Telegram-herald., 1890-11-16
AFOOT IN SCOTLAND
The Scottish crofter Question slnl-
lar 20 the Irish.
ORIGIN AND DEFINITION OF CROFT
some taca As a. ths clan systsm--Tt Is tbs
Family SYSTEM on large scale
Absolute Eealts a Ksqaisits
Esen % Life.

THURso, Scotland, sept. %, ls9O.-To
the average American the 'c-ofter"
has Away been a dian legend of the
isles and Highlands OK Scotland.
Though the ''cgoiter question" has for
over half a century been the "irish
question" Of Scotland. and has had
much 70 Go IN ehecung certain impOr-
tant land reforms IN the kingdom, the
''woes or poor Donald" though as sad
and hopeless As those OF the irish peas
ant. have ag,tated Scotland exclusively
rather than America largely, as 10 the
latter case. Their remoteness has
kept them from our universal ken, and
20 that degree that, while people OF
scotch descent in the United States and
Canada have been keenly alive 10
measures for the crofter's relief, there
are many ordinarily well-iufOrmcd
Americans quite unable 10 tell YOU tce
real difference between a croft and =
loft, or crOftsr and and claymOre.
Jameson In his scottish Dictionary"
defiues crOft.lacd "a Gland of superior
quality, which was still cropped
Chambers Encyclopedia, remarkable
Ike most enCyclop8dias for deepening
ignorance and iLtensifying longing for
exact information, SAYS "A croft i q
piece OF land connected with a humble
kind OF dwelling, whose iunabltant. the
renter Of the land, IS called q 'crOftsr- "
Lord Colin Campbell asserts that On 9
term s'crofter" Was unknown IN the
seventeeth century. although IN old
tscks and leases OF that period the word
''cr0ft" - of common occurrence. He
further states that in the "tack," or
temporary holding, gwen By SIR John
Campbell. OF Glenurchy. 70 ''weli be-
iout' servant, ia 1880, besides the four
MARYLAND of Kincrskin there were "the
croft OF POinreyicn and the croft that
Ewin McEvln was won't TO have" In
the twelfth century English charters in
LATIN, the word j. often used. In fact
it IS an Augio-Sax0n word. mean
1nx simpiv a field At the end of
the eighteenth century the tenants of
the smallest scotch divisions Of land
in distinction from tenants holding
from FIVE to leo acres and upwards,
were called crOfters; that is, acre-men
or croftcrs. In those days the crOfters
had the same relation % Highland ten
ants Of the important class who culti-
waited something ike farms. "a the cot
ters OF the present day do 10 Irish and
English small farmers and the still
srnailer farmer. or CrOftsr. OF the High
lands. aud the Scottish crOfter Of to-
dav IS SIMPLY that surviving relic Of
the ancient Highlander. who, despite
MI efforts Of the owner OF great north
erl and western Highland estates %
extirpate him. absolutely starvs slong
where the bones of hrs ancestors lie. on
one-hundreth as mnCh land as, on the
average. IS devoted 20 the rearing aud
killing OF one red deer
The evolution OF tne w0cbegOne crof-
ter of today from the oiden mstchless-
Nv brave Highland warrior OF the north
ard vest "a. briefly. as follows. lie
vas lorr ago an integral portion OK the
ef.r svsfeur. nClau' is A GWlc word
,,earfrv "chfid.H - The Clansman wa.
IN the highest sense the child Of hIs
chief. The cian system - the family
SYSTEM on e larger scale. AT Clansmen
were brethren in q common family and
institutional preference for the pur
rese of reccxn ,zed heads and authority
couid not abO| sh equality IN every
other respect and particular. The sb.
soIf,se LOYALTY to she chief 20 the limit
of freely giving hfe IN defense, or AZ
rrsssiol. was n tribute of fealtv %
fsmiiv and tribal relations, rather than
fo f1e ansoiatism Of individual
authority. Esch cisnsman had ah
sof,lfa and unden'tble snare m
the territory occupied hy the en-
ere cisn. II he rsd tribute 70 the
head of the elan. e could never hsve
been fri the form Of rent 90 an individus
owner for temporary occupancy. II
was practical lIv q seIt-lmposen sna tree.
fv bestowed fsxatou Tor puoiic pur
toses common oieuse or defense
common betterment. toe common
rnnd FINDER trs system The resu.
was srrfeuf ftrrsi competency. pastors
aurt crtv aut pleasure 3nd 1foassin,
na tarv vaior ard virtues ne c.l's-
men we've tHa.r own cloth. forged toer
own tools and weapons tiled tne'r oNr
toiL fed aad graEet taer oNo Sc p
aad cattle and posse ssea laaat1s7i'
rights to their own aonles sne
che sc.l necessary 60 sHstair
tnrn. Ha pertorce Posse essec
hahfs Cf hard recd hs healthy
NIa cf ths mruataincer made alE
s.rorE snd brave. tae uetess aes 81
ln taaous Eave b nl sbrewd cfaft n ~
eNEfue.es. fanr everything Wll1 aa
cNn hsnis Be became pnrieceed in OK
retients rather tnsn enc aNsrted. ore
sIded nan. resultant from lsfer-iav n
6nta dlv.ean az .shor. and tr1s Hner
hfs eat 6av 81 ext ruaHou Can1e. trest
rcostsn HEnlsndeFs gave 90 taF li -,
states G. Danads fnd Austf3i,a laf
mCst graudy sclf.Susta lai1s cooi1ssu