The record-union., 1891-07-18

of Scotland. whose real origin were in the
Finnish sylvans, satyrs and fauns, but
who became more propitious to humanity
through a natural modification by the
SUMMER natures of the Celtic people, that
portion of its demonology providing ma
levolent spirits of an impish nature has
been largely extirpated. The 'man of
the hills" the identical fellow found in
early Irish fairy-lore, was very wicked
gnome indeed. He was up to all manner
of wizard harm, and made no distinction
whatever between good and bad people in
his depredations. The olden Scottish.
banshee, like the Irish banshee when
first known, was most hurtful and vim
dictive female demon. The former has
been replaced in Ireland by throng Of
pleasant-mannered imps, chief among
whom is that imp of infinite humor, the
leprachaun. The banshee has faded out
of Scotland entirely, but is retained in
ireland as the tender mother of an end
less brood of kindly fairies which, under
no circumstances, annoy any humans
save those of evil heart and sordid ma
ture, and who are full of rewards to the
generous, the sacrifcial and the good.
In Scotland all these descendants of the
original bad man and bad woman of ''the
hills" have, within the last two or three
centaries, come uuder the general appella-
ton of 1.-The Brownies" These are pos
sessed of every good and evil characteris-
tic, qualification and power occasion
may require in their selfish relations with
men. They are variously known also as
''those restless folk !" "men of peace and
''guid neibors." The name fairy" and
''elf," though certainly sweet in sound,
is extremely distastetul to the Scottish
''Wee folk, as we have it on the author
ity of a rhyme one of their own number
is said to have provided for settling the
matter:
Gin ye ca me imp or elf,
rede We look weel to yourself;
Gin ye ca me fairy,
III work Se muckle tarrie (trOuble);
Gin guild neibOr we ca me,
Then guild neibor / will be:
But gin ye ca me scelle WIGHT (merryman)
Ill be your freend bath day and nicht!
But brownies" they remain, despite
these express commands. This term is
generic and covers all sprites and fairy
powers of good or i'll. Still they seem in
the popular mind to comprise several di-
visions. There is certainly an interme-
dlate class of spirits residing in the air to
whose agency floods, storms and tempestS
are ascribed by the Scottish lowly,
though they possess no distinctive title.
Then there are the mermaidS, the kelpies
of the South, and the water bulls and
horses of the North. of the lochs and
as stoutly believed in by the
they were centuries ago. And the
brownies, as body, seem to be divided
into those whose engagements are of
general nature, and those whose duties
are strictly confined TO affairs of the
household.
Those nameless elfs and spirits of the
air which control the vagarieS of Scottish
weather have much to attend to and ac-
count for. They are not only constantly
employed in dispensing fogs, mists and
tempests, but unless their wishes have
been invoked and directions duly fol-
lowed, all structures especially churches
and dwellings, are liable to destruction.
1t was not so very long ago that the sites
of many historic structures in Scotland
had their origin in this sort of interter-
ence. Work upon the ancient church of
Old Deer, in Aberdeenshire, was con-
stantly interfered with by the ''restless
folk' until its site was changed from the
hill of Bissau to Taptillery, at the express
command of 1.-The Spirit of the River
there. Every time work was begun on
the walls of Mauldslie Castle in Lanark-
shire, what was completed by day was
razed by the fairies at night, until voice
from the debris repeating,
Big build the house where it should be,
Bir II on Maul's Lee.
was needed, when the fairies themselves
aided in the completion of the castle. A
precisely similar action of the fairies ac-
counts for the building OF the castle of
Melgund, in ForfarShire, on low ground,
yeritably in bog, rather than on a neigh
boring Hill. The castle of Cowthally,
Lanarkshire, remains where it stands to-
day, because the fairies, defying the first
who had taken it by storm,
in his efforts to destroy the old castle and
build more imposing one on new site,
actually dung down at NIGHT" every
stone his workmen laid during the day,
until the stubborn nobleman desisted,
and restored the old castle on its original
foundations of iron, for which the fairies
had some sort of liking. And as evil
dence that these wee folk are still exer-
cising their sway, personally know of
the changing of seven croft-home sites in
Inverness and Ross shires during the
past four years, and one in Aberdeen
shire within year, on account of their
peasant-owners' absolute belief that they
have received such elfin commands.
As to the mermaidS of the lochs they
still exist past all dispute-at least with
their friends the Highlanders. The rail
ways, telegraph and newspapers, like
the heartlesS poachers they are, have
'sweeped" or seined them we'll out of
the lowland shires. They are, and were,
both dangerous and beneficent person.
ages. In olden times they were not
above giving recipes for brashes, ring
worm and other common ailments. To-
day they have all retreated to the shad-
owy Highland lochs where they find
comfortable flat stones to sit upon, and
there, while combing their masses of
long, yellow hair sing in plaintive tones
much that is i'll or good to be heard. l
know one canny auld wife OF northern
Perthshire, who gets along very comfort
ably through her confidential relations
with q n1arnllIH thof nt y,oSL,ap
the summer season at Loch Ranoch.
But the genuine household brownie"
is the most loving and lovable of all Scot
tish elves. He is never idle in all good
Office to the lowly home of the country
side where you may never fail Of finding
him, ii you do not enter his realm in the
spirit Of cavil and scoffing. There, in
each simple home and heart, he sits en-
throned with every attribute of benevo-
lcnce and affection. He not only works
with giant might to assist in plowing the
land, harvesting the crops, guarding the
grain and minding the herds, but in
every little household drudgery of guild
wife and bairn he lends helping hand
No Ill can come but that he has Tended its
cruelist touch. No sorrow can fall upon
the household whose hurt would not be
deadlier were it not for his kindly and
palliative powers. And in all the stern,
though glorious old land o. cakes, his
Denencent influence adds Zest to every
peasant Joy. They are not useless folk
these. If we could only get more of
them, with those who own and love them
well, through the New York barge office,
there would be fewer rod flags to worry
about in our own fair land.
EDGAR l.. WAKEMAN,
The Champion Lazy Boy.
Mrs. Fizzletop, not being satisfied with
the progress made by her son at the Uni
versity of Texas, called on the teacher.