The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-28

The bzrth1sy Of Robert Barns vas csis-
bvssed last geek. A s.s.zs 81 Barns was
pssnses IN Central Park, Sew York city.
b~fors bis 5ast sss gsvsn place in West
nainsser Abbsy.
Barns vs early scos;and's greatest
pet; the versatility of fis genius Was ~
tonsshfng. '|fhs cost~r's Saturday
hfgss." Tam o. shsassr,s The Jolly
B~gssrs." Highland Mary" ard '.Isonnts
Doom" sre familiar illustrations Of the
wonderful range of Barns poetic poxsrs.
The popular notion that be wss man Of
little sdaestIon IL erroneous. He was .
far batter read msn for his day than our
osn Whittier vas When be began 20 write
poetry. Burns had read ali the best
Engiish poetry Of bis day: he wss
good French scholar; he was . wsli-read
man without being . severe student or
university scholar II Was fortunate for
bis fame that he vas not . man Of severe
scholastic culture. for II he had been he
would probably have lost his charming
spontansity. shskspears, Byron and
Barns are distinguished for a certain rush.
vigor and freshness Of movement aud man
Der, and this Waiter Scott In his diary
points out when with charming frsnknsss
he writes Wordsworth 10 this effect: ..You
and have 10 toll snd work hard over our
postry. but Burns ana Byron we're born
poets; they bubbied forth brcok-ilks songs
or wrote verses that make ycu think Of .
mountain torrent
This 10 not the exact language Of Scott.
but 10 IL the substances Of hts thought.
Burns was very like Byron in some re-
spects; hs had tho same singular mixture
OF strong. vigorous. logical understanding,
married 10 . noble imagination. Both
were strong rsasoa<ys In verse; both we're
keen and vigorous ssssrists: both were
natural radicals. st war with church and
crown: both we're generous. loyal, brave,
en-handsd. aheetionste friends: both Of
them have been lied about 90 far ~ their
personal immoralstles are concerned
Burns was probably man OF swsetsr and
healthier mind and spirit than Byron.
chiefly because he came Of sound Scotch
peasant stock. while Byron's paternai an
eestors we're sristocrsts Of visiated blood,
and his mother had . violent temper,
soured By trouble. 80 that Burns had the
advantage At least Of good parents on both
sides. 90 that hs was not man OF morbid
spirit.
so far ~ Burns intemperancs 10 con-
cerned, IL has been greatly exaggerated. -
has that Of Byron. for much Of Burns and
OF Byron's very best work was wrought
during the years that they we're charged
with gross intempersnes. Burns and
Byron have both suffered greatly by the
exsgrsratlon Of the extent OF their I'm
moralifies. because they were most. cor
daily hated by the church and the court
classes of their day. Scott records the
fact that drinking was universal among
the better classes in his youth, 20 much 90
that men and women Of good reputs for
pisty and purity Of life drank hot whisky
TO an amount that would be regarded to-
day as excessive.
Had Burns been born an aristocrat. like
Byron. he probably would have behaved
neither better nor worse than Byron, and
had Byron been born Of pious Scotch
peasant stock he would probably have
been very much such man as Burns.
Men were not held TO as stern account In
the dag Of Burns or Byron for immortality
80 they are today, and that fact must be
considered in passing judgment upon
them