174 Notes and Sketches. 



John Grub, born at or near Aberdeen, and who had 

 got a University education there, was chosen school- 

 master of Wemyss, in Fifeshire, in 1748. He lived 

 only seven years thereafter, but, in course of that time 

 had by his attainments and ability as a teacher, raised 

 his school to " a very great character." One of his 

 methods, adopted with a view to improve the minds 

 of his pupils "in moral virtues, and to refine their 

 manners," was to make the boys on certain days, in- 

 cluding Shrove Tuesday, deliver short orations, which 

 they had committed to memory, in presence of their 

 parents. To use the words of the editor, who had 

 himself been one of Mr. Grub's boarders, each of the 

 elder scholars in turn " mounted the schoolmaster's 

 desk, after making a low bow to the company, and 

 audibly and distinctly delivered an oration from their 

 memory, and, after another bow to the company, re- 

 turned to their seats all highly to the praise of the 

 scholars and admiration of the company." Three 

 orations, out of a large number on diverse subjects, 

 are devoted expressly to the question of cock-fighting, 

 in the way of argument and reply. The first speaker 

 opens with a simple denunciation of cock-fighting. 

 And though it has from " time immemorial " been " a 

 custom to make one day in the year remarkable for 

 the inhuman practice of bringing many of the noblest 

 of the feathered creation to a lingering and cruel 

 death," he ventures to make a " motion " " to have 

 our yearly cock-fight entirely laid aside, or at least 

 metamorphosed into some diversion more useful and 

 entertaining to youth." The motion, he knows, will 

 be a " little unpopular" in that part of the country, but 

 the sport is " too bloody and cruel," and ought not to 

 be countenanced "by public and established instructors 

 of youth." The second speaker declares the motion to 

 be " something more than unpopular " it would be 

 " pernicious if complied with ;" and the three grounds 

 on which he would encourage the yearly cock-fight 



