BURNS ANNIVERSARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3020, 31 January 1912, Page 10

BURNS ANNIVERSARY.

Members of the Dunedin Burns Club awl their friends celebrated the hwxhed and fifty third anniversary of tho birth of the poet Robert Burns in the Early Settlors Hall on tho 25th with a social and musical gathering and a dance. The president ot tho club, Mr W. B. M'Ewan, was m the chair, and was supported by the Mayor of the city (Mr W. Burnett). Mr D. M Pncrson (chief of tho Gaelic Society), and Mr John Loudon. The attendance was very largo, tho hall being packed, and thoso in the vicinity of tho stage were, as usual, presented with sprigs of heather, ihe Dunedin Pipe Band played an opening selection, and then made room on the stage for the Burns Club choir. The Chairman, in his intorductory remarks, said they were asembled to celebrate Ihe birthday of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, and to pay a tribute to the memory of the man that " was born in Kyle." They were not alone in their celebration, for in Australia, Africa, India, and in tho Old Land bands would be toastin" Burns's memorv. After making passing reference to soitio of Burns's works, ho spoke a few words of welcome to the Mayor end to Mr M'Pherson, tho chief of the Gaelic Societv, and called upon the club s choir to sing " There was a lad was born in Kyle," which it did with very good effect The Mayor, addressing thoso present on Robert Burns, said that when their president had asked him to undertake this duty ho had explained that he had no SDecial qualification for the task beyond his having, with most men, a fervent admiration for the beautiful compositions -uul a sincere pity for the unfortunate life and untimely death of Robert Burns. For, eay, over a hundred years, men had been lecturing on the pott Burns, and therefore they could not expect anything original from birr, (the speaker). He did not know if any cf them had been in the position of a Scotch boy at a large English public school —say over 50 years ago. If so, they would have had two so-called facts hurled at them. First, that they sold their king for a groat, and secondly that they had stained their national poet. Both so-called facts were notoriously false. No nation had ever poured forth its blood and money more freely than poor Scotland for its legitimate kings; and, indeed, had the English nobles and burgesses in 1745 been as prodigal of their blood and gold as of their wine and promises Prince Charles Edward would never have retreated from Derby, and Trie fluttering cause of Scotch nationality would »:ot have gone out in bloodshed and massacre on the black moor of Culkxlen. As to the second statement, that hardly required contradiction. He did not believe in the " Tu quorjiie" style of argument, but that good Scotchman John Wilson, alias Christopher North, u.*:d it in this connection and pointed out that at tho time the accusation was levelled at ou.r country a curate of the National Church of England, a man of undoubted piety and tho most brilliant Grecian scholar in Europe, was allowed to die of starvation in tho richest city of the wealthiest nation in Europe Of courso, two wrongs did not make ono right, but Robert Burns was not badly treated by his countrymen. When tho star of his genius rose above the intellectual horizon men of all phases of religious a«d political thought were prepared to fall down and worship it. lie was received in conservative and exclusive Edinburgh with acclamation; he was the hero Df the day: his poems were sold before they were issued, fresh editions were demanded, and he received sufficient money Bo establish his brother in his farm and enable himself to aleo engage in that pursuit. When he found that poesy and larming wore _ an ill-matched pair. lie was at oneo given what he asked for—i situation in tho Excise,—and this in fpiH pf his own impudence.in writing the wellknown lines on tho window at Stirling and Ihe fact that many of his chief friends were. Df strong Jacobite leanings. They might My it was not much he asked for. but ?. Iras all he did ask for and had ho lived a Jew years longer ho would have been a Uipervfeor, with a good income and leisure to follow the bent of his great intellect. To he chosen by a nation's voice as its bard was a hipfh compliment, and to bo chosen amongst such a host of competitors made it still greater. Possibly no country in proportion to its population had produced more poets than Scotland, and this was not a matter of wonder when they considered that they wore engaged for eomo hundreds of ye:irs in waging an unequal, but not unsuccessful, war against a powerful and woalthv southern neighbour; and when they reflected on tho varied and lovely scenery of the " Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, Land of the mountain and the flood." a it wa<= not summing that bards were '"ound to celebrate the deed-: of their heroes and to sing tho praises of their lakes and mountains and streams. Scotland's kings were poets of no moan order, and to lie chief of such a galaxy of talent ;is was represented bv Dri.mmond. Allan Ramsay. Ferguson, Thomson, Pollok, Campbell, and (:iot least)

Scott was indeed an honour. "He 'tho speaker) had neither time nor inclination to enter into the vexed qustion of Burns s religious views, but would confine himself to this: Burns himself had stated that ai poet without religion would be a monster, and, sharing with his fellow men that ro % ligious instinct which differentiates the human from the brute, and after hearing many of the so-called greatest preachers of our Empire, he (the speaker) could state that no sermon ever stirred that religious sentiment in him as strongly as reading that beautiful picture of rural life " The Cottar's Saturday Night" ; and that brought before them the poet's wonderful versatility —he went " from grave to gay, from lively to serene," in a moment —from " The Cottar's Saturday Night" to " Duncan Gray camo here to woo," from '' Man was made to mourn" to " Tarn o' Shanter," chame-leon-like, his genius could change to suit all surroundings. What was the charm that Burns exercised in his writing that to-day he was more widely read and more popular than during his too brief lifetime? The answer was that, in a venal and hypocritical age ho dared to write the truth. Ho loved the weak and downtrodden —human, animal, or vegetable, —and ho was wise enough in his folly to see that the aim of true statesmanship should be the advancement of humanity Pt largo in line, and not tho aggrandisement of sect or class. His true nature camo out on his deathbed, when, to give pleasure to his gentle muse amkklt agony of mind and body, he could write these beautiful lines—the most touching leve song in any language—"Oh, wer't thou in the cauld blast " Burns had been dead for 116 years, but so long as Scotsmen were left in this world and as long as the sea broke on the shore and as long as Tweed ran to the sea, so long would the memory of Robert Burns be revered and loved.

A capital concert programme was gone through, the choir singing, in addition to the part song already mentioned, "Yd banks and brace," while vocal solos were rendered by Mrs F. \V. Holmes. Mr W. Farquhar Young, Miss M- Pitcher, and Mr James .Tago. All were most heartily anplaudod for their vocal efforts, ami Mr Young (who is an old Dune-din favourite) was specially well received). Messrs G. Beath and J. A. Wood played a violin duet, Mr W. F. Young gave a recitation:, and Miss U. Lemon danced a Highland fling and a seantreaim. Mr A. Shoppard acted as musical director, and Miss E. Wright and other.- as accompanists. At tho conclusion of the programme an enjoyable dance was held.