The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-01-29

Scripture were common among the peasau'
try of Scotland in those trying days.
And lest it should seem that the weak
nesses of this Presbyterian old lady are IN
duly paraded by the author, we have coun'
ter. portrait in the ancient name Lady Mar,
garet Bellenden of Tillietudlem, which is as
faithful and as amusing. She is the type OF
the Episcopal great lady of the times, who
cannot preside at meal or converse With
friends few or many without BORNE them
with: "I remember his sacred majesty King
Charles, when he took his desjeune at Til
lietudlem, was particular in enquiring"-
so that general scattering took place, ere
she could put them to death with the subject
In fact the book is gallery of portraits,
all true to the life, all found mowhere else,
and all bringing before US names and char
acters, Grahame of Claverhouse, Balfour Of
Burley, Morton, the fanatic Macbriar-the
gross and cruel Laudsrdale, all painted with
power and fidelity that belonged by special
gift to Walterntts No Presbyterian of
the present day ought to wish this work un-
written, unless it be right to wish the truth
blotted out from history.
But if the eyes of any are 30 dimmed by
the medium through which they look that
they cannot see the fidelity of the portrai
lures in cod Mortality" let them look at
another work from the same pen written
only two years later in life. In the "Heart
of Midlothian" We have another series OF
characters, aud among them the master piece
Jeanie Deans. Surely Presbyterians of all
subsequent years ought to bless the memory
of the man who has given to us this inimits-
bic type of noble Scottish Presbyterian
woman. She is humble in birth and educa-
ton, but belongs to the highest class of that
highest character the sincere Christian. Too
honest and God-fesring to tell lie, she re-
fuses to stoop even TO an equivocatlon IN
order to save her younger sister from the
condemnation of harsh Scotch law yet
with courage and conStaucy born from
above, she sets out on foot AID walks from
Edinburgh to London to implore Royal
mercy for this condemned sister, for whom
she pleads with pstbos that cannot be re-
sisted. She lives before us, not by any elab-
crate description, but by series of touches,
giving her words and deeds. She has not
beauty of person or the artifical graces Of
high culture, but grows continually on our
respect and love until we begin to feel that
earth does not produce such attractions
Nothing of woman.kind that ever has been
sketched by the best writers of fiction-Miss
Edgeworth, Bulwer, Dickens, Thackeray, ap
proaches Jeanie Deans. Little Nell in the
"Old Curiosity Shop" does indeed float be
fore our mental vision in veil Of angelic
light and purity, but she is not real char,
acter. She is an angei-not woman ; and
to paint an angel does very little good to US
poor sinners who, ever since Eve ate the for.
bidden fruit, have derived no special COM
fort from portraits of angels. But Jeanie
Deans is a type drawn by Walter Scott from
the thousands of Scottish women, born and
nurtured in the Church to which his parents
belonged; and his success in painting her is
a perpetual rebuke to those who represent
him as cherishing prejudice against that
Church.
fro BIZ coNCLUDED.)