Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-01-26
THE BURNS FESTIVAL.
The Sons Of Scotia Osst im Force.
Addresses By Messrs. FRYE and Knott,
A Brilliant Affair.

versary of the birth OF Robert Burns, under
the auspices of the Burns Club of this city
The affair throughout was q most enjoy able
one, an unfailing characteristic of the enter
tainments given by this favorite society. On
the platform were seated many of the most
prominent members of the club, together
with the orators of the evening. The pro-
gramme opened with q few Scottish airs
admirably performed by Donch's orchest ra
after which Mr.. George Cowie, president OF
the club, delivered a short but very appro-
manner their guests to the anniversary cele.
bration, and then introduced Hon. VIM. p
Frye, of Maine, who spoke as follows:
ADDRESS OF HON. WIN. p. FRYE.
Mr.. President: saw in the press few days
since that was to deliver an address before
this club; that 1t would undoubtedly spar
Ble with wit and abound N eloQuence
What n sarcasm, If / dreamed that you
were expecting anything of this kind should
at once follow the example of the feIlov who
having forced head and shoulders Through
his neighbors paling, being discovered and
accosted with, "YOu infamous scoundreI
went. lLaughterl / have no fountain on
which i can draw at sight for elOquence and
wit. II were Knott l could, but as 1 am
not Knott, cannot / have heart beating
love going out abundantly to Scotchmen and
Scotchwornen. How could it be Otherwise?
In the House / am thanked by my friends
MeDil and McDougal, while in my rear sit
Wilson and Phillips, when right before me
IS the smiling, honest face of my old
friend, the Cerberus of the Flower Gar
to me through the McDougals and Gregorys,
is so much Of ScOtchwoman that
she rules Ter household with love and
a rod. The rod BEL being e.. In the ma
ancestry, if she hal been standing be-
side the stern old Scotch woman VINO listened
to the piteOus appeals Of tune, the 1nf1del,
Tor help, as he was sinking In Inc auagmlre,
the Ten Commandments as condition prece-
dent to his salvation, think she would
have cried "Amen and Amen!' daughter
thy surely ought to inspire me to say few
kind and honest words to you, an this ami
versary occasion. Wherever go, whatever
ar IN me- am oya to
Hatteras" to the pole. Even if l should go
mad as did he, still my steps, with his,
would ever turn thitherward. / love
and its lakes, It's ice and its snow,
its barrenness and its ruggedness. /
love, as men who earn their bread by the
sweat of the brow, who never saw that land,
with harvest" who plough, harrow. dig
with spade and mattock, and; then are SUI
premely content If only it smiles with an
and @s hsF
The distinguished gentleman who is to de-
liver the address, to which this is only q fee
bic introduction, will forgive me, know, If
even if he thinks my imagination is some
what too warm over "the eternal sOlitudes of
snow which mantle the ice-bound North"
He can well afford to, for the man who made
for the ignoble Duluth sues a glorious inn
in an hours time, is abundantly
8 BILE TO take care of the bluegrass regions
Of the fertile Kentucky, or "the fragrant sa-
cHfr tnn =,
In early boyhood, romance and poetry had
made sacred TO me Old Scotia's shores, had
clothed with q glorious immortality her Ben
Ben More and Ben Ness, her
Clyde and her Tay, her Tweed and her Dee
cry stalled them all into monuments of lib
erty, loyalty and patriotism. And when
later in life the pages of history opened to
me, learned that neither novelist or poet
lad told half of the wonderful story. Gale
donia, way back In the ages OF darkness,
tribes, but brave and liberty loving, almost
alone Of the nations, fought successfully the
Roman empire; 30 brave and SO fierce were
they, that this mistress of the world thought
it discreet to wall them In.
Scotland, for more than thousand years,
for liberty and the right to worship God &C
cOrdiDg to the dictates of conscience, fought
the whole power of England, until the blood
tide, drenched every valley. tinged every
lake and river. (Applause.l Now you know
well that the cause nation espOuses and
fights for has reflex action upon her people:
Spain fought for conquest and slavery, and
to-day is bankrupt beggar among the ma
lions, impOtent to hold in subsection one
little Island of The Sea.
is only known in history. Our republic fought
for liberty, equal rights and humanity, and
this year the world will join in her centen-
nial. Scotland came out from her fiery fur
atrous tribes Of Caledonians gradually grew
into the brave, intelligent, God fearing SOL
diers, who just before entering the battle at
BannCckburn, to q man, knelt, and with up
lifted heart and hands, asked help from the
God of Battles. King Edward, seeing them,
cried "The cravens already ask mercy" to
whom an English baron replied, "Sir, they
ask no mercy of us; they pray for help from
God. They Will conquer or die" And they
conquered! [Applause.] Her Chieftains fierce
and cruel became the William Wallace, as
brave as Henry, and as chivalrous as Bay
ard; the Robert Bruce, who could defend the
pass against an army, unaided, who could
slay score OF armed men with his own
woman; who, when his army was retreating
before an overwhelming force of English and
Irish, hearing one day an outcry, and on in
quiry, learning that it was poor campbell
lower giving birth to childs in terror lest
she might fall into the hands of the enemy,
called q council OF his officers, said to
them, "Shame ON the man born of woman,
nursed by her tenderness, who will desert
mother in the hour of her travail aud PAIN"
ordered a halt of his army, and held them
there until the woman recovered, then
marched to the mountain in safety. That
single act CT gentleness cOnsecrated his name
beyond all the glories of the battle field.
[Applause.l The orator relates of Sir Philip
Sidney, that MORALLY wounded, borne from
the battle field thirsty and dying, a cup of
cold water was passed to him, he seeing
soldier by the road side, gave II to him, say
Ing, "BrOther, thy necessities are greater
than mine" That single act Of self forgetful
sacrifice consecrated the name of Sidney
more than all the battles fought or victories
won. These are the highest type of the
soldier, the christian soldier, the warrior OF
courage and gentleness. Slowly but surely
Scotland climbed to the highest type of civi-
liZation, that born of education and reli-
giOn, OF the school and the Bible, of the altar
of the Cotters Saturday Night in every house.
nth il was enacted that school house should
be erected in every parish and schoolmas-
ter appointed. Early in the 18th her people
were more generally educated than
any other in Europe. The world
knew and admired her historians, her posts,
her philosophers, her scientists; and the ma
tiOns paid tribute to her universities at
Edinburgh, Glasgow, st. Andrews and
Aberdeen. The Edinburgh RerieeO and Black
woods Edinburgh Mo9aztne are to-day un-
rivaled in the world, while Edinburgh is the
only rival OF London in the British empire
as publishing center. In the arts, sciences,
agriculture and manufacture she has no oc-
casion TO hide her face. Such q country-so
cold, so barren, SO mountainous, SO torn and
distracted by ruthless wars-Olly 300 miles
long and 200 wide-with such glorious fruits
OF the highest civilization! Whence did IL
come? From the perpetual contest for lib