The San Francisco call., 1896-08-15
SIR WALTER SCOTT
AND HIS WORKS,
His Memory Honorsd by
st. Andrews
Society.
AN EVENING OF SONG.
A Man Who Never Wrote an
Impure Thought in All
His Work.
oRAToRY HoNoRs POETRY.
Address on the Life and Works of
the Great Scotchman by Hon.
Samuel M. Shortridge.

The loyalty of Scotland's sons and
daughters toward the honored dead of
their own land was 6ttingly shown last
night by the st. Andrews Society, the
mem bers of which assem- bled in Scottish
Hall to celebrate the one hundred and
twenty-fifth anniversary of the birth of
Sir Walter Scott.
An elaborate programme of music and
song had been prepared with the view of
reviving tender memories of the old land,
and the programme was so well carried
out that the evenings entertainment
proved to be one of the most delightful
ever given by the club.
The overture. Lays of Abbottsford," by
st. Andrews Society, proved to be veri-
table gem, the violin solo "Annie Laurie"
and the cornet solo "Mary of Argyle be-
ing played with all the tenderness and ex-
preston required by the music and the
words of those two i'm ortal songs. Mrs.
Susie Hert Mark displayed beautiful
voice and most charming expression In
my Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose" and
other ngs.
The quartet singing by Mrs. S. L. An
derson, Miss Nellie Anderson, George st.
John Bremner and George Bremner was
sweet and effective, particularly 40 Hush
Thee, My Baby George Bremners
comic scotch solos were yeritable treat.
Robert Howden, who sang "McGregor's
Gathering" gave it out that he was suf-
fering from a cold. After his fine clear
tenor was heard the people who applauded
him wondered how he sang when he was
feeling quite well. ]. F. Fleming sang
"Blue Bonnets Over the Border" in excel
lent style. James A. Keane and Miss
Leila Hill appeared in laughable sketch
entitled, "A Pair of Lunatics." The
pleasures of the evening were concluded
with dance.
By special request of the society Hon.
Samuel M. Shortridge delivered an address
upon the life, character and works of Sir
Walter Scott The speaker captured his
audience at the start and held it until the
close. The following are extracts from
the address:
Ladies and gentlemen: Tt is q very great
pleasure and matter of very great pride to
me to be able to look into your faces here to-
night and to pay my poor tribute to one of
SEQ otland's sons, whose genius, whose good
ness has won for him q blessed immortality.
This occasion is particularly pleasing because
Francisco or elsewhere, but nevertheless 1t is
the fact, that whatever good there is in me
attribute to my Scotch ances try, and when
Irish you have combination very hard to
The patriotism Of Sir Walter Scott stands out
as the brightest star in the history of letters
and OF Scotland. You may study his poems
and his prose works, and while you may find
much that is tender, essentially beautiful,
true and sublime, you will find even more OF
lat which teaches every man to love the land
of his birth and to be true TO the cause of his
country.
The speaker raised laugh by saying
that Sir Walter twas 35 years old before
he took to literary work-aImost as old as
Mr.. Bryan"
In commenting upon the poems .Mar-
mion," Lay of the Last Minstrel Lady
of the Lake. and the other shorter poems
in which there breathed the spirit of mar
tial music. the speaker said that they
were not of the passionate type of the
work of Byron nor of the transcendantly
vague and beautiful style of Shelley, but
they were OF humble sentiment breathing
patriotism; every note of music trum-
pet call to stir the beart of Scotland and
of the rest of Europe as body else had
up that time, unless it had been that other
Scotchman, dearly beloved Bobby Burns.
Scott was in the ascendancy of his fame
as a poet when he turned from poetry to
prose and gave TO the world the immortal
Waverley novels How poor the world
would be,'' added the speaker, 'show
sterile Scotland would seem il you would
take from her literature the prose work of
Sir Walter Scottp'
In commenting upon the poets bank
ruptcy, caused By his venture as a pub
Usher after he had served the people as
Sheriff, Mr.. Shortridge said:
That was after he was Sheriff. don't know