Things Scottish
A Sense of Identity
For that is
the mark of the Scot of all classes: that he stands in an attitude
towards the past unthinkable to Englishmen and remembers and cherishes
the memory of his forbears, good or bad; and there burns alive in him a
sense of identity with the dead even to the twentieth generation
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
Tartan Day
The US
Senate voted to make April 6th Tartan Day. The following is an extract
from the account of the proceedings:
Whereas April 6 has a
special significance to all Americans, and especially to those
Americans of Scottish descent, because the Declaration of Arbroath,
the Scottish Declaration of Independence was signed on April 6,
1320 and the American Declaration of Independence was modelled
on that inspirational document;
Whereas this resolution
honors the major role that Scottish Americans played in the founding
of this nation . . .
Whereas this resolution
recognizes the monumental achievements and invaluable contribution
made by Scottish Americans . . .
Resolved, that the Senate
designates April 6 of each year as "National Tartan
Day".
Scottophobes: Fortunately there is less hatred of us now
among the English than there was in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. These days there is probably every bit as much anti English sentiment in Scotland than there is anti Scotishness south of the border. It
would do well to remember, however that The Scottish Enlightenment
occurred in a century when many Englishmen were calling for 'the total
extirpation' of the Scottish people".
A famous professed scottophobe was Dr Samuel Johnson, however his
good friend and biographer Boswell was a Scot. There was good natured
humour in their interchanges, some of which are amusing.
The Declaration of Arbroath --
"For as long as but one hundred of us remain alive, we will never
on any conditions submit to the domination of the English. It is not for
glory nor riches, nor honours that we fight, but for freedom alone,
which no good man gives up except with his life."
You can buy a framed copy of the document at the following Website:
http://www.scotiafineart.com/
Links to other sites about the Declaration of Arbroath
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/arbroath.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Enlightenment
Stone of Scone: Also known as the 'Stone of Destiny'
The Scottish Enlightenment: A period when ideas and
philosophies were coming from Edinburgh based thinkers, many of them ordinary
citizens, David Hume and Thomas Paine were foremost among the
protagonists. (Paine was English as was Erasmus Darwin and Benjamin Franklin an American). One good thing that came from
the period was a debate that led to the general acceptance of the idea
that slavery should be abhorrent to all men.
Great Scots: Too numerous to mention here, however you can
check out this link. http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/greatscots.html
Tablet, A Recipe
1/2 lb Butter
1 pt of
water
4 lb of Caster Sugar
1 lb Tin of Condensed milk
Put
the butter and water into a deep pan and melt on a low heat. When melted
add the sugar and bring to the boil, add the condensed milk and simmer
for 25 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Take off the heat and add
the flavouring of your choice, and beat very well for 5 minutes. Pour
into a greased pan and score as above, or into little bars about 5 in.
long and 1 1/2 in. wide. Wrap each bar in waxed paper when cold.
Makes 4 lb
.
Flavourings:
Cinnamon
Clove
Ginger
Lemon
Orange
Peppermint
Vanilla
or
Nuts...
Source: A Taste of Scotland.
Fitzgibbon...
We cannot defend
freedom abroad by deserting it at home. Edward R. Murrow
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