Show WEARING THE TARTAN AND PLAID an brhane of scottish Scott bli character Il rought out in debate there was an interesting debate in tho the Flu earlish glish house of commons a tow few days ago touching what is probably next to tho the roman toga tho the most moet famous article of clothing that baa has over been worn by man ratin it 1 arose out ot of a plan to consolidate tho the kilted regiment known as the seventy ninth or high landers with the scots Ore grenadier nadier guards a regiment which lias has bothin nothing 9 scotch about it beyond tho the fact that scott was wa the namo name of its first colonel this plan was no sooner noised abroad than it excited in scotland the deepest indignation being considered a do deliberate liberate attempt to blot from existence one ot of the renowned highland regiment regiments chichin which in kilt and tartan have under the british flag filled tho the world with scottish scotti sh glory it Is 1 now nearly a century and a half sinco since these regiments raised and for fully a century they were if not highland really scotch regiments As the supply of real highlanders high landera began to ran run low cither either through emigration or dislike of soldiering the lowland lowlanders cra began t to 0 feel themselves high landera under the magic influence of scotts novels those only who remember tho the account which macaulay gives of tho the loathing with which the lowland scotch in the eighteenth century looked on tho the highland garb and highland manners and customs will bo be ablerto able to tho force of the spell by which scott succeed ed early in the nineteenth contu century in 1 oa yi nl 41 4 37 scotchman to O 0 t the he I 1 11 I 1 14 con con ll altott ToTt nm t 70 0 7 0 beg and bine blue bonnet were hia ills original national raiment in which he looked his best boat and which nothing but the advance of a gross and material civilization compelled him to lay aside the fancy for the highlands with which victoria and prince albert were seized in their early married life completed the conquest which the wizard of the north bad had begun and find converted nearly all male scots into true high landers to whom trousers or breaks bre eks were a genuine incumbrance every man who camo came near balmoral castle or aspired to deer stalking grouse shooting and salmon killing pat put on tho the kilt and tried to get his legs browned as the only costume for a persona grata the queen was so taken with the dress that she even insisted on putting her german sons in law and grandsons in law into it f in a the summer and autumn regardless of the danger to their hoche boren knees but most of tho the kilt wearers nowadays are gamekeepers game keepers gillies guides and tourist bouters generally mr campbell bannerman the english war secretary himself a scotchman speaking on the question of the highlanders in the house of commonis com common s the other day said an honorable and gallant gentleman a scotchman and a member of a great clan family speaking on this subject 10 years ago eaid said that for his part he had never yet seen in scotland a scotchman wearing a kilt unless ho he was paid to do so by an englishman nation naton I 1 |