PROFESSOR BLACKIE ON SCOTCHMEN.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5034, 2 March 1885, Page 2

PROFESSOR BLACKIE ON SCOTCHMEN.

An amusing speech on Scotchmen was delivered by Professor Blackie at/the dinner of the St. Andrew Society, of Manchester. He said that he had looked up information, about St. Andrew. There was not much to know, but, in the 18th chapter of the 3rd. Book of Eugebiui Ecclesiastical History, they "found St. Andrew converted the Scythians. Scyth, Scuith, Sett were exactly the same wordi. —(Laughter.) St. Andrew therefore was the converter of the Scuilhs or Scoti in that part of the .world.—(Laughter.) The Scots in ail old historical books were Celts, hot Saxons; therefore St. Andrew:must have known Gaelic, and preached in chat language.— (Laughter.) He (the professor) held that to be more certain than, what-a,modern poet had said, that Adam' and Eve were married in G»lic by the Prayer .Book, which was divinely instituted at that time.-(Loud laughter.) The next thing he learned about St. Andrew was that be converted the people from, feeding upon human flesh (laughter), for ever since, the Scottish people had fed upon animal: food chiefly in the glorious and divine Joan of the haggig,—(Renewed laughL-r) As to the Scot being essentially a Celt, no doubt there ought now be more Scots of Saxon than Celtic blood ; but he maintained tbat tbe virtue all came from the Celts and not from, the Saxons.—(Laughter.) When .they kindle a fire they not only put on the coal and the woodi but bring a spark, and that set it nil a-flame. Tho fire, tbe inspiration, the genius of the Scottish people came from the Celtic element.— (Laughter). The Scotch were perfectly willing to allow* that perhaps the~fineit type—the most aristocratic type—that ever walked on the globe was the firstrate Englishman; bat;all Englishmen were not first-rate, - perhaps only ,-?ery few.—(Laughter.) Taking the world over, the Scotchman was the superior animal. If he had less of the dignity, he had more force, and the-fire, and working power, and this was a working world. He had. a* strong feeling on bis subject, because .there wai" a great deal of Anglioation: going on, especially in Edinburgh. 'Glasgow was held to be a more Scottish town than Edinburgh. Against this Anglication he should protest to the ~'end.' Little Scot* land would not bend the knee to big England because it was big.—(Laughter and cheeir) He approved of the proposal to erect a statue of Burns in Manchester. Burn's mission was to, put the poetry of Scotland into the biglieti,place, in the lyrical poetry of the world. Scotchmen owed him a debt of gratitude.' He would not subscribe to a monument to Lord Byron, who was a brilliant blaokgfard, that was all.—(Laughter.)