Norwich bulletin., 1914-01-23


 REV. G. ". CHRISTIE Scotland's flag pinned on every l breast, Scotland'S songs ringing in the air and the fame of Scotland and her immortal bard the theme for ringing speeches marked the fifth annual ban quet and entertainment here Thursday evening at the Wauregan house, eel ebrating the 155th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.
 The party of 200 began to gather about 8 o'clock att the hotel and as they circulated around the hall and lobby found the general committee there to decorate them with small Scottish flags. This gave a busy half hour for the general committee whose members were Archibald Mitchell, 4th, chairman: James Hollin, Alex. Sharp, Gavin Wilson. w. J. Honeyman and John Duff. The duties of the reception looked after by Archibald Mitchell, Sr.. John MacDougall, John Porteous and William Cruickshank
 At o'clock the signal for the ban quet was given, the Keppie Sisters from Boston playing their bagpipes at lIIG iltdU Ol lI4S lille lildI uldECnSu Into the banquet room. Woth Postmaster John MacDougall, the speakers were seated at the head table while the other tables were ranged down the room in four lines. On the wall behind the speakers place was a picture of Burns. draped in the American and English flags.
 When grace had been said by Rev. G. w Christie of South Coventry all were seated and the following menu discussed:
 Caller oo' Cocktail Sheep's Held Kali Fresh Fish frae the Forth Aberdeen Finnan Haddie Roastit Bubolyjocks. Stuffed | Champit TaWties Bashed Keeps | Paisley Celery au' ither ora Vegetables Hockey Porkey in slices Fancy Pastry
 Kebbucks, Green au' Nifty Ait Cakes in Paris
 Coffee Ginger Ale Robert Burns Cigars Cigarettes Midway of the well served banquet i the haggis was brought in, held aloft on a platter, by John Duff in plaids and preceded in the march around the 1 table by the Keppie sisters with their l bagpipes. The address to the haggis 1 was given with fervor by Gavin Will 1 son.
 Post Prandial Exercises. At 1915 Postmaster John Mac ! Dougau, whose acceptable services in 1 this capacity have given him an in- alienable claim upon this place for all | Burns banquets, rapped for order and opened this part of the programme with a few well chosen remarks as he 1 introducing the first speaker, Rev. 1 George W. Christie, of South Coventry, proposing the toast Robert Burns.
 Rev. G. w. Christie on Robert Burns.
 I'm glad to see ye a the nicht." 1 said Rev. MT Christie as he rose and | was given the greeting of applause for l his appropriate opening words. In elo- l quent phrase he responded to the toast, interrupted at times by applause, and 1 speaking in part as follows:
 It is with great pleasure I come be- fore you tonight and as a loyal Scot l to unite with you in celebrating the i birthright and honoring the memory
 of the greatest of Scotsnen. And this
 is not merely a gathering of Scotch
 men, for the fame of Robert Burns ex- | tends beyond kingdom or a race, and | it is rapidly widening. And as birds
 carry seeds and implant them in far off lands, so wherever a Scotchman
 roams or turns "he wraps within his
 Tartan plaid his Bible and his Burns
 Gatherings like this only help forge
 fresh lyric links of love between far 1 SCOIldf1u ana 1d1r AI1oFlcd, S1DEe. w ny
 is it that Burns birthday is so univer-
 sally celebrated? That countless pill
 grims from far and near visit his
 shrines, and he rules today in human
 hearts over a larger realm than poet ever did-and this over a hundred years since his death? He was a true 1 poet. Human experience and history
 teach us that the life here is one o1 constant struggle between good and evil on the part of every individual x The true value of poetry and of human
 example in the lives of great men are
 resident in the help we derive iron
 them for our personal solace and guid-
 ance. The poetry of Burns has giVer
 happiness to many hearts; his exam . 1 pie has been an inspiration as well a! , a warning, and will continue as such. ScotIand's First and Sweetest Singer ! He is Scotlands first and sweetes : singer. For though born in the aul( : clay higgin, reared amid severe toi
 and penury, and in d period the mos
 prosaic that Britan has yet seen Rob
 ert Burns WoVe into immortal verse the thoughts and scenes that are deal '" to the sons of Aud Scotia, and whic1 will live and be loved when 1etteret | pomp has vanished and the epiC'i stately rhymes have faded forever, Forget not. there is left us but nutilated fragment of what was il
 him, but broken glimpses of his genius
 which lacked culture, leisure and trui g effort as well as length of life to brns l it to completeness. He had scarcel! = any modelsl no instruction, no help. H, t owed nothing to circumstances, every t thing to himself. If ever a poet wa l born, not made, it was Robert Burns l His poetry was a revelation as well a a. revolution. He gave us music tha i had not enchanted the world since tn
 Elizabethan age.
 The teatray poets of that time mad
 men feel for the poor but as one wou1,
 feel for the joys and sorrows of an } other race. But Burns. in soulfu
 strains, told stories of the joys an,
 sorrows of the poor till the worl 8 laughed with him and said that thes
 men and women were not shadows
 but bone Of our bone and flesh of ou 2 flesh, Pope gives us the poetry o man; Wordsworth of nature; bu
 Burns gives us the poetry of man, na
 ture and passion,
 s Familiar With Nature. :, Like Shakespeare, Burns was famiI : l jar with nature in all her moods Hi characters are real. and the passio