OCR Text |
Show CATHOLIC HIGHLANDERS OF SCOTLAND Xo one who has lived amongst the Highlanders and studied the character charac-ter of the people can fail to love and admire them. Their ordinary life, occupied oc-cupied in quiet, pastoral occupations, induces a shyness with strangers, but under the calm exterior there is a deep fund of emotion, ready to well up when stirred by religious enthusiasm. en-thusiasm. For their Gaelic prayers are full of poetry and abounding with unction, and are treasured up from one generation to another. Witness Wit-ness the beautiful hymn invoking the Blessed Trinity. St. Michael. St. Columba and the "golden-haired sheperdess, Mother of the Lamb without spot," in which the people of Benbecula and the other Catholic islands publicly commend to God and the saints the welfare of their flocks and herds, as they lead them annually to the summer grazing grounds. Generous to a fault, tney are every ready to bestow upon the needy; staunch of purpose, they are a race given to undying friendships, even though, like all people whose affections are strong, they may be slow to forgive an injury. The position of a priest in a Highland High-land community is, as may be imagined, im-agined, one of exceptional authority. The deep reverence and entnu-siastic entnu-siastic devotion with which the people peo-ple regard their faith, extends to the person of the priest, and not only in spiritual things, but even in many of . the everyday affairs of life which even remotely concern his Interests, In-terests, his will is obeyed with childlike docility. Examples win show this better than pages of descrintion. The writer knows one Highland priest who has often driven from the public house, on a Saturday Sat-urday night, the too indulgent members mem-bers pf his flock, and that . with a liberal use of his "pastoral staff;" nor was he ever gainsaid. Again, it is still customary in some parishes for the priest to call to the altar rails on Sunday, for public reprimand, repri-mand, the notorious delinquents of the past week. It is doubtful whether such a survival of the discipline of the early Church could be found in any other European country, except, perhaps, in some of the more secluded parishes of the kindred race In Ireland. Ire-land. It is not astonishing, therefore, that the temporal interests of the priest should be regarded aa the proper object of his people's care. That it is so is shown by the fact that in the country districts, the rougher part of the farm work is accomplished gratuitously. gra-tuitously. Should he need any carting e done, he announces from the altar the ? ? different days upon which he dosireu ' , the various farmers and crofters to as- '' sist; the whole parish again, will as-semble as-semble to cut peat for fuel on the appointed ap-pointed "priest's moss-day;" and sr with other matters of a like nature. 'L Brought up in such principles, the : young Highlander regards the priest's ! interests as his own. and is not likely to be warn.T.g when his help is needed in things that affect religion more ul-rectly. ul-rectly. is there to be a special feait day some procersion of the blessed sacrament the priest simply an- nounces that help will be needed, and scores of willing hands are at h;s service. ser-vice. The writer can never forget an occasion of the kind in xh'.i. h he was privileged to take part, n'l in whicii - t the cheerful readiness wi.h which thi young men of the glen devo. 2.1 themselves them-selves to the needful labor, was as edifying as their religious demeanor during the sacred function itself. It is true that in such secluded dis- tricts as those we are now considering the work required is very different in its nature from that so urgently nee led in the cities and large towns, but what- - ever assistance the Highland priest may demand, there is always abundant good will to supply it. and tha', after all, is the question at issue Catholic World. |