3IO JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



his walks round about Cushnie and . in his journeys on 

 business, to be laid aside for John to see and tell about." 



Alford was not behind the rest of the county in intel- 

 lectual activity when Mutual Instruction Classes were first 

 founded in 1850, for in September of that year it instituted 

 a branch, called the Alford Literary Society. This lasted 

 for a good many years, and showed great vitality during its 

 existence. It no doubt inspired and benefited its members, 

 and helped to do what an enthusiastic secretary stated to 

 be one of its objects to prove that " the far north might 

 merit the credit of sending to the south something else 

 than snow." When first founded, it was thought to be a 

 daring if not dangerous innovation on old ways, and the 

 members were supposed "to be rather go-ahead." For a 

 time, they were not a little ashamed to let it be known that 

 they belonged to the Society. But they persevered, and 

 their early efforts are still represented by the existing 

 Alford Mutual Improvement Society. They not only read 

 papers, but initiated and carried on for a time a course of 

 lectures, one of which was given by the Rev. Dr. Gillan, and 

 another, in 1852, on animal magnetism, by Professor Robert- 

 son Smith, then a young man fresh from college. One of 

 the central meetings of the Union also took place in Alford, 

 in 1855, under their auspices, and was very successful. 



John used to attend their meetings, which were held in 

 Peter Clerihew the smith's barn, at the Muir of Alford, a 

 little above the parish church. At his first appearance, he 

 said he " didna come there to ask questions nor to teach," 

 which rather misrepresented himself, seeing that he had 

 done so much teaching in his time. Contrary to his 

 practice at Auchleven, he took little part in their dis- 



