National Republican., 1876-01-26
The BURNS FESTIVAL.
DgILlI!ST ASs.sBLACs OF Naf1RfM.
SPEECHES BY MESSRS. FRYE AND KNOTT.
ELOQUENT STfF rF THE FrET'S LIFE.
RARE TRIBUTE TO HIS GENIUS.
COMBINATION OF WIT AND WISDOM.
FULL REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS.


grand celebration and reception by the members
of the Burns club Of this city last ening at Tall
madgo hall. The hall was early filled with bon
ME lasses and Scottish men. The ear lIer part of
the evening was taken up with interesting exer-
cises and addresses.
On the platform were seated George Cowie.
esq.,, president of the club; tho Hons. VIM. p
Frye and Proctor Knott. the orators of the even.
ing: the Hons. James Wilson and j. W. McDrl,
OF Pennsylvania; Hons. L. L. Ainsworth, Henry
O'Connor, General q. W. Balloch, Messrs Crosby
s; Noyes. Peter Hannay, W. Il. Smith and
Alter the band had rendered a few Scottish
airs, the president of the club, Mr.. Cowie, In a
brief address welcomed the guests to the anni-
verssry celebration, and lhen introduced the
Hon. VIM. p. Frye, who spoke as follows:
ADDRESS OF MR. FRYE.
Mr.. Frye said that he saw in the papers q few
days ago, that he was to deliver address before
the Burns Club, which would undoubtedly sparkle
sarcasm ~ he exclaimed. If he dreamed that they
expected anything Of that kind from him he
wSnd AZ Gnee iooT s s6G ,Ss 81 tne isoT
his neighbours fence into a water. melon patch,
and, when the neighbor came up and asked where
he was going, said that he was going out, and he
He had no fountain from which he could derive
such eloquence. ut were Knott, he said, ~
teri He had heart beating in sympathy for
Scotland and with love for Scottish mon and wo.
men-there was q McDill beside him, and near
by q MacDougall and in the rear Wilson and a
Phillips, and no saw there that night the smiling
face Of his old friend, the Cerberus of the flower
garden, Smith. Besides, his wife was Scotch
woman, q descendant, lineally, Of MacDougall
9f the mountain, ana .5 Gregory Of 9th the valley;
fallen into q quagmire, an old Scotchman came to
his relief, and called upon him, as precedent to
Commandments" before he would help him out.
"If my wife," continued the speaker, 'bad been
there she would have said, Amen! amenr "
TLaughterl These were the sympsthies and
occasions for sympathy he had for Scotland. He
loved
HER MOUNTAINS
and her valleys, her lakes and her rivers her
baIrenness and her % %ruggedness. He loved her
brow, who were sublimely content If the land
smiled with but an average crop. They were
religion they protested or the country they loved
[Arplausel From early boy hood association had
made sacred to him the memories Of Old Scotia,
had been opened to him he learned that he had
never heard half OF her wonderful story He
read there of the times when, long ago, Scotland
stood almost alone Of the nltions OF the earth
who fought successfully against the power of the
Roman Empire. For more than one thousand
God according 10 the dictates Of conscience they
had struggled against the whole power Of Eng
land and Spain, which had fought for tyranny
ions, even impotent to hold in subiectOn one lit
tie isle Of the sea. [Applausel
Rome fought for power q and ;i sG;day Is uoknown,
erty and humanity, and this year the people Of
the earth will recognize and do honor to her
penance purified and sanctifcd Those Gale.
donian soldiers had grown up into soldiers, but
purified and
GOD PAIRING MEN.
Bruce the fearless and brave, was as gentle as a
woman. These chieltans had come up to the
highest type Of the soldier, the Christian soldier.
Scotland, too, had been climbing up until she
had reached the highest and purest type of civil
izatoO. Look at her in the eighteenth century.
In the seventeenth century wise school laws had
been enacted, and in the early part of the
orally educated than any other people Of THE
earth.
Her philosophers, scientists and theoIogIans
was the only rival in all the English empire OF
London as publishing centre. So barren, SO
cold, yet she presented such glorious fruits of the
come II came from tho etsrnal contest for right,
for liberty and for country. [Applause.1 That
did mot land in the fragrant savannas OF the South
1t landed on the cold, rock-bound coast of Massa-
chusetts bay ard at once planted the
and right beside 1t the meeting house. They
toiled and suffered and grew, until one day hun.
dred years ago this very year It uttered that i'm
mortal declaration, which gladdened the hearts Of
voice sent back from old scdtis's shores, "a mons
the Sn 6f Gsr S''
But barbarism crossed the ocean, too, and
landed in the savannas OF the South, and
planted slavery there. The black flag fioatsd in
the air, and threatened the purity OF the North.
Again the same spirit buckled on her armor, and
more forever shall the Slave tread the
in our free Republic; and when the war was over
the same Christian spirit stretched out the hand
purified, sanctifed, united. Thanks be to Al
mighty God for this" GApplause
CID SCOTIA,
inspired by such civilization more than one hun
dred years ago, had labored and brought forth a
who loved God, ard a father who ) feared . him.
He bad grown up and gone to school. While q.
home the master and the mistress taught. They
the daisy i'm in the III furrOW. He toi.d, he 'suefea.
he sang; and one day he wrote his name Robert
Burns, poet. lApplause
the cities Of the world WED with each other In
doing honor 10 his memory. The great men of
EneIt Before his shine and ali people sans songs
to his memory. He spoke with measured words
when he said that no name among men was more
loved than the name of Burns, except the name
Of Him born in a manger, who had tofled, suffered
and died that they might live. Burns lnspira-
tion was old Scotland. Nature touched his heart,
and pure, limpid stream of love, Of patriotism
and Of liberty had poured forth. [Applause.l
1t was heart speaking to heart. II was this that
compelled ali men to yield to Robert Burns an
There were some old, GRABBED; Puritanicai
Pharisees who could see nothing in Robert
Burns but the reveler, the wine. bib6er.
These men stood on pinnacle of ice and looked
down upon the warm heart Of Burns. Yet there
was one thing that might redeem him In the eyes
Of these cold-hearted cynics. Robert Burns was
an excise man, an honest excise man; an excise
man nnsasd wnc crosed n ESis s'amp, apa VINO never
known that he was sometimes late at Office but
like Charles Lamb he went home early. His
in for back pay or for an increase Of salary.
With ali the facts of the ease set forth by the
sc2thing tongue OF the prosecutors, all imaginary
infamies Of most infamous Government could
not draw from a Jury Of Robert Burns peers q
verdict Of guilty.
Then fll up the sparkling goblet high,
And let no discord strain II,
Let Joy illume each manly eye,
While to the dregs we drain 1t.
To Burns, to Burns, the king Of song,
Whose Tyre shall charm all ages;
Mirth, wisdom, love, and satire strong,
AdOrn his deathless pages.
At the conclusion of the address the speaker
was greeted with prolonged applause.
Mr.. Samuel V. Noyes rendered Scottish song,
and received an encore.
Mr.. CoMie then introduced Hon. ]. Proctor
Knott, Of Kentucky, who spoke substantially as
follows
SPEECH OF Mr.. KNOTT.
Mr.. Chairman, when received the very com.
plimentary notice that was expected to be pres
ent and address you this evening II occurred to
me that the gentlemen who had IL in charge to ar
range the programme for the occasion had cer-
taBly committed q most singular mistake. I
could conceive OF no possible reason why they
should consider me capable OF contributing sin
gle additional ray TO the resplendent halo which
will forever ercrcle the immortal name of Scot
tst nIops my psIbsns 5ae mad & always
patriotic than most people on account Of my
direct descent from the sturdy old Covenanters
who fought for the faith Of their fathers at Drum
clog and Bothwelrs Brigg, and whose desceu-
dants signed the original declaration OF indepen-
dence at MeekIenbergb, [laugh her anu applause
Yet could scarcely refrain from exclaiming, in
the language Of my sanity old friend, Holy
Willie:
"What was I. or my generation,
That should get SIC exaltation?" ?"
But since have listened to the address OF the
distinguished gentleman, whose eloquent perIous
still tingle through every fibre and tissue OF our
souls and hold as under the spell Of some deli