tend, they have also
outstanding excellencies which have brought them well to the front in the
race of life. They are brave, outspoken, independent. They think and act
with energy and decision. They believe in themselves, rely upon their own
resources, and where the struggle is most severe they almost invariably
give a good account of themselves. Their contributions in modern times to
the social and intellectual life of the nation have been considerable,
and of a high quality. In agriculture, in commerce, in statesmanship, in
warfare, and in many other departments, they have rendered important
services. The Scotts and Kers and Elliots--names intimately associated
with Border reiving in all its phases--have long held a foremost place in
the political and social life of the country.

But the great feature of Border life in more modern times has been the
almost marvellous efflorescence of the spirit of poesy, which has
conferred on the district a unique distinction and an imperishable charm.
It may seem strange that the home of the reiver should have become the
birthplace of poetry and song; yet a moment's reflection will suffice to
show that here are to be found all the conditions which make life a
tragedy and beget the feeling for it. The rough adventurous life of the
Border reiver, with its constant peril and hairbreadth escapes, formed, as
it were, a fitting compost for the cultivation of the tragic muse. And
what ballads have sprung from this soil watered by the very heart's blood
of its people! "The Dowie Dens of Yarrow," "The Douglas Tragedy," "Johnie
Armstrong," "Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead," "The Border Widow's
Lament," "The Flowers of the Forest"--not to mention many others of almost
equal merit--have taken possession of the imaginative and emotional life
of the nation, and become part and parcel of its very being. Indeed, the
influence of this varied body of balladic lore on the thought and life and
character of the Scottish people can hardly be over-estimated. Spenser, to
whose sublime genius we are indebted for the "Faery Queen," is known to
fame as "the poet's poet." It is a high distinction, and not unworthily
bestowed. But in a still higher sense it may be said that the Border
ballads have been a perennial fountain of poetic inspiration to all lovers
of the Muse. Rough and rugged though many of them are, yet they are
dowered with that potent spell which at once captivates the heart and
awakens within it