ST. ANDREW BURNS CLUB

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 22, 25 July 1936, Page 16

ST. ANDREW BURNS CLUB

ADDRESS BY MR. ROBERT

HOGG

•The address at the last monthly meeting of the , ; St. Andrew , Burns Club was given by Mr. Robert Hogg, his subject being."Scots Poets I .Have Known." Mr. J. G. MacKenzie presided.

The first poet dealt with was Robert Reid, who wrote under the name of Wanlock, his birthplace near the source of the Clyde, and who afterwards emi-. grated ,jto_ Canada. His poem, "Ay Am Hills," dealing with his birthplace, was read by .the speaker. 'Mr. Hogg, then went: on to describe ■ his association with- such/ poets; as Willie Thomson, who.died\..at the early age of 22, and. whose poems were published the day prior to his death; Robert Buchanan, who afterwards became a famous poet, dramatist,. and Robert Ford, who'was a writer,of humorous (such as "Thistledown") as well as serious works, . and whose best poem was "An Address to-" the De'il"; James Thomson/often described as the Poet of .Pessimism,.; buti.whose v"Tharik. God for-You" proved that he did not always deserve the title; i and Thos. Russell, whose'ideas-were far in advance of his claim to be an Auld Licht and who wrote the; outstanding "Could I Have Known/;

John Buchan, now Lord Tweedsmuir, also ■- wielded his pen in the Doric/ and the speaker read to the audience his "No' Me!" a poem dealing with his intentions and desires when the Great War had ended. Mr. Hogg also dealt with the Hutchison brothers; .James Brown, Lord Rosslyn, who ~ wrote the beautiful "Bedtime"; Walter Wingate, the great-grandson, of Burns and his father, David Wingate, whose children's ' songs are among the happiest of their kind; John Ferguson, who also died very early and whose sonnets published in a slim volume which went through many editions were some of the cleverest ever written; Sandy Bissett, "John Arbory," who wrote some of the best verse in honour of Burns; Hately Waddell," who transcribed the 23rd Bsalm into Scots; Lady Margaret Sackville author of "Romantic Ballads"- Dr David'Hdrie; Jimmy Nicholson, at home either with English or ScotsD. M. Henderson; Dr. Walter- Smith' the writer of "Judas Iscariot," and R. J. Maclennan, for many years editor of-the Glasgow'"Evening News." - 1 Of' particular interest-to. New Zealanders -was "The Unwritten Poem " by>J.-L.. Kelly. The son of a village blacksmith, Kelly. • served on the "Aidi-ie'Advertiser," but in 1881 came to this country and was progressively editor of papers in Auckland, Dunedin Christchurch,, and Wellington ("New Zealand Times"). ' He was a voluminous -writer of verse, his poems on Maori legends being, among the best yet .done in English verse, and he also made some fine translations from German, and French poems. * During the evening a presentation ,was made to the-treasurer Mr • M Gray Nasmith, and an enlarged photo of .the, founders of the club, donated by- Messrs. J. G. MacKenzie and : A Hogg, was unveiled. ' Songs .were sung by Miss Shanks, Mrs. McWhinnie and Mr. P. McNair; elocutionary - items were given by Mr.-J. Baird, and bagpipe selections by Pipe-Major MacCallum. A special supper donated by the lady members of the committee was also served.