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streets；　the　warm　colouring　of　the　brick；　the　domestic　quaintness　

of　the　architecture；　among　which　English　children　begin　to　grow　up　

and　come　to　themselves　in　life。　　As　the　stage　of　the　University　

approaches；　the　contrast　becomes　more　express。　　The　English　lad　

goes　to　Oxford　or　Cambridge；　there；　in　an　ideal　world　of　gardens；　

to　lead　a　semi…scenic　life；　costumed；　disciplined　and　drilled　by　

proctors。　　Nor　is　this　to　be　regarded　merely　as　a　stage　of　

education；　it　is　a　piece　of　privilege　besides；　and　a　step　that　

separates　him　further　from　the　bulk　of　his　compatriots。　　At　an　

earlier　age　the　Scottish　lad　begins　his　greatly　different　

experience　of　crowded　class…rooms；　of　a　gaunt　quadrangle；　of　a　bell　

hourly　booming　over　the　traffic　of　the　city　to　recall　him　from　the　

public…house　where　he　has　been　lunching；　or　the　streets　where　he　

has　been　wandering　fancy…free。　　His　college　life　has　little　of　

restraint；　and　nothing　of　necessary　gentility。　　He　will　find　no　

quiet　clique　of　the　exclusive；　studious　and　cultured；　no　rotten　

borough　of　the　arts。　　All　classes　rub　shoulders　on　the　greasy　

benches。　　The　raffish　young　gentleman　in　gloves　must　measure　his　

scholarship　with　the　plain；　clownish　laddie　from　the　parish　school。　　

They　separate；　at　the　session's　end；　one　to　smoke　cigars　about　a　

watering…place；　the　other　to　resume　the　labours　of　the　field　beside　

his　peasant　family。　　The　first　muster　of　a　college　class　in　

Scotland　is　a　scene　of　curious　and　painful　interest；　so　many　lads；　

fresh　from　the　heather；　hang　round　the　stove　in　cloddish　

embarrassment；　ruffled　by　the　presence　of　their　smarter　comrades；　

and　afraid　of　the　sound　of　their　own　rustic　voices。　　It　was　in　

these　early　days；　I　think；　that　Professor　Blackie　won　the　affection　

of　his　pupils；　putting　these　uncouth；　umbrageous　students　at　their　

ease　with　ready　human　geniality。　　Thus；　at　least；　we　have　a　healthy　

democratic　atmosphere　to　breathe　in　while　at　work；　even　when　there　

is　no　cordiality　there　is　always　a　juxtaposition　of　the　different　

classes；　and　in　the　competition　of　study　the　intellectual　power　of　

each　is　plainly　demonstrated　to　the　other。　　Our　tasks　ended；　we　of　

the　North　go　forth　as　freemen　into　the　humming；　lamplit　city。　　At　

five　o'clock　you　may　see　the　last　of　us　hiving　from　the　college　

gates；　in　the　glare　of　the　shop　windows；　under　the　green　glimmer　of　

the　winter　sunset。　　The　frost　tingles　in　our　blood；　no　proctor　lies　

in　wait　to　intercept　us；　till　the　bell　sounds　again；　we　are　the　

masters　of　the　world；　and　some　portion　of　our　lives　is　always　

Saturday；　LA　TREVE　DE　DIEU。



Nor　must　we　omit　the　sense　of　the　nature　of　his　country　and　his　

country's　history　gradually　growing　in　the　child's　mind　from　story　

and　from　observation。　　A　Scottish　child　hears　much　of　shipwreck；　

outlying　iron　skerries；　pitiless　breakers；　and　great　sea…lights；　

much　of　heathery　mountains；　wild　clans；　and　hunted　Covenanters。　　

Breaths　come　to　him　in　song　of　the　distant　Cheviots　and　the　ring　of　

foraying　hoofs。　　He　glories　in　his　hard…fisted　forefathers；　of　the　

iron　girdle　and　the　handful　of　oat…meal；　who　rode　so　swiftly　and　

lived　so　sparely　on　their　raids。　　Poverty；　ill…luck；　enterprise；　

and　constant　resolution　are　the　fibres　of　the　legend　of　his　

country's　history。　　The　heroes　and　kings　of　Scotland　have　been　

tragically　fated；　the　most　marking　incidents　in　Scottish　history　…　

Flodden；　Darien；　or　the　Forty…five　were　still　either　failures　or　

defeats；　and　the　fall　of　Wallace　and　the　repeated　reverses　of　the　

Bruce　combine　with　the　very　smallness　of　the　country　to　teach　

rather　a　moral　than　a　material　criterion　for　life。　　Britain　is　

altogether　small；　the　mere　taproot　of　her　extended　empire：　

Scotland；　again；　which　alone　the　Scottish　boy　adopts　in　his　

imagination；　is　but　a　little　part　of　that；　and　avowedly　cold；　

sterile　and　unpopulous。　　It　is　not　so　for　nothing。　　I　once　seemed　

to　have　perceived　in　an　American　boy　a　greater　readiness　of　

sympathy　for　lands　that　are　great；　and　rich；　and　growing；　like　his　

own。　　It　proved　to　be　quite　otherwise：　a　mere　dumb　piece　of　boyish　

romance；　that　I　had　lacked　penetration　to　divine。　　But　the　error　

serves　the　purpose　of　my　argument；　for　I　am　sure；　at　least；　that　

the　heart　of　young　Scotland　will　be　always　touched　more　nearly　by　

paucity　of　number　and　Spartan　poverty　of　life。



So　we　may　argue；　and　yet　the　difference　is　not　explained。　　That　

Shorter　Catechism　which　I　took　as　being　so　typical　of　Scotland；　was　

yet　composed　in　the　city　of　Westminster。　　The　division　of　races　is　

more　sharply　marked　within　the　borders　of　Scotland　itself　than　

between　the　countries。　　Galloway　and　Buchan；　Lothian　and　Lochaber；　

are　like　foreign　parts；　yet　you　may　choose　a　man　from　any　of　them；　

and；　ten　to　one；　he　shall　prove　to　have　the　headmark　of　a　Scot。　　A　

century　and　a　half　ago　the　Highlander　wore　a　different　costume；　

spoke　a　different　language；　worshipped　in　another　church；　held　

different　morals；　and　obeyed　a　different　social　constitution　from　

his　fellow…countrymen　either　of　the　south　or　north。　　Even　the　

English；　it　is　recorded；　did　not　loathe　the　Highlander　and　the　

Highland　costume　as　they　were　loathed　by　the　remainder　of　the　

Scotch。　　Yet　the　Highlander　felt　himself　a　Scot。　　He　would　

willingly　raid　into　the　Scotch　lowlands；　but　his　courage　failed　him　

at　the　border；　and　he　regarded　England　as　a　perilous；　unhomely　

land。　　When　the　Black　Watch；　after　years　of　foreign　service；　

returned　to　Scotland；　veterans　leaped　out　and　kissed　the　earth　at　

Port　Patrick。　　They　had　been　in　Ireland；　stationed　among　men　of　

their　own　race　and　language；　where　they　were　well　liked　and　treated　

with　affection；　but　it　was　the　soil　of　Galloway　that　they　kissed　at　

the　extreme　end　of　the　hostile　lowlands；　among　a　people　who　did　not　

understand　their　speech；　and　who　had　hated；　harried；　and　hanged　

them　since　the　dawn　of　history。　　Last；　and　perhaps　most　curious；　

the　sons　of　chieftains　were　often　educated　on　the　continent　of　

Europe。　　They　went　abroad　speaking　Gaelic；　they　returned　speaking；　

not　English；　but　the　broad　dialect　of　Scotland。　　Now；　what　idea　had　

they　in　their　minds　when　they　thus；　in　thought；　identified　

themselves　with　their　ancestral　enemies？　　What　was　the　sense　in　

which　they　were　Scotch　and　not　English；　or　Scotch　and　not　Irish？　　

Can　a　bare　name　be　thus　influential　on　the　minds　and　affections　of　

men；　and　a　political　aggregation　blind　them　to　the　nature　of　facts？　　

The　story　of　the　Austrian　Empire　would　seem　to　answer；　NO；　the　far　

more　galling　business　of　Ireland　clenches　the　negative　from　nearer　

home。　　Is　it　common　education；　common　morals；　a　common　language　or　

a　common　faith；　that　join　men　into　nations？　　There　were　practically　

none　of　these　in　the　case　we　are　considering。



The　fact　remains：　in　spite　of　the　difference　of　blood　and　language；　

the　Lowlander　feels　himself　the　sentimental　countryman　of　the　

Highlander。　　When　they　meet　abroad；　they　fall　upon　each　other's　

necks　in　spirit；　even　at　home　there　is　a　kind　of　clannish　intimacy　

in　their　talk。　　But　from　his　compatriot　in　the　south　the　Lowlander　

stands　consciously　apart。　　He　has　had　a　different　training；　he　

obeys　different　laws；　he　makes　his　will　in　other　terms；　is　

otherwise　divorced　and　married；　his　eyes　are　not　at　home　in　an　

English　landscape　or　with　English　houses；　his　ear　continues　to　

remark　the　English　speech；　and　even　though　his　tongue　acquire　the　

Southern　knack；　he　will　still　have　a　strong　Scotch　accent　of　the　

mind。









CHAPTER　II。　SOME　COLLEGE　MEMORIES　（2）





I　AM　asked　to　write　something　（it　is　not　specifically　stated　what）　

to　the　profit　and　glory　of　my　ALMA　MATER；　and　the　fact　is　I　seem　to　

be　in　very　nearly　the　same　case　with　those　who　addressed　me；　for　

while　I　am　willing　enough　to　write　something；　I　know　not　what　to　

write。　　Only　one　point　I　see；　that　if　I　am　to　write　at　all；　it　

should　be　of　the　University　itself　and　my　own　days　under　its　

shadow；　of　the　things　that　are　still　the　same　and　of　those　that　are　

already　changed：　such　talk；　in　short；　as　would　pass　naturally　

between　a　student　of　to…day　and　one　of　yesterday；　supposing　them　to　

meet　and　grow　confidential。



The　generations　pass　away　swiftly　enough　on　the　high　seas　of　life；　

more　swiftly　still　in　the　little　bubbling　back…water　of　the　

quadrangle；　so　that　we　see　there；　on　a　scale　startlingly　

diminished；　the　flight　of　time　and　the　succession　of　men。　　I　looked　

for　my　name　the　other　day　in　last　year's　case…book　of　the　

Speculative。　　Naturally　enough　I　looked　for　it　near　the　end；　it　was　

not　there；　nor　yet　in　the　next　column；　so　that　I　began　to　think　it　

had　been　dropped　at　press；　and　when　at　last　I　found　it；　mounted　on　

the　shoulders　of　so　many　successors；　and　looking　in　that　posture　

like　the　name　of　a　man　of　ninety；　I　was　conscious　of　some　of　the　

dignity　of　years。　　This　kind　of　dignity　of　tempora