DUNEDIN PRESS CLUB

Otago Witness, Issue 2676, 28 June 1905, Page 14

DUNEDIN PRESS CLUB

Th- Choral Hall was filkd on Wednes hy evoning ujion the occasion of the monthly meeting of the Bums Club. The prc»icVnfc (Mr Iv. CJilki->on) occupied the chair, and apologised fjr tho unaioidable absence of Mr D. Jl'Pher-on (vice-rirosidcnt) and tl\3 Key. D. Maclennan

The c^ciiinof via= demoted to a consifieration of rhe !fo of P, .uce Charlie and th« fourth campaign to the supremacy of the Stuarts Tne lecture was delivered hy tlto president his remarks bcitij so arrang<'d as to nefiniD of the appropriate ii^troduction of a programme of Scott i-h mv.sic boaring upon the special topic.

The choir having sung '" Br/iin ; e Dunc'-e •," the' President said the song formed a Stringf introduction to a treatment of the 5-trange. and romantic fortunes and misfortunes of Ihe Pi-i'nce whom Scotsmen wonki ever remember as '"Prince Charlie." It described ono of the battles — not cf Prince Charlie's time, but of an earlier date— in connection with struggles for the supremacy of the Stuaits. He characterised Dundee as a ."psychological enigma" As C^e:housJ he assisted in i-erpctrating many of tha cruelties on the Covi.-v.anrers, cut as Dttitdee thpy found h,im making a determined mk! galiaiT- effort at the head of tho clans to regain for .Tanie; VIC the throne from which ho had been driven. The sa^ne proLlcni of apparent dual personality was to be found in Byron ai d oiher notable men, and had been treated by K. L. Ste\em-o:i in his "Dr Jekyl! and Mr Hyde." P.iss!:^from hh birth, the well-known stoiy of Charles Edward's arcemnt to legain a ki. I^dom wrs ii.t^icstinely told — Irs land'iig <vi the 'hore^ of fj.otlanc' in 1745 wi f h a fe-.v hundred mu»kt. ( -> and .^3303 torlowed from fri-cn<"'s. and only &"\-"n fo'lovcrs, and without the expected ificnc i army ; tl.o unfurl ing; of hi* standard at. (41enfinnan at the head of 20C0 detenr.n.ed c-'.aiisnien rradj' to '"do pnd die fc Clia )- iie" ; 'trie occupatson oF Tidinbur »!i . and tho proclamation at the Town Cro^.s of tbe Princos's father as .Irenes VII it" iScotlancl ; f ho route of the Kngl'-sh under Copa at Presron Pans; the invasion cf Knglaud with 40G0 men; the successful r<--tlri.:ne.nt acrr.so the Esk, "s-^ollen sao w'So and sao deep," into Scotland. Tha inclc'eno cf the crossing of t,he lisk, the fpeafcor pointfd out, was en the return of t-l.e Highlanders, and not upon th-eir crcssinar i:ito England as. it is put in "tho first \cr^o of "A hundied pipers." Th? £n*l blo".v in t; c campaign, the. b.itrL- of Culloce,-. was leferrcd to, afttr wh:ch the roman: o wanderings oi tbe unTortunate Prince in ti:« Highlands were touched upon. the. name of Flora Maedonald natural.y be ng recallerf with toricien'iess. Keferrmg to rh-s uatio :al bard, the si'eakei- ?ta r ->:! that Burns was born only 12^ year* after tho battle of Cullodcn. It «a- t) erefore rather sinpiisi.ig ! that in lii,s works more frequent referentewas not mae'e to the Forty-fne Ayrshne, however, was out cf the track of the Prince's route, and was a strong Presbyterian centre. s.o the >o - ir.h of th? i cob escaped Jacobite influences. Liter in iif? 1 -. however, ha wrote '"The chevalier's lament" n.nd '" Thoie'll »over be reac-? till Jami'* comes hame" — l~oth Jacobite sonas. And in Stirling Inn. aftei- spending a "day goma: round the 'ancient castle and halls cf t 1 cKoyal Bprgh irni.pe&sDd rs he was voi.t to l,e wit!) the influence and tradit-on* of the i pluce. he w-ot^ the hues "On Stirling."' i The wottdoriul literature of <-he Jaeobi.^ in Scotland had helped to attach a special beauty and romance to the story of [ the invasion by Prince O'-arlie of Scotland i and England. A few of the beautiful ron;s had been sung that Pi^ht, but the number o f them w a'- *-o ereat that few even knew the names of half. Some so cleverly ecncaled ihe Jacobite allusions as to dpeehv* even le.irned editor 1 :. Looking hpek on the Forty-five, now. we could not but adrrwro l!io romance of the undertaking, tho ep'fof th--> chiefs pint clansmen, ai I tho boldness cf tho=e who »a^e u_-i all ro fellow Prince Clnr'ie. At th« sairc timr\ ia the cold light of 160 years after, vr> could r.ot br.t feel i 1 - was best for the country that the rebellion failed.

Amnngsi. tho.=e win contriburc-d to the musical port on of the entertainment wits. Miss Nol'ie ilunn, who. though suffering; from a cold, yet "leased so well w>*h her singing of "Come owe~r the stren v, Charlie that a second number was require;! ot her. Mrs King sang two solos ("Flcva. 3laedor:alri's lament 1 ' and "The =ong of i!v» emigrant") ; Mr Mackenzie was required ra suppiemcni his soli "" March of the Cameron "men" and " McGregors' gathering" with two otl'crs ; and Mr J. T. Pram's singing of " Th& standard on the br-;es o' Mar" earned for him a similar compliment. Mi.->a C'raib dar.cod a Highland fling, and Mr .1. Anderson's violin solos were enthusiastically leceivpd. A skirl on tho pipes was, needless 1o saj'. included.

The choir was conducted by Mr W. K. Don, with Miss E. Wright as accompanist. With the strength at cor>-mand a tasteful, tuneful, and o^-ressho treatment of the various part son»s was obtained. Thi3 rendering of ''Wae's me for Prinro Charlie" was csr.neiallv pleading. A vote of thanks to tbojp assisting was, upon the motion oc Mr J. B. Thomson, carried by acclamation, after which and the singing of " Aiild lan? syne"' the evening's v/aa brought to a close with the customary dance.