Evening star., 1902-01-27
IN POETRY AND SONG
ADMIRERS OF HBOBBYr BURNS PAR
GLOWING TRIBUTE TO HIS MEMORY.
The 143d Anniversary Of the Bard's
First Presbyterian Church.

First Presbyterian Church.
The citizens of the District of Columbia
paid respectful homage to Bobby Burns"
memory in poetry and song on the occasion
of the one hundred and forty-third anni-
versary OF the bard's birth. at the First
Presbyterian Church, ~ street between c
and D streets northwest, last Saturday
night. The celebration was held under the
auspices of the Jean Armour Burns Club
Of this city. The edifice was crowded with
the poets admirers.
Mr.. William r. Smith, superintendent Of
the Botanical Gardens, who is the president
Of the club, presided at the meeting. He
paid high tribute to the Scottish poet. Mr..
Smith said:
President Smiths Address.
After an interregnum of over twenty
years I find myself again occupying the
presidents chair of the Washington Burns
Club. The old familiar faces no longer
greet me: there are only n few left to tell
the tale Of our success in getting the
great meetings to listen to the words
spoken by those whom the nation delighted
to honor her highest positions. Our mar
tyred President GarfieId's great speech
has become a classic. Senator Frye, still
honored with supreme command" in the
gent audiences of the more than 400 that
drank in his words of wisdom. His speech
brings a premium at the book stalls, neces-
stating its being reprinted, which this
adding the essay Of Mr.. Andrew Carnegie
from that great and rare book '.Liber
Scriptorum" by special permission. Lord
Roseber VS. two great speeches. that Of
Ralph Waldo Emerson. and last but not
least, the address delivered in fremont
Temple by Mr.. George F. Hoar in March
1901. These speeches, essays and address
es are all calculated tOhelp people to think
Alright about Robert Burns.
why Club Changed Its Name.
This club. by changing its name to the
Jean Armour Burns Club" means to
honor the devoted. loving wife, the kind.
considerate mother Of his children, the
widow who honored his memory for thirty
eight years In a most acceptable manner.
Ladies being members of the club give a
refinement to its proceedings not easily at
tainable by any other inspiring agency.
To teach people to think Alright about
Burns is no easy task; it is time. we think,
to drop the everlasting twaddle about his
mistakes, let us look for, study, and try
to appreciate his grandeur In all it's yari-
ous aspects.
'Dea nStanley, one Of the truly great men
of the last century, in his lectures on the
Scottish church, says: Burns was the
prodigal son of the Church of Scotland,
I have already spoken Of THE Cotters
Saturday night" but this was not all. He
who could pen the keen sarcasms OF Holy
Willie's Prayer" and the address to the
"Unco Guid," which pierce through the
hollow cant and narrow pretensions OF
every church in christendom with sword
too trenchant but hardly too severe, showed
that he had not lived in vain In the at
mosphere Of the philosophic clergy and
laity Of the last century, whose kind and
genial spirit saved him from being driven
by the extravagant pretensions Of the pop
uar Scottish religion into absolute -unbe-
lief.
Burns q Part of scOtland's National
Life.
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie, in a speech in
Dumfries, October IA. 1890. says: Burns
has become part of the national life OF
Scotland and must endure as long. Scot
| land would not be Scotland, nor would her
sons be what they are, If he had not ap-
peared. Eliminate from US what that gen
| ius has Influenced, stimulated and nourtshed
within us from childhood up. in our indi-
vidual characters, and we cease to be
Scotch. It Is startling to think that we
must say Of one man that We cannot be
truly national unless there be within US
growth from the seed which he sowed; yet yet
1t is true, such the power of genius In its
highest development. For another reason
Burns occupies and will permanently hold
his unique position in other lands than his
own, IOE supreme GENIUS TuicS oScI LIZ
highest natures of all lands. It's touch
makes the whole world kim"
| AS long ago as 1874 Christopher North
| said: Burns Is among the highest order
! of human beings who have benefited their
race by the expression of noble sentiments
and glorious thoughts; has he not elevated
honest rusticity, 1ghtened the burden OF
care, aided to reconcile poverty to Its lot,
crown on the head Of an honest man tho
eer so poor and proclaimed him king o.
man for a that?"
When visiting Scotland. after many
years absence, had the good fortune to
| meet Mr.. Cradle Angus. the great Burns
| photographer and coilector-since passed to
! the unknown land. regretted by all who had
| the honor of his acquaintance. An extract
| he presented to me the 18th Of August,
| 1S99) will better describe the thorough
! Burns student he was than anything !
| could say about him: Whatever be the
| the fact remains that he is more electrical,
more up to date, more in the heart Of the
| English speaking people than any other
| poet. 1t Is not in the name of Shakespeare,
| Intellectually supreme though he be, OF
Milton. or Goldsmith. that English, irish
/ and Scotch pledge friendship to each other
| in foreign lands. No; on such occasions the
inspiration is Burns. and the alternatinE
] Syne." Racial and traditional differences
are forgotten when hand clasps hand and
| voice joins voice In rendering that most
magical of anthems. Aud Lang Syne.
| The works, in a word that have the largest
] circulation among white men, are the
| Psalms of David and the songs of Burns,
| the Sermon on the Mount and the "Cotter'e
Saturday Night" His great work to be
| published in future will be of immense
| value in teaching people to think Alright
| about the poet Burns.
| Former Gov. Knott of Kentucky, in q
| speech to the Washington Burns Club IN
| 1876, concluded with this: Mankind will
! never consent that Burns shall be monopo'
| lized by single nation. Humanity loves
| and claims him: vast as would be the
| chasm in the literature of his country, II
/ the glorious offspring of his genius was
stricken from 1t, vaster still would be the
| void in the universal heart Of man II the
] tho I1,,rp