Amang the Scots; People and problems

In Glasgow Scotland. Among the stalks. To. Be a. This is another in the series about Scotland and today our intention is to help you know the Scots a wee bit better and to provide some further insight into a few of their problems and their way of life. All of us are aware I'm sure of how the Scottish immigrants of helped to build our country. But now we want to consider only the people living in the Scotland of today. In the previous programme we dealt with some of our misconceptions about this country and now I feel compelled to deal with still another. The Scots are a dark people. I have been told I suggest that a natural reserve and perhaps low acceptance of strangers has been mistaken for darkness. The Scots are tight or stingy

so the saying our joking goes it would be more accurate to say that thriftiness of the people has enabled them to survive a harsh and see very existence. Fortunately the Scots respond to this absurd label with their own ready wit and laughter. In order to get a view of Scotch as others see them. I talked with several persons from other countries living now in Scotland. First a native of the Philippines married to a Scot and living now in Glasgow. And then the wife of an American living temporarily in the country. Right I say that Scotland is snow. From what I've said you're God but I don't find Scott in particular. Sorry Dana. It's not religious when you splice around. People I. Know that I can't just got in without any sort of misconceptions really aside from the fact that

they set up Scottish of that type which I find to the contrary really I mean they're not that tight. I mean. I've been to Switzerland and I find that the Swiss are a bit tired to really combat rock. I can say that most of the shopkeepers in Glasgow I've read many of them live a very helpful they don't really mind it that you sort of take over you just looking at things. Sadly Have I thought that the glass which is overly friendly ass rude but. Some of the nicest one thing and then interesting is I'm not that really. The first and the most lasting impression that I'm outsider has of the Scots is I think run a tremendous friend likeness from the right first day we were born most rum I received and it isn't just at night a friend let us say there are for example if I ask someone on the street for directions stop was the person says I'll show you the

way and he insists on doing just that no matter how much I will run straight. And we've been invited into so many homes many times by people who would have been introduced casually perhaps they are so anxious to show your friendliness and to have you feel wronged by towards the Scotland. I've been really low gears that I'm a good man Ranga Matt was so friendly and the clearest perhaps but there I went to join my interested and friendly and I was interested not only in me but in everything American. The shopkeepers are courteous and helpful too. There may be few exceptions to this but they are exceptions they are usually go out of the way I go the second mile to help. I find the Scots An interesting people. They're not easy to understand and in fact are really rather complex characters I

think. But there's so many intrigues me and I reserved in a right way and and yet readily hospitality belies that reside in their thrift and yet they're often very generous. I think one would have to live a lam time in Scotland to really understand them. But an interesting and friendly run people I'm very sure of that you have a pretty serious problem I sometimes think that I come from homecoming like Japan. How. And when I say I come from the Philippines they immediately think that some. Don't love America and that it's Americans of course that don't move. And independence in 1946 and if I do meet people that he's been around the room. Either And. Only on the Navy Yard

just on business. I thought. They were members of the Philippines. Yes it's a city in little. Ships out of the top on that's right. About it. Maybe. The Scots as a rule do not have much concept of the vastness of the size of the United States. Scotland is not as large as Ohio for example in square miles. And. Consequently these people have a plan and so to generalize about the things America and places in America and our country in general. But I just cannot realize that something may be true in New York. But it wasn't necessarily true in the Midwest or it isn't necessarily true in the Far West. I suppose that we are have difficulty that in that why we are trying to generalize about anything in every country. But certainly that's true of the Scots. They do generalize too

much about our country and I'm afraid too that the press and the movies are barred from giving them a distorted view of the United States and it's only natural that they thank God but as it is presented to them. Shopping eyes I think grasp this all right. You can almost be sure you get. Proper rates. If you know of things I mean for food. Shopping is fairly static. I mean coming from a developing country I found it's very important because in the Philippines just a lot. Cheating you can never be sure if you asked for a. Pound of meat a couple of times you know. Sure you get a couple of pounds really but you know you don't have really have to watch shopkeepers buy that I think they're fairly honest. That's a fairly close go at. Consuming way its missions and things

like that. Living in Scotland has its problems from an American just meeting day to day needs becomes quite an undertaking. For example at home I shop for groceries once a week. Here I must do it once a day. My refrigerator is very tiny most refrigerators here are by American standards so there is little storage space which means that I must shop often. And then there's not the braai in foods and meats and vegetables that one finds at home. In fact the supply of green or frozen vegetables is very limited. And then there is the problem of not my fragile ration of meat most meat markets display the meat in the open and not in refrigerated cases where accustomed to it. And thus affects the taste of the meat as well as affecting our stomachs. Of course many supermarkets now are introducing refrigerated cases

so this will gradually be overcome I'm sure and there are many items of food and of everybody needs that we take for granted in the United States which are unobtainable here or at least they're very difficult to find. Keeping the rhyme as I can tell you a problem. Central heating is not your common code grates or electric heaters. Don't despair revamping the code by while and speaking of that lamp in the car. The climate of Scotland is another one of the problems they almost constant rain and they they are penetrating code without adequate heating can be very unpleasant. Are there lots of problems for an American in Scotland but one must never forget the assets of a friendly and interesting people and the beautiful scenery and the opportunity to learn something of the fascinating history of Scotland and there's at the minute elaborate and historical places.

In fact I'd say the assets far outweigh the better qualities. An English Minister after 10 years of service to the Church in Scotland now gives an analysis of the Scottish character as he sees it. I would just say a few things about the Scots as I found them and I think I'd like to differentiate between the Scots and the Glaswegians I did have for years ministering in Edinburgh but I've had nearly six years in Glasgow and I really feel that they're quite different people. I would say that a Scot is a very friendly person of any warm hearted person very much like the people in the north of England. Generous kind and always ready to receive you into their homes. That is generally found I think in the British Isles at the further north you go the more friendly people become. We didn't really feel though that in Glasgow people were a little bit different from what we had expected they were.

A little diffident to receive us conservative in spirit. Perhaps some of the trays that are in all of us were made a little more harsh perhaps a little more hog by poverty a poverty tradition that has lasted for years in the West of Scotland. A certain amount of isolation Glasgow has in some ways isolated from the other cities of of the country. And I think something that runs through all Scottish life a sense of inferiority. The old enemy as they speak of England in the south and is rich Aaron big guy has taken them over in some ways and I think every little unfair to the English and I think it is fair also to the Edinburgh people because Edinburgh is the capital. And it has a little smarter and rather more up stage than Glasgow seems to be I think to one of the things that are saddened us as English people coming north as being a growing sense of nationalism.

There is really a division in some ways between English and Scots and when you find it in the church it can be particularly sad and a minister has to be very careful to keep both sides is as happy as possible. But I think this again you see he comes from a conservative temperament an inferiority complex a very traditional way of looking at life. And though there are many lovable people in Glasgow I think it will be true to say that they're a bit a little harder to live amongst than we anticipated. And I feel that they are a little different in this very big rather dirty Oh old city that has known a lot of unemployment and poverty rather more difficult to live with than the other Scottish friends and contemporaries in other parts of the country. If we wish to come to a true understanding of any people we must

consider the history the heritage of those people their personal as well as national struggles for existence down through the centuries the influence of many net nationalities has been brought to bear on Scotland. Just as in America the historical record includes the Roman occupation the invasion of the Norse man expeditions of the Irish and the Norman Conquest alliances with the French centuries of struggle and later union with the English. And in modern times the influence of Americans better fighting among the clans before achieving national unity also left its lasting mark. Out of these past struggles Scotland has produced many men who have achieved the mark of greatness through their contributions to mankind. I've been reminded of these contributions in many ways.

Living here in Glasgow many Americans do not realize that hell many inventions that we never take as commonplace or discoveries have had their roots in Scotland. To mention a few what James Watt and the steam engine bell the telephone and Thompson and electromagnetism macadam and railroads. Baird television Lister anti-septic surgery. Sending Pettit penicillin Lotzen welt radar. All of these men were born in Scotland. I don't to that list we could add such literary figures as Sir Walter Scott Robert Louis Stevenson James Barrie and Robert Burns the great missionary Stanley Livingstone the philosopher David Hume

Adam Smith whose Wealth of Nations was the first important book on economics. Thomas Carlyle 19th century essayist and historian. The world owes much to Scotland. It is doubtful if any one of these great man has left the greater impression on Scotland's largest city Glasgow than Lord Kelvin. Father of modern electrical engineering. The area near Glasgow University where I have lived during my nine month stay here is called Kelvin side. There is also a Calvin street a Calvin hall a Kelvin Grove and even a brand of whiskey named after large Calvin running through the city of Glasgow is the Kelvin river. And that should be a sufficient reason for me to introduce another of Scotland's great my favorite Scottish singer kind of Mackellar. The quaint and

charming song which she will sing is entitled Kelvin Grove and it sings the praises of the GRO of the Kelvin River which passes through some of the very picturesque parts of Glasgow following the singing of Kelvin Grove. MCKELLAR will sing In contrast one of the newer Scottish songs the rousing number titled marching through the heather. But first here is count Macomer singing Kelvingrove. On it. Is it your way. Or the

wailing. Way old by law the. Death. By a oh my god say oh wait it Sam Oh say. Ha ha yeah you. May think Scream was cold ha ha. Ha. Ha but yeah LOL BYE. Ah ah. They don't step below to it but she'll come out OK.

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come up. With that. Oh oh ok. Sucks. To have a Ohayon judging. Her own judgment. Cloud. It was. Songs such as those you have just heard can provide a romantic touch to the natural beauties of this country and to Scottish life. But just

as elsewhere life is real and life is earnest here and Scotland is beset with its share of social and economic problems. Now it is neither appropriate or even possible to explore such problems deeply in the remaining minutes of this program. Perhaps we can suggest the nature of such problems through brief statements by long term residents of the country. We hear again from the English Minister and then his wife a native of Norway. They have lived 10 years in Scotland and have deeply involved themselves in the life of the communities where they have served. I think the economic problems in Scotland are reflected in the fact that this is one of the areas in Britain with the highest unemployment rate compared with past times times of the Depression times before the rule isn't very high. But compared with most

areas in England it is high. I think the economic problems of Scotland are centered in certain factors. The industry has been heavy industry for the most parts. Now our Scottish heavy industry is being challenged in other parts of the world for example its iron and steel industry producing the shipbuilding industry is being challenged by Japan and certain European countries. Also I think in Scotland theyre finding that there are no suppliers locally have been allowed to go worked out the coal fields are somewhat in a state of decline and the local raw materials are not available. So what expense materials have to be imported. I think to do that there is a certain conservatism in employment. If a man has been a shipyard worker then that's what he prefers to do. And even though he may be on short time perhaps an hour or an hour. I have sorry a day over

again a half a week. He prefers to do that rather than to transfer it to some other field where he might get a better job employing him on week. But of course there is the problem that the population of the high lasts. I know that this is happening in many different parts not just of this country but in other parts of the world as well. And we are doing our best to move industry are we not into the Highland there is for instance in that there's the pulp making factory in Fort William. And this is all part of the government's program to move industry back into Scotland and to reinvest capital in certain industries that are coming up from the south particularly motor industries. The British market Motor Corporation in Bathgate and the roots group motor industry and their Paisley Nevertheless in spite of

that I think we do feel that a lot of skilled workers are moving south. House in spite of the new industry is because there is a general drift in Britain south and south east. There is much more opportunity of employment and better housing conditions and so on. I think the major social problems stem from two things in particular one is the housing situation. The other is the generally low health situation. For example when we think about Glasgow's housing. There is a great gap in. Housing in this sense that very little building was done between the two wars. So all that most of the building is old stone premises largely flats. Or else it's very new and the newest building is on the outskirts either in

quite good bungalow areas with countryside retained and pretty gardens or else great new blocks of flats which are really no improvement on the old flats in the middle of the city. People are crowded. The Together facilities are not good. The sanitation conditions and facilities are some of the worst in the whole of Britain. And I definitely think that this over crowding into poor housing areas leads to certain social problems. The men folk find in their small flats that there cheek by jowl with the family. There's no room to move and so they tend to go out and go into many of the bars which are very numerous especially in the center of the city and then me in a ring of housing areas. I was

told by a doctor when I first came to Glasgow that until milk was made definitely Titi by law but the health record of Glasgow was the same as that of Cairo. And there I think. Quite a stunning fact that Dylan I think was amused and the rooms are dark and people don't get a lot of light and sunshine into their tenements. Most of the old flats have sleeping room. This means that people are sleeping in a room which is not very well ventilated and this happens a great deal. And I might add that in past years the gerbils here and Glasgow has had the reputation of being one of the worst slum districts anywhere in the world. Although our good proportion of these slums still remain. Much is being done to

replace them with modern housing. However many people in Glasgow still contend that the present effort is too little much too late. Lord. IGM. Now invite you to be with me again for the next in the series as we continue to explore Scottish life. And become acquainted with more of this country's interesting people. This program was distributed by a national educational radio. This is the

national educational radio network. This is.