The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-27
PROF. BLACKIE'S "GUY."
He Astounds Conservative Scotland by Sing
ing Love Songs on Sunday.


success had attended the lectures of their society
in the past that they had to remove from Vic
toria Hall to the st. Andrews Hall. Their
society did not standin antagonism to any insti
tuition in this city, and they believed in offering
courses OF scientific, philosophical and literary
lectures on Sunday evenings they were perform
ing what was good work. Applausel 1t was
by means the desire of the directors of the
Glasgow Sunday Society to trench or encroach
upon the functions of any other institution, and
they held there was no reason why the Sunday
evenings should not be spent in an intellectual
manner, or should not be given to the education
of the citizens They were satisfied that if the
kelvingrove Museum, or the West end Park
and the Corporation Galleries were opened it
would be 10 the advantage of the intelligent citi
zens of Glasgow. Applausel.
| Professor Blackie, who was received with loud
| applause, said he was perfectly sure that some
| people would say it was very profane in him to
| come forward and deliver lecture on a Sunday
evening on the love songs of Scotland Laugh
| ter. Why, when he thought of coming before
them that evening he was reminded of what the
publisher said to him when he was about to have
book printed. The publisher said You will
not have that book printed, because it is full of
thorns" Professor Blackie held if people were
afraid of thorns then they would never pluck
| the rose. Applause. Well, he wondered
whether he would NEEDLE with the subject of
the lovesongs on a Sunday, because he was
march boldly into it, Just because it was slip
perry. Laughter If he succeeded he would
succeed gloriously; but if he failed, then
he would not succeed, and somebody
would do better after him. Laugh
teri There were lot of subjects which
were not dwet upon in the pulpit that
should be. Did they ever hear sermon on the
land lawsl laugh Why he could give
preached upon. 1t was the glory Of this society
that it not so stupid or cowardly as to re-
frain from treating such subjects on the Sunday,
and that was the reason he considered 1t an hon
or to speak to such an audience on a Sunday.
| Applause. He could say number of things
that the LII. d. s could not say for their lives.
Laughter He feared nobody but the reporters
| laughter but they were not so very terri
he had something to say to the clergy-and, by
the way, he was brought up to the church him
self-he was a preacher tlaughterl-of course
just in his own way-r renewed laughterl-
preach upon love, but such. love as
was inspired by the songs of Robert
Burns, Loud applause. Love was
| taught and consecrated in the sacred
| Scriptures and where did they find that love9
In the Song of Solomon. Applause. Any man
who said that the Song of Solomon was not
hymeneal ode, and he said it without fear of con
tradiction, was ass Laughter and applause
Every man, he held, was little mad-a mad
ness peculiar to himself Laughter Those
who believed in sects, churches, and catechism
as the absolute will of God, wore prestly mad;
those who believed in grammar, learning, ETC.,
| were pedantlcaly mad; and those VINO DeneVeu
in beautiful women were divinely mad Laugh
ter. Indeed women were the blood-royal OF
creation" and if men stronger than they,
the women were far better. Applause Two
third of a man was good Laughter They
were laughing, but if there any
| thing worth being said, could it not be said
on Sundayl He wished some of the d. DIS
would come there. because he could not
always trust to the reporters. Renewed
| laughter, But to revert to his lecture. They
had reason in Scotland to thank God for their
noble heritage in popular song. Applause
| He often thought that the three gories of God
commenced with an IS" viz: sermons, songs
and shillings. Laughter. Sermons were repre-
sented by DR.. Chalmers, songs, by Robert
Burns and shillings by Adam Smith. APP
| plaUse. To stir, to elevate and to purify a
man, a song was more potent than a sermon;
! therefore, though he praised sermons yet he
would rather have songs. National songs were
| not immoral because were they so they would
not live; Hear hearl There was song in
which there was true sermon-"Ye Banks and
an an immoral songf No Burnss' inspiration
was always right though his life was often
wrong Aye, writing poem
one thing but living a life another and
therefore Burns rose by the strength of his
genius and fell by the force of his passion There
was another thing Prof Blackie liked, and that
was beautiful woman. Laughter Ministers
might be opposed to him lecturng Sunday
on the love songs of Scotland, and on beautiful
women, but he found that the most of ministers
married beautiful women, and especially
and applause A pretty woman was like
sweet music in his ear and looking at beauty in
another aspect if it had been otherwise, would
| God have decked the earth with beautiful flow
| ers? There were songs he was delighted with,
and this was one
"Will We gang to Kelvin grove
Bonnie lassie, o."
! Applause The Professor then sang that song,
and received encore. Yes, he liked to look
upon bonnie lassie Some fellows said such
| and such lassie had neat ankle. Laughter
| He never looked at a lasse's ankle tlaughterl,
it was always at her bonnie face. Renewed
laughter and applause
The lecturer, who was applauded throughout,
received a hearty vote of thanks at the conclu-
/ sion.
Editorial in Courant.
Emeritus Professor Blackie is allowed lati-
tude which is given to no other man. He propa-
gates opinions which would consign any one else
| to the care of his friends. He sets propriety at
/ defiance with light heart and with so much
unsophisticated freshness that he is forgiven.
| When he eXpatiates in public on the merits of a
rabbits kiss, a smile half contemptuous it is
true, is the most severe criticism he receives.
| His last offense against current notions of de-
cency and order, the two things which Professor
Blackie affects to honor above everything
else, will not be so readily overlooked.
! On the evening of the day
on which his former colleagues in the Senatns
paid the last earthly tribute to Sir Alexander
Grant in St Gess Cathedral, Professor Blackie
was singing love songs in Glasgow hall. OF
! the public spectacle of white haired man. who
has done good work in his day and generation,
distinguishing critically between the merits of
neat ankle and a pretty face we say moth
| ing but simply suggest to the emeritus professor
| OF Greek that he has outraged every canon of
! decency by taking part in such performance
| when the university with which he has still
connection was mourning the untimely end of
its laInented principal.