A SCOTCH SHEPHERD'S PRAYER

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 185, 24 August 1871, Page 7

A SCOTCH SHEPHERD'S PRAYER

The following is from a recently published work, entitled "A Memoir of Charles Mayne Young, Tragedian, with Extracts from his Son's Journal," by the Rev. Julian Charles Young, A. M., Rector of Iluiington :—: — There is no class of persos more truly devout taan the shepherds of Scotland. Among them the exercise of family worship is never neglected. It is always gone about with decorum ; but, formality being a thing despised by them, there are no compositions so truly original, occasionally for rude eloquence, and not un frequently for a plain and somewhat unbecoming famili.ui y. One of the most notable men for this sort of homely fireside eloquence was Adam Scott, of Upper Dalgleish. I had an uncle who herded with him, and from him I had many quotations from Adatn Scott's prayers. Here is a short sample. "We parteeclarly thank Thee for thy great gudness to Meg : and that it ever cam into your head to tak ony though o' is a useless bow-wow as her [alluding to a little girl of his who had been miracuiously saved from drowning]. For Thy mercy's sake —for the sake o' Thy puir sinfu' creeturs now addressiug Thee in their am shilly-shally way ; and, for the sake o' mair that we daur weel name to Thee, hae mercy on our Rob. Ye ken Yousel', he's a wild mischevious callant, and thinks nae mair o' committing sin than a dog does o' licking a dish. But put Thy hook intil his nose, and Thy bridle intil his gab, and gar him come back to The«, wi' a. jerk that he'll no forget the laugest day he has to live. Dma forgot puir Jamio, who's far awa frae us the night. Keep thy arm o' power about him, and, ech, Sirs, I wish Ye wad endow him wi 1 a little spunk and smeddum to act for his sel' ; for if Ye dinna, he'll be but a buckle i' this

warld, and a back-sitter in the next. Thou hast added ane to our family. [N.B.— One of his sons had just married against his approbation.] So has been Thy will. It would never hae been mine. But, if it is of Thee, do Thou bless the connection. But, if the fule hath done it out of carnal desire, against a' reason and credit, may the cauld rain o' adversity settle in his habitation," &c, &c.

A general estimate of the Supplementary Elections for the French Assembly shows that, out of 140 Depmies elected, 120 are Republicans, 2 Bonapartists, and 8 Legitimists. The Republican party are divided into 75 Moderate and 25 Radical members.