the least among these were the Houstons of Scotland, Northern Ireland and North America. The character and disposition of the Houstons, along with their Scottish and Scotch-Irish compatriots, evolved through centuries of turbulent, rugged, often tragic history. The native Caledonians, during the first century of the Christian era fought the Roman legions in the southern hills and Lowlands of ancient Scotland. The Romans had conquered England and continued to rule that part of Britain for four centuries, partly over the same period that they held the Jews of Palestine under subjection.

Scotland at that time was called "Caledonia," though the name seems to have been correctly applied only to the central part of the country. The Romans, every century or so, would attempt to subdue the "fierce red-headed Caledonians," but after a brief occupation each time would be forced to withdraw. The Roman emperor hadrian built a massive wall along the northern English border, the full width of the island of Britain to hold back the fearless Scot warriors. In a more ambitious effort, a later emperor built a remarkable barrier across the narrow waist of the Lowlands, extending from the Firth of Forth to the River Clyde. It was called the Wall of Antonius by the Romans and the Devil’s Dyke by the Scots. Ruins of both walls stand to this day though the Roman builders long since have vanished. The Romans left little imprint on the Scots as far as their civilization was concerned, but provided a foreign enemy to battle, leaving less time to fight among themselves.

The Scots are a mixed race that developed through the blending of many peoples, though not including the Romans. The land now Scotland was inhabited originally by Picts, Scots, Britons and Angles, all differing in racial features, customs and dispositions. Through the centuries came tribal wars, raids, invasions and conquests by neighboring peoples, war lords, princes, kings. Each invasion left its mark on the original inhabitants, usually mingling new culture and new blood with the old strains.

Out of this melting pot of tribes and small nations, through long struggle for power or survival, there emerged a distinctive people, the Scots. However, largely because of geography, the Scots remained, even up to recent times, what amounted to two races, the Highlanders and Lowlanders.

The Lowlanders, with whom we are mainly concerned in