'Treason!' The master to prevent a scene, for a young shepherd moved to
catch hold of the offender, gave out the 100th psalm, and we closed in
peace.

The hold was so dark that Mr Kerr could not see to sew, so on fine days
he worked on deck. Sitting beside him he taught me how to hold a needle,
for he said every man should be able to make small repairs. He advised
me to seize every opportunity to learn. When a boy he could have learned
to speak Gaelic and regretted he had let the chance go by. Should he get
work in Montreal, he would study French. A man's intellect grows by
learning whatever accident throws in his way, and the man who, from
foolish conceit, refuses to take advantage of his opportunities remains
a dolt. Read and observe, he said, and you will be able to say and do
when your fellows are helpless. He got cuttings of canvas from the
bosun, shaped them into a blouse, and got me to sew them together. The
other boys laughed at me, and called me the wee tailor, but the blouse
did me good service for many a day. While so much with him, I asked Mr
Kerr about his political trouble. Though a Liberal he belonged to no
club and was against using other than constitutional means to bring
about reforms, and these reforms must come. It could not continue that
Great Britain was to be ruled by a parliament composed of aristocrats
and their creatures, for the great mass of the people had no voice in
it. No Methodist, Baptist, or other dissenter was allowed a seat in
parliament, and there were noblemen who controlled the election of more
members than the city of Glasgow. Manchester and Birmingham have no
members. Half of Scotland is owned by a dozen aristocrats. Whenever you
hear men shout disloyalty and claim to be the only true-blue supporters
of their country, you may be sure they are selfishly trying to hold some
privilege to which they have no right. He told of many of his
acquaintances who had been prosecuted for petitioning for the mending