The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-13
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

spoken Df. odmuei Johnson, Tn de- lending Scotland spoke of the coun- try's splendid prospects. only to arouse the old bear to growl out as he brought his fists with a heavy thud on the table which shook the room, sir, let me tell you, the noblest prospect which a scotchman ever sees is the high-road to England"
 Now, did not set the above down to raise the ire of my friend John Me- Neill, nor do I propose to make any defense whatsoever of those born in bonnie Scotland for they have shown ! through centuries that they are well able to look out for themselves, with out any outside aid. I have always had sneaking love for the breed for somehow wherever you find one he is a man, and my! what fighters they are both in war and for their opin- ions.
 I have only knowledge of the show places of Scotland. but if the truth he known, not only in the days of the | 1 eighteenth century, according to the 1 historians, it was a bare, dreary coun- try. Its farm lands were uninclosed and almost without growth save where lowered the heatn and whin." Please note that the last sentence is quoted. first so that the printer will not set up "whin" as whine. Not that would blame him, for I did not know myself l whether 'whin" was animal or vege- table until I looked it up and found 1t meant rocks.
 But the chronicler from whom I am getting my ideas at present, so far as this article is concerned, was not con tent with giving the country a name for dreariness, but went further and said its towns were dirty and sewer less; even from the streets of such cities as Glasgow and Edinburgh went up the stench of decayed refuse which had been thrown from the windows above. I would stop in the indictment here if it had been drawn by an Englishman, but as it is the handiwork of native I will go on.
 
 The churches are represented as fre- quently disorganized and factious tbut this could be said at present of the case in many lands. the schools poor, corrupt, especially among the lower classes. He goes into such details to prove his case that I must forego cit ing them for if true they showed shocking condition of affairs He at- tributed the looseness to the slack mar poor Robbie Burns to show the condi- tion of the times.
 But did not sit down here to write d chapter on the morals of the Scotch during the eighteenth century. for as bad case could be made out against the English, the French, or any of the continental countries, and there are things about America which I prefer not to advertise. My object was to speak about one lone immigrant who did not take the high road to Eng land" as pr. Johnson would have ad- vised, but chose rather the sea route l to America.
 The word immigration" looms large in our thinking since the sailing of the Soviet Ark" Bolshevist Russia may open her arms to the cast-outs but it may so happen that Lenine and Trotzky will rather fear to have the firm of Goldman, & Berkman to set up business, for there is a lurking danger that posing as martyrs they might undermine the old established firm of bolsheviks.
 I have myself been trying to get to- gether my thoughts on the immigra- tion question. Is it peril or a prom ise? But it's too big to be settled here II merely made mention to call atten- tion to the fact that since 1883 it shifted from the north to the south of Europe. But back to the Scottish lad who in the latter part of the eigh- teenth century set out for the promised idHu or Amerlca- 1 wonder to how many of you the name Alexander Will son carries any special meaning. And yet he was a pioneer in a field of thought in this country.
 l
 Alexander Wilson, the Scotch lad who emigrated, was born at Pailley, Scotland, on the 9th day of July, 1766, anticipating the great Declaration of independence by ten years less two days. His father was weaver, but here comes fact which seems indisputable, but strangely up-to-date, for 1t might happen right here in Birmingham. In addition to his legitimate trade of weaving, he undoubtedly carried on a distiilery of his own, which did not come under the sanction of the law, as 1t was situated in his garden, and in order to work it successfully, more or less smuggling had to be carried on. daresay that some thirsty individuals learning of this will have the wish that the father could have lived to this good day and come in place of his son who gave up weaving for school teaching and the study of birds.
 Prohibitionists though I am, yet I will not slur the memory of a man who has been dead more than a century or try to gloss over his act to save the face of his noted son, for somehow think that the father, himself would be the last one to apologize for his | lAo aaf