IMMORTAL MEMORY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 36, 26 January 1932, Page 6

IMMORTAL MEMORY

OF ROBERT BURNS CELEBRATION IN HASTINGS. SCOTS’ NATIONAL DAY. Two hundred and fifty people wearing in their dresses and their buttonholes real heather from the real Highlands ot Scotland, and in their eyes a little homesickness, perhaps, and much love of their country and of its great poet, met in the Assembly Hall last evening to join with Scots the world over in the celebration of Burns Day. It is quite likely that a Sassenach, on the principle of the outsider who is said to see most of the game, obtains from such gathering a fuller realisation than does an actual Scot of all that Burns means to his people. However that may be, it is to no little extent a moving experience to see how intensely loved by the Scots are their native country and their national Bard. It was. as Burns nights always are, an enthusiastic gathering, and there were pipes, haggis, heather, reels, songs, stories, all in the Scottish vein, and a splendid speech of homage and love by the speaker of the evening, Mr. A. D. Morrison. ALA. The gathering was held under the auspices of the Hastings and District Scots Society, and was presided over by Chief H. W. C. Baird. Mrs Baird also was present, and it was she who was instrumental in obtaining from Edinburgh the heather which every guest present so proudly wore. Later in the evening Airs Baird, in the course of a thoroughly delightful speech, full of whimsical humour and of apt quotations from Burns and from poems about him, announced that the heather had been sent out with a letter of goodwill (which she read to the audience! from the Heather Society of the Weekly Scotsman.

SONGS OF HOME. The evening began with the toast of “The King,” called by Mr. Baird, and the audience rose and heartily honoured tho toast in song. The remainder of the programme consisted of other toasts and musical items, Mr. Morrison's speech to “The Immortal Memory,” a supper in which tho haggis was featured with full ceremonial, and, at the end of tho evening, a dance. Mr. E. G. Stevenson’s singing of “The Road to the Isles,” from “Songs of the Hebrides,” and Miss M. Tomlinson’s singing of “Ye Banks and Braes,” were inexpressibly lovely Both were encored, Mr. Stevenson singing as his encore “Annie Laurie,” and Miss Tomlinson repeating one of the verses of her song. To those who do not know “The Road to the Isles,” with its burden of love and longing for the Coolins, it is difficult to convey any sense of the plaintive beauty so wonderfully expressed in a tempo which is more usually employed to express exultation. It is a beautiful song indeed, and Air. Stevensong sang it with complete jierfection. Aliss Tomlinson's splendid voice delighted the audience, and the ease and sweet ness of her treatment of her song were wonderfully fine. Her item and Air. Stevenson’s alone would have made the evening thoroughly enjoyable. Other items were given by Air. Andy Robertson, Air. Wilkins. Miss Zita Spink, and all of them were deservedly well ajiplauded. Mr. AV. Lord and Mrs Al. Duff played the music for the dancing, and Mr. Lord played the accompaniments also. IN COAIES THE HAGGIS. The playing in of the haggis was a fine piece of ceremonial, and was carried out with fitting pomp ami solemnity. Bearing the haggis on a trencher before him. Mr. T. B. McGuire paraded the hall and marched among the tables to the accompaniment of the pipes, played by Pipers McLeish and Beattie. All were dressed in Highland uniform, and made a striking and imposing show. The address to the haggis was then pronounced by Councillor Gordon and the Selkirk Grace was said by the Rev R. B. Waugh; after which, with an almost sacramental air, all the good Scots fell to, and religiously devoured their portions of that mystic symbol.

All trim Scots, said Councillor Alorrison in his address on the life and influence of the Bard, had two predominant ambitions; one was to recite “Tam o’ Shanter” by heart, and the other was to propose the toast of the “Immortal Alemory” of him who was born on January 25, 1759. Air. Morrison described in vivid language the storm which ushered in Burns's arrival into the world. It was as though the powers of Nature recognised that this stormy child was to use his tremendous powers to drive out the enemies of darkness and hatred and bigotry. The immortal biggin’ in Alloway where Burns was born escaped the fury of the storm, and. luckily for the world, Burns was spared to write his marvellous poetry, and to wield his wonderful influence Wherever Scots were to be found throughout the world on January 25, there also would be found men and women paying homage to the Bard. It was the Scotsman s great national day. Burns had that touch of Nature that makes the whole world kin, added Mr. Alorrison, and his genius carried him beyond the bounds of what Airs Grundy and some of the world liked to allow.

AN INTERNATIONAL POET. Dr. Blair, one of his critics, had said that Burns’s politics smelt of the smithy; but Cunningham had retorted that it was in the flames of the smithy and by a smith that had been created Hint famous definition of metaphysics: “If ye hear a ehiel in the pulpit saying something that ve dinna understand, mid if ye have a rough suspicion that he disna understand himsel’, that’s metaphysics.” Burns was not a national poet at all, Mr Alorrison said; he w’as international. His Muse touched the hearts of mon and women not because of his virtue, but by his gift of reaching the soul of all mortal people. His was a power that would survive for all time. Byron, Keats, Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and all the poets of those days, were caught up in the spirit of revolt of the time, and became, one might say denationalised. They had so much to say that, in reality, they said very little. Burns stayed, in the artistic sense, w-here he was, and excelled them all. He had a healthy hatred of all sham and hypocrisy, and in the whole of his nature there was nothing that was not lofty, sincere and genuine and In hnd

a burning scorn for grovelling servility. His was "the royalty of man" derived from the fouutain-head of Helicon. No man, he believed, was destined by his Maker to lord it over another; it was his belief that those "with wealth in Lunnon bank’’ should "bow to honest poor." He sang tho story of Scotland’s patriotism, of Scotland’* heroes, of Scotland’s beauty. He was the exponent of the meaning of the motto which went with the Scottish thistle: "Nemo me impuue lacessit’’; a free translation of which was: "Sit on me and you'll get stung.’’ A MIRROR TO PATRIOTS. In him the patriots of every country could see themselves mirrored. Burns never left Scotland; his roots were too deeply implanted in his native soil to allow him to leave it. He was, indeed, almost a part of tho Scottish soil itself, and his language, which was often so Scottish that Scots themselves could not understand nowadays reflected the intensity of his love for his native country. He had his faults; but he who was faultless was at liberty to cast the first stone. His poetry combined in a miraculous way exalted idealism and all that was jibing, jeering, nonsensical, and devil-may-care. AVhcn that was understood, then one could understand the width and power of his genius. He had the soul of a poet temporarily housed in the body of a ploughman. Especially in Edinburgh he had, as a social reformer, opened the eyes of his people; and by insistent over emphasis be had accomplished his purpose of drawing attention to many of the worst ills and injustices of the day. Mr Alorrison's address contained many quotations from the poet, and his excellent interpretation of the poet’s genius and aims, and his sympathetic treatment of his subject, gave the audience intense pleasure. MR BAIRD’S SERVICES. In proposing the toast of "The Scots Society,’’ Mr H. M. Campbell, M.P., said it occurred to him, when Mr Morrison spoke of Burns having never left Scotland, what a good thing it was for tho world that all Scotsmen had not been like Burns. Scotsmen bad done the right thing in going off and attending to the world irom one end to the other. In complimenting the society on the largeness of the attendance, Mi Campbell said that when one remembered what hard times the people had had to go through, and what troubles and difficulties they had had to face, it said a very great deal for the loyalty and patriotism and enthusiasm of the Scots of the district that they had met in such large numbers co celebrate the occasion of Burns Night. The society should be congratulated on having so excellent a chief as Mr Baird. He had rendered magnificent services to the society, and it was without doubt due to him that the society had been kept together. .speaking of the Bard himself, Mr Campbell went on to say that we had drifted iutu a social condition that Burns would not have appreciated at all. He lived in hearty days, and ho had interprereted, as no one else had interprete, the spirit of those times. “What if our ancestors had a little habit of taking other people’s property now and againl’’ said Mr Campbell. “Wo need thing nothing the worse of them for that. In fcict, I often wish that 1 could go and do likewise today.” After relating in a most amusing way some little stories in illustration of the temperament of tho people of the Island of Coll, from which his family camo, Mr Campbell said: "Maj our national characteristics, our national customs and our national patriot ism, hang to us; and may we never cease to be proud of our descent from the finest race in tho world—the Scots. ’ ’ Other excellent speeebs in proposing and responding to toasts were made byMr I’.'J Priest (“The Lassies, O”), Mrs Baird (in reply), “Distinguished Visitors, ’’ proposed by Chieftain R. Henderson, and coupled with tlie names of Mi Campbell and Air Cecil Duff. The dance concluded the evening, which was in every waj' a most pronounced success. Au apology for unavoidable absence wns received from His Worship the Mover (Mr G. F. Roach i.