, and was considerate to her maids, but I
blush yet to think how poorly those good women who made the comfort of
my early home were paid for their labours. You could get a washerwoman
for a shilling or 1/6 a day, but you must give her a glass of whisky as
well as her food. You could get a sewing girl for a shilling or less,
without the whisky. And yet cheap as sewing was it was the pride of the
middle-elms women of those days that they did it all themselves at
home. Half of the time of girls' schools was given to sewing when
mother was taught. Nearly two hours a day was devoted to it in my time.

A glass of whisky in Scotland in the thirties cost less than a cup of
tea. I recollect my father getting a large cask of whisky direct from
the distillery which cost 6/6 a gallon, duty paid. A bottle of inferior
whisky could be bought at the grocer's for a shilling. It is surprising
how much alcoholic beverages entered into the daily life, the business,
and the pleasures of the people in those days. No bargain could be made
without them. Christenings, weddings, funerals--all called for the
pouring out of strong drink. If a lady called, the port and sherry
decanters were produced, and the cake basket. If a gentleman, probably
it was the spirit decanter. After the 3 o'clock dinner there was whisky
and hot water and sugar, and generally the came after the 10 o'clock
supper. Drinking habits were very prevalent among men, and were not in
any way disgraceful, unless excessive. But there was less drinking
among women than there is now, because public opinion was strongly
against it. Without being abstainers, they were temperate. With the
same heredity and the same environment, you would see all the brothers
pretty hard drinkers and all the sisters quite straight. Such is the
effect of public opinion. Nothing else has been so powerful in changing
these customs as the cheapening of tea and coffee and cocoa, but
especially tea.

My brothers went to the parish school, one of the best in the county.
The endowment from the tiends or tithes, extorted by John Knox from the
Lords of the congregations, who had seized on the church lands, was
more meagre for the schoolmasters than for the clergy. I think Mr.
Thomas Murray had only 33 pounds in Money, a schoolhouse, and a
residence and garden, and he had to make up a livelihood from school
fees, which began at 2/ a quarter for reading, 3/6 when writing was
taught, and 51 for arithmetic. Latin, I