SCOTLAND'S BARD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 117, 31 January 1940, Page 5

SCOTLAND'S BARD

TRIBUTE TO BURNS ' , _. .. % ~ MR R. FRASER'S ADDRESS AT PAEROA The newly formed Paeroa Caledonian Society honoured the 181 st anniversary of the , birth of Scotland's national bard, last Wednesday evening, when Mr Robert Fraser of Whakatane gave a special address to an intensely interested audience. Mr Fraser spoke with great patriotic fervour, and his address should make a big impression on Scottish sentiment in the .district. The Paeroa- Matamata, Morrinsville, Te Aroha and Waihi societies were represented at the gathering, and the visiting chiefs, Messrs N. G. McLeod (Te Aroha), R. Spence "(Waihi), fund R. Dunbar (Morrinsville), were piped in by Pipe-Major Robertson, Te Aroha. Acting-Chief G. McNeil (Paeroa) presided. "Auld Thackit Clay Biggin" Born in 1709 of humble parentage in "the auld thackit clay biggin" in Galloway, Ayrshire, Scotland, Burns Was a man whose genius was close to nature, Mr Fraser began, and all his writings were coloured or« subdued by his references to nature. Burns was one of tlie few poets of whom others had Avritt'en,, and he quoted : So stand-by the bard of Scotland. For all that his l'oes have said; He walked the way of his earthly day* And his blood, like 'oors, was red. For errors of youth and frailty, The fruits of -his brain atone; Which one then of the sons of men Will dare to cast a stone? Burns was the only poet whose birthday celebration was world wide, tlie speaker continued. This was a very great distinction., and one of* which every Scot should be proud. The land where Burns was bora and spent his early years was known as the Burns country, and could well - be termed "the holy land of Scotland," and the Burns house was the holy shrine, the speaker continued. The old buildiing was in the hands of a board of • Scottish trustees, and was fitted as a museum of Burns relics. These included a valuable 1 family Bible witli the register in the

handwriting of Burns, which had been purchased by the trustees for £1700. Such was the order of things, he added, that humans died whereas things like the Bible of Burns, and the three-legged stool he sat oh, lived on.

Home in Dumfries. The Burns home in Dumfries was likewise in the possession of a board of trustees, he continued. This house, Adhere Bums spent his last years and where he died, had been bought witi* its contents by Col. William Nichol Burns, the soldier son.ol' Burns, and handed to the trustees in- perpetual memory of his father. Among its contents were an old walking stick,, knotted and crooked, used by Burns, which was insured for £3000, and his punch kettle, which carried an insurance of £2000. When he died at the age of 37, no fewer than 12,0Ci> attended his funeral. Burns was a simple man. with a simple belief in Providence, and his writings showed his simple faith: Confide ye ave ill Providence, For Providence is kind, And bear yc a' life's troubles Wi' a calm and peaceful miml- - Burns was a master student of human nature. He knew its weaknesses and had beautiful understand ing, as he showed when he wrote: Gently scan your brither man, Still gentler sister Avoman; To' they gang a' keenen' Avrang To step aside is human. Also another gem: Had Ave never loved, sae kindly, Had Ave never loved sae-blindly, Never met or never parted, We had ne'er been broken, hearted. Burns added lustre to Scottish prestige by his straightforward and honest description of men and things of everyday life," the speaker added"He did not curry favour with, anyone, so we love and admire him in a way few in the world have ever knoAvn." He concluded with Burns* . New Year wish: 1 A guid neAV year tae ane an' a% Aand mony may ye see; And during a' the years tae come Sae happy may ye be. May ye ne'er 'a cau c e tae mourn Or sigh or shed a tear; Tae ane and a : , baith big and sma\ A hearty guijd neAV year. 1 (Continued foot previous column}. \ .v -Vw