One winter the Portnahaven Choir practised an operaa ballad opera in Gaelic-and produced part of it in public. Probably some are surprised to hear of a Gaelic opera. Yet there is such a thing. The author is Malcolm MacInnes, a Skyeman, once of Edinburgh, now of Johannesburg. The words of this opera are in print, and if the Portnahaven singers had access to the tunes, surely access. can be had again.

It is strange that I should be associating an opera with outlandish Portnahaven and not with populous places like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Greenock, Dundee, Perth, Inverness, Oban, Fort-William, Stornoway, etc.-even London.

There is а Gaelic musical play for children—an operetta-in existence. There are two really. In the The second play is original

first the music is old.

in words and music, and borrows hardly an idea from any source outside of the Gaelic field. This Gaelic play was produced in a very outlandish quarter-Bunavulin School in Morvern. The children of that school went into it with spirit, and were the means of adding by its production £8 to the war funds nine years ago. The play is so simply planned that expense is reduced to the minimum, although it could be produced on the scale of a city pantomime. The airs embrace most of the classes of Gaelic song, and are provided with accompaniments.

Gaelic music, if used aright, could be made a hopeful regenerator, and might do wonders yet in making up for lost time and effort. But it is difficult, by reform, to cure a mistake of 20 years' standing; and revolution would now be analogous to putting the extinguisher on the candle.

Gaelic music may not be what is called a great music: but it is a lovable music, and it radiates pleasing emotions like those of youth. Gaelic people understand it and respond to it, and we should do all we advance it by earnestness and diligent work, ever keep

can to

ing before us the high ideal and shutting out the low one. For, if it advances in popularity among thinking people, it cannot but help on the language, and through the raising of the language to a cultural stage, a regenerated national spirit. And if that is not your and my ultimate aim in doing Gaelic work, or encouraging Gaelic work, we may as well turn our attention towards the speedy extirpation of the language of our fathers. Its music will die when the language dies. But my wish is that both may live. Your professed wish is the same. Are we doing what we can and ought to do to

keep it alive and progressive?

SOCIAL CUSTOMS OF THE GAELS

PART I

By ALEXANDER MACDONALD

3rd APRIL, 1925

Mr Alex. Polson, J.P., presided over a meeting held this evening. The following, who had been duly nominated at the previous meeting of the Society, were unanimously elected members. As a Life Member-Mrs John Black Stewart, London; as an Honorary Member-Dr George Sutherland, Stornoway; as Ordinary Members-Mr Kenneth Morrison, 26 Kelly Street, Greenock, and Mr James MacLaren, 360 Argyll Street, Glasgow.

The Secretary submitted a letter from Sir John Lorne MacLeod, G.B.E., LL.D., Chief of the Society during the years 1923 and 1924, which was in the following terms:

72 Great King Street,

Edinburgh, 27th March, 1925.

My dear Mr Nicolson, I wish to take the opportunity to express my deep thanks to the office-bearers and Council of the Gaelic Society of Inverness for their most kind reference to me in the annual report, which, I assure you, I greatly appreciate. It was a great honour to me, of which I am very sensible, to occupy the position of Chief of the Society for the previous two years, and I shall always look back with pride and pleasure upon my association with the Society in this capacity, and I shall always retain the warmest recollections of the friendship and courtesy and goodwill shown to me by all concerned during my period of office. Especially I would wish to thank you personally for your loyal support and assistance in every respect, and with my cordial regards and best wishes, believe me, yours sincerely,

J. LORNE MACLEOD.

The Chairman then called upon Mr Alexander MacDonald to read a paper on The Domestic and Social Customs of the Gaels,' which was as follows:

This paper is not meant to deal with any one subject in particular. My object is to go back into worlds of other years, with a view to renewing acquaintance with our forefathers, and, in imagination, move in and out among them when life and its duties and associations were under conditions different from such as prevail in our day. How true it is that it seems second nature to mankind to dwell in the Past! But how could it be otherwise? Are we not a direct product of the Past-an evolution of its ever-dying, but everliving, ever-recurring activities?

I am of the mind that the best way of bringing ourselves face to face with life amongst the Gaels of the olden-time

will be to dwell in simple, homely fashion upon some of the social customs, or domestic institutions, which played a comparatively important part in the conduct of their every-day affairs. While we read much, unfortunately, regarding clan feuds, family quarrels, and other unseemly disturbances associated with the history of the Gaels, yet, we must never forget that there has always been a home life, with all its sweetening and civilising influences, shedding its brightening rays over and around the people as a whole.

There never was a period-it can, I think, safely be asserted-since settled conditions of living began to prevail, when the bulk of the people of the Scottish Highlands were not seriously and earnestly engaged upon the congenial duties attached to making

A fireside clime for weans and wife,

The true pathos and sublime of human life."

That the efforts of our forefathers in this direction were attended by hardships, difficulties and trials need not be denied. For them it was always a struggle with, too often, the odds against them. But if there was shade there was more sunshine. If there were occasional storms, were there not periods of glorious skies? If despair clouded for a time, did not hope spring eternal? Let us think of their lovesongs, their elegies, their laments, their lays and lits of everyday life, and ask ourselves whence those ethereal voices that sing to us so strangely sweet? Whence but from the fathomless fountains of the love of home and its associations.

There were numerous customs associated with the life of our forefathers; and it is most interesting and instructive to note how they gathered around the activities of the people as those were expressed in the round of the years. There were the agrestic customs, and among those fall to be remembered such as were common to the management of the land, the cattle and their produce. In this connection the mere

mention of the shieling life is enough to inspire sentiment, poetry, and romance. Then there were customs relative to the people's dress; the people's entertainment such, for instance, as rise to our minds when we mention the Ceilidh ; their sports and pastimes; while included in the social customs were many that, though possibly suggestive of magic and superstition, were yet productive of patriotism, of heroism, and of the love of family and home. (Let us not take away even superstition unless we put something at least as good in its place). Again, birth, marriage, and death had each its series of customs circling around it; and such bodily ailments as prevailed commanded a wide field of customs both interesting and informative.

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FOSTERAGE

The first custom or institution that I am to refer to is one which has not received the attention to which it is entitled at the hands of historians, though numerous historical references to it do occur. I would introduce it by the use of the English word "Fosterage." The equivalent idea may be rendered in Scottish Gaelic by the compound word " Comhdhaltas"; in Irish Gaelic by the derivative “Daltachas "; the Gaelic root-word thus being "Dalta," which our philologists explain as originally from a root meaning "to suck." The term Fosterage " in reality must be understood as covering at least some four degrees of relationship: there was Dalta," the "foster-son " or "foster-daughter," and there was "foster-brother,' Comh-dhalta," the 66 fostersister," or "Highland cousin "; while "Oide" represented the "foster-father," or "foster-guardian," and "Muime," the foster-mother or ban-altrum.' Thus fosterage may be said to have created and constituted a complete family circle in itself. Very frequently, more particularly in later times, these terms came to be used for " step-son," "god-son," "step-brother,' "step-father," god-father," "ster

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mother. god-mother," and so on.