The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-01-30
gram commenced at the Masonic

hall
A. ]. ELLIS presided at the meet
ing and first introduced T. II. Taylor,
president OF the club. Mr.. Taylor
was followed by DIR. Colladge, who
/ told briefly of his boyhood in Scot
land and his coming TO America
DIR. Colledge lived across the street
from Robert Louis Stevenson when
a boy and later knew James Bar
rie, John Drummond and Dan Ma
claren, the Scotch writer's.
/ Others who spoke briefly at the in
formal meeting we're Mrs. Kingsland
of Albert Lea. DIR. Howieson of
Menominee. Wis, Senator II. E. Hay
craft of Madelia, Mrs. Aitken OF
Sandstone, Mrs. Turner of Garden
City. Alex Russell of New Ulm and
George McRee of st. Paul.
Mrs. Barry Mllligan, of Mapleton.
Robert Morrow, Charley Ellis and
Mrs. Bisel OF iMapleton sang and
Charles Ware of Bingham Lake
sang an original song BE Happy
While You May"
Address Ey Or. w. A. coIIedge.
The princial address of the even
! ing Was given by DR.. w. A. Colledge
] OF Chicago and was one OF the
J finest addresses ever given before
! the Burns club. DrColledge speaks
with u Scotch accent which Is de-
! Iightfuf and Is a brilliant thinker.
His address was ON the general sub
ject of Robert Burns, but in intro
! ducing the man Burns he first dwelt
upon the racial characteristics and
history Of the Scotch.
The history of Scotland up TO
1850 is a mystery" DIR. Colledge said,
the bard was the only historian,
but his songs and tales were quite
authentic Until 1000 Scotland gave
little attention to the fine arts. and
no opportunities were given in that
direction until 1850. The Scotch
became wanderers, probably for that
reason. But with the advent of Alan
Ramsey came the awakening. Such
men as David Hume and Adam
Smith the historians, Boswell, the
biographer; James Thompson. the
poet, and Thomas Carlyle, the essay
list followed.
I'm novel writing also Scotland
has attained great things through
Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis
Stevenson. But the modern Scot
fish novclists overdruw the char
acteristic Scot and Ian Maclaren and
James Barrie come dangerously
near being ridiculous at times"
Humor of Scotch Race
In opening his discussion of the
humor of the Scotch race Dr. Col.
ledge gave specimens of the humor
or other races and also OF Scotch
humor. He said that the Scotch
are ashamed to laugh at the ordi.
nary pokes, they have Il grim, re-
served humor Their humor is. per.
fectly spontaneous and natural" he
declared. In showing the difference
between wit and humor DR.. Colledge
gave this definition wit Is artificial
humor is natural" and said that
while there was little wit I'm Scot
land there is much humor.
The religious spirit of the Scot
the speaker asserted" Is charming
in its simplicity. Nowhere is the vi
rility and. strength of the language
of the country shown as in its
philosophy. The Scotch lead all
nations as makers of proverbs.
THE Scots are also argumenta-
tive and of protesting nature.
Someone has said OF them, having
that characteristic in mind, ''If they
don't all go to Heaven they will
make IL mighty uncomfortable for
the devil"
in religion the Scotch agree on
the principles. but not on the de.
tails.
In pointing out the right path to
living no class of people takes a
higher place than the poets.
Robert Burns, prince of the
Scottish song writer's, was son of a
farmer who in some way lost MS
farm and took up his abode In the
village of Ayre. There Robert was
born on the twenty-iifth day of
January. !
Greatest Among Poets.
"No poet is SO difficult and deli.
cate to deal with as Burns. In spite
Of opposition he is of the greatest
among poets. He expressed his
thoughts I'm his own language and
raised II to higher standard. He
revived pride and sentiment by his
tuneful songs. and he wrote of
simple things.
The spirit of democracy which
was gradually working its way into
Europe found its first mouthpiece in
Robert Burns. Take for example
his poem, "A Mans a Man for a
That" Burns had the ability to en-
shrine things common i'm every day
life In immortal verse AS ex.
amples of that fact take his lode
to a Field Mouse and ITO
Daisy"
"But the food tide of Burns
power Is In his love songs. Other