The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-26
ANNIVERSARY OF
ROBERT BURNS.
Birth Occurred 0ne.fiuEdred and Thirty.
Nine Years Ago Yesterday
CELEBRATED BY SCRANTON SCOTS

CELEBRATED BY SCRANTON SCOTS
Scranton CaIedonian Club Members
and Their Wives and sweethearts
Banaueted and Made Merry and
Listened TO Speeches at the West-
minister Hotel Last Night--About
100 Persons were Present--Fami-
lar Airs Of Scotia were sung.
The sleet and snow had no percep-
tible effect on the bare knees of Scot
land last night-at least 1t did not
interfere in this city with the attend
ance or enjoyment of the celebration
of the one hundred and thirty-ninth
anniversary of the birth of Robert
Burns. The event was n banquet held
in the Westminster hotel where about
one hundred and thirty Scotsmen and
their wives or sweethearts. the former
members of the Scranton Caledonian
club gathered and did honor to the
memory of the immortal bard.
1t was $50 o'clock before the ban
ouet began. For over an hour preced-
ing the beginning of the feast there
was an informal period of greetingv vand
.haiid- shaking in the hotel parlors. The
attendance was SO much larger than
was anticipated that when the COM
Many filed into the dining room it was
)und necessary to arrange nearly thir-
extra covers. While the gathering
ltered the room and was seating it
elf familiar Scottish airs were being
played on the piano by Mrs. Walter
Evans. The banquet began with an
invocation by Rev. J. p. Moffatt, pas
tor of the Washburn Street Presbyter-
ian church.
The chief of the Caledonians, John
Macmillan, presided. The other Off
GERS, whose names follow, were pres
ent. First Cheftain James Lawson
Second Chieftain Robert Bushnell
(treasurer), Third Chieftain James T.
Drummond (secretarD, and Fourth
Chieftain James Beattie. The commit
tee who arranged the banquet were:
Chief Macmillan. Second Cheftain
Bushnell, Third Chioftain Drummond,
Hugh Jeffrey and Alexander Fife.
Despite the unexpected demands up
or the hotel service, an eXcellently pre-
pared menu was served under the di-
- r1ction Of Proprietor Mcbride, to the
eminent satisfaction of the large COM
pany.
THE VOCAL NUMBERS.
During the post-banquet period and
during the toasting. the songs There
Was Lad Was Born in Kyle" and
"Auld Lang Syne" were sung by the
company and the following individual
vocal numbers were rendered: "Of a
the Arts the Win Can Bla," James
90 A,,1 axt-
Swanston; MY Ain Kind Dearie o."
William Demster; Star Spangled
Panner," Lindsay Mcmillan; annie
Laurie" William Lyle; 1.-THE Loss of
Balochmili," James Richardson; "The
Tinker's Wedding" Robert Stewart
"Oer the MAR Amang the Heather"
William Den,ster: THE Battle of Stir
ling" Lindsay Mcmillan; Mary of
Argyle" Andrew Swanston.
The. toasts and responses were as
follows. Memory of Burns" Thomas
Russell: Scotland, the LAM Of Our
Birth" ex-Chief James Moir; Scot
tish Literature" John G.. MCAskie;
America. the Land of Our Adoption" "
Richard Little; The Scottish Pulpit"
Rev. John p. Moffatt; THE Scottish
Borders" cx-Chief w. Scott Collins;
Scottish Heroes" Thomas Wilson;
The LaSSleS, Inlfu Inlelldln james
j.. Drumnond.
The post-prardial part Of the even
ing began with a piano overture by
Mrs Evans, after which Chief Mac
MILAN requested the singing by the
company of "There was a Lad was
Born in Kyle No better selection
could have been made to put the gath
ering, speakers and listeners. in proper
bumor than the familiar refrain:
Robin was a rovn' boy,
Rantn', rovin', rantin', roVin';
Robin was a rovin' boy,
Rantin', rovin', rantin, roNin'.
The main spirit of the gathering was
expressed in the toast "The Immortal
Memory of Robert Burns" to which
Thomas Russell responded. He re-
marked that Americans possibly looked
upon Scotchmen as thoroughly bound
IN the tenets and memory of the mother
and, hut the former We're too kind
hearted to begrudge the Caledonians
that one night, though the latter had
no need of the Scotch dcacons prayer
30 Lord, gle us guE cOnceit o. our
sels."
A minister who went to preach in
the north of Scotland asked the beadle
II there We're many Christians in the
congregation. Inc DeaQle partly
vouched for himself and the grocer
but added: 81 haze my doots o. the
grocer" So the Scotchman's enthusi-
asm for all that is Scotch is apt to
make Americans think he is practically
saying that there are two great coun-
tries in the world, Scotland and Amer
lea, but that he has his "doots" about
America.
ENTERED A DENIAL.
Mr.. Russell denied that the industry
of Scotland was confined to the study
of theology, selling Of whiskey, chop-
ping of logic and spinning of rhymes.
1t was not great in area, but had large
ly contributed to the worlds advance
ment through the size and quality of
Scotch mind. A country that can boast
of Adam Smith Thomas Carlyle, Lord
Macauley. Sir Walter Scott, Hugh Mil
Ter, George Mcdonald, Norman Nc
Leod, Robert Louis Stevenson, Barrie,
Crockett, Ian MacLaren and the i'm
The germs of consump-
tion are everywhere.
There is no way but to