Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1916-02-04

AAHANN hAA AttiANN NaAA ttAoDNhRANs
The interested Scot in American
exile, who daily ponders over the di-
versiffed war news and whose face
turns always to the homeland and
particularly the northern part there
of, where the mountains rise till they
are lost in the gossamer shreds Of
mist and the sea rolls in amid the
thousand inlets Of the western Hebri-
des, may well wonder how the up
heaval of the eastern hemisphere is
Affecting the lives of the folks he has
left behind.
Let mo say at once that over the
length and breadth OF Scotland the
war spirit reverberated in wave of
patriotism unparalleled in all the inn
perishabie fighting history of Old
Gaul. Figures available on the eve
Of the last voluntary call to arms by
King George show that Scotsmen have
made an unequaled rally to the rum
BILE of the empires Crum.
To give a concrete illustration
from the island of Lewis 80 per cent
of the male population today wear
The kings uniform, mostly in the navy;
the cities of Edinburgh, Dundee, Perth,
Inverness and Aberdeen responded,
til now It is believed not q conscript,
II conscription comes. could be se-
cured.
Scotland for months has been vast
armed camp. On the border there is a
great camp occupied by the men from
the Lowlands. When / saw them they
had been in camp Cor nine months,
sturdy, well knit fellows, with the
keen, small eyes peculiar to the ma
tives of the southern part of Scot
land. Away in the west in the farm
ing country OF Ayr there are camps
where you meet the long-limbed, lean,
deep.chested men with the quick
gray eyes typical OF the people Of
the western seaboard.
Fighting at DardaneIIss.
On the Scottish regiments fell the
bulk of the fighting in the Darda-
nelles. 1t was on the regiments who
went out from the capital of the coun-
try that the losses were heaviest, and
today in the city of Edinburgh there
Is scarcely family but mourns the
loss of a. relative or a friend. The
landing at the Dardanelles has been
written of as one of the wonder pages
in the military history of the world.
Scotsmen are happy. CHASTITY though
the sacrifices were, that to their sons
was apportioned the first effort to get
a footing ON the peninsula. From Elan.
lers again are endless stories OF
deeds which cover anew the names
Of Scottish regiments with luster. OF
the famous Black Watch 1t is said they
carried their trenches at Loos hall
an hour ahead Of any other part OF
the British army This may or may
not be true, but at all events in the
English papers long accounts have
appeared Of the thrilling. onrush OF
the kilties.
The Royal Scots, the Lowland regi
ment with which Lord Rosebery s
name is associated, have won undying
fame at the Dardanelles. The Cam
eronians, the regiment largely recruit
ed from the professional classes Of
Glasgow, the Kings Own Scottish Bor'
derers, the Fife and Forfar Yeomen
the Argyll, the Seatorth and the Cor
don Highlanders have all thus early
embellished their old fighting rec.
ords.
Hunger for a Fight.
There are men in these camps who
have been training for Ia months. They
are hungering TO be sent out. They
represent the best blood In the nation
They are drawn from the middle
classes and the Shire families,
At a recruiting rally 1 have seer
nothing mere wonderful than the vol
untary assemblage of Scotsmen wher
the flag was unfurled. Instances are
known where Scotsmen voyaged hun
dreds OF miles on the rivers from the
backwoods of Canada. Scotsmen came
from the sheep farms of Australia
from the rubber plantations in the
East, from the torrid plains of India
from the golden Rand.
The old Scotsman watched--anC
there was a tug at his heart strings
the heman river roll endlessly to the
land of home. He heard of his lads
who had crossed the Andes from re
gions almost unknown and SAILED
round Cape Horn. 10000 miles, all a
their own expense, to join the line o.
battle tor their race.
"How is life at home in these
times?" may be asked Financially
the people have not felt the pinch
There is less poverty. l should say
than in pre-war times. One reason
for this is that the dotsam and 1etsan
have been as patriotic as the better
classes, and with the liberal separation
allowances made by the governmen
for the families OF men wh0 have er