The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-26
ROBERT BURNS
l50th Anniversary of The Birth Of Scotland's
 Greatest Poet.

Greatest Poet.
 This year marks the one hundred
 md fftieth anniversary of the birth
 the most generally beloved of ali
 toets. for Robert Burns was born on
 January 20, 17o9. The lapse of time
 tas not in any way diminished the
 ustre of his genius but as year suc-
 eeds year the glow of his fame grows
 righter and the better his works are
 tnoWn and understood the more he is
 'ved and honored. Not only are his
 ,yn countrymen and women his ar-
 lent admirers but everyone who has
 eceived an English education has inn
 nbed part of Burns great spirit and
 hay 100 revere the memory of the
 Noughman bard. Not a year passes
 fut new clubs and societies are formed
 or the study of his works and to help
 ,erpetuate the memory of him who
 10 sweetly sang of love and so bravely
 dvocated in immortal verse the ma-
 Estv of manhood. His life has been
 criticised by many-SOme justly and
 incerely. some unjustly and superfi-
 ialiy-but few have criticised his
 works who have not learned to love
 hem. It is conceded that his poems
 Ire the most musical in the language.
 He Is pre-eminently the poet of nature Ind few. if any have approached him
 his simple yet touching descriptions
 If natures scenes objects and life.
 Close to the bosom of nature from his
 birth he imbued his works with the leart-beats of the common mother of IS all. There is the something in his
 3oems that reaches straight to the auma-l heart. The glitter and show of
 he world are forgotten in reading
 hem and it !s a poor heart that can- lot appreciate his flashes of humor tyAd Ixs fg7xy ! md ,pathos. Sincerity runs through i; very line and wisdom and truth shine ! through every completed poem He }tandS out strong and clear as the | bitter oppon snt of all sham. pretense, sant and aumbug. His shafts of humanity are recognised as classic by naSters of the art. But satirical hough he may be and strongly is when occasion demands he never degener- ltes into pessimistic cynicism. Even n his darkest moods he is hopeful with he same characteristic strength of purpose and principle which made him he man first and the poet after. Doubtful too he is at times but not lopelessly so. He has that at the very loot of his character "that makes Scotland beloved at home revered Abread' a faith in the Divine over light of human life. In his imperfect
  Enow but in his soul has to acknowl- tdge. There are those probably actu- bted by jeaiously pdompted by ignor- ince who may doubt the extent of Burns sustained popularity and cast lspersions and sliShts on his memory. { Then why one may ask is it that. in { llmOst every city of any importance i hase United States. during this week thousands of Gcotchmen are meeting o honor his memory? And not in the ities alone. but in small towns where 6 wo or three Scotchmen can gather to- - .ether there too is the immortal mem ry of the bard honored and the fire f his fame renewed. Not only so but Americans born with English. Irish nd Welsh admirers vie with his coun- rymen in paying tribute to the name f man almost as much their own or his popularity are many but to my hind the one outstanding reason is hat there is something in his works 7 everybody. You may admire his { oerns, and his songs. You may love Is epigrammatic satire I his wit and 4 un1or. You may idolize him as the hampton of sturdy manhood. as the laster poet of the Hover and his lass" nd so on all through the long list of Is themes. Is it classic poesy you re fond of where can you find any ling better than '"The Cottar's Satur- ( ay Night?" Of do you prefer wild Lnastic hunnor, a tale of witches and evils. surely you have it in Tam O, hanter?" Is 1t instruction and philo- j ,phy you are looking for. they are to ,und beautifully expressed in Man Z las Made to Mourn and ''The Epistle Young Friend" Do you want to arn of the sins and short comings . the idle rich of the poets day. then = eruse ''The Iva Dags?" Are you ,ubtful as to Burns attitude towards e ignoble rich. the pon1p and glitter mere human power then read my 4, iend tread mark and inwardly di- a, M ,st." "A Mans a Man for a That" T. Ut what need to go on. I give you e, i,, , jaundiced advice. If you read any ,,r m ing and everything he wrote you sa us III be amply repaid. He may be as 2. T. e has put 1t "a bright light in VI -rk lantern but love and knowledge e very surely illumining the lantern Q little children in American schools . being taught to know the words tn ade classic by the Ayrshire plough on m. You know as well as I do that A all his works should be destroyed fo 5 memory would be kept green alone lu
 that grandest song of friendship ou d fraternity "Auld Lang Syne" St opted as slogan or rallying hymn iel
 one of the greatest fraternaI or w nizatiOns in America,-the Elks. But = works can never be destroyed while gre lives true hearted scotchman. ey are indelibly printed in the hearts q minds of his countryman and this Ia the best memorial he could have Y shed. No need for anyone to at tl npt to say anything new of his M lgs. Libraries have been written Fl put them and all the world of Eng M I speaking people know and love # m. The sublimity of tenderness M hos love and loyalty has never been # re sweetly sung than by Robbie rms. Lovers sing them to their ses. old men croon them to their # d sweethearts. mothers hush their M ,ies to sleep with snatches of the H IT old love songs, and men in the H tie of life cheer their souls with a 8 ught of them. The man or woman N "Auld Scotland" or their descend VI s who does not find something in = ms to keep alive the love of mother ntry surely will never make a good zen of an alien country. And he
 she of any country, who, reading \ works, can find nothing to admire ely, but shows his or her own cross ,rarlce. He had no use for prigs
 srobs, aping a role they never \ "a bill. and perhaps it would be too ,I. +o oypacf these c1asSas fO ad-