SCOTS WHA HAE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 141, 13 August 1941, Page 4

SCOTS WHA HAE

Sir, —Having occasion to attend a recent public meeting in the King Street Hall on a cold evening I; was able to imagine how much mora cosy the hall will be when our local Caledonian Society realily does take possession of the building and adds a huge fireplace so that roaring fires will warm up those who sail# forth in winter and other gatherings. ■ I winder whether this innovation or renovation will be done before next winter. Cat* you tell me ? Another point thai occurs to me is: Have the local Calel- - decided on a name for the hall ? Something shorter than "King Street Hall," for instance. What could be better than "Scof¥~Hall?" It has the advantage of brevity and so could be featured in big letters in advertisements and posters. So I humbly suggest "Scots Hall," although II believe lots of those who attend the local Inglesides are no more true Scots than I am, being merely pseiuknScots, synthetic-Scots or young people who go where they, can get a new-time dance at cheap old-time prices of admission. Another idea that occurred to me wheo sitting on a hard seat in this coldfl hall was that the local Caledonians might disfigure the interior walls with suitable quotations in big letters from Scotia's favourite bards For instance the lines "Man to man, the world o'er.

"Shall brothers be for a' that" (if rendered in correct Burns' dialect) would look well above the top of the stage, reminding-us that it does not matter if the folk attending tnglesides are not true-blue Scots, as long as they have paid their "saxpence" at the door. Well, that's an idea for brightening up the hall, which at present reminds me of Sif Walter Scott's lines: Such is the house that I live in Bleak without and bare within. Anyway there is a chance foi •ome local ploughman (or cowcocky) bard to chronicle the local Bannoclcburn in Burns manner thust Scots wha hae a hall the noo ' Wi a stage and seats, and two shops too. Someone else can think of the next line. Meantime we will wait and see. Yours etc., HOP SCOTCH.: