The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-10-11
HONOLULU U. WEDNESDAY, OCT. II, 1871.
The scotu Centenary at Edlnbursh.

AT the Scott Centenary celebration at Edin-
burgh, on the 9th of August, Sir William Stirling
Maxwell made the following eloquent remarks:
To offer for your consideration some of the
why the memory OF Sir Walter Scott should be hon
ored in assembly composed mainly Of his country
men, and wholly Of his admirers, may seem very
simple task; to state in any adequate manner his
services to his country and mankind would be task
OF a very different kind II would involve nothing
less than a review of the literature which he found,
the literature which he eit and the literature which
laierage has created, aud an examination Into the
part which literature holds in the vital system of a
people need hardly say that the first and simpler
method OF treating the subject is the one which
propose to myself, and that in approaching even
that am sensible how much stand in need Of your
Indulgence would first remind you of the amonnt
Of work accomplished by Scott, and the compara-
lively brief period in which 1t was performed. His
career as popular poet may be said To have opened
with the Lay cf ne Lust Minstrel In 1906 and ended
with Harold the Dd'u,tcsS in 1871 His career our
frst writer OF pruse fiction commenced with Harery,
in 1914 and closed with his life By the side Of this
ample and sparkling stream of original writing,
flowed another of scarcely Inferior volume, consist
ing Of miscellaneous works, editorial, critical bio
graphical or historical, of which II is enough to
mention the editions of Dryden aud Siclff, the LIFE
Of Napoleon aud the Tales Of a Grandfather Profes-
siona work occupied a considerable portion of his
time, aud also did the mercantile concerns in
whieh be was unfortunately partner. For good
many years the years of a seeming financial pros
perity he was one Of the most prominent figures in
social life in Scotland and Of the avorite lions Of
/ London. In those busy years enough was done to
I'LL the lives OF ten not ncousidenble morials One
OF the Homerc heroes seemed to have reappeared
upon the earth, clothed in superhuman strength and
/ the wig and gown of a Scotch advocate. (Cheers.)
As poet Scott, like other great masters Of the Tyre
may be saidto have fulfilled the aspirations which
many kindred minds had lacked strength TO bring
forth. In days Wien letters in Scotland were still
young, there a strong disposition TO gather up,
and afterwards TO reproduce the relics of earliest
song The ballads which collectors like George
Baunaiyne and Richard Maitland loved later poets,
like Allan Ramsay aud Elizabeth Hallet eagerly i'm
bbed and Thomson's Castle Of IndoieHee aud Pereys
( Reliqaes later indications of the tendency of
thought aud taste which, iu another branch of srt,
was marked by the plaster pinnacles Of Strawberry
/ hill Scott himself Graded in the ballad-land be-
| came the most jealous as well as the abest Of ballad
editors in collecting materials for the Mssrssy Of
\ Gss Scottish Border thinking, it said, % Of
little but the queerness aud the fun he was making
for himself In fullness Of time the Ldyof the Last
! Minstrel was born TO fasciHate a world athwart
which the genius of Burus had lately flashed but in
which Hayley was probably the most popular poet,
and the laurels of Dryden wreated the brow Of Pye
Few critics will question the supremcy of Scott, at
least iu language, in the field of metrical ro-
nance. (Cheers-) Other poets have scared higher
into the empyrean Of thought, or have dived deeper
into the mystery Of life; hut none has ever told his
tale with greater breadth OF light aud shade, bur
ried his reader along with more genial vivacity;
none has ever lit up the banquethall or the battle
field with more OF HOmeTe fire, adorned his
action with mUe exquisite transcript of the scenery
OF nature. (Cheers) 10 this sphere, Scott is GER
tainly the greatest OF peaceful aud beuefcent
querors 10 the world Of letters. BannockburD and
Flodden are his; Merose and Dunvegan, and many
a fair domain ana ancient pile between. Itis curious
TO turn to his friend Moore's playful illusions
these poeliea conquests at the time Rokeby was an
nouuced in 1874 Had Scott written nothing but his
lyrics, he would still hold distinguished place in
letters Rosd6ele. LoelltJar Jock o'Hassldsda, No
raEs Toc aud the PBroeh Of DOam Dhu will be
sung aud loved as long as tenderness and melody,
pith and yigor arehness gaiey, aud delicate humOr
shall please the ear inspire the fancy and touch the
heart These, and other songs Of Scott, have made
TIE tour OF the world with the songs of Burns, and
haunt the memory Of men who love poetry and
speak English. They the very songs to be sung
in strange land by exiles not much given to weep
ing and hanging their harps on willows, and who
yet very steadily think Of Scotland, perhaps not
knowing how greatly the Scotland to which their
hearts turn is the intellectual creation of Scott.
would now ask you to look at Scott as a writer OF
prose fiction, who, the stores OF his learning
aud the spring OF bis Imagination, fed for sixteen
years the fancy Of the civilized world ministering
less 10 the social and moral we'll being than the
innocent gaieiy Of nations. The Wayerly novels
provided a new pleasure for the reading world, even
the little fastidous world of jaded elderly critics
Many Of Us, believe, cherish a choice reminis-
eence our inst glimpse Of the fair imaginary realm
which was created BY Scott. Ny own first peep Of
it well remember, obtained by means Of 4 review
which got hold Of, when Of an age at which the
nature and Of quarterly criticism were for me
as yet very dim. The delight with which devoured
the extracts in smsll print was only equaed by the
disgust with which foundered among the COM
ments in larger type, lamentable fis OF insanity,
as thought them, Detailing in some mysterious
manner my maichless siory-teller. venture to
mention this trivial personal incident in hopes that
il may recall to many of you various green spots,
diverse and yet similar OF suld lang syne connected
win Scout aud bis writings. The effect which the
first Waveriy novel may produce fresh and i'm
aginaiive u.ind, row, when Scott has taught bis
craft TO many cunning hands can give but 4 very
faint idea OF the success of WGUsT7g (Cheers) De-
tailed criticism would be out Of place here, where
We met to agree that as siratford did for Shake
speare, 50 Edinburgh must do for Scott The long
procession OF ideal figures, headed by Waveriy and
the Baron Of Brsdwardine, and closed BY Richard
Middlemas and the French Begun, frowns stern and
solemn, gay and sPOrtve, correctly grotesqoe,
of every age and sex, Of many desires periods and
modes Of mind, which proceeded from the brain Of
Scott, have furnished gOodly quota OF their num-
Der TO the world gallery where the people Of the
poets dream stand side BY side with the persousges
of history. Scott las filed more places in the his
toricsl YsIhsIla than any other writer Shakespeare
alone excepted. (Cheers) To the history Of this
little corner Of northern Europe this single Scotch
man. bending bis big brow his desk, has given
4 wide and splendid celebrity, Tar beyond the reach
at least far beyond the attainment Of the strong
hands sud stout hearts ard busy brains Of the whole
perferTid race Of other days at home and abroad 1
His reading OF our national story is probably the
version which viii long be accepted by the world. /