"THE IMMORTAL MEMORY."
BURNS CLUB DINNER. r A GATHERING QF THE CLANS. 'A number of gentlemen were present at ihe dinner given on Saturday evening at the Excelsior Hotel by the president of the Dunedin Burns Club to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the poet and to meet Mr R. C. Bruce, formerly M.H.R for Rangitikei. After the. toast of "The King" the President (Dr W. M. Stenhouse), in proposing "The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns," ' said without question Robert Burns was the most remarkable man that Scotland had yet produced, and most typical of the genius, worth, and character of the land which gave him birth. He was remarkable by his humble birth, his life of unrequited toil, his poetical gifts, and general intellectual pre-eminence, by Jiis early and tragic death before he had attained mental maturity. But above all, lie was remarkable as having had paid to fcis manes, just 49 years ago this night, the greatest ovation that had ever been paid to one of the eons of men ; an ovation in which men of all countries and laces took part — poets, orators, statesmen, scientists, lawyers, physicians, clergymen, noble and refined women, merchants, tradesmen, horny-handed sons of toil : all joined in such an enthusiastic demonstration of 'love and admiration of the man as the world had never witnessed before, and never witness again. . If these 'leaders in the movement were mistaken, was it possible that the hundreds of thousands of level-headed men and women who not only endorsed, but supplemented, their every utterance, were also led away from the dictates of sober reason and judgment? True there were some discordant notes — some clergymen and Others of " the unco' quid " denouncing the celebration as idolatrous, and holding up to scorn the frailties of the bard. In this they showed not only their ignorance of the writings and life of the man they condemned, but they forgot the very first precepts of the religion of which they were prominent exponents. And there were still men in their midst, some of them very worthy and estimable in their way, who refused to countenance a Burns Club because they held the tendency _ of his writings to be mischievous and immoral. There were certainly come passages in his works which detracted from his fame, but this was no more than could be said of Shakespeare and nearly all the greatest poets of the world. As to his vices, they liad been greatly exaggerated. If they •considered his life of incessant manual toil, and the extent of his compositions both in prose and verse, all accomplished ■within the short period of 12 years, nothing more was required to refute the erroneous belief that he was a drunkard- That he occasionally transgressed and imbibed snore than was good for him was doubtless true; but he erred in that respect with •the great body of his countrymen — judges, ■writers, clergymen, doctors, gentry, and in fact all classes regarding drunkenness not as a vice but a virtue, and making a point of going to bed drunk every night. The qualities which won for him the love and admiration of mankind in such a superlative degree were his intense sympathy with his fellow men, which extended even to the lower creation ; his patriotism, whicfi had become a national asset of the highest value; his dauntless independence, which had added dignity to the humblest ranks of the human race. Then bis humour and pathos had affected thousands of hearts with love and pity, and added hours of enjoyment to lives. He also purified and made decent the common literature of his country to a degree that is only known to those who are acquainted with the songs and stories in vogue before his time. In this way he elevated the moral tone of his countrymen and conferred an everlasting obligation on the whole Scottish race. His writings were distinguished for their sound common sense, worldly wi=dom. shrewdness, and Baagcity. It was this characteristic which led one of his most ditinguished contemporaries to say that Burns's forte was not poetry, but general intellectual pre-emi-nence. It was this weisrhtiness of intellect, combined with hie poetic gifts of humour, pathos and imagination, which made up his charming personality, which carried duchesses off their feet, and made the first men of his time feel small in his presence. Some of them smiled when he claimd for Burns stronsr common sense and worldly ■wisdom. After illustrating his points by a number of extracts from the poet" 3 works, the chairman concluded by 6aying that his object in bringing out this characteristic of his poetry was to encourage young people to maks a study of his works, for if the boys and girls had the best of his writings engraven on their •uemor 1 ' it ttH do much to improve their
mental and moral equipment, and help to fulfil the ardent wish of our. poet, that A virtuous populace may rise the while, And stand a wall of fire around our nrachloved isle. The toast was drunk to the 6trains of " Auld lanjf syne." Mr Bruce, in proposing "The Dunedin ' Burns Club and Kindred Societies," said he had come unprepared, and bo would throw himself on the clemency of his warmhearted countrymen. Contrary to popular belief, preparation was necessary to succesa- | ful speaking. To young men anxious to shine in the House he would say : ' ' Prepare, and prepare carefully." The Rev. ( Robert Hall, probably the most eloquent man that ever spoke Anglo-Saxon, when asked how many sermons a man might preach without preparation, replied: "A i nlan of abilit3 r , one; , a person of ordinary , powers, two; and an ass, cix." Scotland was a rupr^ed oountrv, but, as it had been ! truly said, she had been for centuries on ' the anvil, and her sturdy sons had done great service to this young country in preserving her customs, sports, literature, and language. Their language was 6weet, though he knew not a word of it, but, like the mat of the Maori, was likely to become extinct. If three Scotsmen met on a desert island the first thing they would do would ,be to form a Caledonian Society. These , societies were numerous, and most useful I in preserving Scotch traditions and the names of her great in history. And what ! a galaxy of great names there wore. Scotia . was a etefn but a kind mother, and had ' raised men on her granite elopes who, like the motto of a well-known cavalry regiment, were "second to none." The Cameron clan had scored a deep mark in history. Camerons had for generations fought for the right. But Caledonia could point to few names more illustrious than these to be seen engraven on old Galloway tombstones, among which was that of Richard Cameron, founder of the Camcronian sect, who rode to certain death as blithely as if to his wedding. Mr Bruce then went en to recite " The Death of Cameron," written by the shepherd boy on the moor : In a dream of the night I was waited away. Was not the Semitic imagery in this poem, he asked, drawn from the Bible? Such memories of sentiment and song meant much to their race, and it pleased him greatly to know that a lady of hie acquaintance had caused her daughters to learn Scottish songs. As an antidote to materialism, he could recommend the poetry of , the "Wizard of the North, whose miehtv art had grasped the spirit of the time when he wrote such pieces as When Israel of the Lord beloved Out from the land of bondage came. English people accused the Scotch of many faults, real and imaginary, but the English were a noble race, and Scotland was fortunate to have them as their allies. Scots had been accused of clannishness. He 1 gloried in clannishness. He loved his , countrymen, and that did not prevent him 1 from loving a good Englishman. As an instance of the good Caledonian societies might do, when he was at Samoa, lisrhter than a bladder and at the point of death, Ihe yearned for a countryman. Yes, the ! bar-tender told him there was a Scotchman in the place, and this Macdonald received him and treated him as a brother. Caledonian societies were spreading over the '. continent of North America, and their power for good was incalculable. Burns, although he wrote in Scotch, wrote to humanity, and belonged to humanity, whose heart he had won. Burns had been accused of being lacking in common-sense ; but they knew how New Zealand . had been attitudinisinff. thinking that the '" business of the world is here," Might not they, after all, be the mites, and New Zealand the cheese. A<s to the poet's imperfections, what did the world do when it found a perfect Man? Why, it crucified Him. j" After touching on the influence of national poetry on patriotism, Mr Bruce thanked the people of Dunodin for the kindness of their reception in club and street. He had come hither for ccol weather, but was not sure thit he had found it. What he had found was the warmest of Scottish hearts. In reply. Mr Sandilands mentioned the larsre membership of the Dunpdin Burns Olub. and endorsed the view of tho benefit , Caledonian societies could be to the com- ' munity. ! Mr Reid, seeortary of the Caledonian Society, said it had justified its existence for 45 years, and was a factor in fostering literature, education, and benevolence. Its future would probably prosrrcss along the lines of benevolence, and it was fortunate . to include Mr Bruce among its honorary member*. | Mr Dugald M'Pherson, responding, for the Gaelio Society, said it was smaller, but more select, than others, admitting only i purebred Highlanders or those of Highland 1 descent from the father or mother's aid*-,
He was glad to renew his acquaintance with Mr Bruce. Mr T. S. Graham, in replying for " Our Brethren of the Mystic Tie," explained the connecting link between Burns and Freemasonry, and read an extract from an American work to the effect that Masonry had been the propelling power of the pcet. Burns had been a member of the old lodge of St. James, of which Maiorgeneral Montgomery "had been the first Worshipful Master. Though Burns afterwards removed to MossgieJ he never missed a meeting at the old lodge, and concerning William Wallace, the sheriff, * had written : Heaven bless your Honor's noble name To masonry and Scotia dear. The Hon. T. Fergus, in proposing the toast of " The Dominion," said the word did not as yet slip easily from the tongue, but they must tecome accustomed to it He had been delighted to hear Mr Bruce on that night and on the night previous. Personally, his recollections of Parliament were nothing but pleasant ones. There was no trouble or misunderstanding when debates were over. He remembered long ago introducing Mr Bruce, then a new member, to Mr T. Mackenzie, on the steps of the House '"Whom did you defeat?" asked Mr Mackenzie. Then when Mr Bruce had told him, " Well, then, I'm sorry to sco you here." Since then they had become warm friends, and that friendship had continued. There were able men guiding the ship of State, whose names our children would hold in reverence, and he only hoped the destinies of the Dominion would be as ably attended to in the future as they had been in the past. The toast was drunk and followed by the ringing of " Rule Britannia." In reply, Mr- A. R. Barclay found it to have been a privilege to mix with the gentlemen there assembled. In such a gathering the Dominion of New Zealand was but as a small matter compared with the immortal memory of Burns and the Scottish societies throughout the length and breadth of the land. They were proud of their Dominion, but he had not great sympathy for the phrase, and had voted against M.H.R.'s being called M.P.'s. Serious thoughts would come as to whether they were treading the right path. Of late it seemed they were inclined to become a little grandiose. The polioy of the frog that had tried to swell to the size of a bull had never commended itself to him. Though it was some time since Mr Bruce had sat in the Legislature, his name was still remembered there, and he was spoken of in terms of the highest admiration and esteem. In proposing the toast of " The City Council," Mr C. C. Graham said he could not plead being unaccustomed to public speaking, a3 he spoke in public nearly every day, when his sentences "were sharp, short, and decisive. People -were proud of Dunedin, which was second only to the good old town of Edinburgh. Considering it to be only 60 years old, the public had reason to bo proud of those 'who had brought it to its present state. The Mayor (Mr J. London), in reply, said it was perhaps appropriate that the City Council should be asociated with the land of the immortal poet. It wou'd be remembered _ that the portrait of the man who had given its name to Dunedin occunierl a place of honour in the - Town Hall. He had been introduced to Mr Bruce 20 yeai-3 ago by that grand old Highlander, Mr Donald Reid. He had been ereatly struck with the xemarks of Mr Bruce^ Only recently he had been reading four lines of Burns's which had made him, as a mayor. feel a little ashamed. On behalf of his colleagues, past and present, he tendered them his hearty thanks. Mr W. Barron proposed the toast of " The Commercial Interests of New Zealand," and was of ooinion that they might be trusted to look after themselves ; and as lone as they had excellent commodities they need have no misgivings as to New Zealand's commerce. Ota^o had onre led the commerce of New Zealand, and Scots were still nerhaps the prominent commercial poonle. Mr Alexander Sligo lamented the fa.->r That Mr Bruce was a bachelor, nnd if ho rouldn'i got a mate for himself in the North Is'and he voukl guarantee io pel him onu in Dnnedin. He l^otied Irade and eonrmf-rco would <ro on and prosper. A piper was in attendance, ond ?onps and recitations contributed to the «nccpss of flic function, wh'ifh concluded with the foa«t of " The President and Host," proposed b«- the Hon. T. Fergus. Tbf» Chairman hoped a similar dinner woulrl he held every year.
Juet how necessary and how successful the establishment of public conveniences at street corners by the Christohurch City Council has been may be gathered from the fac* that during the holidays £17 was collected in pennies in one week ajx* £16 in coppers toe foUowfeui veek. -
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Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 17
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2,469"THE IMMORTAL MEMORY." Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 17
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