Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-23
TRIBUTE TO BURNS
SCOTCH BARD EXTOLLED BY
SENATOR HoAR.
Rugged Stock Of Scotland Compared
With People of New England
Poet Hero.

Senator George F. Hoar Of Massachusetts
| delivered scholarly and exceptionally in
| teresting lecture last evening at All Souls
| Church, with Robert Burns as his subject.
| The lecture was for the benefit of the
| parish fund, and the auditorium of the
| church was filled with attentive au-
| dience. Senator Hoar spoke in the highe st
| terms not only of Burns himself but of all
| the Scottish people. He compared the Scots
| constantly with the people Of New Eng
| land. He spoke of their rugged characters
| and traits in common Throughout his dis
course he constantly reverted to this COM
| parison to bring out the more clearly the
| points he made.
| Senator Hoar characterized Robert Burns
| as the best known character in history or
| literature. No man, woman or child where
! the English language is spoken, he declar-
| ed, was unfamiliar with the poems of
| Burns. His fame circles the earth like a
| parallel of latitude, his words are known
| by heart to countless thousands. Wherever
Scottish people are to be found, and the
| senator said they were to be encountered
/ everywhere, the birthday of Burns is cele-
| brated. They meet as children meet on
the festal anniversary of the birth of some
| dear and intimate friend; they meet to
| talk over the greatness of their native
| poet.
Burns is the hero of the Scots heart.
Wherever he may be the mention Of that
| name will put a beat into his pulse no
| other thing do 1t is no slight thing to
| be the hero of a Scottish heart, for the
Scotch race has never had a superior.
Wherever you find a Scotch, at land or at
| sea, in the hurry Of business, at the fire
| side, on the battlefield; whether governing
| empires or great commercial institutions,
sometimes harder to govern than an en-
pre- you will find born leader of men.
Refers to Andrew Carnegie.
I'VE Yankees do not undervalue our
selves and we lay claim to character in
New England that is like the Scotch char
acter. The smile may be traced through
all the classes. And I want to say that
whatever either thinks as to the advisable
ity of living well and accommodating all that
he is honestly able to, the Scots have given
at least one notable example of a man who
thinks 1t a disgrace to die rich
rms reference to Andrew Carnegie elic-
tied loud applause. Mr.. Hoar next took up
the life of Burns in some detail. He said
he was the son of poor peasants and a ma
tive of bleak northern cline. He was
born in clay cottage, rooted with straw
which his father had built with his own
hands Just after he was born part of the
dwelling gave way in a storm and mother
and child were removed to the house of
nefghbor. Burns received a little teaching
from his father at night by the light of the
solitary cottage candle, and a little teach
ing at the parish school. But poverty sunk
his whole family below the level of even
the cheap school system. Burns was born
and bred in poverty in a sense in which
poverty has always been unknown in New
England. At thirteen years of age he
threshed in the barn and at fifteen was a
principal laborer on the farm.
"Wearied with the tolls of the day." con-
tinued Senator Hoar che sank in the even
ing into detection of spirits and dull head
aches and heartaches, the joint result of
anxiety, low diet and fatigue He saw his
father, broken by age and misfortunes ap-
preaching to that period when, to use the
words of the son, he escaped a prison only
by sinking into grave.
Love Made Him a Poet.
This kind of life-the cherries gloom of
a hermit, and the toll of a galley slave
brought him to his sixteenth year. when
love made him a poet His first love, it is
said, was his fellow reaper in the fields
He has given an immortality to all his
humble goddesses, such as no royal cham
pion ever gave to high-born beauty. His
Mary still looks down from heaven on all
lovers. The star that rose on the anniver-
sary of her death has received a new spen-
dor from his muse. No Italian sky no
Arcadian landscape ever smiled with a
CLEAN like that which his genius has spread
over the scene where the two young lovers
met to pass a single day.
walter Scott tells us that Burns looked
forward the great part Of his life to end
ing his days as a licensed beggar. Yet this
man brought to the world the best mes
Sc ge ever brought to the world since Beth
lehem, message OF hope and love and
reverence for God and man. Humanity the
world over walks more erect for what Rob-
ert Burns said and sang. The meanest
hover that grows has an added beauty and
an added fragrance because Of his songs.
The humblest task to which man can turn
his hands had an added dignity because of
him."
Mr. Hoar spoke O.. the peculiar fitness OF
certain. languages to convey certain mean
ings. No filter vehicle for the pathos, the
emotions, the tender sen iment and SYM
pathy. the wit and humor Of Burns could
POSSIBLY be found than the lowland Scotch.
The speaker declared that David might
have written his psalms. Solomon his
proverbs and Aesop his fables in lowlan5
Scotch and they could only have been the
better for 1t. He spoke of the value of
rhythm. and said Burns was a master of it.
Burns had remarkable gift Of humor
Mr.. Hoar told of an EIug,;shman VIII,
once declared it would take q surgical in
strument to get joke into the mead of
Scotchman. when a Frenchman near by re-
Piled Yes, an English joke!" Mr.. Hoar
said that with all due respects TO the En-
glish -humorists of all ages and with ali
Que respect to race from which he inma
uIately descended, he must say that if
Engllshman.
Figure of Glory and Joy.
friend" continued the senator. chat Rurns,
life was not gay life in any sense. God
gave him of His choicest gifts. He gave
him humor and a tender. plying heart, In
him there dwelt in close relationship the
fountain of laughter and the fountain of
tears. God gave him the love Of flowers, OF
birds. OF home. Of father, of mother. of
woman and child. and country Would any,
one dare to say that the poems which have
brought so much cheer to humanity through
say Burns was no figure of sorrow or de-.
SPAR, but one of glory and joy. God gave
him thousands of golden hours, each one an
age IN Itself what toll and hardships would
we go through today to think the thoughts
or Burns! He was noble lover and a
noble hater. the hatred being born of love.
He loved Scotland. he loved her flowers. he
loved the hills, he loved justice, liberty and
humanity. He hated the things that were
enemies Of these. He hated arrogance and