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Scottish Diaspora Tapestry

Scottish Heritage

Coming Soon

The Scots' Passion for Learning 
(Tentative / Working Title)
ETA -- Autumn 2027

Scottish Education was the Envy of the Western World

Five hundred years ago, Scotland was the poorest country in Europe.  Over the next four centuries, Scotland came to have a system of education that was the envy of the western world. 

With the Reformation of religion, John Knox set a lofty goal - a "parochial school in every parish". The reformed new "Established Church" of Scotland - the Kirk - was given control of education (the parochial schools) where financial responsibility was shared with the wealthy upper class. 

The Established Church had their shortcomings and their squabbles, both internally and with the state and the nobility, but did their best to support education. 

While there were some very generous landowners, by and large the upper class failed to deliver on the expected support for schools. 

Ordinary Scots were independent thinkers. They saw that the established church was not meeting their spiritual needs. They set up their own dissenting churches in competition with the established church. These new churches organized their own schools - in competition with the parochial schools. Competition is good. 

The wealthy were not the heroes of the Scottish education system. The Churches were not the heroes of the Scottish education system. The government was not the hero of the Scottish education system.

The heroes of the enviable Scottish education story were many very ordinary people who dared to challenge the status quo. 

Overall, education has been very good for Scots. And a number of Scots were very good for education in Canada.

This book will address education in both Scotland and in Canada. 
If you have family history school-related anecdotes that you would like to share 
in this book (approx. 100–500 words), please send them to 
Bruce McCowan, General Editor, email: bmccowan AT netrover.com.

McCowan's Phototeria: The Man and His Machine

David A. McCowan's Phototeria was launched in Toronto in 1928. A Phototeria Centenary Celebration in 2028 is currently in the early stages of planning. 

Intended features of the celebration include: 

• A Book Launch: McCowan’s Phototeria: The Man and His Machine -- Set in the Context of Scottish Photography Innovation.

• An Inventor in Training: A Drama Production with a sub-plot on the theme of bullying. (David A. McCowan struggled severely with stuttering in his youth.) 

• Formal donation at the Book Launch of the David Alexander McCowan Fonds to a public archive. 

• Showcasing an original century-old Phototeria. 

• We invite readers to be involved in this upcoming celebration: history teachers, drama teachers, and enthusiasts for photography, photobooths, and Scottish-Canadian history. 

For further information please contact Bruce McCowan -- bmccowan AT netrover.com 

The James McCowan Memorial Social History Initiative is dedicated to making occasional contributions to a body of work celebrating the endeavours and achievements of Scots and Scots' descendants in Canada, putting the "who did what" into the larger context of when, where and why.