The record-union., 1899-04-20
ADJUSTMENTS.

| AT the Clunie Opera-house next Sat
| urday evening Ian Maclaren, the IA
nous Scotch author and eminent divine,
will lecture, his subject being Certain
Traits of Scottish Character" with
readings from Beside the Bonnie Briar
! Bush The announcement is probably
enough to secure a good audience not
withstanding the strong counter attrac-
ton for that evening. For Ian Mac
laren is to-day one of the most widely
read writer's of the time No clergy
man has ever won to him such a client
| age of readers, no matter how eminent
| in the pulpit. IN Great Britain the de-
! lightful, helpful, restfuI and pure toned
stories and life sketches of this author
are as household words. 1t is said, and
probably 1t istrue, that he received earlier
| recognition in America than in his own
land. For the American reading public
is wonderfully quick to findi out and ap-
prove an author of high merit, espe-
cially when mis- work comes in such
form as Rev. DR.. Watson presents his
| in dialect stories and sketches. His
| first book of modest little tales took re-
markably in America, and had an enor-
nous sale when it was just becoming
popular in England. His later works,
sketches, character pictures, essays and
criticisms, have been quite as well re-
ceived in this country Others have
been as successful in story writing in
descriptive and character sketching,
but few, if any, have equaled him, GER
tainly none have surpassed him, in ten
| der pathos and honely heartiness. Ian
Macaren touched the heart of hu-
manity when he came before the world
as an author, and SO it is to-day that
wherever the English language is
spoken his stories are known to reading
people He is one of those men who
possess the power of touching and
quickening the fountain of tears, says
one critic. while at the same time in
vesting his work with a quaint and
charming humor. Speaking on this sub
! ject the Riverside Press recently said
of DR.. Watson, as a lecturer, story teller
and reader:
He does not deal with great people
or great events; but his people-the
common, everyday people such as we
know, such as we feel ourselves to be
do brave and noble deeds, and as we
read of them we are inspired to lead
truer and better lives. We all remem-
| Der in Kate Carnegie how the country
| people who went up to town after the
great bank failure shamed the city
stockholders by their brave and rugged
| honesty; how Drumsheugh and DR.
MacLure found that all night struggle
with Saunders fever and finally
snatched victory from death itself, and
how MacLure crossed the raging flood
with Sir George that they might reach
Annie's bedside in time for the opera
| tion that was to save her life-and It is
indeed a very poor specimen of a man
who can read such things and not rise
up with new purpose in his heart to
be Drawer, and tenderer and truer DIR.
Watson's simple little stories are not
| in the same class as the great master
| pieces, but they do make men and wo-
men kinder and nobler, and because of
that they will have an enduring place
| in our literature
| Elsewhere prices for the entertain
ment of Saturday night are set forth
with the date of the opening of the seat
sale.