race which encourages the young to feel that there is no position in soc-

iety to which the individual may not aspire.” To that end, the people strove for an efficient educational system. Their quest was rather an

arduous one before the colonial government’s opening of national schools in 1826. After that, the Scottish community directed its efforts toward continued improvements in the system.

These, then, were the two major objectives of the new group. Their plans, however, spoke louder than their actions. The members’ desire to help their fellow countrymen was incontestible; the paucity of early accomplishments, though, was more evident. For one thing, there is no proof that the Highland Society ever gave any sort of tangible aid to incoming Scottish settlers. In fact, from the club’s inception in 1837 until its regeneration two years later, the only noteworthy occurrence was the installation, in 1838, of an honorary member — one Marshall Mac- donald, Duke of Tarentum and a noted general in Napoleon’s army." The only other recorded activity was the annual celebration of St. An- drew’s Day on or about the 30 November.

The members realized this and revived the club. The society was shaking feathers, passing through its fledgeling stage, and becoming less disoriented, more structured. Meetings were being called more often for numerous reasons and the members, consequently, were generating greater enthusiasm for the club. They were learning that in order to make a valuable contribution to the colony’s social and educational well-being,

they were, in truth, going to have to start earning their haggis. In true Highland fashion, they exerted tremendous effort for a

short while, then began to weaken, and settled themselves back into routine. This dillydallying between action and inertia seemed to pervade the club’s activities throughout 1839 and into the next few years.

The Highland Society’s concern about the quality of education received by Scottish children increased with the birth of a general Island- wide shift toward schooling reform. This shift was motivated by the Board of Education’s plan to institute a program of instruction '— a Normal School — for Island men and women interested in becoming school teachers. The Highland Society established a committee headed by John McNeill of the Board and a secretary of society. The committee’s purpose was to investigate the conditions in Island schools and draw up a report on the requisite areas for improvement. Yet, it seems that neither the committee nor the Highland Society (which turned the investigation into a concern primarily for Scottish children) were willing to concentrate any more effort into the program than a request

20