Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-23

at the different occasions of "clearances."
there is little of interest save the unyarying
desolation of environment and everyday
life. This class of croiters are the most
smileless, volceless people that live. FIRING
ing 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 content, or the
look of hope to be heard or seen in one. The
land is barren, the seacoast is grewsome and
dreary, the habitntions are wretehed, fishing
IS precarious and the entire life of these
people is ceaseless, sunless effort to live.
1t is only in the glens, on the mountain
sides, within the straths, clustered in the
upland corries or hollows. or here and there
nestled by the side of mountain lochs and
rivers, where the removals and "clear-
ances." like some wild mountain tempest.
swept over the old Eighlanders without
annihilatiRg 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 Highland tradition, folklore and
picturesqueness of environment. The single,
lonely, isolated croft is too dreary for win
someness. But you will now and then come
upon an old "clachan" where three or four,
or perhaps half dozen, crofts nestle in a
corrie together, are huddled under the
friendly protection of some precipitous crag,
are grouped like brown Gipsy tents beneath
the strong arms OF primeyal trees; and here
life and customs are in many respects very
primitive indeed.
STORY OF A WORD.
The "auld clachan," aside from so uni
versslly being the hamlet home of the
crofter, is worthy of attention on its own
account. The word is occasionally a mis-
nomer among Scottish people themselves, as
applied to any ancient or picturesque ham,
let Of half score or so quaint old houses.
Clachan has more ancient and honorable
Specification. 1t is a pure Gaelic word
meaning ''a circle of stones" The clachan
was the fame or place of worship of the
pagan Caledonians. When Christianity
Was introduced the missionaries from Iona
very wisely planted the cross within the
sacred clachan. In time little chapels, and
finally churches, followed. Houses grew
up around these, and then the tiny church
place or hamlet itself took the name of the
spot where the old pagan rites were once
celebrated.
II is interesting. too, to note how exactly
identical is the Gaelic of the crofter High
lander of to-day with that of his heathen
ancestors of 1900 or 1000 years ago. In
stead of asking his neighbor in Gaelic,
Are you going to church to-day?" he will
ask, care you going to the stones?" Gam
bheil thu'dol don clachan)? The quaintest
bits of primitive architecture in Scotland
are to be found in these quaint old nests.
The pagan clachan is gone; the chapels
and churches-for they were of the sort
iconoclast Cromwell did not Hke-were long
ago razed to the ground. But if you have
the archaeological instinct you can find bits
OF crosses, cinerary urns and sacrifcial
stones built into house-walls, just as you
will find at Bowness-on-Solway. Roman
altars and frst-century Roman inscriptions
ignobly set in pig-stys and byres. A vitri-
fed fort will often be discovered near at
hand.
THE MIsFoRTUNEs THAT COME.
There is a little romance about the
crofter's everyday and home life. His sub
sistence gained from the croft is always pre-
carious; and were it not that his wants are
few, he could not live at all. His principal
crops are oats and potatoes; but the variable
nature of the climate renders a steady return
doubtful. Often the oats fail to ripen.
Again, when they mature, the little crop is
frequently destroyed by rain. Potatoes of
late years occasionally blight or rot. When
both the oats and potatoes fail, actual
famine comes. By the greatest vigilance
enough grass may be cured for the long
winter supply for the few animals; but there
is always peat to be had for the one bright
spot in all the crofter's life, the great, open
fireplace of his cabin.
After the cows are MIXED in the morning,
the younger children, accompanied by the
collie dog, set, out to herd them, for the
crofts are seldom enclosed. Old coats or
jackets are thrown over their shoulders, and
they listlessly move about like bevy OF
automatic scare-crows, keeping the cattle
or sheep within bounds the whole day
long.
1t is customary where are only one or two
beasts to "tether" them with chain or rope.
The horse or "sheltie," if the crofter have
dozen sheep will be tethered by day and put
into the sheep-cot at night. Such croft
sheep are universally called pets"
A FAMOUS CASE.
The world has heard of the famous "pet
lamb case" between the great American
deer-stalker. W. L. Winans, who controls a
highland game preserve of over 250, 900
acres, and the shoemaker of Kintail. The
shoemaker's only lamb strayed from the
highway, trespassed on the great mans
gamekeeper, and finally caused an action
at law that agitated the whole of Great
Britain and became the subject of many an
eloquent outburst in and out of the House
of Commons.
y The crofter's home is often sod hut with
sod thatch. More frequently it consists of
four low walls OF apparently uncemented
stones, with thatch of straw, or fir
branches and straw, held in its place by
stones, anchored from the caves by straw
ropes. The structure usually incloses but
one room. There Is low, wide door, per-
haps a window or two, but in some cases
only "boal," or square aperture for admit
ting light and air, will be found. A bunk
answers for bed for the old folks. The
children are disposed of IN the loft. In the
old days the ''ceilidh" pronounced
"kailey') or gossiping party. occupied the
long winter evenings. 1t fingers still where
the clergy's sharp eyes do not too often come;
and in it are whisperingly preserved all the
old tales of clan and tartan, witch and war
lock, and the sweeter folklore of this tender
hearted, long-sufering, hospltable, hopeless
people. EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.
CHURCH ADoRNMENT.