The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-12-05
BAD BOBBY BURNS.
The RamblerS After Solemn
Discussion Pronounce
His Character
Faulty.
BUT THEY LIKE HIS POEMS
Carlyle's Essay on the Scotch Bard
Also CoDsidered-His Birth
place and Burial.
BUT THEY LIKE HIS POEMS

WOrk Oh the DAY the hdiuUieiS HSooPlSe
some amendments to their constitution
which had been proposed by Miss PARK.
The amendments were in reference to
honorary members and provide that the
ratio of honorary to active member
shall not exceed one to hvef mat all
honorary members must be proposed by
one n and vouched for by two
others; and that the election of such
members. shall be held two weeks after
the names are proposed.
In opening the discussion of Burns as
a man and a poet. Miss Park asked the
Secretary, Miss Lewis. to call the roll,
and each member to respond to it with
a quotation from the works of Burns.
Miss Myers responded to her name with
the poem. John Anderson. my 10.
John" with she read with great express
sion. She explained that "io." which
occurs frequently, means darling or
sweetheart"
Miss Matte T.. Wiggers read an essay
on Burns Birthplace and Burialplace."
She said:-"It seems a strange coinci-
dence that Wallace and Burns. Scot
lands two favorites. should be associated
with the same places. The scene of one
of Wallace's greatest exploits is laid in
Tie dlitIQQG tOWA VI <ayIs " -
miIiar as the birthplace of Burns. About
forty miles south, southwest of Glasgow,
in the county of Ayrshire, lies
:" Aud Ayr. wham ne'er a town sur
passes.
For honest men and bonnie lasses.
The river of the same name divides it
into two parts. which are connected by
two bridges. called the Old and the
New.
"About two miles from Ayr stands
the small clay cottage. built by William
Burness-as he then spelt his name
and destined to be the birthplace of the
greatest national lyrist that ever lived.
1t is a small one-storied house with a
matched roof. containing but two rooms,
lighted in the time of the poet by one
small window of four panes. The floor
is of fagstone. In one end was a
kitchen, which contained a bed. Of the
same materials as the house. and which
could be concealed by curtains. Oppo-
site was a large open fireplace, n in
one corner stood an eight day clock.
A chest of drawers. two wooden tables
and some plain wooden chairs completed
the furnishings"
Miss Wiggers described the mean
houses occupied by Burns in Dumfries,
and continued:-"Although carried to
his grave with all the pomp and osten,,
tatison Of a military funeral, the orlg ganad
was an unmarked grave in a corner OF
ST. Michaels c~hurchyard. at Dumfries.
some years later ms !; waao oton marh aho, +
removed to a larger plot in the church
eenmbrous. m%nsightiy mausoleum, erected
by public subscription. The same rest
less spirit which possessed him IN life
grave. For the third time his grave
was opened in order that his widow, who
had survived him ~thirty-eight years;
m mlgh1 ee ia of f ny 1 WRit slds Stone = has spie been
erected not far from the burial place Of
his father inc mother in the yard Of
BURNS at seventeen and. at thirty
seven. was the subject Of the essay
read by Miss Clerihew. She said:-"In
aha III + q pa fba ss,as Ro y rev surns
and ~thirty-seven. his writings, both
prose and poetry must forp an important
g gaatsns AFTER estim gixlng 81 B Rnnert char aonsT
and DIR. Currie's description. of his per-
sonal appearance, she continued:-.sThe
at seventeen, at thirty-seven and at ali
ages between, is his love for love. He
was always willing to be in love with
he would not tolerate was naught. His
first poem, as his last, was a low poem.
He did not write his poems only TO his
own charmers. Numerous as they were
he could vet find time to write owe let
tiers for others
Some one SAYS III composed a song on
every stolerable looking lass in the par
ish',. and finally one in which they were
AT 81 we find Burns. dfssipated. debil-
women gone. And what are the causes
of this charge. When living in Edin-
burgh, he soon fen In with a set Of law
less people, who started him on his
downward course. His appointment as
Excise Commissioners. and his uncon-
genial marriage. completed his unhappy
career. In his intervals of sobriety, he
bewail the end which he knew was ia
aH \ meian nasa s the nss td issa d = s love affair
would waken him ard set him to rhym,
ing again. One Of the most beautiful
one which Burns composed within a few
months. of his death, and addressed to
Jessy Lenars; The is the vel ssl
cauld blast sometimes called "My
sThs manner Of Burns, death .,5 + w ssa
trif1ed with life and must raysthe penal
". He had chosen to be Don Juan, he
h l,9f.t gr Ts,ps 4, at ,,1 em mp ~ p Edlia 'nd,,s and
Robert Burns and there is no llevity, il
SUCH d statement III LIE Case, IOT Sldil
we not and one and all deserve similar
The subject Of Miss Gertrude Car
lands essay was 'HignJand Mary and
Wife JEAN" She aid ITO narrate
in full the love affairs CT Robert Burns
would occupy the afternoon to
the exclusion of the other sides of his
life. which are to be presented to us.
To select a reasonable number of the most
important has therefore been my pleas
ing, but arduous task. If 7 nave for
gotten any, / surely must be pardoned,
FOR Burns was guilty. Of some faults
twenty-fourth year Burns love affairs
were in perfect accordance with his
honor and tended toward matrimoley.
In his fifteenth year his partner at the
harvest was, as he describes her, "a
bonnie, sweet, fsaucie lass. In short,
she altogether, unWiting1y to herself,
Initiated me in that delerious passion
1.-THE next important attack was in
spired in his twenty-second year by Ell
lfson Begbfe, a servant who lived two
miles from the home of Burns. She was
not beautiful, but her mental endow-
ments were so far superior TO other girls
of her station that later in life he ack-
n~oWledged to his. family that of all the
| women he had seriously addressed. shf
was the one most likely to have formed
an arreeable companion for life. Dur
ing the next two years the gva~e var
ious obscure love affairs one Of which
IS irnn1orta9ized IN the poem 10 Mary