BURNS ANNIVERSARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18463, 26 January 1922, Page 2

BURNS ANNIVERSARY

CELEBRATION IN DUNEDIN.

The 161st anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns was celebrated last night,. at the instance of the Dunedin Burns Club, by a concert in His Majesty’s Theatre. There was a very large audience, not exclusively Scotch, but it was made apparent •very soon that the great majority- were of that nationality. The proceedings opened with the singing of a verse of the National Anthem, after which the Dunedin Highland Pipe Band, under the conductorship, of Pipe-major Smith, played a selection, which was enthusiastically received. The President of the Bums Club (Mr Alex. M'Leod), who presided, briefly opened the proceedings by remarking that the memory of Robert Burns was implanted in the hearts of the people. For oyer a century his voice had rung through the nation, and it was ringing even more loudly and clearly to-day than - when first it was hoard. His memory was fixed amongst the stars of immortality. He had to welcome among them the Rev. Professor Adam, of Australia, who for many years had lived in Greenock. He had ■also pleasure in welcoming the crew of the Murihiku, who had come up from Invercargill to try to wrest the Sanders Oup from Dunedin i but, while welcoming them, he hoped they would not be successful in their quest.—{Laughter.) He had also received telegrams conveying good wishes from Mr John M’Neil. for many years secretary of the Burns Club, and from Bessie M*Carthy.—(Applause. 1 At a later stage in the proceedings the Rev. Professor D. S. Adam, of Melbourne, addressed the audience. He remarked that this -was the first Burns anniversary he had attended since he first came 1 to the Antipodes, 14 years ago. A change had ' oome over the celebrations of the national poet’s anniversary. At one time it was thought the proper thing at such gatherings to consume a large quantity of what was regarded as Scotland’s national beverage; now they were used to foster the national love of music. He was quite sure that if Bums could have been consulted he would have wished just such a celebration as they had that night. He did not claim to be a profound student of Burns’s poetry, but he had read it, and he admired it for its purity, sweetness, and rugged national strength. He was, as a Scot, proud of his poetic genius, and of the kindly, loving heart and many admirable qualities of Scotland’s greatest- poet. One of the sweetest of his love poems was that of “Highland Mary,” whose death so ' deeply affected the poet’s life. Her remains wore \ interred in the Greenock Cemetery, and the grave was now lovingly tended by the Burns Club there. Dunedin owed much to tlie poet’s family, for it was his nephew who founded the Presbyterian cause here. After referring at some length to the poet’s family. Professor Adam remarked that Burns was a true Scotch patriot, and by his songs he had done much to knit Scotchmen together the world over. But, while fostering Scotch patriotism, ho never forgot -the much wider love of mankind expressed in “A Man’s a Man for a’ That.” Burn? was pre-eminently the working man’s friend. IJe was a democrat in advance of his time, but never a Bolshevist; while maintaining the right of the individual, he always supported law and order and condemned anarchy. He loved his fellow-man deeply, and, while severejy castigating hypocrisy and sham , religion, he always retained the deep religious convictions -that he had imbibed from a godly father. He loved the lasses —too well, it must be admitted ; but his strong and kindly advocacy of women’s rights and praise of womanly qualities won 1 him the admiration of many women who never mot him. He was also a lover of nature and of the lower animals. He wrote from his heart and so won the love of his fellows. Of , all men who ever lived, Bums nestled closest to humanity. He loved Scotland greatly, and because of that he was, beloved,: by Scotchmen. Poor Burns’s life, notwithstanding hie ecstatic joys,, was a sad one, especially at the close, and he could not help thinking that more might have been done by his friends for him. Professor Adam gave a' touching description of Burns’s end, and during his address quoted several of his best-known short poems. He; was loudly applauded on resuming his seat.) The musical portion of the programme was of exceptional merit. The Burns Choir (under the direction of Mr H. W. Armitage, and with Mr A. L. Burk at' the piano) sang most acceptably “O’ a’ the Airts” and l< Com Rigs.” Mr and Mrs Farquhar Young, of Christchurch, whose presence at such gatherings is almost essential, proved that they have lost none of their power of entertaining, and had to pay the price of popularity in submitting to double encores. Mr Austin Blackie, of Wellington, the possessor of a, sweet, if light, concert tenor of considerable range, the audience by his artistic rendering of his number and an encore song (“Laurette”). Mrs Wilfrid, Andrews had also to submit to a double encore, and each of the ■ other singers was recalled. - The chairman endeavoured to restrain the audience in their demands, but they would not bo satisfied. The Misses V. Patterson, D. Hawkins, and E. Gray, who danced a Highland reel and the Reel o’ Tulloch, also had to repeat each item. The programme numbers were:—Song. “There Was a Lad,” \Mr W. H. M'Kenzie; song, “Doon the 'Burn,” Mrs Wilfrid Andrews; song, “Green Grow the Rashes,” Mr Farquhar Young; song, “Ca’ the Yowes,” Mre Farquhar Young; song, “Mary of " Argyle,” Mr Austin Blackie; song, “Tom Glen,” Mies Betty Baird; recitation; “John Tamson's Funeral,” Mr Farquhar Young; song, “Brawj Braw Lads,” Mrs Wilfrid Young; duet, “I’m Thinkin’,” Mr and 'Mrs Farqubaj- Young. The , entertainment concluded with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.”