Part 5
There was no way in which it could be done better than by raising the class from which ministers were drawn. He remembered saying at the opening meeting of this Society, that one of its objects should be to excite the interest of the upper classes in the language of their forefathers, inducing them to retain that language, or acquire it if lost. Because, when the cultivated classes lost their interest in it, the leaven which leavens society ceased to influence the mass of the people; and it was one of the most unfortunate things in regard to a dying language, when the upper classes lost the use of it, and the uneducated classes came to be in a worse condition than in an earlier state of civilisation, when there was an element of refinement among them. It was an understood fact, that the clergy at this moment had a great influence in the Highlands; and although there were persons present of different persuasions, he thought they would all admit that the Free Church was the Church that influenced the great mass of Highlanders. There were Catholics in Mar, Lochaber, the Long Island, and Strathglass, and Episcopalians in Appin; but the people generally belonged to the Free Church, and if they wanted to influence the mass, it was through the clergy of the Free Church they could do it. Now, it was an unfortunate thing, and generally admitted, that the clergy of the Free Church--he believed it was the same in the Established Church--were not rising in intellect and social rank--that there was rather a falling off in that--that the clergy were drawn not so much from the manse as from the cottar's house; and though he knew a number of clergy, very excellent, godly men, and very superior, considering the station from which they had risen, he thought it was not advantageous, as a rule, to draw the clergy from the lower, uneducated classes. They did not start with that advantage in life which their sons would start with. There had been a talk of instituting bursaries for the advancement of Gaelic-speaking students. He did not see why they should not start a bursary or have a special subscription--he would himself contribute to it--a bursary for theological students sprung from parents of education--whose parents had been ministers, or who themselves had taken a degree in arts. That would tend to encourage the introduction of a superior class of clergymen. He wished to say nothing against the present ministers. He knew they were excellent men, but he thought their sons would be, in many cases, superior to themselves if they took to the ministry. He was sorry they did not take to it more frequently, and he would be glad if this Society offered them some encouragement.
Two learned papers appear from the Rev. John Macpherson, Lairg, and Dr M'Lauchlan, Edinburgh--the one on "The Origin of the Indo-European Languages," and the other--"Notices of Brittany." Space will not now allow us to give extracts long enough to give any idea of the value and interest of these papers, or of the one immediately following--a metrical translation into English of "Dan an Deirg"--by Lachlan Macbean, Inverness. We shall return to them in a future number.
The Rev. A. C. Sutherland gives one of the best written and most interesting papers in the volume on the "Poetry of Dugald Buchanan, the Rannach Bard." The following is a specimen of Mr Sutherland's treatment of the poet, and of his own agreeable style:--
At the time when the great English critic was oracularly declaring that the verities of religion were incapable of poetic treatment, there was a simple Highlander, quietly composing poems, which, of themselves, would have upset the strange view, otherwise sufficiently absurd. But in all justice, we must say that many, very many, both of Gaelic and English poets, who have attempted to embody religious sentiments in poetic forms, have, by their weak efforts, exposed themselves, unarmed, to the attacks of those who would exclude religion from the sphere of the imagination. All good poetry, in the highest sense, deals with, and appeals to, what is universal and common to all men....
It is frequently charged upon the Celt, that in religion as in other matters, emotion, inward feeling in the shape of awe, adoration, undefined reverence, are more eagerly sought, and consequently more honoured, than the practice of the simple external virtues, of which feeling should be the ministers and fountains. Whether this accusation holds good generally, or whether it applies more particularly to the more recent manifestations of the religious life among us, this is not the time to inquire. One thing we are sure of, that a representative religious teacher like Buchanan never allows that any fulness of inward life can dispense with the duties of every-day life, with mercy, truth, industry, generosity, self-control. The unworthy man who is excluded from the kingdom is not the man of blunt, homely feeling, incapable of ecstatic rapture and exalted emotion, but the man who locks up for himself the gold God gave him for the general good, who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, who entrenches his heart behind a cold inhumanity, who permits the naked to shiver unclothed, who lessens not his increasing flock by a single kid to satisfy the orphan's want. Indeed, one who reads carefully Buchanan's _Day of Judgment_, with his mind full of the prejudices or truths regarding the place of honour given by the Celt to inward experience and minute self-analysis, cannot fail to be astonished how small a place these occupy in that great poem. There, at least, mental experience is of no value, except in so far as it blossoms into truth, purity, and love. We cannot, however, pause to illustrate these statements in detail. We shall merely refer to the indignation into which the muse of Buchanan is stirred in the presence of pride and oppression. The lowest deep is reserved for these. The poet's charity for men in general becomes the sublime growl of a lion as it confronts the chief who fleeces but tends not his people.
"An robh thu ro chruaidh, A' feannadh do thuath, 'S a' tanach an gruaidh le mal; Le h-agartas geur, A glacadh an spreidh, 'S am bochdainn ag eigheach dail?
Gun chridhe aig na daoine, Bha air lomadh le h-aois, Le 'n claigeannan maola truagh; Bhi seasamh a' d' choir, Gun bhoineid 'nan dorn, Ge d' tholladh gaoth reota an cluas.
Thu nise do thraill, Gun urram a' d' dhail, Gun ghearsonn, gun mhal, gun mhod: Mor mholadh do'n bhas, A chasgair thu tra, 'S nach d' fhuiling do straic fo'n fhoid."
We part with this paper with an interest in Buchanan's Poems which we never before felt, although we repeatedly read them.
A well written paper, in Gaelic, by John Macdonald, Inland Revenue, Lanark, brings the session of 1873-74 to an end. Mr Macdonald advocates the adoption of one recognised system of orthography in writing Gaelic, and concludes in favour of that of the Gaelic Bible, as being not only the best and purest, but also the best known.
In the second part of the volume 1874-75 are Professor Blackie's famous address, under the auspices of the Society, his first in favour of a Celtic Professor; "The Black Watch Deserters" by Alex. Mackintosh Shaw, London; "History of the Gaelic Church of Inverness", by Alex. Fraser, accountant; "Ancient Unpublished Gaelic Poetry," "The Prophecies of _Coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche_, the Brahan Seer," by Alex. Mackenzie, Secretary to the Society; and other interesting matter. We shall notice these in our next number. This valuable volume is given free to all Members of the Society, besides free Admission to all Lectures and Meetings, while the Annual Subscription for Ordinary Membership is only 5s.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote A: Since the paper was written, the Hon. John Macdonald gave place to another Scottish Highlander, the Hon. Alex. Mackenzie, as Prime Minister of Canada.]
_SONGS AND POEMS IN THE GAELIC LANGUAGE. By DUNCAN MACKENZIE, "The Kenlochewe Bard." Written _verbatim_ from the Bard's own Recitation, and Edited, with an Introduction in English, by Alexander Mackenzie, Secretary to the Gaelic Society of Inverness._
WE have before us part first of the above Songs and Poems, containing thirteen pieces, and consisting of 36 pp., crown 8vo, with an Introduction. We have not met with anything to equal them in our language for pith, spirit, and poetic genius, since the days of _Rob Donn_; and we trust the bard will receive the encouragement he so well deserves with the first part, so as to enable him to give us the second on an early date. There is a short introduction to each piece, which gives them an additional interest. We notice a few unimportant editorial errors which we know Mr Mackenzie would be the first to admit and correct. The following three verses are from "Moladh na Gailig"--air fonn _Cabar-feidh_,--and is a fair specimen, although by no means the best in the book:--
Si Ghailig cainnt as aosda Th' aig daoine air an talamh so, Tha buaidh aic' air an t-saoghal Nach fhaodar a bhreithneachadh, Cha teid i chaoidh air dhi-chuimhn', Cha chaochail 's cha chaidil i, 'S cha teid srian na taod innt' A dh' aindeon taobh dha 'n tachair i, Tha miltean feairt, le cliu, 's le tlachd, Dha cumail ceart neo-mhearachdach, 'S i treun a neart, le briathran pailt, Cha chrion, 's cha chaith, 's cha theirig i, Tha cuimhne 'us beachd na lorg, 's na taic, 'S cha n-iarr i facal leasaichidh. An am sinn na sailm gur binn a toirm Seach ceol a dhealbh na h-Eidailtich.
Tha fianaisean na Gailig Cho laidir 's cho maireannach 'S nach urrainn daoine a h-aicheadh, Tha seann ghnas a leantuinn ri. Tha ciall 'us tuigse nadur, Gach la deanamh soilleir dhuinn, Gur i bu chainnt aig Adhamh Sa gharadh, 's an deighe sin. Gur i bh' aig Noah, an duine coir, A ghleidh, nuair dhoirt an tuil, dhuinn i, 'S mhair i fos troimh iomadh seors', 'S gun deach a seoladh thugainne, Do thir nam beann, nan stra, 's nan gleann, Nan loch, 's na'n allt, 's na'n struthanan, 'S ge lionmhor fine fuidh na ghrein, Se fir an fheilidh thuigeadh i.
Tha 'n t'urram aig an fheileadh Seach eideadh as aithne dhuinn, 'S na daoine tha toir speis dha Gur h-eudmhor na ceatharnaich. A' cumail cuimhn air euchdan, As treuntas an aithrichean, A ghleidh troimh iomadh teimheil, A suainteas fhein, gun dealachadh. Oh! 's iomadh cruadal, cath, 'us tuasaid, 'S baiteal cruaidh a choinnich iad; 'S bu trice bhuaidh aca na ruaig, Tha sgeula bhuan ud comharricht. 'S bu chaomh leo fuaim piob-mhor ri 'n cluais Dha 'n cuir air ghluasad togarrach, Sa dh-aindeon claidheamh, sleagh, na tuadh, Cha chuireadh uamhas eagal orr.
THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.
THE Promoters of this Magazine will spare no effort to make it worthy of the support of the Celt throughout the World. It will be devoted to Celtic subjects generally, and not merely to questions affecting the Scottish Highlands. It will afford Biographies of Eminent Highlanders at home and abroad--Reviews of all Books on subjects interesting to the Celtic Races--their Literature, questions affecting the Land--Hypothec, Entail, Tenant-right, Sport, Reclamation--Emigration, and all questions affecting Landlords, Tenants, and Commerce of the Highlands. On all these questions both sides will be allowed to present their case, the only conditions being that the articles be well and temperately written. Care will always be taken that no one side of a question will obtain undue prominence--facts and arguments on both sides being allowed to work conviction.
The Promoters believe that, under the wiser and more enlightened management now developing itself, there is room enough in the Highlands for more Men, more Land under cultivation, and more Sheep, without any diminution of Sport in Grouse or Deer. That there is room enough for all--for more gallant defenders of our country in time of need, more produce, more comfort, and more intelligence; and the Conductors will afford a _medium_ for giving expression to these views. In order the more successfully to interest the general reader in Celtic questions, the Magazine will be written in English, with the exception of contributions concerning Antiquities and Folk-lore, which may require the native language. It is intended, as soon as arrangements can be made, to have a Serial Highland Story appearing from month to month.
The following have among others already forwarded or promised contributions:--The Rev. GEORGE GILFILLAN on "Macaulay's Treatment of Ossian"; The Very Rev. ULICK J. CANON BOURKE, M.R.I.A., President of St Jarlath's College, Tuam, on "The Relationship of the Keltic and Latin Races"; CHARLES FRASER-MACKINTOSH, Esq., M.P., on "Forestry or Tree-planting in the Highlands"; The "NETHER-LOCHABER" CORRESPONDENT of the _Inverness Courier_, on "Highland Folk-lore"; The Rev. JOHN MACPHERSON, Lairg, "Old Unpublished Gaelic Songs, with Notes"; Professor BLACKIE, a Translation of "Mairidh Laghach"; Principal SHAIRP, St Andrews, on "Subjects connected with Highland Poetry, and the Poetic Aspects of the Highlands"; ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, Secretary of the Gaelic Society, "Coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche--the Brahan Seer's Prophecies"; "The Traditional History of how the Mackenzies came into possession of Gairloch, and drove out the Macleods"; "Latha na Luinge"; "Freiceadan a Choire Dhuibh"; "Latha Lochan Neatha," and other West Highland Folk-lore and Unpublished Gaelic Poetry; ALEX. FRASER, Accountant, Inverness, "Curiosities from the Old Burgh Records of Inverness"; The Rev. A. SINCLAIR, Kenmore, on "The Authenticity of Ossian"; WM. ALLAN, Sunderland, author of "Heather Bells," "Hame-Spun Lilts," and other Poems; Rev. ALEX. MACGREGOR, M.A., Inverness, "Old Highland Reminiscenses"; The KENLOCHEWE BARD, an Original Gaelic Poem every month. Contributions are also promised from Dr CHARLES MACKAY, the poet; Dr THOMAS M'LAUCHLAN, Sheriff NICOLSON, WM. JOLLY, H.M.'s Inspector of Schools; ARCHIBALD FARQUHARSON, Tiree, on "The Songs and Music of the Highlands"; H. GAIDOZ, editor of the _Revue Celtique_, Paris; The Rev. WALTER M'GILLIVRAY, D.D., Aberdeen; The Rev. A. C. SUTHERLAND, Strathbraan; KENNETH MURRAY, Esq. of Geanies; JOHN CAMERON MACPHEE, President of the Gaelic Society of London; Rev. J. W. WRIGHT, Inverness; and other well-known writers on Celtic subjects, Traditions, and Folk-lore.
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