BURNS CLUB.

Evening Star, Volume 12869, Issue 12869, 19 July 1906, Page 8

BURNS CLUB.

I ,;a scholarship proposed. |&; point of attendance the meeting of the |rns Club held at the Choral Hall last faring was one of the most successful nich tie club have had for some time, the ill being quite filled. The president of *6 club (Mr D. M'Pherson) occupied the jfthe Chairman said: I have to announce »t your Committee Lave decided that a urns scholarship, tenable for three years. Kill _be instituted at Otago University, Jjfl, in discussing ways and means, I have Sf mention one or two matters. In the tst place there is no society that I know i,-, which give better value for the money ian the Burns Club, and I have also to iU you that our ordinary revenue from the lie of tickets and the interest on a small ipital sum of something like £l7O is just ifficient to meet expenses. That £l7O is been accumulated by extra efforts of the fib in the way of special concerts and enirtaiDments. You will agree with inr

ijat, on the whole, this is a precariour lethqd of rainnc an income. Last year 0 were particularly successful, and cleared Hmetbing like £SO. but for some years preWosly special concerts were run at a loss "he Committer have therefore decided -.n liotber method of increasing our capital Did It : s desirable that this scholarsh'p lould not lapse after a year or two, but be continuous thing, and therefore the Comlitteo havy arranged to issue collecting trdp to every member who is wi'ling to put w smoulder to the \vheel. We wish t-. lake the "xholarship a thing for all time. fc considering our population in connection ith tins rratter, I ivould point out that :i«re are two .sections—admirers of Burn? nd enthusiasts in educational matters—to 'bom our appeal must be limited. The irds>are returnable on or before Decemh r , and mv own expectation is that we shall 3 sucrrsful in raring £3OO or £4OO. It 1 not much when the population of Dunlin is considered, and I think we may tak? 1 aa an actual fact that the club will lie »le to award continuously a scholarship of 15 a year to a student at the University kpplarrse.) The speaker concluded by laking reference to the death of Mr Auld",

a old member of the Committee and the nb, who had passed away that day. The address of the evenine was given hv M E«v. J. Gellie. the subject being 'Sir 7alter Scott.' The speaker outlined the ioffraphy of the poet-nr>vp]ist from his birth i 1771 to his death in 1832. The interview etween Scott and Burns, when th-? former as fifteen years of age, was desvrihed, and le intense love that Scott in early life imibed for border songs and ballads was resrred to. The coune of his literary work om 1805, when he published 'The'Lay tf ie Last Mimtrel,' to the is.'me of 'Waversy' in 1814 was glanced at. This disstrous commercial connection with Bal ntyne (the publisher), by which Scott bcune liable, and paid £IOO,OOO, received onorable mention, and finally the address iferred to Scott as a poet and as a novefft. His poems were full of life and fire, ith graphic descriptive passage?, though >t as philosophical as Wordsworth's poetry, [is novels for purity of sentiment, human junpathy, facility of description, quiet mnnr, and the power of giving genuine kasure were unsurpassed The musical part of the programme was perted with a pipe selection by Piper J. ["Donald. Three part son«s, ' Pibroch o' lonufl Dhu,' 'Hail to the chief,' and Macrepor's gathering,' were given by the choir, 'hile songs were .-ontrimited by Miss "ranees Grant (' Jock o' Hazeldean' and Huuh thee, O my babe'). Mr 0. Blandford Mary of Arsyle'), Miss M. M'Gallum M'Crimmo-n's lament'), and Mr J. T. Prain Bonnie Dundee'). A graceful exhibitiou i crab swinging was given by Misses M. id N. Kernohaa ; a brass quartet, 'Scotia.' y Messrs H. Dickison, S. Grenfell, 11. rreen, and J. Simpson; a pianoforte solo y Miss Craisr; and recitations by Miss B. ©uth and Mr J. Henderson' (' Tarn o' tauter'). A seauntreos was danced by 5r Popham. Mr J. Davidson acted as tusical director, and Miss E. Wright as crompanist. At the close of the concert hearty vote of thanks to the choir and ie Bev. J. Gellie was carried on the moon of Mr Gilkison, and after singing ' Auld Ug syne' the hall was clearrd for dancing.