The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-14
acknowledgement
A WHEELING PHYSICIAN: IN
SCOTLAND.
uis observations During Three
Months SOjourn.
EDINDuRau, December 81, 1877.

iIIS observations lburlUS u1uFeo
Months S0jOurn.
EDINBURGH, December 81, 1877.
ELTON lniellIgenCcr. =.
Almost three months have slipped
avay since ] first set foot On this old land,
and in that time ] have 10 some limited
extent mingled with the people, both in
travel and in their homes. One oil my
earliest Impressions, the correctness OF
which has been confirmed by a larger OBJ:
seryution, as we'll as by the opinion Of
other Americans whom | have met here,
i. this: the Scotch people are very slow
and careful 10 making acquaintance with
strangers. This fact frat impressed me
during my trip through the Highlands.
was travelling and sight.seeing Tor a
week, most OF the travel being by boat,
which affords much better opportunities
for knowing ones fellow travellers than
do the rattlingrail cars, and yet liailed to
make the acquaintance Of a single Scotch
man. During the same trip, and with ex.
actly the same effort, | made a number
Of English acquaintance; and down in
England, with not half the opportunity,
and with no effort at all, / might say that
almost every Englishman ! came in con.
tact with became IN acquaintance, or at
least was willing and ready for friendly
social intercourse. The same character
i.tic difference Is noticed among the stu
dents here. II your next neighbor ia
laxative and friendly when you sit be-
side him, he is almost certain to be an
Englishman or Irisbman.
RIDING IN A STREET CAR.
While riding in a street car n day,
| CHANGED to make some allusion 10
nv having recently come owe from
America, when an elderly gentleman,
who had just seated himself opposite, ex:
claimed: "oh you should ride on top Of
the car, 40 as 10 get q better view OF the
city," 1.-THE cars all have EeatS on top.)
NV Scotch companion said to me, "that
man is an Englishman; nc Scotchman
would have addressed q stranger in that
style." These cautious Scotch p~eoplgmake
me think OF the old hens | used to see when
a boy in the country. They get sight oil
a bug on the ground, then stretch their
neck TO it, full length and with twisted
head peer down on the innocent victim
az II absorbed in settling the question
whether or not il was worth taking in.
This settled, the process is soon ended.
SO the Scotchman, when convinced that
you are q proper sort OF person, by letter
or other formal Introduction, does not
hesitate TO "take you i'm and do for you"
in very handsome style, as | have the
good fortune TO know by a number oil re.
cent very pleasant experience. The
bump Of caution. you see, ia quite large
" developed, that il all, and there Is no
lack olhospitaIity when one comes along
with proper credentials. This peculiar
ity, however, makes travelling in this
country rather less pleasant than in
England. While u certain degree
Of caution and reserve are very
desirable qualities a little Yankee
lo1uacity in those n meets with In
travel is also desirable, especially II they
chance 10 be familiar with the objects Of
interest one seeks 10 know something oil.
DON'T ENTHuss MUCH.
1t is also true, I think, that the average
ScOtchman il not so demonstrative as his
English brothers. As we Americans say,
he don't "enthuse" much unless he has
good cause. In my first letter spoke OF
The very hearty welcome ! received from
EnVlishmen, wherever | met them, as
o aa it was known that | was an Amer.
lean. No such feeling towards our coun-
try has been expressed to me here, nor
anywhere since l left England. And
there certainly Is no reason to suppose
that the people OF this country esteem
America or respect her institutions any
less highly than do the English. Hence i
think the absence OF any enthusiastic ex-
pressions Of iriendlines is due to the
little peculiarly noted above. Soon
after coming TO this city,. l pre-,
scented to q very distinguished
medical gentleman a card Of introdgc-
ton from a physician Of Philadelphia,
who is even more distinguished IN the
same special department. Not carefully
reading the card, he took me for the
American physicians son, and leyen
though | was The son Of such n iather)
said "sitdown; how's your tatherf r in so
chillingly Indifferent a manner, that in
ptinctively looked around for my hat
Before it was reached, however, i had dis
covered that the man had some little
warmth in his composition, and ever
though | was known,to be only IA humble
physician from the unknown city OF
Wheeling, instead Of the great doctors
Eon, much kindness was shown me. but in
very qniet way. The same undcmon-
strAtiveness il seen when n Is priyi-
legged 10 be for a time in the homes oil
these people. There Ia not that constant
effort 10 entertain guests which is often
peen in America, and. which may in a
little while become tiresome; but
one ia treated in a manner that says TO
him: "Now you are one OF the family; look
out for yourseli.n And at social parties
Il am told and even at small dinner par.
ties Il know, there are no formal intro
duciinns given. The fact OF ones pres.
ence at one Of these gatherings, by invita-.
ton OF the host, ia taken as a sufficient
certificate Of character, and all the guests
are supposed TO proceed TO entertain
themselves as II they were friends, /
confess to a preference for American
custom. The absence OF 1t, however, re.
Gently led TO my having a treat to a pri.
vate lecture on chloroform Of \ very
amusing nature, from a fellow guest to-
tally ignorant Of his subject and likewite
Of his hearers profession.
RELIGIous ZEAL.
The earnest religious zeal OF the Scotch
people Ia Of course known to everybody.
lam compelled TO sAy that in religious
matters they are enthusiastic. This city Ia
filed with churches and the churches are
on Sabbath filled with people. In a
number Of them, and even where
the minister Is no very Distinguished
preacher, a notice Is posted at the door
requesting strangers not TO enter until
the bell has ceased to ring" Otherwise
the pew holders would not be able 10
secure seats. There are no street cars
running on Sunday, and but very few
vehicles Of any kind are 10 be seen. OF
eourre no newspaper is Issued on that
day. Were any Of Johnson's boys to ap-
pear on the streets at 0 A. N. shrieking
here's your Sunday Leadag' they would
certainly DO strung up without benefit Of