The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-24
THE BIRTHDAY OF BURNS.

Tomorrow, the birthday of Robert
Burns, will be celebrated with appropriate
honors by all the English-speaking people
of the globe.
Tomorrow wherever you find a Scotch
man, whether he languishes under the
fires OF the tropical sun or shivers within
the confines of the frigid zone, you will
find him doffing his hat and drinking the
health of Scotland's greatest poet.
The popularity of Burns with the Scotch
people is remarkable. It is not easy to say
how much of it is due to the surprising
quality of the poets genius and how much
to the clannishness of his countrymen. but
it is certain that no other Christian people
on the globe cherish the memory of any
poet as do the Scotch that of Burns.
The enthusiasm of the French for the
songs of Beranger is the nearest approach
to the Scotch worship of the memory of
Burns. England has no national poet
whose memory is passionately reverenced
by both peer and peasant. AmerIca's
nearest approach to such poet is Whit
tier Ireland has given birth to many
true national bard in Moore, because he
was bit of tuft-hunter at times, kneel-
ing to the nobility so readily that Tommy
dearly loves q lord" became current say
ing concerning him. Samuel Lover wrote
beautiful songs, but few of them deeply
touched peasant ears. Thomas Davis is
Ireland's truest national poet, for his lips
were touched by the fiery patriotism that
filed his heart. Florence MacCarthy was
mere melodious lute player in the
fields.
What makes Burns of immortal men,
DRY with the whole Scotch people2 The
chief reason is that he was entirely Scotch.
He wrote in the Scottish dialect; he sang
of the mountain daisies; of the Scottish
people; he noted every object that brought
gladness to the Scottish heart. The brooks
and rivers he described were those of Scot
land; his beautiful, bright-eyed women
were Highland lasses or border beauties,
like Bonnie Lesley" Burns weaved
into the warp and wool of his poetry Scot
fish legends; he tuned his harp to Scot
fish airs; he drew all his heroes from Scot
fish history; his capacity to make all his
poetry redolent of Scotland. to taste of all
the alkalies of its soil and to smack of all
its sweetness is what has given Burn. his
grip on the heart of Scotland
The Scotch are an intensely intellectual
people, but they are not as a race, poetic
people. They have genius for philo-
sophy, for theological metaphysics, for
trade and business. for finance, for law,
for politics, for medicine and surgery and
all the natural sciences. but they are not
peculiarly poetic people, like the Irish,
and Burns is loved by the Scotch, not so
much for his poetic genius as for the fact
that his muse was intensely Scotch. This
fact would make q poet of merely respect
able powers dear 10 g people who are
notable for their patriotic, not to say clan
nish and provincial, devotion TO their
native land. If Burns had devoted his
great powers TO the celebration of high
poetic themes that were not essentially
instinct with interest to Scotchmen he
would not be the pet poet of the Scottish
people today any more than Tennyson Is
peculiarly dear TO the heart of the English
/ people.
Nearly ninety years elapsed after the
death of Burns. immortal poet OF the peo-
PIE and the poor. before his bust was
placed in Westminster abbey. Burns
lived at time when literature was held in
high esteem; when his surprising intel
lectual merit vas freely acknowledged; he
was not, like Shakespeare and Milton, one
who had to trust to posterity for his
largest fame. Why, then, when far lesser
lights. including our own Longfeliow, the
poet Of country that had no literature
when Burns died, have been recognized
rs worthy of memorial honors, did Burns
wait 80 long soE q P.aes IN Westminster