MATAURA NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 20208, 20 June 1927, Page 4

MATAURA NOTES

(From Our Correspondent.) In spite of rather inclement weather condiitons on Friday evening the Oddfellows’ Hall was fairly well filled when the members of the Mat aura Highland Society foregathered to hear that well-known and popular lecturer on matters pertaining to Scots and Scotland, Mr Watson. The chair was occupied by Mr A. Pryde. Mr. Watson said: “1 always feel happy when I come to Mataura, because I was nearly drowned here. That was a long time ago.’’ He then compared those old times, with their lack of conveniences, with the present time when we have so much more to make life easier, and making jocular reference to the modern fashions, he said he couldn’t help thinking that if Robert Burns could have watched at the door as the ladies came in he would have seen a very great ditterence. But change was inevitable and fie was not one of those who thought the world was getting worse. He was sure it was getting better. He then went on to deal with the subject of his lecture, “Recreations—Ancient and Modern.” “The first thing that was drilled into me when a boy, was ‘work.’ But besides ‘work’ we must have ‘recreation,’ though without the former we could not have the latter.” Games first rose to a position of importance in Greece in their Olympian Games. For these games the Greek athletes had to undergo hard training and live on hard fare—the fare being just what he would call “porridge.” They were a wonderful people, the Greeks of those early days—wonderful in the various arts and in their games. Rome too had her sports. These took the form of great gladiatorial contests, until the year 500 A.D. when they were suppressed. “And quite right, too,” added the speaker. But Rome also had her Carnival. They had just had one in Invercargill, remarked Mr. Watson at this stage and “it didn’t cost much,” he added pawkily. In the Carnival of Rome, however, the great feature was the Battle of the Flowers. This has been described by those who have seen it as a really wonderful sight. Coming then to England the speaker dealt with the May Day celebrations and stated that that day was a day of sports of many kinds in Scotland as well. Dealing with the rise of football it was described as being a very rough game in its early stages of development, say 150 years ago. The uses of a referee were unknown and had anyone tried to act in that capacity he would have had a very short spin. In those times science in football was undreamed of, but its popularity was such that Henry VIII put a stop to it as it interfered with military training. However, it has plainly survived the Royal edict. Cock fighting was a sport very popular in the schools about 200 years ago. It was a recognised thing that any cock running away became the property of the

teacher to whose larder it would no doubt be a welcome addition in those days of penurious pedagogues. Shinty, putting the stone, and tossing the caber were games in which the Scots have taken a keen interest and many a Sunday was spent in them, for the Scots were not always so very strict about the keeping of | the Sawbath. The Caledonian Games, the i speaker claimed, had played an important 1 part in Scotland’s history and he stressed ■ the need of realising that these games were j a part of the splendid heritage handed down I to us by our fathers. They taught us to I play the game—to take no mean advantage —to be like Roderick Dhu who threw his ' shield away rather than take an undue ad- I vantage over an opponent. “He, however,” ' said the lecturer with a shake of the head, “gave too much away—the Scotch don’t always do that.” Turning his attention then to indoor games, etc., the lecturer spoke in glowing terms of Hallowe’en and the spirit of joy and happiness that pervaded such gatherings. Poverty did not dampen their pleasure. The right spirit was to let nothing interfere —never mind the state of the market, nor what the Power Board is going to do, nor even what the Butter Board has done. Then their songs, their music and dancing, and their literature. “The songs of Scotland find an echo in every heart,” and dancing has always been a means of recreation in Scotland.” An urgent appeal to encourage a taste for Scottish literature as exemplified in Scott and other able Scottish writers concluded a bright and interesting lecture. At the close of Mr Watson’s address, Mr Buchanan moved a hearty vote of thanks to the speaker. This was seconded by Mr A. N. McGibbon and carried most heartily. On the motion of Mr McGibbon, seconded by Mr. Brown, it was unanimously decided to appoint Mr. Mouat as a life member of the society as a mark of appreciation of his services to the society when he was a resident of the Mataura district. Mr. McGibbon presented the society with a picture of Robert Burns which, he said, he had been fortunate enough to obtain. This picture along with one presented some time ago by Mr Robert Wright, “The meeting of Burns and Scott,” is to be hung in the Oddfellows’ Hall.