Church Attendance.—An English Presbyterian, writing in The Scottish Review on “Ministers and Churches I Remember,” says: “I don’t know what has come over my countrymen, for I read on all hands that people don’t go to Church nowadays. In my time, if a young man didn’t go to Church, he was hardly considered respectable, or fit to associate with; and if he only attended once a day, he was stigmatized as a ‘half-day hearer.’” The same writer, though not an objector to instrumental music, states: “I am very distinctly of opinion that congregational singing has greatly deteriorated since instrumental music was introduced into our Churches.”
The Gaelic Revised Version.—Some time ago, a letter from Major Cameron appeared in the northern papers, saying, that the Directors of the National Bible Society of Scotland would soon be face to face with the problem of publishing the Gaelic Revised Version in a cheaper form for common use. Hitherto, the Gaelic Revised Version has only been printed in quarto form for use in the pulpit. The Rev. John R. Mackay has written a letter to the Northern Chronicle of 7th November, pointing out the very serious defects and errors of the Gaelic Revised Version, and concludes by saying, “If my words might reach the Directors of the National Bible Society of Scotland, I would plead with them to do none otherwise with the Gaelic Revised Version than they have done with the English Revised Version,”—that is, to practically ignore it.
The Roman Catholics and the Gaelic Movement.—In recent times there has been a remarkable revival of interest in Gaelic, and the Church of Rome is not backward in making her own use of this movement. Guth na Bliadhna, a quarterly bilingual magazine, is published ostensibly in the interests of the Gaelic movement, but, fortunately, the tone of its articles is so rabidly antagonistic to the patriotism and religion of the great bulk of Highlanders that it repels rather than attracts. Another evidence of activity is shown by the Clo-chlar Caitliceach na h-Alba (Catholic Press of Scotland). An announcement has been recently made in the Highland press that it is the intention to publish a small booklet called “An Cath Spioradail,” and, should this meet with the favour of Roman Catholic readers, it is intended to publish “Eachdraidh na h-Alba” (History of Scotland). We cannot wish Clo-chlar Caitliceach na h-Alba success, and a History of Scotland written by Roman Catholics, and for Roman Catholics, would be a strange production.