The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-11-10
Sir Walter Scott.


In the year III, there was born i
the City of Edinburgh the little chill
who grew to be known throughout tn
world as Sir Walter Scott, the grea
writer and poet. Both his parents wer
highly educated persons. and perhar
this influenced the tastes and habits i
which their son grew up. At about th
age of eighteen months he lost the use @
his right leg, after severe attack @
fever; but though he was ever afte
lame, he was wonderfully brave an
active as he grew older. Those earlies
days were spent in his grandfather
house at Sandy Knowe, and while h
stayed at the old farm he would go wit
the COW baltic and roll about on tn
grass for hours among the herds an,
flocks, making friends with the sheel
and lambs, who soon knew the littl
lame boy One of those days he was for
gotten among the crags, and thunde
storm came on; but when his aunt re
membered where he was, and hastenet
herself in search of him, she found hin
lying happily on his back, watching tn,
lightning and crying Bonny! bonnyP
at every flash. 1@t
His grandmother used to tell him the
old Border tales which she had heard il
her own childhood, and so the names OF
jamie Teller and other heroes were
familiar to him, and he could repeat long
pieces by heart from the stories and
ballads with which his Aunt Janet
amused him.
When he was about four years old
Walter was taken to Bath, with the hope
that the mineral waters might cure his
lameness, but very little change took
place. In 1779 the lad returned to
Edinburgh and was sent to the High
School there, where he was placed in the
second class, which contained some very
good scholars, among whom Scott be-
came general favorite, from his mirth-
fulness and fun; besides, in winter he
could tell any number of tales as they
sat round the fire in a circle listening to
him. Of himself, he says that he dis
gusted his kind master" by his negli-
gence and frivolity as much as he pleased
him by his intelligence and talent.
One tale which Scott has now and then
told of his school daysis this: "There
was boy in my class" he says, "who
stood always at the top, and with all my
efforts | could not get above him. Days
passed, but still he kept his place, do
what would but at last noticed that
whenever II question was asked him
he fumbled with his fingers at par
ticular button on his waistcoat. In an
evil moment | removed it with a knife.
When the boy was again questioned his
4 he IN ,..h Il.
distress he looked down for 1t, but it was
not to be seen, aud as he stood con-
founded took his place, nor did he ever
guess who was the author of his wrong.
Often in after life has the sight of him
smote me as | passed by him, and
/ resolved to make hi m some repara-
ton, but it always needed in good reso-
luton"
When thirteen years old, young Scott
first read Percys Reliques, and this work
had great effect in making him poet ;
still, before this time he had tried his
hand at verse making, some of which at
tempts were found in after days. The
rupture of blood vessel laid him on his
bed for many weeks, and then his great
amusement was reading; for he tells us
he did nothing else from morning till
night, unless some one was charitable
enough to play chess with him. From a
circulating library in Edinburgh he OBJ
tanned many old romances and plays,
and when tired of these he turned to his
tories, voyages and travels, and thus
acquired quantity of ill-arranged in
formation, which proved useful to
the literary work to which he devoted
his life, and which has made his name
famous.
In 1892 he was called to the bar as an
advocate; but he had very little practice.
His literary life had really begun, which
lasted six-and-thirty years. In 1905 he
gave to the public the clay of the Last
Minstrel" and became the poetical fa-
vorite of the day. Marmion," the
Lady OF the Lake." and other poems
followed. In 1914 he published the his
torical novel of "Waverly," but for
several years it was "a secret that be was
the author of the book, who was spoken of
as " the Great Unknown" In the next
few years he published with his name
several similar romances, among them
"Rob Roy" and "The Heart Of Mid
l0Unldn. lie aSSlstcu III btdI UiuS liz
Quarterly Review"
To his pen he owed his land and castle
at Abbotsford, and from 1920 to 1926 he
lived there like one of his own feudal
chiefs; but in 1926 there came a COM
mercial crash, and the publishers of his
books became bankrupt, and he was
found to be liable for vast debt. Scott
set himself nobly to work to repayit. He
overtasked his strength in the effort, and
in 1882 breathed his last at Abbotsford,
leaving behind him name which will
never be forgotten.
In the Jurisprudence department