The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-03-26
THE LAND O. CAKES.
sOME VERY QUAINT SPECIMENS OF
SCOTTISH HUNIOR.


Essence Of Scottish Pleasantry--
Clerical Vantering--Pithy Repartee--
Love Of Liquor.
A sixth edition Of Dean Ramsay's
"Reminiscences of Scottish Life and
Character" has been published.
The rambling but authentic and
vivacious pages of this volume
sparkle with the quaint sayings and
eccentric doings of coming Scots
men, in all ranks of society. The
Dean draws from other sources. but
very largely from his own expori~
enco of fifty years. A number of
anecdotes are here given:
There is no doubt that Scottish
pl easantry is scarcely scparable
from the dialect which clothes it,
and it may have been this circum
stance which led Sydney Smith to
affirm the absolute non-existence of
wit and humor in Scotland, He
used to say it required a surgical
operation to get a joke well into
Scotch understanding, and that
Scotchman's only idea of wit was
laughing immoderately at stated
intervals. Charles Lamb had the
same notion, and used to defend it
by his own experience at party in
the North, whore he was asked to
meet son Of Burns. While they
were waiting for the latter's APP
penrance, Lamb happened to re.
mark, in his dry monotone, ~ wish
it had been the father instead of the
son" upon which four Scotchmen
present with one voice exclaimed,
"That's impossible, for he's dead"
The pungency comes from the
Scottishness, from tho sly, inde-
pendent, unconcerned spirit of the
Scottish people. Take, for instance,
the characteristic answer given by
oountryman to traveller who, being
doubtful of his way, inquired if he
was on the right road to Dunkeld.
With some of the national inquisi-
tiveness, the peasant asked his
inquirer whore he came from.
Offended at this liberty, the
stranger sharply reminded the man
that whore he came from was
nothing to him. But all the answer
to be got out of tho Scotchman was
the quiet rejoinder, Indeed, then,
it's just as little to me whar yer
gaen.' We find the same quantity
Of dry Indifference in the answer
which Dom Ramsay heard given to
a fellow traveller. 4 gentleman
sitting opposite to him in stage
coach complained that the cushion
was wet, and, looking up to the
roof, discovered hole, which at
once accounted for the mischief.
In great wrath he reproached the
coachman for the evil under which
he suffered, and pointed to the holo
which wac the cause of it, but oil
the satisfaction he got was the un-
moved reply, GAY, mony mon has
complained of that hole" And
hero we may cite an example of the
cool view of o pecuniary transaction
expressed to Dean Ramsay's father
by tenant on rent day. Looking
over bundle of notes which had
just boon handed to him, Mr.. Ram
say said in banter: "James, the
notes are not correct;" to which
tho farmer answered dryly: II
dinna ken what they may be 400,
but they wero a RIGHT afore ye had
your fingers in amang EN-"
We find q number of anecdotes
pointed against houses wanting in
liberal and hospitable expenditure.
Thus VIC are told of q master having
a mansion of this kind, and taxing
his servant with being drunk. On
this occasion the latter was innocent
of the charge, having had no op
portunity to transgress. So when
his master asserted, "Jemmy, you're
drunk" Jenny dolefully answered,
"Indeed, sir, I wish T wur." At
another house, notorious for scanty
faro, q gentleman was inquiring of
the gardener about dog which
some time before he had given to
the laird. The gardener showed
him a lank greyhound, on which
the gentleman said, "No, no, the
dog I gave your master was, a.
mastiff, not q greyhound" To
which the fyardanar retnrne1 grave.