FROM NORTH OF TWEED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20365, 23 March 1928, Page 3

FROM NORTH OF TWEED

A LETTER TO OVERSEAS SCOTS. Written for the Otago Daily Times. By Robert S. Angus. EDINBURGH, February 9. Earl Haig was laid to rest on Tuesday within the ruined walls of Dryburgli Abbey, within sound of the “ dear remembered melody of Tweed,” beside that other great Borderer, Sir Walter Scott. To every patriotic Scot it must seem consoling and appropriate that these two should lie together, lit companions, and that by their own wish they should have as their requiem the ripple of the Tweed over its stones rather than the rumble of London traffic. The closing scenes of Haig’s burial were carried out with a seemly dignity which gave all classes of the community, and especially those men who had served under him, an opportunity to do honour to his memory. The arrival of his body in Edinburgh* from London at midnight last Friday was one of the weirdest and most impressive scones that even the Scottish capital can have witnessed in its long and varied history. The moon, nearly at its full, shone down oh a snow-clad city. Tlie black silhouette of the castle rock stood out against a steel-blue sky flecked with clouds. Tho streets along the route of procession from Princes street to ist. Giles Cathedral were thronged by tens of thousands of spectators, heedless of the bitter cold. Over all reigned a strange silence, broken only by the wail of the bagpipe laments. It was a scene which none who saw it can ever forget. THE LYING IN STATE. During th e three days the field-mar-shal's body lay in State in St. Giles Cathedral hundreds of thousands filed through the great building. In spite of inclement weather the mourners waited in a long line, which at times stretched for nearly a mile. On Sunday, in order that the esrvices in the cathedral might not bo interrupted the coffin was removed to the adjoining Thistle Chapel, which it was intended should be open for only two or three hours in the afternoon. But when it was found that tens of thousands would he disappointed the authorities wisely decided that the time should be extended, and it was after 10 o’clock at night before (he building was closed. The final journey from the cathedral by way of the Mound and Princes street to the WaveiTey Station, with the castle guns overhead booming a parting salute, was again the occasion of a great manifestation of sorrow. There the military ceremonial and pomp ended, and when' the train reached St. Boswells for the four miles’ journey by road to Drvburgh the funeral was carried out with the quiet and unostentatious ritual appropriate to the end of a Border laird. Ther e is no occasion on which offence is so easily given or so readily taken as in connection with a funeral, but in Earl Haig’s case everything was beautifully done. Wherever men have met during these last few days worthy tributes have been paid to Earl Haig s military services, and equally to the blameless charm of his private life and character. INCREASE OF STUDENTS. This year the students attending the Scottish universities are 600 in excess of the number last year, but a correspondent takes occasion to doubt whether that fact is an unmixed blessing, a doubt which I share to the full. The increase is attributed to two causes—a lowering in the standard of the, qualifying entrance examination and greater financial assistance given by the local education authorities. The plain fact is that we arc giving a university education to more young folk than can hope to find a demand for the academic training and to many who, in the commercial sense are not worth the expense. Many of them would',be happier and more useful citizens if they took to the sword or the plough, or the carpenter’s bench, and the money they cost would he better spent i - it were devoted to giving our best students a longer and more intensive training. I think I have quoted betore Dr Johnson s comment on our system of education that while it gives every one a little, learning, no one gets a full meal. There is some truth in it still. It would ho far better, as Sir James Irvine, of St. Andrew’s, suggested the other day, to provide facilities for developing to their utmost the gifts of our best students than to encourage as we do those of only average ability to aim at heights beyond their reach. EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENTS. I mav mention in this connection that Sir John Gilmour hopes in tho course of the parliamentary session, which opened on Tuesday, to secure the passage of a Bill which will enable a good many of the minor and semi-obsolete educational endowments to be merged so that they may be turned to more effective use. His only other legislative project for this year is a measure to abolish the boards which are now nominally responsible for various branches of Scottish administration and to place them under permanent civil servants. The only change in the Bill ns presented last year is the introduction of a. clause making it clear that the headquarters of the departments are to remain in Edinburgh, and that there is no thought of transferring them to Whitehall, HONORARY FREEMEN. Our municipalities in these days seem to he much more generous than they used to he in the bestowal of the honorary freedom. Edinburgh proposes (o add to its list Sir John Gilmour, the Scottish Secretary the Duke of Athol! (with special reference to his share in the Scottish war memorial), and the Countess of Aberdeen, while Glasgow is to confer the honour on Sir Austen Chamberlain when he visits the city as Lord Rector of tho University, and on Prince Georgs. It is curious that in suite of the reputation it hears politically the western city makes it a point of including all the male members of the Roval House, among its burgesses. I am far from saying that the hearers of the names I have mentioned are not worthy of all the honour that can he paid to them, but their services have not been of the outstanding character once, regarded as necessary to qualify for the distinctions they are to receive. GREYHOUND RACING. It is curious that although for generations whippet racing lias been a favourite pastime among our miners, tho craze for coursing tho electric hare has taken only a slight hold among ns. In most places municipal opposition is strong, and one or two of tlie companies projected have not received the financial support they exacted or required. I am not sure that that is a matter for regret, and am sceptical of tlie claim of one promoter that tiio existence of greyhound racing tracks has decreased the amount of drunkenness in their neighbourhood. It is possible that the evil—if it be an evil—will be cured by a collapse of public interest, ami signs of such a development arc not lacking. .SABBATH OBS.ERVANCE .Students of our national habits will not. with interest that, in spite of strong and united pressure from the local churches, the Town Council of Inverness has declined by a majority to protest to the railway companies against the facilities they are now offering for Sunday excursions to that city. It took the view that it was no business of it to interfere. It was probably alive to the fact that if it objected it would weaken its hands in any future appeal it might make to the company for better services. Besides, it could not have cured the nuisance of which complaint is made—the arrival of charabancs by road. On the other hand, the .Sabbatarians have scored a success in connection with Norman Shaw, who, it will he remembered, was dismissed by the Clyde Lighthouse- trustees because of his refusal to i«udcrtako Sunday duties which he regarded us nonessential. It has now been decided, in j reversal of a former ruling, that he is entitled to receive unemployment benefit. I That seems no more than fair, for, while

liis objections may have seemed punctilious, they were undoubtedly cousc'emtious, STEEL HOUSES. Glasgow Corporation has been recommended by its Housing Committee to refuse Lord A\ eir’s ofier to make it a present of bis factory for the manufacture of steel bouses on certain conditions. The decision may be sound ; the reasons for it certainly arc not. It is pleaded that there are not enough sites for the erection of steel houses ; in that ease the housing problem is indeed insoluble. It is further alleged that the houses arc not such as could bo recommended, ’ although thousands of them have been erected by other local authorities, and have given complete satisfaction. SCOTTISH ORCHESTRA. As the present musical season is drawing to a close an appeal has been made oil behalf of the Scottish orchestra, which has its headquarters in and draws its main support from Glasgow. It appears that the annual loss on the enterprise is about £1.5,000 and a minimum guarantee fund of £3OOO is required before the committee can make its preparations for next year. Time was when the players were drawn almost entirely from Germany, and even now most of thorn are foreigners. Hut I suppose that is inevitable until we develop a race of native musicians. Perhaps the Scottish National School of Music which is now projected may do something to make good the deficiency. The public spirit of Glasgow may be trusted to sec that the orchestra is maintained in the meantime. '