SCOTTISH CHARACTERISTICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6823, 29 September 1883, Page 1 (Supplement)

SCOTTISH CHARACTERISTICS.

A most entertaining book, -with the above

title, has just been issued by the well-known

author, the Rev. PaxtUi Hood. It consists 3 of stories illustrative of Scottish character--1 istics, and it is somewhat extraordinary that i Mr. Hood should have devotee 1 himself to ". this field, as he is an linylishman. Bsfore dealing with the volume itself, we may meu'- , tioa a few particulars respecting the author. 1 Mr. Hood ie a Congregationalist preacher in London. Be was for raaoy yeara the editor of the Eclectic Review. He is the author of a large number of works of great value. In the preface to the present book he states :—" I have thrown into organic form the results of extensive desultory reading. The truth is, when I read Dean Ramsay's pleasant 'Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character,' I thought—what no doubt many wiil think as they ley down the volume—how much has been \ omitted !" The best way to criticise such a I volume is to give extracts, and that we pr-o pose to do. There are twelve chapters in the volume, whose titles are:—The . Old tX-ottish Minister, Characteristics of Scottish Humour, the Humour of Scottish Character, Some Varieties of Scottish Snperstition r tho Scot Abroad, the Humours of the Scottish Dialect, the Old Scottish Lawyers and trie Law, Court*, Old Edinburgh, the Old Scottish Lady, Scottish Pnmrbial Philosophy, the Old Scottish Sabbath, Northern Lights. Vie are very much mistaken if this book' does not prose one of the moat popular which Mr. Hood h:is ever issued. I'ho subject seems to have had a fascination for Mr. liood.. He has diligently collected anecdotes and proverbs, he is extensively read in all peculiarly., Scottish literature, he has mastered the many exquisite delicacies ef the dialect. Mr. Hood has also made pilgrimages to Edinburgh, to familiarisehimself with historic scenes, and has deciphered the inscriptions on the ancient houses, cut there during the days of the Reformation fervour. The best we can do for our readers with such a,book in our hands is, to,make quotations, and this we proceed to do : — rf' : ~\: y;V..DEAFNESS AND PBAYEB. :.;.-;A part :Of: r tho .nsual duty of the Scottish /minister....was., peiiiidical: pastoral visitation, ;whioh ~.,. included, visitations during which all., the',.members.-/:of the family were supposed."..to,/,.'submit to catechetical examinations. ":V; This work of examination has beeii,: froih tirhe immemorial, supposed to be kept -up. from house to house,, the minister ■taking certain districts, and usually announcing his route of visitation from - the pulpit. on the preceding Sitlibath. ;The visit of the minister was often the occision of great alarm, and perhaps w.iß conducted — whatever may be the case now — very mechanically. There was examination in the catechism, aad the general routine of sound theology. The beadle i ÜBually. went before the minister into tho 1 distrioi, to atinouDco that" on each and such a day he would pi»y his vis.it. Sometimes, however, indolent inini.itors neglected this duty. A poor old deaf min resided in Fife; he was visited by, his minister shortly after coming to his pulpit. The minister said bo would often call und see him ; but .time went on, and he did not visit him again until two years alter, when, happening to go through thestreet where the deaf man'waa living, he swhis wifoat tho door, and could therefore do no other than inquire for her husband. " Weel, Jlaigaret, how ?" " Koiiu tbe better o' you," was the rather curt reply. "How, hoft ! Margaret?" inquired :ho minster; " Oh, ye promised twa. syno toei , and pr.iy once a fortnight wi'him, and c ye hae ne'er darkened the door sin syne."' " Weel, weel, Margaret, don'c ne bo short; I thought it was not so very necessary to call and pniy with Tamroae, for he io si a deaf, ye ken, ho onnabearmel" "Bat, Sir," eaid tho woman, t with a using dignity of manner, " tho Loril'a no ' deaf J" AS INJ.JRED CDDDV. - < Dr. Henderson, of Galasbiels, in the course ! of one of his pAator.il Ciills. came to the hoiise of ] a woman who had lost her husband a short.time before, and hud been left with a .large and non- ] productivo family ;" naturally the minister in- [ quired after the health of the household. i " Weel," said-the woman, "we're a'richt, except puirDvvie j he's eair troubled wi' a bad j leg, aud not fit for wark.": The doctor could not recollect who D.ivie was'; biit.asin duty bound, , he praynd that Davie's affliction might be blessed to him, and also that it might not be of long duration;,;. But going home and consulting his wife he said,; , 'Da vie, Davie, which of the ' boys i 3 Davie V " Hoot, hoot! you ought to i ken wha Davie is," she replied. '• Davie is nae son, Davie is just the cuddy" (donkey). cADTiocs criticism; . A Jroll kind of slow movement of character ' gives a hint of,a good deal of the humour. It i 13 .recorded by Chambers and other Scottish i historians that whea Mrs. Siddons wae in : Edinburgh, on the occasion, of her, first appearance, the audience had bean, ,'to English 1 notions, singularly undemonstrative of their , approbation. Yet during one scene the whole house was held entirely spellbound and breath- ] less, when there w.is heard distinctly from the pit-i voice from some cinny," cautious Scotch critic, " Yon was no , that b.id ;" and at that i word tho whole bouse burst forth into a perfect i tumult and uproar uf applause. A SIWLS hEFLT. A good de.'.l or the humour is just in the shrewd simplicity of a reply. A London tourist met a youug worn,ic going to the kirk, and, as w.is not unusual, sha was cirrying her boots in hor hand and trudging along barefoot. " Sly girl," said he, "is it customary for all the people in those part , , to go barefoot V" " £«.irtly tbey Jo,'' b&idthe girl, "and pairtly they mind their owi bubicess.' , ' ACTUAL SIS. In the town of JiMkirk there lived a veiy notorious inlidei, v.-bo glo'ied in hin profanity. On ore occu<iori hu was denouncing the absurdity of tha doctrine of original sin, <tnd the beadle o," the p.iriii'), perhaps, thought hinnolf bound ol3.ci.illy to put in hU word, although the other was Bccially bis superior. " Mr. H.," be, " it seems to me that yo needna fash (trouble) yvaisel' about original sin, for to my certain kimvleflge you hsve as much akwAi (vctuTvl) sic as will do your business. ,, HEAD .AiiD iSTOjrACH. 1 A minister called to conjalo a poor widow 1 who h-d just lost her hua'jand, Jock Dunn, a thiift'oss'rascrJ, who "only lived to e-it aud driuk. the hard worj earnings of htsp%cient wife, Je.innio. " Provit mce in His mercy," ».id thm minister, seeu fie to rik aw.i' tho hea-d of yer Louie, Jciunic, late.' . To this, tbe bereaved wife philosopbiCAlly replied, *' Ob, hoch aye, but, thank goodnef.-.. Piovidence iu K.s mercy, h is u'cb nwa' the etomraack Ue !" EQUAL TO THE OCCASION. One dark wintei , * evening, John Ritchie, the beadle of St. Cuvid's Church, Dundee, undertook to conduct tho minister of an. adjoining parish to the residence of his own "paatoi in a, suburb of tho town. It wis parlicnlaily dark, and the minister who accompanied John began to oxpre33 a fear thit hie guide would misd the way. Jobc, however, continued to aasert that all was right, till, after a lengthened journey, tbey reached the precinct 3 of a large public building; the discomfited f auctiouary exclaimed, ,- ' I've ta'unye a little about, Dir; but I thought ye wad miybe like, to Bee the Cholera Hospital !"' The Asiatic scourge was then raging in the town; , and John had, indeed, lost hie roi'l. AlpxAnder McLichlan, beadle in the parish of BUirsow.ie, hul contracted i h»bit of tippling, which though it fiid not wholly unfit him for his duties, hid buome a matter of considerable scandal. Tho her. W. Johnson, the incumbent, bad i colvod to reprove him on tho first suitable oppoitunity. A meeting of th-s kirk session was to be Uoid on a week day, at twelve o'clock. ' The , minister and the beadle were in the session-house together before i»ny of 'ho elders Uiid arrived.. The beadle was flushed and excited, and the minister deemed the oc onsiou peculiarly fitting for the administration of reproof. " I much fear, Saundere," began the , minister, " thit the bottle has become—" " Ay, ay. Sir," broke in the unperturbed official, " I wai just gaun to observe that tbero .was a emell o , drink arcang's !" Here we must close our extracts for the present, promising to return to this interesting volume. ______________

■ '■■'"'.Coke, , because. it thanes no ispequf * . liarly adaptedifor.uso.iaeities, and there, is every . reason to believe that, weight fGi.weight, it is a more '■; economical fuel than' stcasi coal. ■'.■ Thus, forHample,: in short boilers, or thbsd ii" which there is not a long !■■ run to the chimney,-colte will prove more economical ■■ than .coal.: Two excellent : illustrations of this fact have come tinder.our notlceVs'ln one, o. small vertical; boiler, without tubesj actually ovaporated nearly.Q.bs; ' of cold water perponmlbf coko. ' .With coal the same : 'boilerVould, at most"; have evaporated 51bs.; that is,. .. f-t'.:e,coal-could.bavo been faii.lf :.burnt at all, ~ : the.other one, the evaporatioa , : 'Wiia'-'at' , ' th'erate'"6f U.CGlb'C'bf wat'JV to the pound of- ; "ccal.'witli" the boiler, doing 'precisely the same work .' and under: similar only change being : that /gas coke .was -used ihstead of coal aj foe 1 .; the, i : • evaporation :'was ■ B'llbi ■' of. water per pound of coke.: , ; : " Steam ■■users . are invited to ; apply lor a reprint of ■■■ "articW'from.'.'the'Enijineerl.tp.bo , obtained at ibe Gas V :.offlce;,:, ; ->:'S.'».v ; ,^;-^'./'.C: ; v-.:.;i. ; :....'■■: r> '■ I. V. have made 'Concrete 'a Speciality; are :: practically . acquainted : with its treatment, «»" :■: studied how to reduce its Cost by adoptag £l*™™? r- Speciflcation3tosuitit,Howtofn«ne for B,^ Tanks xc, oanptv, and are prepared 10 give ? ftade 41«k.-Cautiou-Anyone putting other to. .. In bins bear ng our trade mark Is liable to be prose : cuted!lj-. WiLo and Co., 81, Qaeen.etreet.-[At>vT.}