Telegram-herald., 1890-11-23

rather than increase, croft holdings.
This leads to subdivision of the al
ready inadequate home-crOft and two
families, instead OF one, repeat an in
tensified struggle for existence, lncreas-
ing the evil, and giving warrant for the
ever-recurring landlord cry of ICON
gested cIofter districts" while millions
OF acres of land, idle save for its use to
sportsmen, are sweeping away into al
most impenetrable wlldernesses around
, them.
In all the crofter settlements estab-
lished at the different occasions of
"clearances," there is little of interest
save the unvarylng desolation of en-
vlronment and everyday life. Tins
class of crofters are the most smlleless,
voiceless people that live. Fringing the
entire northeastern, northern, and
northwestern coasts of Scotland may be
found hamlets of this class. There is
not the sound OF mirth, the tone of con-
tent, or the look of hope, to be heard
or seen IN one. The land is barren, the
sea-cOast ls grewsome and dreary, the
haOltatlOns are wretched. fishing ls pre-
carlous, and the entire life of these
people IS a ceaseless, sunless effort to
live. 1t Is only in the glens, on the
mountaln-sldes, within the strains, clus-
tered IN the upland corries or hollows,
or here and there nestled by the side of
mountain lochs and rivers, where the
removals" and "clearances," like
some wild mountain tempest, swept
over the old Highlanders without an
Initiating all their homes, that the
crofter of old, the crofter of song and
story and tourists tales, may yet be
/ found. He Is grave and silent IN his
/ loneliness; but about this child of the
mist fingers nearly all that remains of
I Highland tradition, folklore and pic
| turesqueness of environment. The
single, lonely, isolated croft is too
/ dreary for winsOmeness. But you will
| now and then come upon an Old
"clachan" where three or four, or per-
/ haps half a dozen, crofts nestle IN a
/ Corrle together, are huddled under the
| friendly protection of some precpitous
orag, or are grouped like brown gypsy
! tents beneath the strong arms of prlm-
I evAl trees; and here life and customs
( are IN many respects very primitive
/ indeed.
The "auld clSchan." aside from Sc
universally being the hsmlet-home OF
I Che Crotter, ls worthy of attention on
/ its own account. The world Is occa
/ slOnally a mlsnOmer among Scottish
! people themselves, As applied to any
ancient and picturesque hamlet ol
I a haif-score or so quaint old houses.
/ ClaCnsn has a more accent and honor
( able signiflcabOn. 1t IS a pure Gaelic
\ word, meaning "a circle of stones.
/ The clschsn was the fame or place of
I worship Of the pagan CaledonIsns.
4 When Christianity was introduced the
I missionaries from Iona we're wisely
+ planted the cross within the sacred
I clacbsn. In time little cbapels, and
7 finally churches, followed Houses
/ grew up around these. and then the
/ tiny church-plsce or hamlet itself took
I the name Of the SPOT where the old
+ Pagan rites were once celebrated. It
T is interesting, too. to note how exactly
+ identical q the Gaelic of the CrofteI
i II ghiander Of today with that OF hl.
4 hestnen ancestors Of 1900 or 1000 year.
I ago. Instead Of asking his ne ghbor IN
/ Gaelic. Are you gong 70 church to-
/ day - he vii ask, Are you gong g
I the stones q Am bbeil thud0i dor
I ciacnsn2 D The quantest IS Of primi-
/ tive architecture IN AT Scotland are n
F he found IN these QUAINT Old nests. Tue
+ Psgan claChan y gone; the ohspels and
( cnurches-for they were of the s0r'
+ iconociast Cromwell did not hke-wsre
f l0ug ago rszed 90 TIE ground. But Il
+ you nave tie Archaeological instinct y0U
( can fad bits of crosses, c.nersFy urn'
+ md sscr1fcsi stones built into bogss
wslls, Iust a. you wi fad AZ BoWness
E on-Soi waY. Roman sitsrs ard 6rst-oen
/ tury Roman inscri ptions an by set II
7 pig stys and syrss. 4 yltuhea for
MI often b. discovered near a. hsud
i HnEe crou1 lechs and naenhIrs, marx u
pagan buriai- places. sre 1ever taf aWsv
Ard there q si~sys within, or Ins'
vithout. tnat cleft ef rock Thencs hsi
T trckied for centuries tns crystsi stree a
/ whlch a Coiume days vas ever blessed
/ snd sacred. Because tas csachsn sd