THE DORIC TONGUE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23201, 27 May 1937, Page 5

THE DORIC TONGUE

AN ILLUMINATIVE ADDRESS It must have been gratifying to the Literary Section of the St. Andrew's Society of Otago (Incorporated) to register a record attendance of members at its meeting on Tuesday. The convener of this section, Mr James Brown, was in the chair. With such an attractive personality and speaker as the Rev. Hugh Graham, of Mosgiel, patron of the society, it was obvious from the out-t-et- that his subject would command the attention of all knowledgethirsting individuals. The speaker chose a very apt and colloquial subject in his address on " The Scottish Tongue\" and delighted his audience with well-defined, constructive treatment of his matter. One of the principal features Mr Graham outlined in his address was his impression of the work contributed by Scottish Societies in Canada, where he was stationed for some years, and brought forward interesting analogy, on his return to Scotland, in the manner in which the language was expressed in his native heath. What Mr Graham particularly impressed upon his listeners was the necessity for preserving the native or Doric tongue in the colonies. There was, he stated, excellent scope for perpetuating the Doric tongue in the writings of famous Scottish literary men, and he illustrated this point with a survey of the works' of eighteenth century writers in particular. During the evening members were afforded an opportunity of reading extracts from Burns, Ferguson and Ramsay in the " braid Scots," and these readings proved delightfully entertaining. Mr Graham urged all interested in the Literary Section of the society to develop their knowledge and familiarise themselves with the works of the poets and dramatists whose literary outpourings played such an intense part in Scottish culture. This would, he stated, quicken their perception and make members more interdependent upon each other, inasmuch as it developed latent talent and would give to members of the society as a whole a greater sense of self-reliance and not leave them dependent upon some few speakers. In his reference to the Church. Mr Graham caused merriment by relating a short anecdote concerning a minister of the Scottish Church who complained to one of his elders, that a certain member of the congregation had fallen asleep during his sermon and requested that this inconsiderate practice be stopped, only to be rebuffed by the somewhat tactless remark, " Well, you were the one responsible for sending him to sleep."—(Laughter.) At the conclusion of the usual business of the evening, tea was served by the Ladies' Committee, and it was resolved to elect an executive of ladies and men who would make a virile effort to stimulate the activities of the Literary Section.