belonging
TO the peasantry; and however poor the former
class might be- they had altogether different
clal position from the peasantry from what their
poverty would have condemned them to In England.
Young Walter improved in health at Sandy Knowe
out slowly, and began early to mbioe n love tor old
tales and ballads OF the border, and to have aristo
cratic and antl-popuiar feelings. When the Amerl-
boy all against the cOOnists, aud he lOnged
hear of Washington being defeated.
The speaker then went on 10 give an interesting
sketch OF SCOTS early life and traced the develop
ment OF his literary tastes. ScottS poeiica tranSa
lions from the German and his "Minstrelsy Of the
Scottish Border, which appeared III 1902, and ''5ir
Trsiram," published In 1904, had rather involved
him IN expense tnan brought him any material ben
elt, while his hOSptable mode OF life even lii his
early married days mad involved him in debt, his
only Income OF the time being his wile's f4OO per
annum aud f3o0 which he enjoyed after December.
$780, as Sheriff Substitute OF SekirSshire His pro-
iessional gains as an advocate seem to have been
next TO nothing. lie must, therefore, have looked
forward with great anxiety TO the result of the pub
LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL"
which took place In January, 1895, and doubt the
Introduction to thar first OF his three great poems
portrayed with accuracy, n.u.atis rnutandis his
own feelings before that noble poem was gwen to
the public.
greatest OF SCOTS thrce great poems, ana by which
his name will be transmitted farther down the ages
than by any other OF his poetica works. i ought,
'Marmon' and of the Lady OF the Laken Scott
had established That great tory organ The London
Qudrtt9''p in OppOsltlOn TO the wing Eitnbarg Re
uteW and both exist with undiminishcd vitality to
our own day.
success less than 10000 copies being sold witnin
year after It's publication; ana this success was
main cause of
scoT1's PURCHASE OF ABBoTsFoRD
which again the Key to his terrible disaster in
1925; 80 that II mIsrortunes be often BLESSINGS IN
disguise, " great successes may, on the other hand
be tie first step to our greatest misfortunes.
The time would iail me to quote, In tho
brlefes, manner from the sayings OF the memoraple
but admirable secondary characters SCOTS
novels, such as Dominic Sampson, Dandic Din
Scott published beginning with the clay" and
ending with Harold the Daultess' eight
larger poems and several mlnnows. lie pub
lished in all twenty seven novels. beside
the life OF Bonaparte, lives of swift, Drgden,
&C., and memoirs, numberess essays songs. ball
can recoIlcct no word or expression in any Of them
which could bring blush into the cheek OF virgin
purity: What a change IN this respect bad taken
place during his time from what existed forty or
fifty years before You may recollect mis- story Of
his venerable kinswoman, hrs Keith OF KavclstOn,
VINO asked HIM to get from the Advocates Library
and read to her one OF MIS-. Aphea Belin's novels.
which in her youth she had read aloud In q mixed
company Of both sexes
= WITHOUT ANY FEELING OF IMPROPRlETY
Yet scott had scarcely begun to read before she
exclaimed, "Na, ma take ava yere Aphea Belin;
Icanna thOte her."
Chesterfield, writing to Madame du Boccage re.
speeding some French plays, says. in 1850, 1--WE do
plays and novels. Your stage Is TOO nice ana too
chaste 70 endure most OF our performances, which
carry not only freedom, but even licentiousness
beyond the bounds OF decency aud probability 1t
is chiefly owing to Sir Walter Scott that tue verdict
OF ls7l would reverse the dctum OF SIX score years
before.
It would be quito mistake to suppose that SCOTS
novels met with the universal approval OF his coun.
trymen. Many or THESE were dIspeased and shocked
at his sneers al the Covenanters; and I very well
recoect that after reading "Old Mortality to us,
my own iather gave as an antldote tile whole OF
woodrow's ''Suhernes Of the Kirk OF Scotland, !" la
two folio volumes, besides an occasional dose
OF the scottish Worthless"
Up TO the June of 1925 Scott had published twenty
one OF his twenty-soven novels, and IN the latter
part OF that year was engaged upon Woodstock"
little whiting the disaster that was Impending over
him. My own recollection or
THAT TERRIBLE YEAR
Is associated with great pleasure and happiness.
The mercantile house IN which l was most deeply
Interested was one OF the few that in that disas-
tTous year not only escaped unscathed when
Many thousands were ruined, but made very large
profits on cotton, and myself spent portion of
f.n hnt rtglnsV
party of bOtanistsyand minera0gists, the head OF
winch was DR.. Heoker afterwards Sir William Jack
Hooker, Professor OF Uotany in the University OF
Glasgow.
Tne storm did not actually burst upon scolts head
until January Ia, 1926 when, through the lnvolv-
ment Of the printing houses OF James Ballantyne K
Co., Of Edinburg, ana Mr.. Robinson, OF Louth--a
Of which concerns tailed IN that awful crisis-he
ruined and became personally liable Tor up
wards OF Eloo, 900 (el17O0ol He and hts partners
mghs have gone into bankruptcy, paid fair dlvi-
dend and got discharge from their creditors, Dut
sir walter nonQraply preferred to
DEVOTE ALL HIS FORTUNE
time and talents TO the noble e1deavof to pay his
creditors in lu II they would consent to give INN
opportunity, which they did. Lockhart, in his
Waiter acted with the feelings, not OF merchant
but Of a gentleman" thank COD that there are
hundreds Of merchants on both SIDES oil the Atlantic
who have acted and would act In precisely the same
way under similar circumstances Why Sir Walter
ever became trader has often been wondered AT,
especially by those who know that custom,
IL not law, Is opposed to any advocate
engaging IN trade. 1 suppose he became
q partner Of Joseph Baiianyne, Jr., partly from
friendship to the BalianVnes. but manly with
view to increasing ms own ways ana means. This
he conlesses very frankly In q letter to Locknart
dated 20th January, 1926 IN winch he explains That
OWING his predecessor in The CLERKS ONCE Of the
Court OF sessions having lived six years after Scott
had been nominated jointly with him TO that Office.
The agreement that Scott, while his predecessor
lived. was TO do all the work aud give him all the
pay, which agreement being carried out lett Scott
only his ESQ per annum from his sheriDshp ard
E4O0 OF Lady ScOtts ana what ne made from his
books, and in That earlier time he only got 5000 for
the lay and 81 00O FOR ''Marmlon," While all the
time ne was
SPENDING FREELY AND LIVING HOSPITALITY.
that there really was some excuse Tor him
ekeing out his means by trade II he had not kept
the matter such profound esecret. 10 seems to
have been OF the few weak points In Scotts
character 10 carry an extreme the last couplet OF
Burns advice to young friend:--
Ave free al hand your story tell
When WI bosom
But aye keep somethi ng TO yourself
le dinna tell to
Having gone INTO business he appears never TO
have taken any buslness-like supervision OF 1t.
but left entirely to the care carelessness, OF his