CALEDONIAN SOCIETIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1952, 24 September 1888, Page 3

CALEDONIAN SOCIETIES.

Cuddie Headrigg contributes the following to the Scotch page of " Land and Sea " : — I promised last week to say somethin' aboot " Caledonian Societies," an'l'mgaun tao say it noj. Weel, I micht jist tell ye that I dinna ken o' a conglomeration o' men m tho bale Colony wha deserve the name — faur less wha aok as ye wad expect Bio a Society tae dae. Noo, tak the case o' ane m a certain toon m New Zealand — it's ca'ed " Caledonian " — an yet its members and subscribers consist o' Englishmen, Irishmen, an* epeecimens o 1 every raoe m the toon— gin they be able tao raise the siller tae pay fur their tioket. Noo, this is a michty mistake tao start on. If the Sooiety's fur Scotoh folk, let it be only folk o* Scotch birth, an 1 the children o' sio wha are eligible fur members, an' let the t'ithors jine "Albion" an' " Olan-na-gaol " an' " Hibernian " Societies gin they wull, o' whilk societies I say that nae Sootahman has ony rioht tae be a member, fra the vera fao' o' his no belangin' tae that partioklar nationality, t Noo, if the Society wis fairly constitooti on rioht gruns', ye wad suno fin' oot a dif ferenoe m its way o' daein'. Of coorse whan ye hae a lot o' Englishes, Irishers, Frenohera an' sio like tae dae wi', ye canna* expeo' onything' great. Ye soe the idea o' a wheen o' them is that representative Scotch gaitherins consist o' plenty o' Hielan' whusky, Colonial beer, tossin' the oaber, an' the Hielan' fling, wi' ane or twa races flung m. An' their benavolence is latten oot m the evenin' clesses, whilk pay fur themsels'. Noo first o' a', tae be the genuine real Mackay a Caledonian Society should hae as members an' subscribers only men an' wummin 1 Scotoh born or o' immediate Scotoh parentage, fur hooever wullin' I micht be tae lat ithers m, yet the name o' the Society wull no aloo it.

Noo, as tae its objeota. First an' foremost, tae tak an intriet m pure Sootoh folks m the diatrio' ; tae try an' help m gettin' jobs fur ony oot o' wark ; an' m stretohin' oot the haund o' charity m ony oases whaur its fan' netdful. Secondly, tao foster the Sootoh National Bpeerit (I dinna mean whuaky, it luaist aye daes wi'oot fosterin',) Noo this mioht be dune m different ways. I believe a Beadin' Boom micbt be oponit up, whaur members could gaither an' orack, an' apen' an hoor or twa, an' whaur Sootoh folks bidin' \ m the country distriots could foregaither. 1 Thirdly— By haein' leokturs deliver't anent Scotoh folk, places, customs, etc Fourthly — by haein' frequent gaitherina' — fur Scotoh folk only — wi' oooaßianally ane or twa big anes, whaur everybody oould be admitted as sort o' wund-raisers, so as tae get a help tae get siller the'gither. Fifthly— By tryin 1 tae gie encouragement tae promisin' laddies, the weanß o' puir Sootoh faithers an' mithora m helpin' them tae git on tae the colledgp, an mobbe even tae fand a " bursery." Sixthly — In providin' education at a cheap price m the way o' evem'n' oleaaea tae Sootoh weans — lads an' lassies. An' seventhly — Tae be the heidquarters m every province or distriot fur the gaitherin' o' subscriptions whan there is need o' sio m ony speshul oases that may oome aboot, whaur calamities may oome ower oor fellow oountrymen m ony itherpart o' the the warl* — like the puir " Croftiers " ee'noo ; an' finally an' m conclusion — The motto o' the Sooiety should bo " Scotland for ever," the uphaudin' o' whilk should be carried oot m every way m keepin' wit he law o' the Colony m whilk wo abide. Noo, m readin' the above I tvud jist hae ye mm' that tho' a Hielanman'tf a Sootohman, every Scotchman's no a Hielanman. A wheen o' oor acquaintances seem tae think that the twa are synonymous words, bit it's nae mair the oase than that a Kelso man bein' a Sootohman maka every Sootohman a Kelso man. So that I widna' dae awa wi' Gaelic Sooieties, Border Society, County Sooietic's— there's room fur them a' aa affeeliated wi' the parent " Caledonian Sooiety." Aff coorse some folks wull say, " Man Cuddy yer awfu' selfish." Nae doot bit whan a thing's caed Scotch, it maun be Scotch. Gin yer biggin' a byre fur coos ye dinna' provide aooomadashun fur bubbly jookß, dogs, elefants, orokodiles an* Bio like, ye mak a separate byre fur eaoh, an' then gin a 000 gangs intil a orokodilo's byre she sune fins' oot her mistake.