The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-30
SUCH Is THE VERDICT OF HIS
CLANSMEN IN ST.
PAUL,
DR.. WATSON, ORATOR, AUTHOR,
MAKES A DECIDED HIT WITH TWO
LIBERAL AUDIENCES AGAINST
DISADVANTAGE.
AMIALIST
f DRUMTOCHTY
Proves I'm Another Lecture the
Analyst of the Characters Who
Inhabit Caledonia.

Rev. John Watson, D. D., better
known as Ian Maclaren, the famous
Scotch divine, whose recent achieve
ments in the world of letters has en-
deared him to all lovers of the short
and simple annals of the poor" was
seen and heard at the Peoples church
yesterday Afternoon and last night. The
inclement weather was the cause OF
many empty chairs, but the occasions
were none the less enjoyable, inasmuch
as those whom the rain could not keep
away-and there were several hundred
of them-constituted a rarely appreci-
alive and sympathetic audience an
audience evidently familiar with the
works of the author, and delighted to
hear that author speak of them and
read from them
A pleasing personality is that of DR..
Watson. While Enthusiastically clerical
in cut, there is nothing Of the ascetic
or formal about him. He belongs to
the other school His frank and smil.
ing countenance bespeak a man OF
genial nature, simplicity and honesty
of purpose. Not suspicion Of affec-
tatfon mars either speech or manner.
His gestures are few but expressive.
His voice is agreeable but in no sense
distinctive, other than for a slight
rasping quality, which the ear soon
miliar and sympathetic.
Before reading from the Annals OF
Drumtochty" last evening, DR.. Watson
commented in most entertaining vein
upon human nature in general and his
critics in particular But first he spoke
briefly of himself, or rather his "pen
name" as he termed it Ian Maclaren. -
IF one question is put to me more
frequently than another" said DR.
Watson, sit is. How do you pronounce
your first pen name, LAMP"
DR.. Watson informed his hearers that
there were nine ways of pronouncing
1t, which he proceeded to illustrate
II you are English, you pronounce
1t Ian, giving the first letter it's nat
ural vowel sound; if you are Scotch
you call 1t Ean,' but If you are a High
lander, and a Highlander you know is
the most gIorified form of a Scotchman
you must pronounce it 'Eon.'"
The humorous allusion to the High
lander and the manner in which the
speaker uttered it, at once revealed a
characteristic of the man. His com
mentS throughout were favored with q
dry and pungent humor quite irresis-
tible.
DR.. Watson plead in behalf of hui
man nature, that the artist, the au-
thor. the poet, in short all who would
behold 1t, must return to simplicity.
There should be simplicity in art. sim
plicity In history and simplicity
even in theology 4s-.>4 .4-ss4 a---
Let us: go on and study humanity
where humanity is unadulterated, and
that Is in the country" continued DR..
Watson. go down and study the
man who .plows, sows and rakes the
field. That man Is the backbone of
the country. That man really creates
the city. I say again, if you wish
to understand the nation and human
fty, you must study the country man.
Then calling attention to the two
volumes of the Drumtochtyanuals ly-
ing on the bookrest before him, their
author declared that they were the
literature Of the country. Referrin g
to the criticisms to which they have
been subjected. the author remarked:
1T has been asserted by my critics
that the people in these books are too
good ever to have lived, or If they ever
did live, they were SO good they ought
to have died long ago" Qaughter)
DIR. WatSon'S answer to the criticism
met them and known them in real life
They were as real, he thought, as some
of the bad people that get into books
He had sought to attain a realism of
beauty in preference to a realism of
ugliness.
"Can there be no realism showing the
beauty Of humanity" inquired the
ism of the beautiful as well as that of
the ugly? 1t is to be earnestly hoped
that the realism of beauty is as honest
as the realism Of the hideous."
In a rarely entertaining fashion did
the author discourse of his characters.
He related conversations that he held
with them in his study while engaged
in writing about them. There were
people, he said, who thought that some
of the characters in his book were
wicked and injurious. For instance it
had been urged that one or two of his
characters were in the habit Of taking
drop too much
NOW, l know this is to be regretted, =
pursued Watson, ''but I am describing
life and people as I see them, and if
enc of my characters takes too much,
that is because some Scotch people do
this. Gaughter) But / cannot prevent
this. In vain have I demonstrated with
such characters, and asked them to
sign the pledge. What am I to do?
PernapS II would De well, III had APP
pended foot notes in defense of myself,
something after this fashion:
'Note-The author entirely disap-
proves Of the conduct of so and so: Or
like this: Note-The. author spent an
hour trying to induce so and so TO take
the pledge" Uaughter)
- fDr.a Watson then called up some of
his most famous characters. reintroduc-
ing them as it were, to their friends
in the audiences There was Jamie
Soutar, who would insist upon lying
about his good and noble acts; when
he loaned his own hard earned money
to an unfortunate, he deliberately de-
clared that it was not his money, but
that of another friend. Jamie wore a
mourning badge on his hat for 40 years
In commemoration of departed sweet