ST. ANDREW BURNS CLUB

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 283, 24 August 1940, Page 5

ST. ANDREW BURNS CLUB

Address On Jean Armour, Wife Of Poet An address on “Jenn Armour, Wife to a Genius,” by Mrs. B. feinclair/fiurns, was the main item at the monthly meeting of the St. Andrew Burns Club, Wellington, over which Mr. A. Barclay presided. Mrs. Sinclair-Burns gave in detail the course of the strange and pathetic love story of the wife of Kobert Burns, and said that it must be viewed against the perspective of the Scotland of 200 years ago and not, as the critics of Burns made the mistake of doing, against present-dily ideas. Within nine years Jean Armour had lived through almost every emotional experience known to all women, travelling during that time from a simple girl to the wife of a genius, through motherhood of nine children to widowhood, lhe one constant factor throughout all this was the grinding poverty of the working people of that day. She proved herself a genius matched - to genius, but her great accomplishment lay in human relations. She never complained, and of her Burns could not write enough praise. lhe more he saw of her sterling qualities, the more his perspective cleared, specially after his Edinburgh experiences. She survived Burns by 38 years, devoting most of her time to showing the relics of the great poet to admirers and the lincst epitaph that had been written for Burns lay, in the speaker's opinion, in wliat Jean Armour had said to the Ettrick Shepherd, “He never said a. misliehadden word to mo all the days of his life. In old age she was the sainted centre of all her family and neighbours, and her memory was perpetuated by the three Jean Armour Burns Houses at Mauclilinc, where nine old ladies have the right to live completely free and cared tor. This was a fitting memorial ’ to the great humanitarian character she was and tor whom fate appeared to have selected a much harder task than that reserved for common clay. She was also the inspirer of 12 of Burns songs, notably 'Gt a tlie Airts,” “I hae a wife of my :un and “Were I on Parnassus Hill.” This latter was recited .by the well-known Burnsian, Mr. J. B. Thomson. The following artists contributed to the evening's entertainment: Mrs. MacGregor, “The Laird o’ Cockpen” and lhe Herding Song”; Mrs. 11. MeWnnnie, “John Anderson. My Joe” and Ca the Yowes to the Knowes”: Mr. Bay Trewern. “My Love Is Like a Red. Red Rose,” “Flow Gently. Sweet Afton “ and “MacGregors’ Gathering”; Mr. N. Grenfell, “Bonnie Dundee” and “Annie Laurie.” The pianist for the evening was Mrs. F. IV. London and the song leader, Mr. D. N. Keith. Pipe music was suppii cd 1 >.v Finer It- MaeKenz.ic.