Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-02-06
VOLUME TRONTON. RSDAY. FEBRUAR
Burns Anniversary.

| LADIES AND GENTLEMEN-One hun
| dred and thirty one years ago tonight
| in a clay-built. straw thatched cottage
in old Scotland the poet, Robert Burns
as ushered into the world to fill hi:
| high ana glorious destiny.
Born of poor, but honest, parents
Burns early knew and felt the sterT
relatives of life, yet in the struggle fol
| existence-and that struggle with hin
was only ended by death-be never
| lost that independence OF spirit sc
characteristic of the man, not in him
titles, wealth or power had rendered
proud and arrogant; poor and humble
IIahesmight be, but his poverty was il
his purse notin his spirit, his humility
was that OF one Of nature's aobiemen
not that Of the coward loon"
| SIS there an honest poverty
Wha' hangs his head, and II that,
The coward loon, we pass him by
And dare be poor for a that
| For a that an Il that.
Oar tolls obscure, am that,
The rank is but the guinea stamp,
The mans the gowd for n that"
While | know that quite large
number OF this audience are Scotch yet
[ trust they have come here to help
celebrate this anniversary of the birth
of Burns, not SO much because he was
Scotch, as because he was man whom
all may admire, let their nationality be
what it may, because he was one of
that high and Independent spirit SO
much i'll keeping with the laws and in
atitutious of this, cur adopted country;
because, even amid his tolls and sor-
rows, he could pen those words and
verses which are admiration and de-
light Of many thousands-not of his
country, men alone, but of nearly all
who know the language of our coun-
try. AS another poet has said Of him:
And Burns, though brief the race he ran,
Though rough and dark the path he trod,
Lived, died, in form and soul Il man
The image of his God"
OF a warm and sympathetic nature,
no tale of suffering or Woe, but woke a
responsive echo in his bosom, and not
to man only was pity and care extend
ed, the poor dumb animals share it as
well. The mouse lie addresses as his
''poor, earth companion and fell
low mortal" ," and thus it was hts hand
was even ready to assist the poor and
distressed of times when such assist
ance could but i'll be given.
If in his faults and foilies we find
him to have gone astray, let US remem-
ber be was but human, let Us rather
turn to his other and his nobier side |
and see in him the enemy of every |
kind of hypocrisy and decent, the
friends of honest virtue. The cham
pion of right and truth and the poet of
the freedom and the brotherhood Of
man.
"Then let Us pray, that come it may
As come it will, for a that,
That sense and worth DER "a the earth
May bear the gree, an a. that.
For a. that, and a. that
It's comm vet, for a that,
When man ta'e man, the world o'er
Shall brothers be, am a. that"
Breathing sentiments such as these,
aud there are many such III his W orks,
he ceases to belong to any one people
Or nation, he becomes a citizen Of the /
world ana friend of mankind, and
surely does his part in speeding the
world along t. the good tim coming,
Some of the characters Of his works
have been said to be too imaginary, too
unreal. But surely we have met our
Tam O Shanter'sn more than once,
av, it may be some of this audience
have figured either as Tam o Shant-
er,n or as his guide wife Kate, "Nurs
ng her wrath to keep it warm,' while
ajtiug for the erring Tam" to come
nome. The "Unco guild" are still with
is and merit now as they did then, all
he said Of them
"My son, these marions make a rule
AM lump them aye together
The rigid righteous is a fool,
The rigid wise another"
Samples Of Holy WilIie's sair worn
clay" 8re yet lying around US, and as
'or the modern prototype Of the "Holy
Fair need I particularize
see, up he's got the word of God
An meek and mein has viewed it,
While common sense has ta'0n the road
Ans aft an up the iowgate.
Hear h ow he clears the points of faith,
wiz ratln' an WI thumpin',
Now meekly calm, now wild in wrath,
He's stampin' and he's jumpin'
His picrciu' words, like Highland swords
Divide the joints and marrow,
His talk of hell, where devils dwell
Our very soul does harrow.
We fright that day.
\ vast, unbottomed burnin' pit,
Filled fu' % lown' birthstone,
Y hose ragin' flame, an scorchin' heat
Wad melt the hardest whInstone,
rhe half asleep stort up vii fear,
AM think they hear it roarin',
When presently it doth appear,
Twas but some neighbor snorin'
Tu' loud that day.''
These few lines, which / have just ;
Iuoted, taken pretty much at random. {
rom one of the masterpieces, 1.-THE ,,
Holy Fair" are to-day as true of 1me +