THE HADES OF THE SCOTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 693, 18 December 1909, Page 9

THE HADES OF THE SCOTS.

~ (.The'man;Whb.reads, not.in his-leisure.hours ; Dut^inMiis ,'spare:moments,icannot have at'>:s ■ 'elbow ra'-Tmore ,' congenial..-:or ', pleasure-giyitu;,, ".-volume .than.',the ;,writings.:olf;Charles- "■; Euav'himself ,.wasfrather..nice jaboiit'.'.tbo the (t of .page-.and the; quality of \ the : binding : nf. his, ■ ■'■fa,T ourite; authors; .his, own: works; shon• i■ be .^always.presented .-in : pockbt .editions.' ■ ; His v wit : ...andi, humour :jind;,pathos,',. , 'his ; 'quaint. suggß3' j .tionj'and';whimsical fancy,;are;so: essentialised, : J ts.bloidttl,' that -V a'.' packet .is - the. ' p_lacd for.; ' jtheSbestowrJ ?of .the;, yplume dn.; which ,thcy ' are;packed.; :Thus an occasional dose,'niay• be; ■; of "otherwise Tin- . .occupied'Jtimo, -It^was.jvhile'engaged 'in such. a/.momentary:';6ccupati9ri,'that':.a more or less . quiet eye' harvested itiusVpiece ''oi .Table Talk -.oy,the. i Late: Elia ".embodied l -in'-'a coritoibu'tion 'to the;.."Athoiiaeum";'.in; 1834:—,' ■; •;. ■ a; -V':, 7; C---7-'. imagined : a v.Caledqnian coinpartv , , \. :;:mont;ih ; -Hades.-yhere,-.'thcr'ei.should;be/fire' , ' ; ~';:iwithbut,sulphur,-: .;;.; ■;';;■:;■-,■■■•.'-•.-■,-.■■■. .:■ '..'.'.""' ';.'■ ;-. That is;all. ■', Ifc-is; , quite;, a ["detached paragraph, -.withbatiiprebeding- -or ■■ connection/; ' e t.-,suTely:;no;reading -from; :_the Fathers ' over s stood, more "in: , nee j. pf.: expiscation. '■. A "dis- .; course - of.: the. : longth;. ot'-/ a ;'Highland ;■ Wmon . c °njd, scarcely j cpmpas3 all its ramifications. •■ • : -. In the .ordinary ■-:-ytij. it ;shoiild,-not be neees- 1 :. sary -to ;inqniro:- who .'iamoilg ;Elia's friends was ,:C— -it-*. Perhaps -herei as usual "'■£ ■■ ;' J Vi'7 a ? : ;!;he;speaker;.perhaps-not.- Why :.; BUotild; Coleridge employ his desultory imagination> in.-settirig up:, a' Caledonian compartment -. ln ; Hoa «.?;.; In :jarticular,-,why,/should Cole-':■:.«dge-if ; ,it', be in favour of' ■.^otsmen?,' , -He,owed; nothing:;'.tp;.:.this coun-. .'.try "should vbei thus .generous—if it- be ■- : ■-. generosity.^;: But .is .this.- scheme: of, ire".without : sulphur; so ,toi.Scotland ! ,as>;it-seems? . Is ,it.not;in..effect robbing a. race 'that likes :: ,tp.have ;full lvalue .for its: money'"or its ■;'■ lab- •■' our or-that which "it has hardly 'earned ? There -are..times, .especially ,in' epring.-wheh "sulphur ■',■ Pfls, -.a.Vcooling and; soothing influence upon the ;;Bnman ;system. On these occasions 1 it is mixed .treacle. >,-Mi.\ed;: with :fire': the: effect: is .'.-■ pr6bably,Mes3/ : soothing/'^But^if; -the-wScots- , - ; man has .'earned his sulphur*' : in"th'e:"ordihary .way, , ;.why.:should.(J r^ ' (.(whether"he 'be : Cole- - ndgeqrr- another) propose .to', abstract it from :;'vtho honestly -.won guerdon ?■ > .-Perhaps: .after all; j,the.sulphuriess Sheolof 'j;h'e i iiriidentifi^d:.O. i — : - >f is.a ;mitigation;' : Caledonian— ! .on..account -'of -his native -superfbrity "'to ' the -riest'of mankind—of-tho: rißours that, are tho ,;-":-lpt, of .the. ordinary sinher. when he: gets beyond ■ Acherpn.'; : -;The : ;anhbtator , of■; Ldm'b -has here ;.. opportunity-for' that Aind'of-exegesis .: ■ which: is the breath, of'the>nostrils:'of4he modern, editQriof ."a dead author.'v.l Will.some ono .-take Herald."'.'■■; v :'. : '' '. , ~ ', ..-.