The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-01-23
BARD OF AIRS NATAL DAY
NEW HAVEN SCOTSMEN CELEBATE
 ITS RECURRENCE.

Under the Auspices of the Caledonian
 CIub-Large Attendance and Delightful
 Program.
 The 1SSth anniversary of the great Scottish poets birthday was duly cele- brated in this city last night, under the auspices of the New Haven Gale donian club, and never since the cele- brations were inaugurated twenty seven years ago has a. larger or more enthusiastic audience gathered to do honor to the memory of the peo- ple's poet. There is certainly some thing very pathetic in what the plough man-poet said to his Bonnie Jean just before his death: "Ah, Jean, a hun dred years hence the world will ken me better then they do now.' Surely, if ever prophecy was fulfilled it is this one of Burns. For certainly the older the world gets the more it loves Burns. It may be a pity that our most gifted ones cannot be understood while they are with us. But that indeed seems to be royal privilege granted to but few.
 St. Aloysius hall last night was crowded to its utmost capacity. The chair was occupied by Chief Samuel MacLauchlin, and along with him on the platform was the Rev. George w. Douglas, D. D., speaker of the even- ing, Hon. James D. Dewell, Hon. Lynde Harrison, Rev. w. J. Mutch, Rev. Frank R. Luckey and Past Chief John Brown, the only continuous charter member of the club. Other invited guests present were the Rev. Dr. Nun ger and Chief Thomas P. Gillespie of Clan Mcleod.
 Chief MacLauchlin in a choice and well pointed speech welcomed the au- dience and spoke briefly regarding the club and the good it had accomplished since it's organization.
 Dr. Douglas address was masterly piece of eloquence, and was intently listened to by the large audience. Chief Samuel MacLauchlan introduc- ed Rev. George William Douglass, $. T. | D., who delivered the annual address on Burns" He said in part: T must begin by deprecating your choice of speaker of the evening as have none of the Scotch dialect and cannot speak it as much as would like, but l fancy before I have finished this evening you will recognize some of the Scottish likes and dislikes in what have to say.
 "T.he poet Burns was indeed a mas ter of his kind. It is not my purpose here this evening to attempt any criti- cism of the poet, and I fancy that you wish me to give expression of the com mon admiration we feel for Burns. One point I desire to dwell upon is that his poetry is a true and natural expres- sion of the poets own life. In his poetry he spoke his own life right out. 1 Unlike most of the other poets of | his time, he was true to nature; they, on the other hand represented nothing of the natural, that which character izes all the best poetry.
 Burns power consists in saying what most men have thought, but could not express.
 "The thoughts which Burns puts into words in his poetry cling to and en- courage us. You do not merely under stand what he says, but you feel it. Burns did not express himself in long poems, but, in short. He is no epic poet; he is lyric to the core.
 True poetry does not merely inspire love of the beautiful In nature within, but it brings us into sympathy with those things which are above nature, and Burns possessed this higher quali- fication of a poet.
 l He does not simply induce in us a sympathy with nature, but he points the truths of nature out to us.
 Although the eating of too much Scotch oatmeal made him dyspeptic, and too much Scotch whiskey some- times got the better of him, yet he never lost the poetic vision but retained | it through all his failings. He may be said to be the poet not so much of nature, but of human nature, for after all 1t is not so much what man finds In nature as what he brings to it. and there is much nonsense in this talk of nature for itself.
 Some one has said that all Scotland was in Burns verse, but it would have been better to have said that all Scotct- men were in it. It is this quality of his verse which makes, him dear to us all and to all the world.
 Burns also adds the larger qualities i to his poems which gives us Knowledge of the spiritual life. You have but to mention God to your little child and he knows Him, but if you cease to do so he forgets Him. It is this that Burns does for us all.
 Burns in the highest sense of the word is manly and his poetry is manli- ness. It is not mere courage.
 Burns manliness was quite consist ent with long pauses of rest and recrea- ton and we love him the more for these traits of humanity. His manliness con- tinued in his periods of depression and 1 it's force is felt in all his poetry" l The concert was one of the finest of 1 Its kind ever given in this city The Scottish-American quartet in their rem dering of the Scottish poets songs were were simply par excellence, and had to respond to several encores Miss i Josephine MacPherson's rendering of Down the Burn Davie Lad" and the auld Scotch songs was very fine, and she was repeatedly encored. Miss Jes- sic H. Maltisons solo, "Ye Banks and Braes," was all that could be desired. and she, too, had to respond to well merited encore. MT. Walter Bruce's rendering of ''The Battle of Sterling and ''The Highlandman'S Toast fully