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Leader (1850-1860), 12th November 1853, Edition Town of 2, Page 1099, mttfwn

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      Untitled Article

      [ We think it right to impress upon our readers that the following reflections of our " Scotch Philosopher" were uttered with the utmost solemnity of voice and manner , as became the subject of his doubts and difficulties . In transcribing this half of a dialogue from memory , we have not , to the best of our belief , deviated a word from the actual expressions ,

      except in one passage , which , m all its rugged frankness and austere simplicity might , we feared , offend the susceptibilities of that large class of the " religious world , " whose faith is best described as Grundyism ,: in other words , who reverse the spiritual condition of those who " believe and tremble , " by trembling without believing . No intolerance is so furious and fanatical as that of dishonest and indifferent sceptics towards sincere doubters .

      Our Scottish interlocutor on this occasion is a man of the most blameless moral life , and , what is more , a faithful worshipper , struggling to believe These fireside musings of his were uttered in that peculiarly intense whisper which seems like an unconscious and involuntary outpouring of the most secret troubles of the soul . His countenance , as he spoke , slowly and sadly , wore the look of profound humility , and even dejection . From

      first to last there was not the faintest approach to a smile : no curling of the lip to indicate any sense of the humorous which may be found in the words themselves . The momentous questions discussed seemed to him , as to all , questions of life and death ; and he probed his reason and his conscience with the implacable severity of a dying man , not predestined to perish without having at least exercised his free will and his right of private judgment . -

      The same questions have been handled with even greater familiarity in many religious novels , where most certainly no thought of scoffing has been suspected . " We hold irreverence in religious matters to be not less unphilosophical than offensive . The man who can accuse this poor inquirer of a thought of mockery , is only to be classed with the pure and virtuous school of pietists who find impurity in the " human fo * rm divine , " idealized by Art . Our day is one of supreme impatience of shams and formularies . Denunciative epithets answer no questions : they do but add obstinacy and indignation to unbelief . ]—Ed .

      Untitled Article

      " Aboot the resurrection o' the body , am no doubtin' but what the Kirk is right i' the main ; but , ye ken , as the minister said last sabbath-day frae the pupit , this subject , like mony mair , lias its difficulties . Woo , am no constitutionally like Jamie Davidson ; I dinna like mystery aboot a matter . Jamie has long been o' opinion that its wi' a subject as wi' a man ; when he ' s a' smooth-faced an'fair spoken , its liker he ' s deceivin' than no . So , you sec , he likes a wheen mystery aboot a gran' subject , as lie likes a wheen mist aboot a mountain ; an ' , by a figure o' speech , he comes to credit that there is aye a tap and a doup to baith , tho'he canna see them .

      Passing the kirk yairdthe ither day , I saw Tarn Poison diggin * a grave ; so spejrin' o ' m whose turn it was , and findin' it was Lucky Wilson ' s , wha leeved in our butt twayear sync , I was a wee melancholy ye may suppose , and set doun on a grave-atane , reflectin' on the vanity o' a' earthy happiness . Roxm the grave the grass grow waesomely thin , ilk blade staunm ' alane by itsol' like ano lookin for its frien ' s ; an' the poetry o' the prospect gacd roun rny heart as I saw thorn look sao lanesomo wi' their eyes o ' dew maistly turned to thogrun' , neath which , I recollected , my auld crony Jock Pirio was rottin ' .

      It ' s a foarfu' consideration for a man sittin' a'tap o' his frien ' s , to think there bo others livin' who'll soon ait a ' tap o' himaeV . But I couldna suppress my ridiculousness when I fancied 'twas the day o' the resurrection , an' that I Baw auld Jock risin' frae his grave wi' life left leg , which he lost | it the flaw-mill when a wean , danglin' frae his hip whore used to bo his breeches' pocket ! I wonder , Hays I , wi' what leg will Jock come ; for I couldna think that Providence- wad look after hia wooden ano , that was pawned for tho whisky which we drunk at his late wako . An' if no after that , then gudo , miya I , but frien' Jock will <; ut a waesomo iigure on that p-au' occasion , whether ho'lllnio to hop to glory or to damnation , aecordin ' «> the dispensation o' tho otcrnal decreoB !

      Its a kittle question too , in that o' predestination , — what Jamie and mo < 'a the Divino Prerogative question—involved , as Saiut Paul remarks , i ' tho right o' the pottor to miiko a-vessel for glory and anither to hold dirty M'ator in ! There ' s mystery enow' aboot that , I ' m warrant , since a body cannot hoo fiao far intil ' t as intill a mill-ntane . I aften puzzle niyflcl wi ' tho consideration o' tho motaphoesios o' thin subject , but wi' sum' edification . Qndo , ]\ - ' H a qUCcr reflection that there wan naothinir ava' in the ^ inverse sotliii

      anco , but no Gran' Intellect ' doun in bin imagination ae pmr cronturo , that 7 To intended to male , for otornal torment , and anithor «> r the contrairy . In tho boginnin ' , as I road , lie made light , an ' tho « un , an' t ] lo moon , ftu f tho stars , an' tho muoklo whales , forbyo the faithor «« mithor o' tlio human family ; but it wus a ' foro tho beginning , I ' ho warrant , that Ho made tho mucklo Deil , unless indeed Ho made him on ™ ° seventh day ( as Jarnio Davidson opines ) , when , yo Icon , Ho had verra *» -Uo to do . Sic rt mystery , however , is tho hale business , that I fear to BU ° w yo half o' ma mind on'fc . It must bo tho imporfootion o' our

      fuculties that we canna conceive o' Deity makin' a Deil ! Of course when He made ane , He made a right gude ane , ance for a ' . ' He could say when done o ' m , I doubt na , that " he was a' verra gude . " An' gude o' his kind , I ' se warrant , He's found him . ' Lord Byron ( wha was born i' Aberdeenshire ) used to keep a bear for his amusement ; but hoo Ane that sail be nameless , cam to keep a deil , passes a' iinderstandin ' . It ' s no but there ' s awayo' settin' out o' the difficulty ; ye see , He did ' na at first mak a Deil o'm , T > ut a fine angel misifear , wha was , by the eternal decrees , foreordained to opposishun o' his ain free wull . So wi' first parent ' s too ; they were free to stan' or fa' ; and if they did fa' twas a' o' their ane wutis , in accordance wi' the decrees we were speakin' aboot .

      Am afeerd to trust ma' instincts wi' the next part o' the proTbrum . Original sin is like the blood-stains in Holyrood that canna be washed oot ; an' am afeerd that as the showman maks siller o' the stains , an ' wadna blot them oot if he could , so the kirk ' s marrow-banes are fu' o ' original sin , an' a gey cripple she wad be without it . There are , it is true , pheesical , what they ca' parallels on this subject , ane o' which , is the king ' s-evil , that descends frae faither to son in ordinairy generation . The

      auld blood , it is true , and its mair s the pity . Its a fearfu' consideration tho ' , and am no sure o' the justice o ' t . You see we dinna get sin by the measure , as we get talent or a genius for poetry , to be accountable for the use we mak o't ; but we get it in immeasurable quantums , ane and a' o' us , to be damned in the seethin' furnis by it ' gen we canna get rid o't . An' there ' s Darkie aye read y to strap it on your back , ' gen you shake it aff ; and the kirk telHn' you ye canna shake it aff o' yoursel ; that ye maun get grace afore ye try it ; and pray for grace afore ye get it ; and be " warkedon" afore ye can pray ; and be elected afore ye can be warked on ; and a' along , a' along , that ye be 'sponsable free agents ! Ah , Jamie , Jamie , here ' s mystery enou '—mystery enou' !

      Its a gran plan what they ca'the plan o ' salvation ; but am thinkin ' there's ae ither plan to match it—the plan o' damnation ; an' it ' s worthy o ' consideration , that accordin' to . the kirk the latter has-been the mair successfu' , as it was the mair comprehensive o' the twa ; an' may be the reason for this is , that it received the first attention , for ye ken till damnation was determined upon , salvation was a' oot o' the question . I hear a gude deal noO a days frae the south o' the doctrine o' Atonement , and on the subject o' the Incarnation . Far be it frae a simple body like me to pretend to hae an opinion on sic high matters . Ae professor that I hear tell o '—a gude man , an' skilled in" the learnin' o' the aunciants—has just got into difficulties frae writin' a buke on sic topics

      for the general edification . Jamie Davidson has been readin' the man ' s buke , wi' nae sma' profit , as he says . The warst o't is , that Jamie , wi' a ' his subtility , canna put into wurds what he learn't oot o't ; an' wee afeerd that it has turned Jamie ' s noddle ;—don't interrupt me , Jamie , for wi' this observation am terminatin' what I hae to say . Ma' advice to ane and a' is , to fash themsels a wee less wi' sic matters than I hae been doin' . There ' s nae greater fact than a man hansel ' , an' am sure there ' s nae greater mystery . May be ither things that are mysterious are facta also . It's at least true that the warld presents enou' for us on our ain , level to engage oursels wi '; and if in lookin' low ye aye seo dirt , am o * opinion that in lookin' high ye' 11 aye be walkin' intil't , "

      Untitled Article

      HOW TO MAKE HOME HAPPY . When I read that title on the Lyceum Playbill , my natural exclamation was , — " How to make home happy P nothing can be simpler : keep late hours , —be sarcastic on shopping , —admire the way Mrs . Jones dresses , think Mrs . Brown ' s children are perfectly managed' , — -bring a friend home suddenly to dinner on Saturdays , —discover that ' other people ' manage to get whatever cannot be got at home , and you will infallibly make home happy . "

      JNTone of these remedial ingenuities are adopted in tho Lyceum farce In fact , after laughing through that farce , I am still aa wise as ever respecting tho proposed means for making home happy . I wish Mr Brouffh would explain . As I have no home , and that homo is not happy , I really stand in need of his secret . Does ho moan that I am to invite to my home that terriblo Mrs . JiYank Mafcthows , majosfcio on domestic " rights , " and copious in tears P Does he mean that I am to engage Wright—and at his own price too P What am I to do P Why P when P whcroforoP I could stun him with queries , which ho would find it di / Tieult to answer .

      ITih farce doesn't teach me how to make homo happy . And yet is not tho stage " a lay pulpit "—a kind of chapel of ea , so ( and " very free and emy they are in it too)—and if ao , why am I to bo laughed out of my " moral "" inatcad of being laughed into it P " liMentv . m dircra vcrnm . quid vctutwhat ' s to prevent my tolling the truth in a joke P" awked ' the satirist . To which the aiiHvver in , — " Nothing , excepl , tlio want of truth , and tho want of a joke to tell it in . " Now , Mr . JJroutfh , I call upon you an an august elorieuH of the o . nsy order to answer me why , with Hiich a moral before you , " ho useful in families , " us that of " how to make homo happy , ' you cant aside your Hiu-plico and proueh no moral at all , . sir , except that Mrs . i'Yank in jealous , and ought not to Ixj ho . It in of no

      use your tolling me that a draina . / . int in not hound to supplement the pai'Hon . I deny it , ; I revolt—ac / ntrrrjfu I If you maintain that , you will have to deny that the Hta # o is a ' * lay pulpit ; " and if you do , —look out for H ( jiiall » from Syncrotics and other luminouH parties ! Leaving M ' r . Brou ^ h to tho SyncroUcs , I may briefly tell you that bin farce m of slender and ancient materials , pleasantly put together , and very humorousl y played by Wright and Mrs . I / Vank Matthowfl . The x'ovival of Patter versus Clatter wan welcomed almost as heartily as if it had boon a novelty ; and in one sense it always will ho a novelty in tho irewhixcBH of Nurpriso created by Oharlen Matliown ' tJ varied volubility . Vivian .

      Untitled Article

      We Bhould do cur utmost to , eilcoura ^ e Beautiful , for the Useful encourages itself ;—Goethe . .. ' ¦ ¦ > " '

      Untitled Article

      November 12 , 1853 jj THE LEA D E R . 1099

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  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 12, 1853, page 1099, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2012/page/19/