ANNIVERSARY SERVICES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5734, 1 November 1905, Page 7

ANNIVERSARY SERVICES.

ST. JOHN'S CHURCH. AN EVENING WITH ROBERT BURNS. In connection with the anniversary of St. John’s Church a social gathering ■was held in the Dixon street Hall lart evening. The building was filled. Dr Gibb gave a locturette, entitled "The Choice things of Robert Burns." Dr Gibb said if Burns was not one of the very greatest of poets those who were above him were not many. Ho would be known and loved when Byron and Shelley and even Wordsworth and Tennyson had become mere shadows; the note of universal humanity was stranger in Bums than in these masters. To illustrate the merit of his writings in the pure dialect the lecturer quoted from "Death and Dr Hornbrook.” One of the greatest qualities of Bums's poetry was its piercing insight into human nature—an insight which was as a rule both genial and tolerant, like all great poets Burns had a great appreciation of the beauties of Nature; but ho never separated Nature from man. The second great quality of tho poofs work was the beauty of his descriptions of home life as seen in many ■of his works. "Tho Cotter's Saturday Night” was a noble example of this kind of work, though it was not highly esteemed by literary critics. The pathos of Burns's poems was the outcome of his huge pity not only for mankind, but for all the living things of Nature, This pity was seen in tho poem "To a Mouse-." Another great characteristic was his keen incisive wit anti his hatred of shams and cant. His satire was unsurpassable. Nothing could bo more burning than the attack on tho Calvinism of the time contained in “Holy Willie’s Epitaph.” Bums’s patriotism was another prominent trait. He had done a great deal to preserve Scotland for tho Scottish. His patriotism was nowhero seen in a stronger light than in the song commemorative of tho Battle of Bannockburn, "Scots wha hao wf Wallace bled.” As a writer of love-ballads Burns was unequalled. The lecture closed with tho reading of “There cam’ a braw Wooer.” The following songs were sung as illustrating tho various characteristics of Ihe poet referred to in the lecture: —“O’ a’ tho airts the win’ can blow I dearly lo’e the West,” by the choir: “Wert thou in tho Cold Blast on Yonder Lea,” by Mrs Glover-Eatou and Miss Rash;

“A Man’s a Alan for a,’ that,” by Mr Caldow; "John Anderson, my Jo, John," by Miss Rash; “There cam’ a braw Wooer,” by tho choir; "Scots, wha line wi’ Wallace bled,” by Mrs GloverEaten; and “Auld Lang Syne,” by the choir (solo by Miss Rash). • Votes of thanks were passed to tho lecturer, to Mr Man "ban Barnett (pianist), the choir, and the vocalists.