Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-31
PROF. ALLAN CURR.


first lecture IN NASHVILLE, his SuOfec being
sThe Scotch C~oyenanters, Their Heroes
and Heroines," ana certainly a more enter
tanning lecture has not been delivered in
this city for many years.
The history of the CoyenanteTs is of
thrilling interest, and to hear the incidents
of that strange epoch in the history Of tie
Christian religion narrated BY a descendent
of that people is a rare privilege.
The lecturer was introduced by DR..
Baird. and began his discourse by relating
of story of his being told By a coekney,
lust as he was about to sail for this country,
hat "'Hamerica is in her h~infancy SER
she's in her hinfancy, y to which he, the
lecturer, responded by telling the story of
the two giants, IN Of whom, aScotchman,
was twenty-five feet high, while the other,
an Irish giant, wa but fifteen. One day
the Scottish giant thought he would cross
the channel, visit the Irish giant and
spunch his head" The latter
was very much frightened when
he heard him coming, and
asked his wife what he should DO, to which
she replied that if he would follow her in
structions she would get him out Of the
scrape. After some demuTTing on his part,
she cot him safely tucked into bed, before
the Scottish giant reach ID the house. When
the latter came in h~ethundered and stormed
and Incurred tor the Irish giant, to which
the wife replied that he had gone out and
wouldn't be back for a long time. Finally,
10 ouiet him, she told him he would wake
her baby with his laundering aud stOrming
around, and, after some talk, induced him
To 90 up stairs and look at her baby. When
he was shown the form Of the Irish giant,
fifteen feet long, covered up in the bed
clothes. he said: "NNell, if the baby is as
BIG as that, | don'twant TO meet the father"
ard returned home at once. If America is
In her infancy, what will she be when she
attains her full growth?
THE HEROES OF SCOTLAND
were not Kings, nor Princes, nor statesmen
they were noblemen. they were Gods
children. They believed that
HFThose who would be free,
Themselves must strike the blow"
The two great churches Of England and
Scotland at the time in question were the
PRESBYTERIAN Church in Scotland and the
Protestant Episcopal Church in England.
When Harry the eighth struck at popery,
he only tried TO take the place OF the Pope
at the head q. the Ecclesiastical army
which then overTaH England. The PresOy-
terrain of Scotland differed radically from
the ~Episcopalian ofEngland. When James
the First attempted TO fOist EpiScopacy
upon Scotland, hemet with great opposition,
but he was able, apparently at least, TO
succeed, and episcOpacy was established by
law, and when he offered leading Presby-
terrain preachers bishOpric with their large
salaries, he found some Of them willing to
accept.
Charles the First followed King James.
He e~ndeavored to carry out the principles
of his father and in this endesyOr he lost
his throne and afterwards his life. During
his reign a dean was attempting to read a
collect in a large church in Edinburg when
an old woman, known as cid Jenny,
threw her three legged stool at him and
knocked him out of the pulpit. a general
melee ensued, troops were marched n the
building and the congregation dispersed by
| force, but out of this grew an organized et-
fort to overthrow EpiscOpacy in Scotland.
The 1st of March, 1898, was a day 20 be
long remembered in Scotland, for on that
day the basis of the Presbyterian Church
was signed at the church Of Gray Friars,
Edinburg, signed by thousands and thou
sands of people, not a few opening their
veins to sign their names in blood, vowing,
with uplifted hands and streaming eyes to
devote their all TO the service Of God. The
crowd became so great finally, that the
| parchment was taken out into the church
ward and there spread out upon a stone slab
| which may be seen to this day.
Scotland has reason to be more proud OF
HER POETS AND POETRY
| than any other nation On earth. IL we
knew nothing more tonight of these Scotch
| C~oyenanters than the knowledge We gel
through their wild, thrilling, pathetic
hvmnS. we would know enOUghtO convince
us that they were a healthy, vigorous peo-
pie. with a strong faith and an imagination
which became in their days oftrial terribly
| sublime.
We are told in the old country that we
| Scotchmen should venerate Charles the
| First as a royal martyr. HypOcrite, traitor
| false to England and dOubly false to Scot
land. He was one of those men who held
| the sword of justice, when he should have
felt its edge. After him came Oliver CrOm-
well. He fought battles with these Cove
nanters, generally defeating them, until he,
too, fell.
Charles the Second followed. Episco-
pacv was re-established. BOnfires were
built all over the land. This was especial
" the case in Edinburg, and We find our
old friend Jenny, who had thrown her
stool at the deans head, thoroughly con-
verted to Episcopaey and so enthusiastic
in that direction that she not only threw
her stool into the bonfire, but her fruit
stall also. Then came a time when the
COyenanters met in the wild recesses of the
mountains, by romantic streams and in
dark caverns, and were hunted down by
relocated dragons. Among the most
blood-thirSty and cruel of these prosecutors
was Clayeranas, of whom Edgar a. Poe
said, describing his death aud entry into
hell: