Huntly Scots Society. Concert.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 32, 7 March 1913, Page 2

Huntly Scots Society. Concert.

l As explained by the Chairman s in his opening speech, one of the s objects ol a Scots Society is . I to promote social and friendly i intercourse among its members, t and the proof, that such obI ject had many sympathid sers was found in the large, k and enthusiastic audience which d crowded the Miners’ Union t hall on Monday night, and over s ; which the Chief of the Society d | (Dr R. C. Macdiarmid) presided. V The hall was prettily decorr ated, the gaudy and garish s hunting on the walls and in r » I front of the proscenium contrasti ing finely with,‘and being subdued • by, the soipbre greenery forming e the Over the centre of the stage hung proudly the e Scottish Lion on its field of gold, ; flanked by the flags of the r : Sister Kingdoms as well as by I those of other nations. | The committee of the society , r is to he congratulated on its 7 initial effort which, looked at j from every point of view, was a huge success, and one that | entailed considerable hard work ! on the part of the willing band who devoted much time, | trouble, and thought to the ! compilation of a programm J j that, from beginning to end, , was gone through without a hitch. The indefatigable secret , ary .s Mr Wm. Burt, threw him t ; self heart and soul into the j function, his compensation being found in the bumper house, ! the thoroughly enjoyable t j evening, and the acquisition 1 | of numerous bawbees to form the > ; nucleus of the Society’s fun 1-. > | To the strains of “ The /Campbells are Coming”, as ‘ played 0:1 the pipes by 1 Mr Cl Abler, the Chief who 1 | was followed by the chieftain f Dr J. C. Macdiarmid, and Mr R. Pheoley, one of the council, took his place and opened proceedings with a brief speech ; in the course of which he said: 1 “This being the first public appearance of the Huntly Scots Society l wish, with your kind ' j permission, to take the opportunity of saying two or three words to those Scotsmen pre- ! sent, with the object of inviting them t > join the society, of ' ; which I have the honour to be president or chief. In the first place, let m? remark that the J Huntly Scots S >eietv is not an : association organised for the 'j purpose of making money. On ! the contrary, every member of it , will he a few shillings out of pocket annually in paying his yearly subscription. There are | many valuable things in this : world which money cannot buy, an 1 lie is, indeed, a poor man whose sole object in life is to j earn and accumulate money. Man needs to cultivate his in - j j tellect and those* moral characteristics which embrace sympathy, honesty and kindness in j dealing with his fellowmen. In ! other words, man must cultivate the social side of his nature. The first object of our Society is of a social nature. We wish to j I tighten the social bonds and intensify the common remembrances i and as- >,nations which exist in ! | our minds when we think of the old Home Land. And these associations and remembrances ! are well worth cherishing and : perpetuating, especially in these 1 faraway, if bountiful, island-; of the Pacific. As Scotsmen, we have | inherited many things of which I we are justly proud. We are proud of our land; we are proud : of our race ; and we are proud of ! our history. It is a stimulating j and legitimate pride. We do not I d ‘prociate other lands or peoples; I \VO make no comparisons; but i we refuse t> take a place second to any other nation on earth. Scotland never did, nor ever shall ! Lie at the foot of a proud con- | queror. Scotsmen are not all good -wo confess with s >rrow that there are and have been some bad Scotsmen; but as a nation, the Scotch are distinguished by prudence, common sense and a great capacity for minding their own business. Another object of our society is to study I Scottish history and Scottish literature. They are well worth all the study we can give them. Our literature is important an d voluminous, and our history, thrilling and ennobling. I cannot take up more of your time, but let me again ask every Scotsman present to join the Society, which, with assistance, will become a very strong body.” The opening song, ’’ The March of the Cameron Men,” ! was finely rendered by Mr J. j Devine who was heard to great j advantage, the d nice, “ Seann Triubhas,” by Miss Polly MacLaren following. Agile, graceful and vivacious, this young j lady immediately captivated th audience and fully justified : the proud title which she ’ holds Dancer of Scotland.” In response to a vociferous encore the ; audience, was treated ton “fling” which fairly brought d nvn the house. The’ beautiful song, j “Loch Lomond,” was sweetly j sung as a duct by M <1 into Baldwin and Miss Williams whose j voices blended sweetly in their * finely artistic and sympathetic rendition of a love song hallowed by > many associations. Master Halcrow’s Irish Jig deserved the encore accorded, while the * ttbuu f lon displayed by Miss MncLaren in the Sailor** Hornpipe not only accentuated the first i impression made, but proved that her Terpsichorean flights were not confined tnone style, and that she was an adept in pedal gymivS ic of varied sorts. “When it's Moon- j | ight on the silvery Rio Grande ” 1

by Mr J. G Harp came between the dances, the latter of which was followed by Madame Baldwin’s “ The j Dear Homeland ” in which the p sweet naturalness, the pure s vocalisation, and the sympatica characteristic of the artist were ’ fully displayed. The first part ; of the programm * closed with Mr Dan \\ i I son’s comic item, . “ Breakfast in Bed,” for which he ’ obtained a deservedly enthusiastic encore. The roysteringelement r so often forming the principal r element in the comic singer’s I equipment was conspicuously absent, a dry humour, a pawky wit and an appreciation of both, together with a quiet, but telling mannerism, instantly made Mr , Wilson a favourite with his r auditors who thoroughly enl joyed the quaint, if crude, , philosophy contained in his [ items. After au interval Part 2 be- / gan with a Scottish selection by Mr W. Darby’s orchestra, / the pathos and hilarity of well - known airs being rendered with r a precision and a balance that > evoked loud applause. The t duet. ” Annie Laurie ”, was ; capitally rendered by Madame X Baldwin and Miss Williams, . while MrJ. G. Harp was forced ‘ to appear twice after his rendition of “On the Banks of . Uastlereigh. ” The hornpipe by 1 Mr Halcrow and the jig by Miss Mac la ren were loudly 1 applaud ‘d, both performers being * recalled. Miss Williams, who 4 p >ssess3s a clear and sweet voice . of excellent range and quality, ' gave a fine rendition of “ Th? 1 Old Countree ”, the theme of * which was repeated by Mr Devine in his song” Far, Far Awa”. With “It’s nice to Love - a Wee Lassie,” Mr D. Wilson again scored, and responded to > the encore with Harry Lauder’s 1 “ Roamin’ in the Gloamin* ” which was followed by the singing of “ Aulcl Land Syne,” I the last item on an interesting, * varied, and enjoyable programme. Tho success scored by the singer- was due in a great j measure, ti the accompanist, 1 Mrs W. Darby, who never for- . got what so many accompanists, * fail to remember- that the art . of playing for a singer consists : in the subordination of the f pianoforte soloist by helping * and supporting the vocalist —a compliment fully deserved by » Mrs Darby. 1 The hall was immediately > cleared for a dance which, like the concert, was most enjoyable. the contributing factors being first class music by Mr W. Darby’s orchestra, a good I floor, lots of partners, and last, hut not len>t, a good supper. The M’s C. Messrs R. Pheeley and Geo. Petheram were wisely . chosen. their assiduity and attention to the welfare of the dancers being all that could be desired. The b?<t proof of a succass- ; ful function is the wish for : another after a short interval j an indirect verdict that speaks volumes for a future response to j the Society’s invitation, “ Come j a* thegither. ”