Evening star., 1902-08-29
HIGHLANDERs IN KHAKI.
The Proposal to Discard the Kilt
Arouses Opposition.
From the London Post.

r rom the LONDON tOSt.
Scottish members of parliament and 9TH
ers have been much exercised by the pro-
posal of the war office to lay a profane
hand on the sacred kilt OF the Highland
regiments. There is no proposal, as the
Scots members seemed to fear, that the
kilt will be left at home altogether when
the Highland soldiers go on active war
fare but only that on service the kilt
should be of khaki or "some other neutral
color" But that statement has not as
suaged the wrath of the Scots members,
though the London Scottish wear kits of
neutral color" and are very proud of them.
The Scots members rage and imagine a
vain thing if they think that by demanding
the tartan always EIl the tartan every
where they insist on the proper and an
cent garb of old Gaul. Will it surprise
them exceedingly to learn that the ancient
wear of the mass Of l1ighlanders in war
fare was something Is much resembling
khaki as anything can DC? 1t is tmpossi-
BILE here to give all the reasons for that
statement, but take one authority who is
known or considered too little.
James Philip, scholarly gentleman of
Arbroth and q man of action. acccompa-
MED as standard bearer his relative, Wis.,
count Dundee, the renowned John Graham
of Claverhouse. on his Highland campaign
In 1889, and wrote a very tolerable epic IN
Latin, which Is known as THE Grameid "
Memoirs of Lochiel." who wrote in 1877.
Is the first considerable person who makes
allusion to THE Grameid.' 1t was con-
sidered quite lost, however-Macauley so
pronounced it-untH the late Mr.. Mark
Napier, the historian of Montrose and Of
Dundee, discovered 1t in the Advocates
Library in Edinburgh, and quite recently
the Scottish History Society has published
1t. with a prose translation by Mr.. Muir
doch. Well, James Philip, who accom-
panied Dundee and the Highlanders
throughout the campaign which ended
with Killiecrankie, describes the Highland
host which he first set eyes on at 1nVer-
ness. as ''agima jicta croco," which Mr.
Murdoch Cwell knowing what he is saytng)
translates "arrayed in saffron Saffron
Is probably, like "crocus,' too gay a name
to give to the result of dyeing with mad
der. especially after the garments had been
worn for some time, and khaki would
probably now describe 1t better than any
other name. Later James Philip describes
pIcta croco glastoque infecta" C'people in
yellow and blue'D. The yellow, or khaki
color frequently recurs, and yet "chlamy-
data agmina" ("pIaided hosts'D is also a
frequent expression in the epic as also is
"'pCta' when it can only allude to the bright
and varied colors of the tartanS.
The explanation of the apparent contra
dition is of interest. First of all 1t must be
remembered that the plaid and the kilt
were originally one garment, the lower part
OF which was gathered and buckled about
the waist, and fastened with brooch, for
chOice) over the right hip. But not every
Highlandman could afford four yards by
two of fine wooden cloth of a set and in
tricate pattern. For long only the chief and
the gentlemen of his house wore what are
now called the clan tartans; the common
folk would wear for plaid (and kilt what
they could get, If they wore plaid at all.
But they always wore a long, coarse shirt
of harm or coarse linen, dyed with mad
der and whenever they meant business, as
at the opening of a fight, they took off their
plaids Of they had them) and their buskins
(Which got them the nickname from Low
landers of "Redshanks'3 and stood forth
with their weapons as lightly clothed as the
SoudaneSe.