The Irish standard., 1886-05-08
Give SCOTLAND HOME RULE.
Professor Blaek1e Advocates Local Self
Government for " The Land O Cakes
and Brither Scots"
''R0TTENNESS IN THE B0NES,'
"Oorne! Let Us Be Our Stout Old Selves
Again, as when We Stood With Bruce
for Scotlands Cause"

Ireland is not alone in her demand
for Home Rule. A strong feeling III
favor of self government exists in Scot
land among the intelligent class, as is
evidenced by the following letter writ
ten by ex-Professor Blackie to the
Scotsman
AS a thinking man, more concerned
about the investigation OF principles
than about the administration OF af-
fairs, I do not imagine that any prac-
tical man, in general circumstances,
would consider any word from me
worth looking at. But as matters now
stand, suddenly see, to my surprise,
that not few persons of sound admin
istrative intelligence are beginning to
think and to speak on the subject Of
Home Rule exactly as l have beer
doing within my own soul quietly for
many years back. My strong convic-
ton has always been that good govern
ment lies in the just balance and wise
distribution Of metropolitan and pro-
yincial functions; and fortiori, where
two separate and Independent king
doms such as England and Scotland
are united, they will certainly fall
short of the idea Of well~regulated So
cial machinery, unless to each kingdom
be preserved its own separate domain
of local administration. distinct from,
though in due subordination to, the
great central authority which controls
the movements Of the Empire; and in
this view it has always appeared to me
that the statesman who carried cut the
union between the two kingdoms at
the beginning of the last century made
no small mistake in relegating to Lon
don much administrative business that
would have been gone through more
expeditiousLy, more cheaply, and more
intelligently in the capital Of the king
dom TO which the business belongs.
And not only so, but the abstcacting of
SC much local life to an extraneous and
a distant centre has a tendency to de-
nationaliZe the people. to roo them of
their characteristic features, and to
make them lose their individuality in
mass that has no superiority but that
Of mere position and multitude, For
these reasons I should gladly see any
such change in the management Of pub
lie affairs as would give most free play
to the Scottish element in Scotsmen,
and prevent Edinburgh from falling
into the unworthy position Of mere
pendant Of London. But however this
matter Of administration may be ar-
ranged, am constrained to see with
great sorrow that from combination
Of unhappy influences the people of
Scotland are more losing their distin-
tive character, and that men like Sir
Walter Scott, and women like the Baro-
ness Naire, who carry with them a gen.
uine Scottish favor which recommends
them to every discerning foreigner, are
yearly becoming fewer. Some part of
this lamentable change is; no doubt,
have no control; but it is owing princi-
pally to the radical defect OF our Scot
tish education, in which the principle
of nationality is Systematically ignored.
And thus it has come to pass that-to
confine myself to one instance-while
our rare treasures Of national music
and our musical lyric dialect have been
allowed to fall into disuse, every poor
girl who aspires to make a respec-
table figure Ill drawingroom is labor
iously drilled into the execution Of
whatever German, French, Italian or
Cockney ariette may be the fashion of
the hour. The upshot of this meretri
cious parade of borrowed charms is in
nine cases out of ten mere dexterity
of the throat and tickling of the ear,
utterly destitute of the educative virtue
which lies in the rich world of healthy
human emotion and stirring human
story of which our Scottish songs and
ballads are the classical expression.
The excuses which are invented for
this shameful neglect of our native
lyrical treasures are not unknown to
me; but when weighed in the balance
they are found wanting; and when
looked at honestly, they resolve into
an unseasoned medley Of stupidity, ig-
norance, serv1ity, atfectation and vul-
garity in the masque of refinement.
Whether there may still be good hope
to redeem the rising generation from
this lamentable phase of self-disown-
ment, / cannot say. ncertain quarters,
fear, the disease is rottenness in the
bones, and so past all remedy; but it is
the duty equally Of piety and philosopy
to hope the best; so I may End sympa-
thy in the meantime for Whit Of pat
riotic indignation, and CLEAN Of hope