New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-13
SCOTLAND.
A SKETCH OF HER HISTORY.

~ tho Nations series aimed at giving SuccInct
and ineligible sketch of Scottish history anu
he has performed his task with judgment ana d
due sense Of proportion What he has done IN
these pages, however, is but 10 Indicate IN" man
course OF the story of Scotland. Witmh
the prescribed limits no more was posSi"'e an"
those who desire TO find explanation of the para
doves If Scotch history must go elsewhere LOT
Gpbt and SUGGESTION There indeed some
salient points which Dr. Macintosh ml"h' nave
brought out more strongly than he has ""n
and there is one momcnons element III ''''''''"
history TO which he makes scarce any rci'ici'''
tbourh without knowledge of it any true under
standing of the facts is impossible Inc 'ar"'""'
and inchoatc period OF Scottish cVoin'l"h was
protracted by external and Internal ae'Ic"s III
turn but it is only when the thirtch'n cri'"'
is reached that tile influences winch So dis-
astrouslv retarded national conference and progress
came into play most form1ahly. If tn" municipal
system was wanting in this and the loii""ihe
centurv. if when the kings of Scotland should
have been able 10 fall back upon the bur@c|Srs Tor
aid in withstanding the cncrOacJimcnts OF the
feudal nobility the vigorous middle class was
only conspicuous by its absence. tn" fact nns' DC
attributed TO these constant ana mcrcleSS Eng
lish raids which. conducted by the Edwards an"
the second Richard, kept the southern l-owlah"s
for generations in a state Of dcsoa,jAn, arrested
every forward movement on tnc part OF scotch
industry drove the natural builders OF "whe
and trade into nomadic life, and at the same time
exposed them to the oppression of the lhYhi'hd
chiefs and the rapacity of the mobiles
The feroclty and sustained savagrry OF the
ENGLISH nvasions the des pair and consequent rfck
lcssncss they cngcndcred. and the enormous ue-
struction of capital they entailed not only mpoV-
erishcd and degraded the Scotch, but made them
tho easy prey of supcrSitions which for three
centuries pressed heavily and darkly upon the ma
tional spirit From the fifteenth to the eighteenth
century those supcrsitions exercised sinister H.
fucncc upon Scottish life, politics, theology anu
general progress. They were themselves coiort"
BY the conditions amid which the people HNcu'
The prevailing anarchy of a populacc ground ne
tween perpetually contending factions ana eApoSe'
not less contisually to peril 10 life ana means
caused ignorance TO be universal and the crcdu'v
born of this ignorance was deeply ana daIkS
tnctured BY the dismal experiences common to tue
whole nation. It. has been well pointed out mat
the difference between the witrhcrait mahile>'a-
tions In England and Scotland conclusvcly denotes
the character Of the social conditions OF the TWO
countries The English witch was poor anu
never powerful creature, rather ridiculous than
alarming easily overcome. and cur!ousiy llahlc 10
he betrayed or deserted by her supposed dcrnoniar
allies The Scottish witch and war"'k, on the
other hand were raised by the intamei magma
tons of deeply suffering people TO the position
of powerful sorcererS, whose magic arts c"hId 'oi-
pass the most facitious deeds, and who often were
able to defy their enemies. and even To SCI al
naught the terrors Of tho Church.
1t followed inevitably that as in Scotland the
oepular supcrstitions were deeper and darker than
across the border. the methods OF dealing Win
the supposed black arts were cruccr There WIS a
;,,S nd no ct
the Spanish Inquistion were closely followed III
The attcmpt TO cXtirpate witchcraft and sorccry:
when those metho.s spread abroad general an
apprehension that neighhors ShIank from on" an
other members of the same families learned
mutual dstrust. and to hc suspect was as
fatal as during the Reign Of Terror in France
The rise of the Reformation did not mitigate these
horrors. The Church, whether Catholic or R"-
formed held the same views regarding witclcran
and emplovcd the same means in dealing with It's
imagined manifestations II is open I" speculative
minds to indulge tic fancy that the element "i
son.brcncss and stcrnncSs which even to this day
belongs the Scotch character. may have been, II
not implanted during thcs" centuries of fear AMI
agony. a, least STRENGTHENED and increased hy such
dire AMI prolonged experiences. The nakin@ of
Scotland indeed, fiery process, and allowed
little opportunity for the development of the
enjoyment of life under any of lis aspects &c Ale
donia stern and wild. presented in her scenery
q fitting frame for a fierce struggle between
harassed and oppressed people and the double rs
sauts which bcset thcm-On the ono hand. only
40 real attacks from foes within and without; Oh
the other hand, not less terrifying onslaught from
the powers Of the air
The absence OF large cities and OF middle
class, and the lack consequently Of social organ
ization favored the persistence Of superstition
and hindercd intellectual growth. Only the in
domtablc spirit of the people, always rcsont" to
maintain their independence. no mattrr Al what
sacrifice ard suffering, prevented sue, national
collapse as hafcll Spain: this and III" perennial
warfare between the Church and the mobiles, which
in the long run prevented either Of those powers
from attaining TIE supremacy. The accession OF
James to the throne OF Engl markcd the BE-
ginning of the final decline of the Scottish no
bility hut the Church did not Share in tins
decadence. for it bad struck its roots deep i'll the
popular heart. The Union, which was bitterly
opposed by q large proportion Of the Scotch peo-
pie, was the measure which nevertheless br0n"lit
peace and security 10 the long distracted country,
and afforded opportunity for the development VI
commerce. industries, and all those modern "ccn-
cies which make so powerfully for civilization.
On this question Or. Macintosh observes:
Looking at the Union as means 4 an end we
find it had vast effect on the wcliar' Of the
people. At it greatly widcncd THE field OF
commercial entc:p prise to the Scots, and directly
tended TO afford them more security i'll every
quarter of the globe The Scots always had
fund Of energy and ample power OF cnduran"c. but
external obstacles had long retarded their prog
ress and crippled their bcs, efforts" In truth
the obstacles were both internal and external
and this any historical Survey. including that
before US, at once demonstrates But as Dr.
Macintosh observes: Wien the nation
placed under more favorable conditions by the
Union, the people advanced rapidly i'll wealth
and civilization"
1t appears to him also that the Union afforded
Srcat and nest Unable moral advantages to Scotland.