cipal Story is too old, Dr. Mair is too moderate, Sir Robert Finlay, the Attorney-General, is spoken of by the faithful as the John Knox of the new Reformation and Reconstruction-a rather curious kind of John Knox, who is not likely to ding his pulpit to blads in the cause of the Wee Kirk. Failing a John Knox or Cecil Rhodes, the State Church has not much chance of emerging from this cricis with added. strength.

For the net summing-up of the whole matter is that the tribulation which has befallen the United Free Church seems likely to result in a much-longed-for and sorely-needed revival of religion in Scotland. The descendants of the Disruption Fathers have been at ease in Zion. The flaming enthusiasm kindled at the altar of the great sacrifice of 1843 has burnt itself out. The Church has ceased to appeal by martyrdom to the heart of its youth. The decision of the House of Lords gives it a chance of renewing its strength and of once more bringing back the nation to first principles. The prospect of having to go out into, the wilderness may not be realized. It is difficult to imagine that the Scotch members will not compel Parliament to interfere to avert this great upheaval and dislocation of the Church. But the contingency must be faced. And the mere facing it, with the cer

tainty that the Free Kirk will not wince, or faint, or falter, whatever the consequences may be, will have, and is already having, a powerful influence in inspiring Scotchmen and Scotchwomen with fresh faith, the uprush of which will bless millions lying far outside Scotland.

The Scottish Patriot, Glasgow, in its reviews of November periodicals says: "THE CALEDONIAN is a New York Scottish magazine, edited by Donald M'Dougall, B.D., and is a more bulky magazine than any of the preceding. The portrait also of eminent Scotsmen at home and abroad are more numerous, with racy notes and biographies. All the articles are well written and of more than passing interest. It is described as a family magazine, and we would say that every Scot who is aware of its existence, especially on the American continent, should subscribe for a copy The subscription price is only one dollar per annum, and we feel sure that it only requires to be known to have a large and influential circulation. It is a credit to the Scotsmen connected with it in every way, and we hope it will flourish for many years to come.

The lectures delivered from time to time by the late Professor Blackie, of Edinburgh, were frequently reported incorrectly in the newspapers. This may have been due to the reporters' limited knowledge of the subjects treated of, and to the necessity of condensing to the space of a quarter of a column lectures which, if printed in full, would have occupied five or six columns. Naturally the venerable Professor was displeased with the garbled reports of his addresses, and, in order to set himself right with the public, once and for all, he wrote to the editor of the Scotsman, requesting the readers of his lectures as they appeared in the newspapers to give him credit for all the sense, and the reporters credit for all the nonsense.

Public men everywhere have sometimes had occasion to complain of being misreported. Sir John Gordon Sprigg, Premier of Cape Colony, was a reporter in the House of Commons when a young man. He knows better than most public men the difficulties a young and inexperienced reporter must encounter. After Sir John had been abroad a few years and had been honored with the exalted office of Premier of Cape Colony, he visited England and made a few addresses on affairs at the Cape. The Colonial newspapers that opposed his administration severely criticised certain passages in his speeches, and Sir John took refuge in the not uncommon plea of public men, that he had been misreported. The opposition editors pretended not to believe this and became more bitter in their attacks upon him.

The district represented in the Legislature by Sir John included the Port of East London. It was his custom to give an account of his stewardship in that business centre during parliamentary recesses. At one of these meetings of his constituents he expressed the hope that the day was far distant when a republic would be established in South

Africa. The reporter for one of the local newspapers made him say he hoped the day was not far distant. This error was detected when the proof was being read and the reporter's attention was called to it by the editor, whose brother had been present at the meeting. The reporter turned to his notes and found that little word not just as it appeared in the transcript and had been set up by the compositor. The editor's brother insisted that it must be an error, as the Prime Minister was cheered when he uttered the sentence in which the negative had been inserted. The reporter contended that the word must have been used by Sir John, or it would not have appeared in the shorthand report. The editor, acting as referee, decided that, as the word was in the shorthand notes, it should be left in the verbatim report of the speech which was about to be published. This was a case in which the reporter, in some unaccountable manner, actually recorded a word which was not uttered by Sir John, thus marring an otherwise excellent report.

Allusion was made in the Legislative Council to the report of Sir John's speech which was publshed in the newspaper referred to, and Sir John was asked if the report was corect. He very magnanimously replied, "Not quite, but very nearly so." The effect of the error was not serious, because Sir John's loyalty was well known to be sincere and steadfast, but the mistake taught the reporter, in recording and transcribing in future, to pay very close attention to the speaker's train of thought, and not to let any word creep in which did not help to give expression to the dea sought to be conveyed.

However, all the mistakes which appear in the newspapers are not properly chargeable to the reporters. A burning question was being discussed, at a farmers' meeting on the Kaffrarian frontier. A hot-headed farmer denounced the Government because the grass along the

East London and Queenstown Railway was often set on fire by live cinders discharged from engines. The farmer's

speech was so vituperative and sulphurous that he did not like to father it in print. He therefore wrote to the editor of the paper denying certain parts of it. Perhaps he hardly believed he had given vent to such expressions of vituperation. The farmer was in a passion when he made his speech. When a man is in a passion he is in a state of insanity and is liable to say and do things which, when his passion subsides and his full measure of reason is restored, he does not believe himself capable of. This was the farmer's case, and hence his attempt to shift the responsibility from himself to the reporter. The farmer's letter to the editor was so severe on the reporter that the editor would have declined to pub

lish it had not the reporter begged him to do so. At the foot of the letter was the following editorial note:

"This letter would have been put in the waste-basket had not the reporter urged that it be published. Those who attended the meeting are able to judge as to whether the speech was correctly reported or not. Notwithstanding Mr. Perkins' letter, we believe his speech, as published in our last issue, was substantially if not literally correct.'

Reporters do make mistakes and are usually willing to correct them, but they do not like to be held responsible for errors committed by speakers, few of whom would be entitled to ask the public, as Professor Blackie did, to credit all the sense to them and all the nonsense to the reporters.

TO THE CALEDONIAN,

True to its principles the Burns Cottage at the World's Fair has kept up its record for interest and attendance to the very last. More visitors were registered last week than for some time previously, and at times the crowd was so great that it was difficult to get around.

The finishing touch in the way of Scotch features last week was the presence of the pipers at both morning and afternoon periods. The average Scotchman can never get over his love for the bagpipes, and the average visitor at the Fair has enough Scotch predilections to find them just as delightful. During the coming week the pipers will continue to be an attraction. Another feature that interested visitors very much last week (and that will be continued until the end of the Fair) was the baking of Scotch cakes and scones. A Scotchwoman did the baking and the result of her work was distributed among those present, much to their pleasure, as the famous cakes were very much liked This week there will be Scotch dancing and other forms of amusement of the kind.

Because of many things happening, the -dinner to be given in honor of President

Francis has been postponed from time to time. It was to have been the event of Monday, November 21st, but owing to the coming of the Japanese Prince it has necessarily been postponed, and is now scheduled for Friday night.

Mr. John M. Gordon, a renowned Scotch tenor, will sing Wednesday afternoon, the 22nd, and Mr. Will Porteous, a famous Scotch singer of St. Louis, will sing at the Burns Cottage on Friday afternoon, the 25th.

Mr.

Among the visitors to the Cottage this week is Mr. Mathew Dick Jack, a nephew of Sir Hugh Allen of Glasgow, Scotland, and a cousin of Mr. J. W. Dick, President of the Burns Cottage Association. Mr. Jack is a distant relative of Robbie Burns, his great grandmother on the Allen side having been a cousin of the mother of Burns. Jack is very proud of the relationship. Mr. J. W. Dick has been presented with a very unique memento. Before the late Mr. Gladstone's death he presented a number of his friends with logs from the last tree which he had cut down, and it is needless to say that the gifts were highly prized. One of these fell to the lot of Mr. Wm. Robertson of Ayr,