St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-03-09

born north of the Tweed Well, the only
objection as Scotchman have to that,
is that of confining the superiority to
mundane affairs. The Scotchman claims
his share in super-mundane affairs. If he
| wants the earth, he wants heaven, too.
He is rot going to allow Lord Salisbury
| to keep heavenly affairs for other people.
But the Scotch do have a good conceit
of themselves. There is story OF
Scotch minister of the little island of
Cumbrae, off the coast of Scotland.
There are two, Little Cumbrae and
Great Cumbrae, and it is said that the
minister prayed the Lord to "bless with
his favor Mickle Cumbrae and Muckle
Cumbrae. and the adjacent islands of
Great Britain and Ireland" The Scotch
have a good conceit OF themselves, and
| why? Is it that the Scotch can send all
over the world, men who take the best
| places in the world? What is it that
gives this superiority that even Lord
Salisbury was willing to concede to
people born north OF the Tweed Well,
think one thing is their education, the
price which they pay for education.
Long, long before any other country in
Europe or in the world had popular edu-
cation, Scotland had it by the Parish Act
IF 1916, which required every parish to
maintain a school to which all the chill
dren should be admitted. And then the
higher education. In her four universe
ties of Edinboro', Glasgow, St. Andrews,
and Aberdeen, Scotland has over five
thousand students. In England's great
universities, Oxford and Cambridge, Dur
ham, Victoria and London, there are
about six thousand. Now if you will
reckon that up and compare the popula-
nf nd nd
find that Scotland has between six and
seven persons in her universities to one
in England. And the pains the people
take, and the sacrifices they make, to get
their sons into college and to give them
liberal education is one of the most pa
thetic as well as one of the most signifi-
cant characteristics of the Scotch.
And the hard-6sted, as Carlyle calls it,
the hard-fsted industry of the Scotch
people, their labors day and night into
those long Scotch winter nights, the way
those people live for the comparative pit
tance which they get counts for much in
the national character. Again, the
reformation in Scotland has great deal
to do with the character of Scotland. It
is a matter OF hlstory-not mere matter
of opinion that divides one set of us from
another-it is fact OF history that the
Reformation, which in England was only
half carried out. was thoroughly carried
out in Scotland, and the Scotch people
are through and through theological
people; in that respect are like the New
Englanders, or what the New Englanders
were, a theological people. Now when
we say theology, what the Scotch mean
by theology, is not some matter of ritual,
but the deep things OF God, the great
truths, the greatest truths OF this life and
the life to come. And the Scotch, be-
cause in that sense they are theological
people, because they take these questions
and go to the bottom of them, are a
metaphysical people. They are as a
people much given to metaphysical dis
cussion ar ound their 6resides.
I read recently the stofy of Scottish
peasant who was asked his opinion of
Carlyle. He knew nothing about Car
lyle "but could ye get me the reading of
Edwards on the WILL that would be
something worth the while.
The English Bible in the Scotch home
and the Assembly Catechism and the
daily exercise as it is called, that is, fam
lily prayers in which the father IS the
priest Of the family and in which he ex-
ercises the office of priest with conscien-
tious fidelity, not reading his prayers,
making his own prayers. and doing it
thoughtfully, reverently, all that is very
largely what has made the Scotch people
what they are. A Scotchman'y religion
enters daily into his life, saturates it
through and through. From morn until
eve, in business and every where, Scotch
mans religion, his convictions, his faith,
his hope, mean more to him because they
are more his own. He has worked them
out for himself: therefore they are NOR
of a power in his life.
I brought with mel didn't know but
l should read from it. but do not think
/ shall have time,-the old Scotch Cate
ch1sm and Confession of Faith. 1t is an
old document. | suppose we shall have
to concede, all of us, that in some things
we have got beyond some of the theology.
But catechism or a creed or religion
needn't be perfect in order to be great
power. If it succeeds in carrying into
the heart. and life the great essential
truths of religion, it will be a power in
spite of some imperfection. AS piece of
writing in English, as historic docu-
ment, think it is one of the most power
full ever produced by the mind of man.
It has not the music OF the English SER
vice book, the Book of Common Prayer,
but it has a melody of its own, strong,
sinewy, full of conviction, of faith that
no man would dare to question, and it
has been largely the means of making the
Scotchman what he is, we hope always
will be.
That leads me to say a word about
the Scotch Psalms. They are not melo-
dious. You could not sing them in our
modern way. They remind me great
deal of the French Huguenot hymns.
When I am abroad [ always make it a
point to attend some Huguenot service,
and always wonder why the French
~ ~ $50