If less money
were spent on needless church-building, every district in the Highlands
might have its hall for purposes of recreation, reading, and lecturing.
As it is, the churches should everywhere be used far more than they are
for secular gatherings of an elevating kind. Religion suffers greatly
from the closing of churches to concerts and lectures.

The kindness of local lairds is nowhere more pleasantly shown than in
the giving of funds towards the creation of village halls and recreation
rooms. The little village of Alness has a splendid Working Men's Club,
furnished with everything requisite for pleasure and
profit--smoking-room, billiard-room, and reading-room. This Club owes
its existence to the generosity of Mr. Perrins--known everywhere for the
excellence of his famous condiment--who has an estate in the vicinity.
Kiltarlity and Beauly have, for similar instances of discreet bounty,
permanent reason for blessing the name of Mr. Phipps. Other instances
that occur to me are the spacious Dunbar Hall in Auldearn, due to the
kindness of the family of which the genial Sir Frederick Dunbar, Bart.,
is the present representative, and the Astley Hall in Arisaig, named
after the family so long associated with that charming West Highland
village.

It must not be supposed that the natives do not thankfully welcome such
work on their behalf. Many of the townships, it is true, have had
libraries and halls for many a year, and have established these entirely
on their own initiative; but outside help and enterprise stimulate local
effort in a way often impossible otherwise, as the natives themselves
admit. At Nethy Bridge, a fine hall, with club-room, has been recently
erected, largely owing to the enthusiasm of a London lady resident in
the vicinity. She was distressed to see the young fellows of the place
loafing aimlessly about at night, and proceeded to organise some
rational amusement for them. Her philanthropy has been greatly
appreciated. At Kilmartin, the jubilee of Queen Victoria was signalized
by the erection of the Poltalloch Victoria Hall--an enterprise in which
laird and crofter alike willingly co-operated. It is in this hall that
the Library is established. Mr. Dixon, the erudite historian of
Gairloch, set aside the profits of his book to help in furnishing the
reading-room at Poolewe, in Wester Ross.

When a rural community has a library and a place to meet in, a literary
society is, as a rule, soon formed.