The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-07-22
From Zell's Encyclopedia. ]
Robert Burns.

Robert Burns, the national poet of Scot
land, was born in Ayrshire, in 1853. His
father, small farmer, was able to afford
his son but scanty education, and Burns
adolescent years were passed in working at
the plough, and, in his spare hours, writ
ing scraps of verse. He enlivened his dull.
prosaic mode of life, however, by occasional
fits of tipping and love-making. His in
nate spirit of poetry, fostered by perusal
of the writings of Pope, soon developed
itself into active and powerful life, His
Poems appeared in 1876, and made him at
once famous, Cotter's SaturdayNigM
alone being sufficient to stamp him poet
of the truest and best class. In 1856, Burns
went to Edinburgh, where he was received
with the utmost distinction by the literati
of the "Modern Athens There is no
need that we should here enter upon the
story of the too well-known weakness of
this gifted man; suffice it, that, in 1888,
he married Jean Amour, the Benny JEAN
of some of his earlier poems, with whom he
had previously formed a connection. The
public success of hisworks enabled Burns
to purchase farm, and also to assist in a
pecuniary manner, his father and brothers.
But the mans generosity of disposition,
and addiction to good fellowship and the
flowing BOWL" soon made serious inroads
upon his means. In 1891. he was, through
the patronage of powerful friends, appoint
ed an officer of excise, and went to reside
at Dumfries, Here his unconquerable hab-
its of intoxication again got the mastery
over him, domestic Affections added their
share to the drama of sad life, and he died
in poverty and sorrow, in his 37th, year,
July IS, 1896.
The history of literature scarcely affords
another instance of a popularity either so
sudden or SO complete as that obtained by
the poetry of Burns. Even in his own life
time, and indeed almost Immediately after
his genius first burst into public notice,
his name and his poems were familiar to
all ranks of his countrymen. Nor did the
enthusiasm for his poetry die away with
the generation among whom it was first
cottage book i'll his own land, and they are
read wherever the English language is
understood. No poetry was ever better
fitted to obtain extensive popularity than
that of Burns. 1t has little of either gran
deur or richness of imagination, but it is
all heart and passion, and every human
bosom capable of feeling strongly must be
stirred, by its fire and tenderness. Nothing
can be more masterly-more demonstrative
both of high skill and of general elevation
of mind-than the manner in which he
triumphs over the disadvantages of dia-
lect so much vulgarized as that of Scotland
had come to be at the time when he wrote.
Familiar as his subjects generally are, and
bold and expressive as his diction constant
ly is we will venture to say that there is
not one instance of real vulgarity in all
that he has written. OF mere license and
indecorum there is certainly no want in
some of his productions but even in his
broadcast humor, in his most objectionable
violations of moral propriety, in the rudest
riot of his merriment and satire, there is
never anything that is mean or grovelling,
anything that offends our sense of what is
noble and elevated. Some of the most i'm
moral of his pieces are distinguished by
studied proprity of expression springing
from the finest taste and most delicate SEN
sbility to the beautiful.
In 1859, the centenary of the birth of Burns
was celebrated with enthusiasm in every
country where the English language is
spoken and nowhere more enthusiastically
than in the United States. Burns's two
sons, Colonel Burns and Major Burns, of
the British army, are still living.