Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-30
SOLDIERS At ST. GILES.
Church Services for the Mill
tary in Edinburgh.
UNBELIEVERS LEFT BEHIND
Trumpets Blare and Drums Roll Out
the Amens.
THEY USED TO BURN WITCHES
But Now They Have Music, Preach
Practical Sermons and
Pray for Us.
THEY USED TO BURN WITCHES
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
EDINBURGH September "a. 1908.
Every Sunday morning after parade and
inspection at the Castle Of Edinburgh the
troops are dismissed. and the Drowned
and brawny veterans Of the Seaforth
Highlanders are allowed to relax their
muscles for few moments, the orderly
sergeant of each company-at least. SO
I've been told--calls to his own the COM
mand, Members Of the Church OF Scot
land. fall In: and when majority OF
the regiment is lined up the adjutant
comes to the front, turns on his heel
and shouts:
"'Tenshun! Right dress! 'Zent huns.
Ca-a-a-ar-r-r-hums! Shoalhums! F-a-a-rd
muchv' and, with the colonel the staff
and line officers and the band leading
them they fall into procession and march
down the hill through old High street to
the PRESBYTERIAN Cathedral of st. Giles
to a lively air. their bare knees glisten-
ing in the morning sun. their bonAets
cooked on the sides of their heads and
their "kilties'' swinging with that grace
which none but real Scotchman can
ever acquire, ana ZIG oni1 W
ance.
members of the United Presbyterian
Church fall inn' shouts the sergeant 10
the men who are LETT on the paraoe
ground, and q large portion OF those re.
manning step into line and marcn OH
subaltern to the kirk of their choice.
Free Presbyterians, fall in"' Is the
NEXT order and that calls away ma
jority of those WHO are left
wee Presbyterians, fall In! and nan
a dozen solemn-faced. notwithstanding
HighIanders glare at the rest of the
world and start toward the Wee Kirk"
with long strides.
"Dissenters and unbelievers. back 10 yer
barracks." mutters the corporal OF the
suard the only nQn-cOmmiSsioned Omcer
remaining to defend the mighty walls OF
that ancient fertilization.
Fond Of Burning Witches.
And that's the way the Highlanders 60
to church-or, at least, SO am toid. IHey
cross the wide esplanade by which the
castle gates are approached. and which Is
now ornamented with several imposing
statues of great and good men. They are
very much needed to sanctify the spot.
because in the Olden days 1t was the place
of execution for witchcraft. and during
the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries history tells US that no less
than 1000 persons were ''wOrryit at the
stake" by strangling and burning. and
the penalty was inflicted upon the most
trifiing evidence. The Jameses in par
ticular from the first to the sixth, were
very fond of burning witches. and they
got rid of a great many disagreeable old
women I'm that way. Frequently a dozen
or more suffered at once. and the victims
included people of all ranks. ages and sta
tions, the useful as we'll as. the useless.
the lowest and the highest.
Lady Jane Douglas young and beauti-
full, suffered for her fidelity to the Lem
DRY of her dead husband. the Earl Of
GIamis and was convicted of witchcraft
upon perjured evidence and burned at the
stake because she would not submit to
the embraces of the king.
James vi took especial interest in witch
craft and showed extraordinary zeal in
his efforts to extirpate it from his king
dom. He often directed the torture and