The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-01-26
NIGHT WI BURNS
Celebrating the Scotch Poets
Birthday.
SWELL BANQUET AT ARLINGTON
Robert Cation Makes an
Appropriate Response.
Fitting Ceremonies i'm Honor of
the Great POet-SOme Bits
of History.

"All honor to the immortal Scottish
bard Robert Burns was the one
thought that animated the hearts Of
the members of the Thistle Club us
they gathered around the banquet ia
bic in the Arlington Hotel last night,
a table that was decorated and sup
piled with all the dainties by Thomas
Krouse, the proprietor of the hotel.
Not less than 40 sat down, and among
the number were members of kindred
clubs, friends and others.
Before beginning Chieftain White
made a few remarks, Saying that the
banquet had been designed in the first
place, for the celebration of the ami
versary of the birthday of the I'M
mortal Scotch bard, Robert Burns, and
second, to promote the sociability CT
the members of the club and kindred
clubs, together with their friends.
The banquet finished, Chietfain
White arose, and in the capacity OF
toastmaster, announced the first toast
OF the evening, Robert Burns" Mr..
Robert Cation responded to this in the
following excellent speech, which held
the attention of all to the end and
brought forth rounds of merited ap-
ptAuse:
rBrother Scots and Gentlemen:
ALLOW me to express my sense OF
the honor done me by the Thistle Club
in asking me to respond to this toast.
In doing so l would ask your indui-
gence if | read to you few reflections
| have put together instead OF trying
to make a speech. l never did make a
speech and the chances are never
will-but, that's neither here nor there.
Il have asked myself the question,
and | now ask you: Why is it that all
over the world, on this evening, wher-
ever there are two or three ScotSmen
gathered together, the day is recognized
as a red-letter day, and the immortal
memory of Robert Burns honored in
some way? From the elaborate cele-
brations of the Burns Clubs of our ma
tive land to the simple, but no less sim
cere NIGHT wi Burns in the backwoods
OF America, the bush of Australia, the
jungle of India, or, let us say, among
the cane fields of Hawaii.
1.-The question may be answered by
one word-Love. We love Scotland,
and we love Burns, because Scotland
was so very dear to him. He says:
"a wish, that to my latest hour
Will strongly heave my breast
That l for puir auld Scotland's
sake,
Some usefu' plan or book could
make,
Or sing a song at least
But it would be doing very scant
Justice to Burns and to his countless
admirers who never saw Scotland to
infer that it was only, though it may
have been chiefly, Scotland that he
loved. His heart was big enough to
include everything and everybody, the
wee sIeekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
the field mouse, whose nest he turned
over with the plow; poor Mailie, his
pet sheep, strangled wi that vile wau-
chancie thing, a rope the wounded
hare, the banks and braes o bonnie
Doom His epistles to his friends, Ran
kline, Lapraik, Henderson and the rest
and how he loved and valued them.
Take the following from a Winter
Night, as illustrating at the same
time Burns sympathy and his power
of description:
4 thought me on the ourie cattle,
Or silly sheep, wha' bide this brattle,
o. winter war,