Iditarod pioneer., 1914-05-23
A BURNS CELEBRATION
 IN THE NORTHERN WIIDS

greater example of the far reaching fame of the Scottish poet has come to light than the story of his birthday in 1913 in far off Athabasca Landing The story is told by 1 A. j. Willetts, an inventor from Camden, N. j., who is stopping at the Frye anl who was party to the celebration in Athabasca in the winter of 1913, avs the Seattle Post i Intelligencer.
 The town is made up of few white men, mostly Scotch, Indians, half breeds and a colony of colorcd peopIe,' Mr. Willetts said, "1here is probably net wilder community anywhere on the American continent. There is an alleged railroad running in from Ed monton, and at that time there was one train week in there. The first thing l discovered when l got on the train at Ed monton was that heat was not one ol the luxuries provided. It was fifty four out side and triile colder in the train. Every body sat wrapped in their furs taking turns in the use of the little aisle to promenade and warm up. It is only 100 miles to ] Athabasca, but we were thirteen hourr in making the trip When alightcd from the train I was convinced that l was far rher north than any explorer had ever gone What d town. \ fey houses, two hotels hutS, Indians half breeds coIorcd men with feet wrapped in sacks and a few Scotch men and Frenchmen logged out in furs till they looked like great harry animals walking on two legs There was heat in but one room in the hotel I slept with al my clothes on, and when l awoke in the morning the entire room inside WAS GOV cred with an inch of heavy frost
 T broke the ice in the pitcher to wash and then hurried to the bar room t5" only one in the hotel where there was heat
 ''You're just in time," big >cotchman to whom I was introduced informed me. Tonight we celebrate Burns birthday and there's big time in store"
 "IIow any celebration coulj be stacsI in such surroundings puzzled me. but believe me, there was nothing missing. In one big room thirty or forty Scotch, French and scattering of other naIonaIitIes gath cred about a big table, Then on the frosty 4.r l heard the familiar sound O: the bag pipes comiag co~n thc street, and presently there march.l iu.o tha -3on a Sc2tchman who ru., have been q, least six fen, six inches tall. acl h2 wa< dressed in ui.s! In kills, .aiad you, "nd i, was easily 5o be low zero. When he entered tho room. the party rose and fell in hehind him 9s he marched around and around that table, 1 shrillng away on the baeaines. During the second r5und of the tail, another S2orch- man in kits bearing platter piled High with hagsis entered and soI2lanIy took step behind the bagpjper.
 When the march was over wc ell seated ourselves at thc table end fell to on the haggis The regular progress of the feast was two tabIcspoonfuIz of haggis and one tlmbIer Of clear Scotch whisky At that rate it was only short time till whatever crudties might have been noticeable at first lost form in a warm and rosy haze of joy and good fellowship. They drank toas,s to Bobby Burns, proposed by ScotchmeY who could not help but talk with the proper brogue and Frenchmen who could at least talk Scotch dialect as well as they could I talk English
 And the toasts of the Frenchmen were as enthusiastic and sincere as any of the others, believe me.
 Burns is near to being a religion in that lonely wilderness, settled, such as it is chiefly by Scotchmen whose only real link with their homeland is book of his poems. And they have taught him to the people with whom they came in contact until Burns and his works are familiar to In | diars, half and all the nondesciipt ritf-raff that so surely go into the compost ton of the far frontier wherever it may be-
 And then when we had sung Auld Lang Syne' and 'Comin' Thro' the Rye and other old Scotch songs until our throats were sore, an old Scotchman arose and began to recite Burns works. Say, that fellow had been in that wilderness for over twenty years, and in all that time he had never made but two trips out into civilization; he was wild looking savage and rough in his conversation, but how he could recite Burns. For three solid hours he recited and there wasn't an interruption in all that time. I have never heard Burns poetry recited with such effect. 1 thought at the time that if someone could just tame the old savage and put him on the vaudeville circuit in 8 somewhat abbreviated form, what a hit he would make"
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