SCOTTISH SELF-RELIANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 92

SCOTTISH SELF-RELIANCE.

The Earl of Rosebery was on June 12 installed as Chancellor of the University of Glasgow in succession to the late Lord Kelvin. He also " capped " the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Elgin, and Lord Newlands, on whom the University conferred the degree of LL.D. He then proceeded to deliver his address, in which he expatiated upon " the Scottish characteristic of self-reliance — the heart of Scottish independence and success." He affirmed that "everything is being done to swamp self-reliance, to make it superfluous and almost ridiculous." After saying that the plea for self-reliance is, after all, a plea for liberty, and uttering a warning against doctrines which profess to be benevolent yet encroach on liberty, Lord Rosebery observed : " I would, then, have self-reliance, the quality for which Scots were famous, but which is being daily sapped — the principle for which Chalmers in this veTy city made so gallant a fight — • I would have self-reliance as the assaymark of this university. It is by selfreliance, humanly speaking, by the independence which has been the motive and impelling force of our race, that the Scots have thriven in India and in Canada, in Australia and New Zealand, and even in England, where at different times they were banned. . . . Speaking as a, Scotsman to Scotsmen, I plead for our historical character, for the maintenance of those sterling national qualities which have mtoant so much to Scotland in the past." These are words as much needed as they are weighty; but will Scotland give heed to them? SCOTTISH NATIONAL PAGEANT. A pag«ant illustrative of scenes in the history of Scotland down to the end of the Jacobite period, as well as of allegorical subjects, took place in the Edinburgh Exhibition on the 13th Juno, buti was spoiled by wet weather, on account) of which it had to be held in the Concert Hall. As the performers numbered 1800 the space available was far too small, but even as it was the tableaus were greatlyadmired. Special attention was devoted) to the group representing Wallace, Bruce, and their compeers. Mary Queen of Scots was represented by a tall and handeojne young French lady, and she and her attendant ladies were much admired for their beauty and dignity. A strong desire) was expressed for a repetition of the pageant, in the hope that finer weather might allow of its being held out of doors. It is accordingly to be repeat edto-morrow. The performers come from all parts of Scotland, and the dresses, etc., have been in course of preparation for months. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES. As I prognosticated in my last, the proceedings of these bodies proved quite unenventful, and evoked but little general interest. In the Established Church Assembly a good deal of reference was made to various social matters, such as the Licensing Bill brought in by the Government, and the spread of Socialism. The tone of this assembly is greately improved from what it was a number of years a^o, when battles were the order o£ the day. Now the Rev. Jacob Primmer's annual protest is the only warlike episode, and is little worse than a damp S<1 In the United Free Church Assembly, it was reported that the total income of the Sustentation Fund for the year amounted to £169.822, being an increase of £2221. This was entirely due to a« increase in Hhe amount derived from legacies, congregational contributions and donations from individuals both exhibiting decreases. This is the last year of? the Sustentation Fund under that name* and Mr A. B. Birkmyre Scott, the Glasgow elder who gave in the report of tha committee by which it is managed, there-, foro took occasion to say that the total) amount contributed to the fund dunn£ the 65 years of its existence reached the sum of £9,246,945. The contributions of one congregation alone, which he said! it was not needful to name, but which was, of course, St. George's, Edinburgh, bordered very closely on a .quarter of •

{nilhon. Mr Scott added that he thought they would require to search Christendom before they found siicn another record. |h tie deliverance which was adopted the assembly asked " that there may be on the part of all a united and systematic effort to secure the object aimed at — viz., that every minister of the Church in full charge shall have a minimum) stipend of £200 and manse (or sum equivalent), inclusive, of ministerial income from all sources." It was also reported that of the '£150,000 required to provide churches and manses for the dispossessed ministers and congregations, £134,405 had been subscribed up to date. St. George's, Edinburgh, had contributed £6000, and 11 other congregations more than £1000 each. Returns had vet to be received from 282 out of the 1656 congregations of .which the Church was composed. The annual debate on disestablishment derived a melancholy interest from the fact that it was the occasion of the last speech on the subject delivered by the venerable leader of the movement, the "Rev. Dr Hutton, of Paisley, whose sudden -death,- while the assembly was still in 'session, is- quoted below. When the subject of reunion with the Church of Scotland came up for consideration quite a commotion was -created by the Rev. Jas. Davidson, ot Greenock, who declared that he did not think' it too much to say that the State Church syetem as it was to be read of in history and to be seen throughout the. length and breadth of the land was the cause of ruin to a far greater number of our countrymen than drink, v gambling, and immorality. Naturally this extraordinary allegation evoked cries of "Shame," and indignant protests and other endeavours to silence the speaker, whose further remarks could scarcely be heard for the din. Ultimately it was agreed to appoint a committee of 60 ministers and elders to consider the communication upon the subject which bad been received from the Church of Scotland. The Free Church Assembly only Bat for four days, and its proceedings were devoid of public interest. The only thing which attracted ony outside notice iras the dispensing with the services of Mr Hay Thornburn, the general secretary of the church, who was awarded £1000 by way of solatium for the loss of his post. The, committee appointed a year ago by the Established Church Assembly to consider and report upon a proposal to -adopt individual cups at the communion presented two reports. The majority advocated the change, and the ministry opposed it. The Rev. Dr H'Clymont proposed the adoption of the majority report, but it was strongly ■ opposed by most of the speakers who took part in the debate which ensued, and an amendment by the Rev. Professor Nicol, of Aberdeen, remitting the matter to the -committee for further consideration and fuller investigation was adopted. SUFFRAGETTE ROW IN E©r\ TBURGH

Mr Lloyd-George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was the principal speaker at a meeting convened by Scottish temperance organisations, and held in the King's Ineatre, Edinburgh, in support of the English Licensing Bill. He had not spoken long when a suffragette broke in with the usual stupid interruption, uttered F\ a , v <| ice J ike that of a fish-wife. Mr Lloyd-George took it good-numouredly, and said if he had his way he would give iher the vote to-morrow. As she continued to shout, she was summarily seized and ejected. A similar fate befell five other females who successively courted it by their rude and senseless interruptions. Of caie of them Mr Lloyd-George said • ''Well, she- talked to the last." After this the interruptions ceased. The ejected ones proceed to a point a few yards from the theatre, where they had an orangebox for a platform, from which they proceeded to harangue the passers-by. A police inspector compelled them to move on, which they did for a few yards and then began again, but as the police again interfered they gave it up as a bad job, and marched off down Home street. As they went a hostile crowd followed them and pelted them with bits of bread and other missiles, so that some of them took refuge for a time in an ice-cream shop. This is an aspect of the matter which is increasingly in evidence, as the suffragettes will yet find to their cost, as the rowdy element in the community seeks to find in them fair game for its attacks. The suffragettes will then have to seek the protection of the very police whom at present they defy and abuse. I have been glad 'to find an increasing number of ladies who, while earnestly desiring and actively working for the obtaining of the franchise by women, are utterly opposed to the methods and behaviour of the suffragettes, who are also alienating many of their supporters among the male sex. How any respectable woman can court and glory in the rough handling by men which is unavoidable in their forcible expulsion from the meetings which they interrupt in such a stupid and unwomanly fashion, it is difficult to understand. " Some day, when the masculine patience is exhausted, something very unseemly will happen, and the suffragettes will then find that they have lit a fire which will be as unmanageable and destructive as a prairie conflagration.