Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-04-16
THE NORTHUMBERLAND.
A Study in Race Characteristics
Differ Widely from the Scotch.

Differ Widely from the Scotch.
The Northumbrian peasant is not
at all Scotch. On the contrary, the
ancient animosities between England
and Scotland were keeDest on the
borders, and are still alive there.
First, there is the dialect. To a Lon
'doner it is all Scotch, and there's an
end Of the matter, but there are sever
al important points of difference.
You find one exemplifed in words
such as home, stone, one, etc. The
Scot says hame, stane, ane, but the
Northmnbrian hymn, st'y'n, yin-I
fear only those who have heard it will
be able to give that ''y" its proper
sound. And then the inimitable
burr! One has TO give up in despair
all attempts to represent it phonetic
ally, just as one cannot i'll letters rep
resent the pronunciation Of "me" and
similar words. But it is all English of
a sort and not Scotch. Still more
striking is the difference in facial ex-
precision The typical Scot is natur-
ally reserved, not to say sly and self
controlled, his fate is something of a
mask, through which The true man
peers at his neighbor. A southern
peasant is polite, civil, respectful,
cap-touching in awe of the squire and
the quality. I'm Northumberland you
will find the peasant franker than the
Scot, of more independent bearing
than is common south of the Ouse, his
faults, rudeness and brusqueness.
Again, the difference in the church
arrangements has a considerable eff
feet upon the character. The par
sons influence on the great body of
Iustics is small. Episcopalianism at
tracts practically only the gentry, |
their defendants and retainers and |
large tenants, the kinds, bondages,
small tradesmen, and jobbing laborers
attending the meeting house of the |
English Presbyterians. The minis
tiers of both denominations are more |
Straight-laced and in some respects
superior to their predecessors. Many |
i curious story | have heard of.one who |
occupied the village manse about the
time | was born. He was addicted to
all the illicit sports Of the neighbor-
hood, badger-baiting, rafting, and es-
pecially cock-fghting, an amusement
carried on even now to an extent be-
yond general belief. A famous ''hand-
er" who died long ago had but to
make his appearance at the door, and
the usually long sermon, and prayer
almost as long, were abridged, the
sleepy congregation we're brought to
he benediction before they knew
where they were, and the minister,
lis gown hastily dotted, would be seen
making for a well-known redezvous,
where mains were often fought on
sunday afternoons. Such conduct,
needless to say, would quickly end in
lisgrace nowadays But there used
o be a residue of villagers who lived
purely heather life, entered neither
hurch nor chapel, and heard neither
'salm tune nor chant except when
he sounds were foated to them in the I
orners of fields where they idled ,
way the hours of service. Until the {
ays of compulsory education they ]
ever thought of sending their chill '
rem to school. Indeed, it is common
nough even now to meet with sur
ivors of these earlier times who can ;
ot spell their own names or read a y
aragraph in a newspaper.-Long- @
,an,e Ma0az;Do ,