The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-02
THE CLAN OF LINDSAY TO BE REORGANIZED

ceiving from the crown, as reward for
this piece OF generosity. the title OF Lord
EdzelI.
The present Earl of Crawford and Laird
OF Lindsay, the principal chieftain of the
clan now about TO be reorganized, Is the
twenty-sixth Earl OF Crawford and the
thirty-fourth Lord of Lindsay. He is
probably the most learned member of the
House OF Lords, and under the title of
Lord Lindsay, which he bore until the
death of his equally accomplished and
celebrated father, he achieved great fame
throughout the scientific world, especially
as the foremost British astronomer OF the
century. Widely known as IS his name IN
this respect, it received still more
notoriety in connection with the mys-
ferrous robbery of his fathers corpse, the
outrage being almost Identical with that
perpetrated at the expense of the late 4.
L. Stewart of New York. Three months
after the old p, ers death, the malis oleum
which he had erected In the park of his
country seat, Dun Echt, in Aberdeen
shire, was found broken open and the
corpse removed. The services of every
imaginable detective agency, both official
and private, were brought into play in
order TO discover clew to the ''resurrec-
tionists." and the whereabouts of the
body, and an enormous amount of money,
was spent in this manner without the
slightest result being attained. Nearly
year later however, the body of the dead
Earl was discovered by the head gardener
OF Dun Echt buried in the shrubbery not
more than few hundred yards
distant from the mausoleum. Under the
circum stances it is not unnatural that the
present Earl should have endeavored to get
rid of llace associated with memories OF so
grewsome character, and quite recently he
has disposed of the estate to a syndicate who
proposed to establish there a great school on
the lines OF Elton and Harrow. The superb as
Economical instruments, VIII ich were a feature
OF Dun Echt and which earned for the OBJ
servatory name throughout Europe and
America, have been trans ferred to the new
Royal Scotch Observatory near Edinburgh
wi tn which Lord Crawford has endowed his
native kingdom. while his splendid astronom-
ical library, second only to that of the Impe-
rial observatory at st. Petersburg, has likewise
been presented to the Scotch nation.
While the Earl of Crawford wears on his
breast orders conferred by foreign govern
the Prussian order of merit and the broad rib
bon of the Legion of Honor figuring among
the mum ber his kinsman, Lord Vantage, has
on the lapel OF his evening dress coat tiny
bit OF gun metal, of no intrinsic value, and
yet which in the eyes of an Englishman is
more highly priced than the British Order
of the Garter, or the diamond star
OF any foreign sovereign, for its possession is
equivalent to recognition by the State and
the Nation that its bearer is hero, since the
Victoria cross is only conferred for some alto
gether exceptional act OF gallantry in The face
of the enemy. Lord Vantage won this as
mere lad of % at the battle of Inkerman, in
the Crimean War. from which he returned
home lieutenant-colonel at the age of 23 SO
distinguished. indeed, were his services in the
war that the Prince Consort insisted on ap-
pointing him as equerry to the Prince of Wales
on the first formation OF the no old of the
heir apparent. Marrying the daughter and
heiress OF Lord Overstone, he became possessed
thereby of one of the largest fortunes in Eng
land, left the army and established himself as
territorial magnate in Berkshire and prom-
nently identified himself, not only with the
Ambulance Society, but also with the volun-
teer movement, serving for time as colonel
of the Honorable Artillery Company. Nine
years ago the Queen transformed him from
Colonel Lord Lindsay into Lord Vantage.
Sir Coutts Lindsay, another of the signers of
the circular above mentioned, has seen serv-
ice not only as a colonel of the Greuadier
Guards of the English army, but also as a
Garibaldian soldier. In later life he has aban-
doned the sword for the brush and achieved
great distinction as painter. He is the owner
of the Grosvenor Gallery In London, the popu-
larity of which as well as its prestige is but
little inferior to the Burlington House. in
which the Royal Academy has established its
headquarters. From this it will be seen that
the heads of the house of Lindsay and those
who are now endeavoring to reconstitute the
ancient clan of Light Lindsay are men who
would be regarded as useful and notable
members Of society in any part OF the world
men of whose klnsmauship there 10 10 need to
be ashamed and TO whom one can without lay
ing ones self open to a charge of su bserveney
accord that respect and allegiance which are
due by the cadets of an ancient and illustrious
house to its head.
1t is not the creation of new clan that is
being proposed, but the reorganization of Que
OF the most ancient and important in Scot
land, SO that those who respond to the circu-
lars OF Lords Crawford, Lindsay, Vantage,
Balcarres and of Sir Coutts Lindsay viii be
entirely safe from the r1dicule W hich attaches
nowadays to what are known the "duffer
clans" These are to the real old Highland
tribal associations what the mushroom nobil-
ity of plebeian extraction is to the old blue
olooded aristocracy: Nowadays as soon , as
means of the manipulation OF stock or by
company-mongering. he Immediately invests
portion of his gains in the purchase OF "a
place in Scotland" usually the castle and do
main of some impoverished chieftain. And
oblivlous of the fact that in buying the estate
he has not purchased either the ancestry of
the former owner nor yet the allegiance which
people of the district accorded 10 the "old
laird as his due, he Immediately blossoms
forth as the chief of a clan, either adopts the
tartan OF his predecessor or else gets his tailor
to invent new one for him, and surrounds
himself with number OF reta1ners who are
willing to hail him their chief SO long as he
provides them with lodging and board, es-
pecially drink. Some of those "nouveaux
riches lairds arc gentlemen OF obviously
Hebrew extraction, others are AnglomaDlac
Frenchmen and Americans while there are
even some German bankers among them.
These are known as "duffer lairds," and their
clans, which are composed in the main of
parasites and hlrehngs, as mere ''duffer
clans" and it is difficult to conceive the pro-
found contempt with which they are one and
all regarded by the real article.
While 1t is natural that the creation of new
clans in this manner should constitute a
source of ridicule, yet 1t is impossible TO do
otherwise than commend the efforts which
are being made to retain intact as far as pos
sible the tribal feelings and system among
the old historic clans. They constitute, not
only link with the past, but also source of
streng tn. since each member feels that he has
the whole of his clan behind him and that he
is under hereditary obligation to do moth
ing whatsoever that can in any way bring dis
grace upon its name, or upon Its tartan. That
1t does not in any way impair the independ-
ence or the citizen. or destroy his self-r pect
is shown by the fact that Scotch Highlanders
have earned a name throughout the world for
their sturdy and rugged frankness, and for
their abs olute freedom from every thing In the
nature of servility. Indeed, it is doubtful
whether Queen Victoria, who has nearly
h,x,, has~ 4