The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-10-01
SCOTTISH CHARACTER.
Hunor IL It's Principal Trait, Says
"Ian Maclaren."
The Scotch Are Noted Also for Their
Caution and Enterprise-Thefr
Devotion to the House
of STUART.

Rev. John Watson clan Maclaren')
recently delivered a lecture in Edin-
burgh en- Certain Traits in Scottish
Character"
Mr.. Watson said the first trait in the
Scottish character was the sense Of lu-
NOR. A Scotsman, he said, would have
touched the very highest reaches OF
charity when he was able finally and
without grudge to forgive thai Eng
fish humorist who said that & -drgical
operation was necessary to ct hlmor
into the head of a Scotsman. And it is
curious thing how single phrase
should continue from generation to
generation and be perpetlially flung IL
their faces. 1t was mentioned as if i
were new, which was intolcrable; but
what was far more intolcrablC, ii Wa.
regularly mentioned as if it were truc.
They must not judge of the sense cfiU
NOR in a people by their manner. j..
there was q people who took their l."
NOR quietly, slowly-perhaps be ons,,'
"
were the Scottish people. When a j.:
was presented to man of Scotti>'
nature, be was not going immcdiaicl.
to accept it, and pass it on as a jest b.
laughter. With the analytic charactc
of his nature, begotten by long study
of political and religious questions, be
proceeded to examine it. It might b..
next day before he was entirely salts
fled, and then if he was satisfied hc
paid it honor. A more important thing
to remember was that humor IN differ
ent countries was different, and that il
it were the case that their religion and
heir social ideas were very largely III
fluenced by climate, so surely would it
be with their humor. American humor
depended very largely upon the great
ness of the country. Jests in America
were so large. In the strict sense of
wit, he imagined they would agree that
the French had the most delicate irish
and flavor for their humor in Europe.
Again, the Scots had no claim to that
brilliant sword-play of repartee which
was so characteristic, not of the High
land Celt, but of the Irish Celt. lis
impression was that though English
wit had not either the subtlety Or the
brilliancy of French and Celtic humor;
it had an element which was most ad-
mirable-the element of down righi
fun. If they in Scotland had had in
the past more of that simple element
that they call fun, his impression Was
that they had been a sweeter and a hap
pier people.
Perhaps the next characteristic of
the Scots was what in their enfeebled
English language might be called eau
ton, but which, in the admirable d;a-
lect of Scotland, was called "canni-
ness" The Scots were not an impul
sive nation. They were not a nation
carried away by emotion, nor enthusiast
tic until once aroused; and after that
the Scottish nation burned like an ar
thracite coal furnace. The canniness
of the nation came out in the affluencc
OF their vocabulary in expressing them
selves. In the Scotsmap's reserve, born
of the hardness Of the soil, there lay
great strength, for it was not the
strong but the weak people that carried
their heart upon their sleeve, and
opened all their affairs for everybody's
consideration. The undoubted note Of
austerity in the Scottish character was
an explanation Of many peculiaritics in
Scottish history. They could never
drive Scotsman, and if people tried to
drive them in political and religious
affairs, his reading of history was that
it Always ended in catastrophe for the
peope who tried to drive, and not for
the Scotsman. On the other hand, they
coud take Scotsman on the right side,
and then he was perhaps too weak.
Another wonderful characteristic Of
the Scottish people was their enterprise
which. he supposed, was more char
acteristic of the nation than of sny
other nation of the size on the face Of
the earth. 1t was in a climate like
that of Scotland that men were made;
and then it followed that, being made,
the very climate which was their most
faithful and hardy mother sent them
out to get their living. They had an
enormous advantage in their habits of
hardihood, though he was not quite
sure whether this advantage was going
to continue long.
In conclusion, the lecturer noted, as
characteristic of the Scottish nation
which was sometimes denied, the senti-
ment of the Scottish folk. Was there
ever more romantic episode in history
than the devotion of the Scottish peo-
pie to the house of Stuart? Let them
look also at the ballads of the Scot
fish people to meet the sentiment of
which he was speaking. If, however,
they wished to know that sentiment at
it's fullest, they must see the Scot when
he was away from home.-Detroit Free
Press.
Use of the Toes.
An article ,1noo