ST. ANDREW’S SOCIETY

Evening Star, Issue 23129, 1 December 1938, Page 18

ST. ANDREW’S SOCIETY

ANKUAL SOCIAL St. Andrew’s Day was fittingly celebrated by members of the St. Andrew’s Society of Otago and their friends at a. social held in the Early Settlers’ Hall last night. There was a large attendance, presided over by Mr 11. H. Daggar. The office-bearers and official guests were piped to their places. The Chairman extended a welcome to the visitors, and drew attention, to the fact that wherever there was a St. Andrew’s Society the members were gathering that day to honour the patron saint at similar celebrations. GREAT SCOTSMEN. The speaker of the evening was the Rev. Hugh Graham, who took as his subject ‘Great Scotsmen, Past and Present.’ One of the chief aims of the St. Andrew’s Society of Otago, ho said, was Jo preserve the traditions, .manners,.

customs, language, and literature of Scotland. It was therefore in keeping with this that they turned their thoughts on St. Andrew’s Day to the Scotsmen, both past and present, who had earned a niche for themselves in the temple of fame. _ Scotland was only a small country in size, but during the course of its eventful history it had produced a galaxy of men ,who were justly entitled to be called great. They were first in almost every sphere of human endeavour. Looking back over the centuries and confining attention to Scotland, one found the records of many famous men in all walks of life. In a.d 563 Colomba settled in lona and became the first Christian schoolmaster in Scotland and the founder of Highland education. From that time Scotland had had a history, a literature, a poetry, and a scenery that ought to be an everlasting spring of pride to her sons and daughters in every land. There must be freedom if there was ever to be international understanding. The thought of freedom naturally made one think of William Wallace and Robert Bruce. It had been said that Lowland Scotland as ft distinct nationality,, came

in with two warriors and went out with two lairds. William Wallace and Robert Bruce fought her battles and won her independence. Walter Scott told her romantic story, and Robert Burns, her supreme song writer, gave her songs. Those names had an honoured place for all time among the great names of history. It was interesting to think of the meeting of two great Scotsmen in 1847—Thomas Chalmers and Thomas Carlyle. In their own spheres of thought these two men wore the most illustrious that Scotland had ever produced. The speaker then referred to Scotland's great preachers—John Knox, arid later Norman M'Leod, Thomas Guthrie, and Alexander Whyte, while only a few weeks ago Dr Macfarlane, an exmoderator of the Church of Scotland, visited Dunedin. Turning to the present, Mr Graham said that the time at his disposal would nob allow him to speak in detail of great Scotsmen like Dr David Livingstone or Sir James Young Simpson, who discovered choloroform as a general anaesthetic; Hugh Miller, the eminent geologist; Lord Kelvin, who was described as “ one of our greatest

intellects ’’; John Buchan, who as Lord Tweedsmuir was Governor-General of Canada; Adam Smith, the famous Scottish political economist; James M. Barrie, the eminent writer and playwright; David Hume, Scottish philosopher; Andrew Lang, writer and critic; and Sir Douglas Haig, commander-in-chief of the British forces in 1915.

It was significant that Scotland had for her patron saint Andrew the fisherman and not Andrew Carnegie. In spite of all the materialistic tendencies of _ the day and generation they still paid homage to virtues of commonsense, sympathy and useful service, and it was to be hoped that they would always be worthy of the great brotherhood of St. Andrew. GREETINGS. Mr J. Caldwell, representing the Council of Dunedin Scottish Societies, conveyed the greetings of that body and congratulated the St. Andrew’s Society on obtaining such a Scottish atmosphere. The council was composed of men who thought that their work for Scottish affairs was well worth while. They were at present interested in the visit of a delegation .from [Vic-

toria to be paid early next year. In the council they had unity, which made for strength. The speaker then explained the aims of the Council of Scottish ‘Societies, which, he said, represented the whole of the Scots of Dunedin. Mr A. Robb briefly thanked Mr Caldwell for his remarks. ENTERTAINMENT. During the evening Scottish songs were contributed by Miss Freda Elmes and Mr Roy M'Dougall. The one-act Scottish comedy,' ‘ A Little Bit of Home,’ was also presented, the players being Mrs T. MJlnnes, Misses N. Minnoek, M. Guthrie, J. M'Vean, Messrs J. R. D. Jeffery and J. Davidson. The evening concluded with a dance.