BURNS NIGHT

Southland Times, Issue 20395, 26 January 1928, Page 7

BURNS NIGHT

LARGE GATHERING AT STOBO HALL. A large gathering assembled at Stobo Hall last evening, the occasion being the celebration of Burns’ night. The Rev. T. W. Armour, of Knox Church, Christchurch, was present and delivered a very instructive address on Burns and his works. This occasion, said the speaker, was the night when Scotsmen gathered to honour the name of Burns, the darling of the Scottish people. To know his poetry was to want to know the man. In his early days he knew what toil was and his poems had shown life in all its phases. The speaker went on to describe how Burns’ songs were attractive to some people, while others preferred his more serious poems. His humour and pawkiness were characteristically Scottish and he was the greatest master of the tongue that the world had ever seen. He had given the world its greatest war song in “Scots Wha Hae.” His wonderful sincerity was one of his most sterling characteristics and he looked at Nature with clear eyes and reflected life faithfully and truly. There were torrents of emotion in some of his songs, the lecturer mentioning as an instance, “Ae Fond Kiss.” He was a poet in touch with Nature, and though the religious element in Burns was very strong his greatest characteristic was humanity. At the conclusion of the address the Mayor, Mr John Miller, moved a hearty vote of thanks to the Rev. T. W. Armour. A large number of members of the Wyndham Scottish Society were present, and during the evening contributed a number of items, whilst Mrs Penman (songs) and Miss Halpin (Scottish dances) also contributed to the programme, at the conclusion of which the Chief, Mr J. L. McG. Watson, thanked the performers for their valuable assistance during the evening. The lecturer and performers were afterwards entertained to a haggis supper by the Town Councillors.