CALEDONIAN SOCIETY'S SUPPER

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 522, 3 January 1878, Page 2

CALEDONIAN SOCIETY'S SUPPER

Owing to pressure upon our space, the following report of *fie> Caledonian Society's supper was crowded out of our last issue:— The Ghairnian briefly,proposed the tqsfet of "The Queen and 1 ' tlfe ■ Mr. Sinclair; then gave " The ; Governor and the General Assembly," coupled with the names of the Hdn. Robert Campbell Mr. Si E. Slirimski, M.H.R. ■,' . The Hon- R. Campbell responded on behalf of the Legislative Council, and said that the Council being a nominative body, did not always receive the consideration due to it. He was sure the members of the Council always had the interests of New Zealand at heart, and though they had thrown out many measures, it was because some portions of the country were "■oing too rapidly and it became necessary to put on the break, Mr. Slirimski, in r-espqnding on behalf of the 'House of Representatives, said he did not intend making a lengthy speech, for two reasons. In the first place, his colleague (Mr. Hislop) and he intended to address the electors shortly on the political events of the past session, and in the second place he saw a large number of ladies present whq were no doubt anxious to commence a little enjoyment which they seldom had an opportunity of indulging in, in the shape of a pleasant danced He. thought he could safely say that the members for Waitaki had worked hard to advance the interests of the district. He referred to the manner in whie.li the members of the Upper House residing in the district had persistently thwarted the wishes and proposals of his colleague and himself, and said it was scarcely satisfactory or encouraging to them to find that nearly all the tune and labour they had devoted to the welfare of the district was simply wasted through the action of the members of the Legislative Council. He concluded by thanking t,he Company P* the manner in which the toast of the "General Assembly " had been drunk, Mr. William Bee then proposed the toast of the " Mayor and Corporation of Oamaru," coupled with the name of his Worship the Mayor, saying that the Council was deserving of thanks for the manner in which they Worked fur the good of the town. His Worship the Mayor responded in a few well-chosen wonts, and said that although mistakes might sometimes occur, he did not think there was a single Councillor who had not tiie ueiiare of the town at heart.

Mi'. Dunbar, on risiny to propose the toast of the evening, said, while feelingpleased at the very great honor which had been conferred upon him by being asked to propose so important a toast, he regretted very much that the task had not been placed in other and more competent hands. xf.o considered that such gatherings as they had witnessed that day were deserving of every encouragement, as tiiey were calculated to do a very great amount of good. The body rci|uii'ed education as well as the mind, and tins it could receive from indulgence in manly sports. According to present appearances, the time was not far distant when Britains would probably have to stand uhoulder to shoulder in defence of their rights. Gatherings like those of that day were of great service, as the contests were calculated to instil courage into the breasts of men, and render them more lit to take part in great struggles. He had, therefore, great pleasure in proposing "Success to the Cahdonian Society," coupled witi. the name of the President, I'.lr. ]N T . Fleming. The toast was drunk snthusiastically and witli musical honors.

Mr. Fleming, in responding, said.: — Certain persons have taken umbrage at the title of this Society, and say, " Wny do you not call them National sports, or British sports, or even Waitaki Athletic sports ?" I will endeavor to answer this apparent objection. Although I glory in the nationality of a Britain—although I boast of the English Constitution, my greatest glory and my highest boast is that I am a (Scotchman. -Now, although the immortal Shakspeare has said that a rose would smell as sweetly if called by any other name, I have a reasonable doubt on this point, and with all due deference to Shakspeare, a rose would never hold its place among flowers if you called it by the name of cabbage. Jn the same manner I contend that sports are essentially Caledonian, and whenever or wherever they are tried differently they will comparatively fail, no matter how mighty the patronage; how good the directory, or how liberal the prizes. The true ring then lies in the one word Caledonia, and no other word will call around it the enthusiasm or half the endearment as that word, dear to the heart of Scotchmen throughout the world. The success of our sports torday is a 'proof of the argument j have been using. Perhaps it would be considered out of place at any other meeting to speak so much about ourselves, but this is a time, when we can indulge in hand shakings and self-gratulations. There are times when it would not be in good taste, and be considered out of place to speak so much about ourselves, declaring ourselves Caledonians, and "We'll haenane but hielan bonnets here ; but there are other times, and I take this to be one of them, when it would be false sentiment and want of patriotism to refrain to speak or sing about Scotland and Scotchmen; for, are we not as true to Scotland to-day as we were on that day when the tears ' blinded our vision as we receded from her much-loved shores; many (if us, alas, to ]ook on them no more, if there be one thing more than any other which lends enchantment to the view, it is that the further Scotia's sons are removed from her the truer is the memory of their ardent affections, " Breathes there a man with soul so (load, who never to himself hath said, This I is my own—my native land." No doubt I tin-re iirt! exceptions to every rul.-, and | i there r.re a few ei-ijcotiyns also to this. \ \l. am pr.iir.l. however, to say t:!.••.!■ they j art- iV.v indeed. Yoij and I have looked | nlih coiifeniv: on a. few of the 5.0115 of old ] Caledonia who have thought fie to turn j their backs on their native laud, crossed the border, and become, or at {east appeared to become, full-blown English* men. These wretched specimens have renounced father, mother, kindred—yea, their very religion and all for what—for | what ;—To be taken into tiie bosom of another clique .and church, which they consider not so vulgar a" Scotchmen, or the old Presbyterian form or worship—that worship for which their ancestors struggled so bravely and many suffere.d

niartrytjiom. There is no sight so pitiable or so contemptible than for plain James Grant fco convert himself tßr- Pompous, Augustus, Adolphus, Fredk. Dpltimore, and strut down the street with'the air of a Beau -Brum ell or Mantalini. I think there can be,no sight, so mean ia the eyes of his true-born nothing can exceed his own ;self-debasement," for do what he will :J|is nostrils will smell the peat-reek, and ; he is continually haunted with the image of a white-washed coat. Let us dismiss this wretch from our mind's, eye'; and were it not that we cannot shut our eyes to his person however insignificant, he may rest assured that he lies buried in the cool shades of oblivion in his country's memory. Permit me now to pass from this to a theme more worthy, and one which claims our passing notice on this occasion. For let me again say that this is a time \yhgu we oan indulge in self-la,udations, when we revel in our greatness, when we shrink not to speak of Scotland and her greatest Scotchmen. Looking .over the pages of her history, where can we find a name so full of interest to the Scotchman as the name of Robert Burns. Perhaps our sons and daughters will, one of these days, call Robert Burns law, Only very recently I happened to meet the daughter of a very respectable Scotchman who ventured an opinion to the effect that Robert Burns w:ts low. You can have no conception bow my blood boiled at the remark, and my very frame shook with indignation. I knew well that this Colonial youth never read two lines of Burns out of her school book. I only wished her aged parent lui4 heard her make the remark- 'r can just fancy that after a while he would make her feci small. It is the fashion just now —how long it will continue it is for you, my countrymen, to determine ! —I say there is a fashion in vogue just now among youths of both sexes, to sneer at then' father and mother, to shr-ii" their shoulders at old age, to cock their noses at anything in the way of plain speaking, to. pronounce everything low that docs not come within their standard of high. 1 will pronounce what 1 consider low. Those periodicals so much run after in the Colonics, such as the " London Journal," and similar publications, teeming with questionable morality, startling, incidents, anil trashy slip-slop. Those yellow-backs in the same strain by third-rate authors, who, if tiny cannot take by good writing, must take by bad. Those I consider low. 1 also consider this false pride which is so rampant in our our midst, this false sentiment in naming common things, this turn up of tiieno.se at honest work, so prevalent among our mid-dle-class youths, and above all tnis passing l.y on the other side, because 1 am butler than thou ; this curl of the lip and toss of the head at common people ; these, and a host, of nt her vagaries, i. consider low—decidedly low. Utit 1 ih> not consider Robert Burns lo'.v, The author of

" Scots wha hae," and " Mary in heaven," is higii- decidedly high. Kobert- Hums is Scotland's brightest gem. When all her other men s::all be laid low, and their memory forgotten—\\ hen Scotland's bright sons shall sink in oblivion —when her fairest institutions shall be mouldering in the dust when Edinburgh Hook shall have crumbled to aioms —when her grand old battlements, her kingly palace.-., and her castellated towns shall bear no trace of their existence—the genius of Bobert Burns shall shine as tae stars forever and ever ; his immortal memory shall only be travelling onwards towards the ;;eiuih of splendour ' Yes, .Robert, thou art Sootlaud's greatest son, the poet of her people, the patriot of Caledonia, the terror of the tyrant, the freeman's buckler, the friend of the friendless, the shield of the nation, the genius of the world. 'Yes, my countrymen, cherish the memory of .Robert Burns, for of all in the list in the annals of Caledonia, his name is the greatest, bis star is the brightest, and nis love is the warmest ; it is Scotland's boast, the watchword of liberty, and tiie Scotchman's password. Go, then, my countrymen, teach your sons and daughters the legends of Caledonia, point out to them the grandeur of hev pimple, the simplicity of her religion, iu-r race for liberty and independence. Tell them win never anything great was required to bo dune in the lield, in literature, or in the Church, there you would find a Colin Campbell, a T. Carlyle, and a Norman M'Leod. Teach them Scotch songs, Scotch dances, Scotch music, and m-ver mind the latest fantasia or the hist Italian opera. You can have nothing in common with Italian, German, or French mus:o Those airs that charm your ears are not in the "' Grand Duchess " or any of the operas of Offenbach. Yor ( r sympathy is with the music of the grand old collection of Scottish songs, such as "Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon," ''Lassie, would ye lo'e me," "My Boy, Tammy," " Tak your mild Cloak nhaot ye," or "The Bonnie Mills o' Scotland. 1 ' These are the songs, and this the music which delights you. Your music teachers may tell you that Scotch music is old-fashioned, and spoils the touch. Don't believe one word of it. Can anything which appeals to the best part of mankind—can anything which touches the heart, refines the feelings, and draws out the nth ctions—l say, can these chords s . grow old-fashioned or spoil the touch I When we send our daughters to learn music, let us insist that they shall be taught that music which shall- delight us around the hearth when our limbs are not lithe or the eye so bright as in days gone by. L;;t it bo the song that shall soothe our declining years, cheer us when cankered by care, harassed by business, or crossed by the world ; when our daughters learn that much to our satisfaction, we .should have no objection that they learn all the airs, native and foreign, in the musical repertoire. I have now said all I mean to say on this occasion. Jt I have failed in my duty to, you as the President of the Oamaru Caledonian Society, I deeply regret it. It cannot !.o from any want of will, but s'mv-r inability. If I have enhanced this | Society, if I have raised a true spirit of enthusiasm about Scotland and Scotchmen, I feel I have not acted in vain, and the results will redound to our credit many days hence. In conclusion, let lis cherish kindly feelings towards each other. Remember the beam before we point out the mote. Let uq view each other through the microscope of charity—that large? hearted charity, the perfect specimen of '■ which is only found in the immortal words of the one perfect Man. " He that . is without- sin among us, let him cast the first stone." i [The chairman was frequently ap- ' plauded throughout his speech and at its j conclusion received a similar compliment.] |

Mr. G. Todd proposed the next toast, " The Kindred Societies," and in doing so concurred with the remarks of the chairman as to the advisability of keeping "up these national societies and national sports. By so doing a spirit of healthy rivalry was maintained which had been the means of doing much good in the past. As Scotchmen they might well congratulate themselves on the success which had attended Caledonian Societies wherever they had been established. He ooncluded by proposing the toast, saying that no names had been coupled witli it, but if there was any representative of kindred societies present, he would be glad if he would accept the and respond, ■* The toast was drunk with all honors, but there was no one present to respond. Mr. Jones proposed "The La.dies," remarking that the success w?iich had attended the sports that, day was greatly attributable to the attendance and c >untenance of the fair Sex. The toast was drunk with musical honors. • i Mr. Robt. Wilson responded in a felicitous manner. Mr. M'Gregor briefly proposed " The Press," coupled with the names of Messrs. Steward and Mitchell, both of whom responded. The Chairman then thanked the ladies and gentlemen for their presence and support, and expressed his thanks to the Committee for the manner in which they had worked to make the gathering the undoubted success it had proved, more particularly mentioning Ground Committee He then declared the proceedings at an end.

The whole affair was a most pleasant one, tho pleasure being greatly enhanced by the presence of a large number of ladies, IJnring the coui'se of the evening, Mr. Lindsay sang a Scotch song in capital style,