The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-10-03
SCOTTISH HISTORY N BRIEF
The Distinguished Novelist i Chary
Win His Remarks. Eut In
terestiux W5thaI.

Inc rooms OF the SCOTTISH thistle
club were crowded Wednesday PM
With an enthusiastic audience, who
had come 10 hear one of the
most prominent Scotchmen Of today
in the literary world. Robert Louis
Stevenson, who is to Scotland what
Kipling is to India, gave the mem
bers of the club and their friends 4
short talk on Scottish history.
Mr.. Stevenson is a man Of dis
tinct personality. To see him one
would not think him q canny Scot,
but rather q cosmopolitan, citizen
Of any country in which he makes
his residence. But as soon as he
commences to speak one immedi-
ately knows that he owes his being
to the land of thousand lochs and
ten thousand braes of heather.
In appearance Mr.. Stevenson is
not a striking man. He has a
nervous air, with slightly woman
ish manners and gestures. He
wore that evening most uncon-
ventionai suit of brown corduroy,
flannel shirt and red sash. But as
soon as he commenced to speak,
all his peculiarities of manner and
tongue were lost sight of in his in
tensely interesting talk and his
pure English.
His subject was a short resume
Of Scottish history. He did not
try to give a connected account of
the trials of his native land, but
what he said was clear-eut. and
concise.
1 am not a public speaker, and
do not want to be. | have made
up my mind, after some years of
semi-public life, that there is moth
ing that perverts the public mind
more than q professional public
speaker, but l could not refuse my
"Brither Scots" when they so
kindly asked me to speak at their
meeting.
We are all proud to be Scotch
men. why, | know not. Our coun-
try is not so beautiful, nor our eli
mate so fascinating that one
should care for it, but We love it,
all of US, with an undying love.
Our history is q series of in
ternal and external strife. We
have been at war, principally
among ourselves, ever since Scot
land has been known as a country.
Our public men have been rogues,
in certain sense, principally po-
litically. l am now living in Sa-
moa, where we are all politicians.
You are all living in Hawaii,
where you are all politicians, and 1
have formed the idea that most
politicians are geographically.
Bruce, was a politician
Mary Queen OF Scots was a
prominent feature in our history.
I have always had a foible for
Mary. She was such good fellow,
though she would try to blow up
her husband once in a while.
To John Knox We owe those CEN
turies Of education. which have
given Us the precedence over so
many countries. He has q place
in the hearts of all loyal Scots, and
his memory viii be kept green
years after all of US have gone.
The revolution Of Is had only
one bright spot. This was the
loyalty of all Seotchmen, rich and
poor, to Bonny Prince Charlie.
That he could have been hidden by
his countrymen for so long q time,
with such q price on his head as
would have made any OF the thous-
ands Of starving men rich for life.
was q test that few countries could
have and Withstand the tempta-
ton to give him up to his enemies.
There Is very little in Scotch his
tory that does not show that race
as cruel, belligerent and unfeeling,
but the country has produced men
Of great manliness, good nature and
feeling. There is one that is all in
all TO me- l mean Walter Scott.
All good seotehmen should read of
his beautiful and pathetic life and
nature, for there was never a better
representative TO hold up the honor
Of MS country than he.
received a book the other day,
dedicated 10 me. Among other
things the author says, speaking
Of Scotland: