PENWOMEN'S CLUB
A SCOTTISH AFTERNOON HISTORY OF.JHE CLANS Members of the Penwomen's club were entertained at a very enjoyable "Scottish Afternoon" yesterday by Mrs. Helen Griffiths, who spoke on "The Clans of Scotland." Pianoforte solos by Mrs. W. S. Clarke, and Highland songs by Miss Olive Ball were also appreciated. The accompanist was Mrs. M. Ball. The tartans worn by the various clans were arranged on the stage with colourful effect, and in the course of her talk Mrs. Griffiths told the story of each one, the collection including those of the McLean, Royal Stewart, McKinnon, Graham, Mcßeth, Bruce, Stuart and MacPherson clans, and the Black Watch. . , "What would the "world do without bonny Scotland?" asked Mrs. Griffiths at the commencement of her lecture. "There would be no railroads, no skyscrapers, no Bobert Louis Stevenson t no porridge, no heather !" Next to religion, she went on, in telling the early history of the Highlanders, there was no purer atul finer feeling than love of country. "Clan" was a Gaelic word, meaning "children," and the prefix "Mac," which meant "son of," was frequently added to the father's name by his descendants. Each clan had its meeting place, where in time of war the people were summoned by the bearer of the "Fiery Cross." Quarrels were frequent among the clans, and the chief of each held a couH in his castle, where disputes could. be settled. The chiefs were highly respected as the fathers and protectors of the people, but if they failed in their duty or lowered the dignity of their clan in any way, they were quickly deposed. "Bagpipes arc sacred to the Highlanders'," the speaker said, "and the man who bore them in battle would continue to pipe notes of encouragement even tliQugh he might be wounded himself." The sound of bagpipes, heard when the players were marching against the wind, was magnificent. "Even Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo took an interest in the Highlanders," Mrs. Griffiths said, in describing the wav in which the kilt, a piece of tartan six yards long and two yards wide, was draped. For 40 years after the Battle of Culloden, the Highlanders were forbidden to wear their national dress, but Sir Walter Scott, through his writings, succeeded in obtaining the repeal of this unjust act. Unfortunately however, many valuable tartans had been lost, and the secret of their weaving forgotten.
PENWOMEN'S CLUB
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22741, 29 May 1937, Page 22
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