122 



YOUNG RENNIE AT SCHOOL, 



PART VII. 



taken from the parish school at that age, but his friends 

 had not made up their minds as to the steps they were 

 to adopt with reference to his further education. The 

 boy, however, found abundant employment for himself 

 with his tools, and went on model-making ; but feeling 

 that he was only playing at work, he became restless 

 and impatient, and entreated his mother that he might 

 be allowed to go to Andrew Meikle's to learn to be a 

 millwright. This was agreed to, and he was sent to 

 Meikle's accordingly, where he worked for two years, 

 during w r hich period he learnt one of the most valu- 

 able parts of education the use of his hands. He 

 seemed to overflow with energy, and was ready to work 

 at anything at smith's work, carpenter's work, or 

 millwork ; taking most pleasure in the latter, in which 

 he shortly acquired considerable expertness. Having 

 the advantage of books limited though the literature 

 of mechanism was in those days he studied the theory 

 as well as the practice of mechanics, and the powers of 

 his mind became steadily strengthened and developed 

 with application and self-culture. 



At the end of two years his friends determined to 

 send him to the burgh school of Dunbar, one of that 

 valuable class of seminaries directed and maintained by 

 the magistracy, which have been established for the last 

 hundred years and more in nearly every town of any 

 importance in Scotland. 1 Dunbar High School was 



tures, commerce, and shipping. In- 

 deed, from that time, the country never 

 looked back, but her progress went on 

 at a constantly accelerating rate, issu- 

 ing in results as marvellous as they 

 have probably been unequalled. 



1 The origin of what are technically 

 termed " Grammar Schools " in Scot- 

 land, is involved in considerable ob- 

 scurity. They are, for the most part, 

 of ancient foundation, and are sup- 

 posed to have been endowed by gener- 

 ous individuals, who vested in some 

 public body, usually the borough cor- 



poration, sums of money for the pur- 

 pose of educating the youth of the 

 towns in which they are established. 

 The money or property so devised 

 was legally termed a " mortification." 

 Many of such bequests were made in 

 the remote times when Scotland was a 

 Catholic nation. John Knox himself 

 was educated at the Grammar School 

 of Haddington, near to which town 

 he was bom and brought up, and 

 there he says he leamt the elements 

 of the Latin language. 



