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ALTHOUGH the value of a Club Journal as a
means of circulating information must be so apparent to members as to render
editorial introduction almost unnecessary, it may not be out of place, in
this the first number, to indicate briefly one or two points in connection
with it. Probably it will surprise many readers to learn that there are
more than three hundred mountains in Scotland whose height exceeds 3,000
feet above sea-level! Even were our explorations to be restricted to
mountains of no lesser altitude, here truly is a formidable undertaking.
Their very names might furnish us with philological study for considerable
time to come, without trenching upon the more scientific aspects of their
botany, zoology, and climatology; and even if we content ourselves with them
from a topographical or a climbing point, it will be long indeed before they
are exhausted. But fine walks, hard climbs, and magnificent scenery are by
no means restricted to the higher mountains.
It is probably not too much
to say that some of our Scottish summits have never been ascended; that
others have only seen the adventurous climber at long intervals, and then
only in the shape of the forester, the shepherd, or the sportsman, who have
climbed them in pursuit of their avocation, and not in search of the
picturesque or the difficult. And if they are known to these visitors, they
are wholly unknown to the world at large, for many of them have never been
described at all, and the only account of others is as old as the days of
Pennant and MacCulloch. The field that lies before the Club is therefore a
large one; and when our members have climbed all the peaks, and explored all
our beautiful glens and passes, we shall still have the excellent advice of
Mr Pilkington, a Vice-President of the Alpine Club, to fall back upon: for
he tells us that when we have found all the easy ways up our hills, we must
turn our attention to conquering the difficult ways. This it is that has
largely maintained the interest of the Alpine Journal, full as its numbers
have been, of recent years, of old friends presented under new aspects in
the way of ascents and explorations by routes hitherto unattempted.
And just as in the case of the Alpine Journal there
were critics who prophesied its speedy starvation from want of material, so
in the case of this, its humble imitator, some of our friends assure us of
early extinction. Whether this comes about depends entirely on members
themselves. The field, as has been said, is large; so is the number of
workers—to wit, the members of the Club. It is hoped that the formation of a
Mountaineering Club in Scotland will give a considerable impetus to the
pursuit of that fascinating pastime; and the result ought to be the
gathering of a great mass of most diversified and interesting information,
whose natural channel should be the Journal.
It is intended to concern ourselves principally, of
course, with the hills of Scotland ; but our pages will not be closed to the
story of mountain adventure across the Border or in Ireland. The Club being
in some measure responsible for a Journal published in its name, and under
its direction, all the narratives inserted will be written and signed by
members; but as it is felt that this would tend to narrow our sphere of
action, there will be a section devoted to Notes and Queries, Reviews of
Guide Books and Maps, Scientific Information, and, in general, everything
that has a bearing upon the aims and objects of the. Club. This section will
be open to all persons who may be interested in these matters, and it is
hoped that it will be by no means the least entertaining portion of the
Journal. It is intended to publish thrice yearly if possible. This should
not be difficult if members take up the idea warmly.
Enough has been said to let it be seen that there are
many sources from whence to draw a steady supply of matter sufficient to
support our literary effort for a long time to come. And if, sooner or
later, it is thought advisable to discontinue, at any rate it may be hoped
that we shall have supplied a want long felt in the shape of reliable
description of much of the wilder and more picturesque part of our country;
that our pages will hold the record of many pleasant friendships formed and
fostered; that their perusal will inculcate a love of our manly pursuit in
persons who might not otherwise be drawn towards it; and last, but by no
means least, that they will remind us of many an agreeable expedition amid
scenes wherein, more truly than in other spots, we may say that—
"Our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues
in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in
everything."
THE EDITOR.
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