Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-01-26


GRATED last night by the Scottish This
| tie Club in the Waverley Hall The
| place was crowded. The celebration
was one Of the most interesting that has
ever taken place in Honolulu and
everyone present was an enthusiast
Flags of Scotland, America. Ireland,
Great Britain and Hawaii decorated
the large hall.
Charles c. Cockburn, chief OF the
| Thistle Club, occupied the chair. After
O few remarks Chairman Cockburn
made arrangements to begin the official
program. With few exceptions the pro.
gram was carried out as had been pre-
viously arranged.
The opening address of the evening
by Robert Anderson was well delivered,
enthusiastically received and fitting
introduction to the splendid oratory
that followed. Attorney General Pet
| ers' response to the toast THE Presi.
| dent" was brief, patriotic and to tho
point. Frank Thompson in speaking to
the toast, THE Land We Live In,
struck responsive chord in the hearts
! Of his audience evidenced in wild cheers
and literal thunders Of applause. X.
W. Breckons, speaking for the Bar,
was very well received, and p. Il. Tosh
offered one of the best speeches Of the
evening in his response to "The Land
o. Burns"
The music of the program was, as
usual, one of the best features. An
| orchestra under the direction of Mr..
Stockton did excellent service. Every
solost was forced to respond to an en-.
| -,
make memorable the great Scottish an
nlversary.
Mr.. Anderson's address was a glow.
ing tribute to the great Scotchman. He
said in part:
It's rather hard, at this time OF day,
to say anything very new or original
about Robert Burns. For over a cen.
fury his birthday has been observed.
his memory honored his songs sung,
his poems recited. his life dissected, his
: forbears resurrected and every frag.
ment OF Burnsiana collected by his
multitude of fervent admirers. And
what, on this 25th of January, 1906, do
| we find to be the net result of all these
celebrations and discussions and re.
searches? Is II not that, as the years
| 30 by. his name Is more widely hon.
! 0red and his memory more deeply re.
| yered? Never has there been proph
ecy more amply fulfilled than that OF
Burns when he said to his faithful
wife: Jean, they'll think mair o. me
a hundred years after this!"
Il His songs have most emphatically
stood the test OF time and are, today,
by far the most popular OF any Scot.
fish songs-and the number OF Scot.
fish songs Is legion, for all Scotsmen
are poets--or think they are! II Is said
that, on the occasion OF the visit OF one
OF the well-known poets TO the COM
paratively small town of Paisley q
hope | am not wounding the feelings
of any "Paisla buddles" here tonight
when | call IL that-it isn't really SO
| big as Its reputation would lead one to
supposed, he was greeted with the re.
mark, Come ava, there's ABBOTT seev.
| enty mair o. us here!" II Is certainly
q fact that nearly all Paisley people
are poets and IL Is generally believed
lnat they all carry corkscrews. Wheth.
or or not there is any connection be.
/ tween these two characteristics | am
not prepared to decide.
| | have said that Burns songs are by
far the most popular OF any Scottish
songs. Why they are not invariably
sung at Scottish gatherings Is probably
because many OF the tunes TO which
they are set are rather hard TO sing
| properly and are unsuited TO masculine
voices. But what love songs are there
like Annie Laurie" Green Grow the
Rashes," MY Mamie o." THE Lass
o. Ballochmyle," Alton Water" "Ye
Banks and Braes!" John Anderson
Ny Jo," "Ae Fond KISS" 20 a the
Arts" MY Nannie's Ava" MY Love
Is Like a Red Red Rose" Comm
Through the Rye" 20! Vert Thou in
,he Cauld Blast?
Mr.. Andersons remarks were inter
esting as well as entertaining. In con,
Clusion he had the following to say:
There Is little time to consider the
Infinite variety of his genius along
other lines: his pawky songs like
whistle and III come to ye my lad,
Duncan Gray" whistle over the
lave oct, The deil's ava wi the eX
ciseman," "Sic wife as Willie had
and that peculiarly Scottish gem, The
weary pund o. tow; or his social and
domestic poems, like The Cottar's Sat
urday Night" Halloween" "The iva
Dogs and the Address to a Haggis.
His Tam o. Shanter" is simply the
bubbling over OF the spirit Of fun which
he possessed in so great a measure, and
his wife relates that, on the day he com.
posed ii, while he was recting II to
himself, he was so overcome with the
vision Of Tam's befuddled adventure
that she found him rolling on the grass
in a fit OF uncomfortable laughter.
And yet how solemn and mournful he
could become His Man was made ia
mourn Is rival to Gray's "Elegy,
and sufpasses 1t for sheer melancholy
while some of his dirges and tragic
fragments exhibit the very serious side
of his nature. He wrote Masonic
songs for his brethren of the craft, hi
wrote political skits, he wrote epitaphi
for his friends and epitaphs for his
enemies (and they weren't at all thC
same kind of epitaphsJ, he wrote tbs
Al 4. IL NJ f..