Two Great Scotsmen The Brothers William And John Hunter PDF Download

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1893 edition. Excerpt: ... chapter iii. william hunter--his life. A Br1ef-epitome of William Hunter's career may suffice for the present purpose. He was the seventh child of the family, and was born at Long Calderwood, on the 23rd of May, 1718. He was educated at the parish school, and evidently was a precocious boy. In November, 1731, at the age of thirteen and a half years he entered the University of Glasgow. He studied there for five years. He held a bursary of the Bajan Class of the value of ten pounds a year, for four years. The term Bajan was employed in the French and Scotch Universities, and is evidently a corruption of bee jaune (yellow beak), an expression meant to designate a nestling or unfledged bird. The epithet (Bejants) is still applied to freshmen in St. Andrews. It had been his intention to enter the Church, but he did not long pursue his theological studies, if, indeed, he ever fairly began them. It was long the ambition of almost every Scotch parent to have his Jmost promising son "wag his pow in a pu'pit." The people of Scotland were educated in the parish school, and on the Sabbath day they got food for thought from the pulpit, and went home discussing the sermon. To this fact, no doubt, is due in a large measure the proud position Scotland occupies in the eyes of the world. If old Mr. Hunter had hopes of seeing his son William a bright and shining light in the Church, he was doomed to disappointment. When William left college he had the reputation of being a fair scholar; indeed, his qualifications were such that he was a candidate for the situation of schoolmaster in his native parish. He was fortunately rejected. There might be some ground for moralising over the fact. Had he actually obtained the office, would he nevertheless have made...