presented to the LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO by FRIENDS OF 'HIE LIBRARY Dr. Allan D._Ros_enblatt donor THE XASMYTH BUST PORTRAIT OF BURN'S In the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh The World's Memorials OF Robert Burns ILLUSTRATED. 'A Poet peasant-born Who more of Fame's immortal dower Unto his country brings, Than all her kings." Collected and described BY EDWARD GOODWILLIE. THE WAVEELEY PUBLISHING COMPANY, DETROIT, MICHIGAN. 1911. Entered at Stationers' Hall, London. Copyright, in the United States. By Edward GoodwilMe. To The Immortal Memory Of ROBERT BURNS, The National Bard Of Scotland, An Apostle Of Freedom And Of The Universal Brotherhood Of Man, This Volume Is Dedicated. 'Who made the heart, 'tis He alone Decidedly can try us; He knows each chord its various tone, Each spring its various bias; Then at the balance let's be mute, We never can adjust it; What's done we partly may compute, But know not what's resisted" Burns. PREFACE. During the world-wide sesqui-centennial cele- brations of the birth of Robert Burns, I read with much interest of the beautiful statues of the poet which adorn many of the leading cities of the world, and it occurred to me that the time was ripe for a statue of the Scottish poet to be erected in Detroit the Beautiful. The municipal statuary of the City of the Straits has lagged far behind the city's growth, and many fine sites are available for an inspiring representation of the People's Bard. With the idea of ultimately raising enthusiasm for such a project, I began to seek for informa- tion throughout the world regarding existing statues and memorials of Burns. In places where one would expect to learn everything to be learned regarding Burns memorials, I found the well of information rather dry. On the other hand, from obscure corners of the globe, I learned Of statues and busts of the poet concerning which not one in one hundred of Burns' admirers had the faintest knowledge. Therefore the publication of a volume such as this seemed to me to be some- VI PREFACE what of a necessity, and at the solicitation of many leaders of the Burns cult throughout the world, I undertook the task of publishing this complete, illustrated account of the World's Memorials of the poet. The various statues and memorials have been described in the chronological order of their un- veiling or inauguration, and at the end have been given descriptions of the memorials to some of Burns' more famous heroines. In addition there have been added many appreciations of Burns by noted men and women of all countries, from the poet's time to the present. For nearly three years I have been in communi- cation with lovers of Burns in every quarter of the globe, and have made many unseen but appre- ciated friends. I desire to thank all who have contributed in any way to the success of this volume, especially the following enthusiastic lovers of the poet in all climes, who have aided me, not only with necessary information but with hearty encouragement : J. B. Morison, Esq., Greenock, Scotland; James Muir, Esq., Sydney, N. S. W.; James Dewar, Esq., Belfast, Ireland; Major R. S. Archer, V. D., Liverpool, England; Hon. Peter Kinnear, Albany, N. Y.; R. E. May, Esq., Bos- ton, Mass.; W. A. Barclay, M. D., Chicago, 111.; Y. C. Lawson, Esq., Berkeley, California; Walter Scott, Esq., New York City; Hon. Oswald S. Crockett, M. P., Fredericton, New Brunswick; Thos. C. Miller, Esq., Ballarat, Australia; John PREFACE VII M. Graham, Esq., Atlanta, Georgia; W. A. Din- widdie, Esq., Dumfries, Scotland; J. R. Fair- bairn, Esq., Dunedin, New Zealand; George H. Cockburn, Esq., M. A., Paisley, Scotland; Peter Menzies, Esq., Denver, Colorado; J. B. Ander- son, Esq., Adelaide, South Australia. I desire also to thank the proprietors of several copyright photographs used in illustrating the memorials, who have, in every case, through their love for the bard, granted permission for the repro- duction of the pictures. For several of the Trib- utes to Burns I am indebted to the articles in the "Burns Chronicle" by A. C. White, Esq., of the "Glasgow Herald" Library, and to the booklet by Wm. R. Smith, Esq., of the Botanic Gardens, Washington, D. C. This gathering of pictures and information has been a labor of love and a pleasant recreation. If the volume gives its readers one tithe of the pleasure which it has given its author, I will feel that my effort has not been in vain. EDWARD GOODWILLBE. Detroit, Michigan, September, 1911. CONTENTS SOME BURNS PORTRAITURE, consulted by the sculptors: Illustrated with half-tones of the original Nasmyth Butt and Full-length; the Skirving Bust; The Meeting of Burnt and Scott; and The Inauguration of Burns as Poet Laure- ate of Lodge Canongate Kilwinning No. 2 19 THE COTTAGE WHERE BURNS WAS BORN: Illustra- tions of The Cottage As It Wat and At It Is 26 THE ALLOW AY MONUMENT: Illustrated with half-tones of The Monument, The Butt, "Tarn o' Shanter and Souter Johnnie," and The Auld Brig o' Doon 30 EDINBURGH: The Flaxman Statue and Temple on Calton Hill: Both illustrated 36 GLASGOW'S "NATIONAL TRIBUTE": Illustrated 41 KILMARNOCK: The Burns Monument: Illustrated with half- tones of the Monument and Statue 44 NEW YORK: America's First Tribute To The Bard Of Scotia: Illustrated 47 DUNDEE: The Burns Statue: Illustrated 50 DUMFRIES: The Burns Statue: Illustrated 54 LONDON, ENGLAND: The Thames Embankment Statue: Illustrated 59 LONDON, ENGLAND: Th e Bust of Burns^n "Poets' Comer," Westminster Abbey: Illustrated 69 STIRLING: Burns' Bust in the Wallace Monuments Illus- trated 65 B ALL AR AT, VICTORIA: The Burns Statue: Illustrated.... 67 DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND: The Burns Statue: Illustrated 72 ALBANY, N. Y.: The Burns Statue: Illustrated with half- tones of Statue and Panels 76 AYR: The Burns Statue: Illustrated with half-tones of the Statue, Panels, and The Auld Brig o' Ayr 79 ABERDEEN: The Burns Statue: Illustrated 85 BELFAST, IRELAND: The Burns Statue in the Public Li- brary: Illustrated 87 ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA: The Burns Statue: Illustrated 89 IRVINE: The Burns Statue: Illustrated 92 PAISLEY: The Burns SUtue: Illustrated 95 MAUCHLINE: National Burns Memorial and Cottage Homes: Illustrated 98 CARLISLE, ENGLAND: Burns' Bust in the Public Library: Illustrated 101 LEITH: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated 104 BARRE, VERMONT: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated 107 FALL RIVER, MASS.: Burns' Bust in the Public Library: Illuttrated 110 TORONTO, ONTARIO: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated 113 MELBOURNE, VICTORIA: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated. 115 DENVER, COLORADO: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated 118 SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES: The Burns Statue: Illut- trated 121 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated with half-tones of the Statue and Panels 124 FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated 128 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The Burns Statue: Illut- trated 131 MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: The Burns Statue: Illuttrated 134 ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Replica of Burns' Cottage: Illut- trated 137 BOSTON, MASS. : The Burns Statue: Illuttrated 142 DUNOON: "Highland Mary's" Statue: Illuttrated 146 LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: "Highland Mary's" Statue: Illut- trated 149 GREENOCK: The Tomb of "Highland Mary": Illuttrated.. 151 MEMORIAL TO "CHLORIS," "The Lassie Wi' the Lint White Locks": Illuttrated 155 MEMORIAL TO "CLARINDA": Illuttrated 158 DUMFRIES: The House Where Burns Died and Mausoleum: Both Illuttrated 161 SOME OF THE WORLD'S TRIBUTES TO ROBERT BURNS 166 INTRODUCTION. To try to write something new about Robert Burns would be like trying to preach from a text on which a million sermons have already been preached. So much has been written about Burns, and so much has been said about him and will be said with the recurrence of every twenty-fifth of January that it is almost an impossibility for an ordinary individual of the present day to say or write anything about the great Immortal Bard, without laying himself open to a charge of plagiar- ism. And in a volume such as this, which has been published for the purpose of giving to the world, and thus preserving, a complete chronological, illus- trated record of the Monuments to the poet, gar- nered from every available quarter, the writer has not ventured to give his authority for every state- ment that has been made, nor for every phrase that has been coined anew Robert Burns is Scotland condensed into a per- sonality, and his genius has been recognized as has that of no other of his country's literary men. "Were proof needed," says Gebbie in his Philadel- phia edition of "Burns," "of the vitality of Burns' XII INTRODUCTION literary fame, it may be found in the record of the sale of his works, in the different editions of all sorts, shapes and sizes, which have been published since his death. Judged by this estimate of popu- larity, he rivals even John Bunyan, who has always been classed next to the Bible and Shakespeare; and in the number and importance of critiques and biographies he vies with Goethe, surpassing Byron, Scott, and all his contemporaries and successors; whereas for eulogy from the highest order of poets and literary and brainy men, universally, Burns stands, excepting Shakespeare, without a peer." If Burns had written no other song than that gem "A Man's a Man for a' That," he would still have been entitled to the homage of all real men. As the author of the recently published "Scotland's Work and Worth" says: "To-day no nobler watchword of humanity is demanded by its fore- most advocates than the inspiring vision, the glori- ous because credible prophecy: 'It's comin' yet for a' that That man to man the warld o'er Shall brithers be for a' that.' This prophecy on the unity of the race is founded on the thoroughly Scottish sentiment of the value of man as man, of the dignity of labour, whether physical, mental or moral, as compared with the tinsel show of privileged indolence. The scorn for the empty 'birkie ca'd a lord,' and for king-made dignities unbacked by merit, are becoming the qualities of men wherever thought has filtered down to the humbler classes, wherever the peasant has INTRODUCTION XIII learned to venerate himself as man. These lines contain the embodiment of practical Christianity, the essence of the altruistic theories of our noblest philosophers. They constitute the lyric of human- ity." The songs of Burns are indeed a joy forever, compared with the ephemeral rubbish that to-day emanates from the music halls. The object of the existence of Burns Clubs is the perpetual commemoration of the man and his works. In his native Scotland you will find Burns Clubs in every hamlet, village, town and city; and in every part of the world where the Scottish emi- grant has set his foot and his footprints are seen and welcomed in every corner of the globe you will find the fellow-countrymen of Burns drawn together by their affection and admiration for this humble, yet great, Poet of Humanity whose songs have imbued them with the principles of Truth, Justice and Liberty. The independent spirit which other nations acknowledge as characteristic of the Scots has been elevated in them by their hearing and reading the works of Burns. The devotion of Scotsmen to the genius and per- son of Burns has no parallel in the history of liter- ature, and to this innate love of the poet and respect for his name can be ascribed the Scottish desire to erect memorials to his Immortal Memory. By erecting a statue of Burns in their home city or in the city of their adoption, Scotsmen are enabled to give substantial expression to their admiration for XIV INTRODUCTION the matchless genius of the Scottish Bard, and to induce a wider study of his inspiring works. We wrote once and were not afraid of contradic- tion, that the natal day of no man, with the single exception of Our Saviour, was celebrated so far and wide, "o'er a' the airts the wind can blaw," as that of Robert Burns. Since gathering these rec- ords of his statues a.id other memorials, we will say that no man, of any nationality or time, is so widely honored by public statue or memorial as this Sweet Singer of Scotland, this Lover of Nature, this Apostle of Liberty, Robert Burns. Some people there are who say that there is no need for Burns memorials that his works are monument enough. This reminds us of the wealthy old lady in our native town who was called upon by a committee for a subscription for an organ for the parish church. On learning the object of their call she told them that "there was no melody like the human voice," and on that account, would not subscribe. There are some eccentric people in the world no doubt, whose principles would be knocked to ruins were they to subscribe to a Burns memo- rial. However, Scotsmen and lovers of Burns do not want to have the poet canonized. They do not want him to be turned down, Columbus-like, as unfit to occupy a pedestal in the vicinity of the recently halo-ed Joan of Arc. They want him to stand where he has always stood straight before mankind. They want his statue to ever inspire those that behold it with the sterling sentiments which ever inspired him who is its immortal subject. They want his statue to stand, not simply as a INTRODUCTION XV monument to perpetuate the memory of Robert Burns for his poetic genius has eternalized his name "but as a speaking symbol of those Chris- tian, humane, manly, patriotic and nature-loving instincts, which, given his own soul, he translated into inimitable, imperishable verse, to the inesti- mable enrichment of his fellow men." Naturally the poet's native land leads in memo- rials to his genius. All of the principal cities have statues of the bard in public places, and his native Ayrshire has, appropriately enough, kept in the van in honoring the memory of the "lad that was born in Kyle." Amongst contemplated memo- rials are a statue at Galashiels, in appreciation of Burns' song "Braw lads o' Gala Water," and a monument at Edinburgh to the memory of Dr. Blacklock, the great friend of the poet. In London, England, there is the fine statue by Steell on the Thames Embankment, and also the bust by the same sculptor which adorns Poets' Cor- ner in Westminster Abbey. Ireland has been busy extricating herself from the political tangle, but the loyalists of Ulster have kept abreast with the times by placing a statue of the Scottish poet in the Public Library of Belfast. On the continent of Europe it is perhaps natural that we find no public memorial to Burns. It would be as much of an absurdity to look for a statue of Burns in the squares of Madrid or Vienna as it would be to look for a heroic figure of Tschaikow- sky or Liszt in the market places of Aberdeen or Inverness. The works of Burns, however, have been printed in all the leading European languages. XVI INTRODUCTION Quite recently a tourist picked up in a second-hand shop in Rome a copy of "Burns," in German, pub- lished in Leipzig in 1840. In the New World, in addition to the replica of Burns' Cottage recently opened at Atlanta, Georgia, there are no less than ten statues to the memory of Burns eight in the United States and two in Canada while several cities, notably Mon- treal, Philadelphia, Winnipeg and Halifax, will soon do homage to the poet's genius by erecting worthy bronzes to his memory. Lately a movement has been started to erect a statue of Burns' "Bon- nie Jean" at Washington, D. C. The name of Burns is a household word in North America. From New Brunswick to California his statues are now dotted over Canada and the States. Here the people love and respect his memory, for he stands for that spirit of manly independence which is the very breath of life in their nostrils. The great Commonwealth of Australia can boast of a Burns statue in each of its leading divisions statues which not only honor the poet but are a credit to the great cities of the Southern Seas, while New Zealand, a leader in all popular move- ments, has at Dunedin, not only an elegant statue of the poet, but also a monument to the poet's nephew, Rev. Dr. Thomas Burns, a pioneer of the colony and a minister of eminent renown, who died in 1871. In throwing our searchlight around the world in quest of Burns memorials, the only place in which we were disappointed was South Africa, where so many Scotsmen have won glory and death. Wars THE SKIRVING BUST PORTRAIT OF BURNS In the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh INTRODUCTION XVII and rumors of wars have kept that country in an unsettled state, but doubtless in the near future, in the new United States of South Africa, destined in the coming years to enjoy the fullest meed of prosperity, we shall find memorials of Burns and what he stood for. Who could be more honored by Briton and Boer than Burns? The beautiful lyrics of the Peasant Poet will do more to cement to- gether these free and liberty-loving peoples, than all the talk of the politicians for generations. To recognized art critics belongs the right to criti- cize the art in Burns or any other statues. In our opinion some of the statues of Burns are open to criticism as lacking that individuality which has been ascribed to the poet, and which the people look for. On the other hand, some of the best statues of Burns have been criticized by self-appointed critics not only too harshly, but in a manner that would tend to show vindictiveness. Such criticisms we have despised. The statues of Burns through- out the world may not satisfy the fastidious in art, but they are the outward evidence of the admiration of millions for the works of the man. The monu- ments as a whole, offer not only a feast of art but a treasure of wisdom that will "point a moral and adorn a tale" for future generations. As someone has well said: Scotland owes much to her songsters. Their praise of her romantic scenery and their chronicles of her struggles for civil and religious liberty have had more effect, and will be better remembered, than the prosy records of the historians. Burns gave the keynote to the many sweet signers who came after him. The XVIII INTRODUCTION notes he struck were true, and are still resounding throughout the world. He had a message to humanity, but what a lustre he has shed on his native land! Millions who never saw Scotland think kindly of it because it is the birthplace of Burns, who sang of it and loved it. He has em- balmed in undying song the flowers of the field and the birds of the air, but his name will be handed down to all posterity as that of a leading apostle of the Universal Brotherhood of Man. "A Nation's glory! Be the rest Forgot she's canonized his mind: And it is joy to speak the best We can, of human kind." THE NASMYTH FULL-LENGTH PORTRAIT OF BURNS In the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh OF ROBERT BURNS 19 "Oh! for the touch of a vanished hand, The sound of a voice that is still/' Tennyson. Any introduction to the World's Statues and Memorials of Burns would be incomplete without a reference to one or two of his portraits which have been largely called upon by the sculptors as regards the facial features and expression of the poet. One is almost tempted to say that there is but one portrait of Burns the Nasmyth. From the popular viewpoint there is but one, and any person, be he art-critic or Burns connoisseur, would have a difficult task indeed, were he to attempt to change the opinion of the great majority of the people as to Burns' features. There are two good and distinct reasons why the name of Alexander Nasmyth, known as the "father of Landscape Painting in Scotland," shall go down to posterity. The first is that he executed the bust- 20 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS portrait of Burns which has been accepted by the world at large as the Burns. The second is that his son, James Nasmyth, invented the great labor- saving device known as the Nasmyth Steam Ham- mer. The elder Nasmyth and Burns were great cronies during the latter 's brief sojourn in Edinburgh, and many a "nicht wi' Burns" did the landscape painter pass. In one of their many rambles about Edin- burgh, they found their way early one morning to Roslin Castle. While the poet was enraptured with the beauties of the famous ruin, the artist made a rough sketch of the outline of his face, which, it has been said, he used when painting the full-length portrait now hanging in the Scottish National Por- trait Gallery, Edinburgh. Here also hangs the original bust-portrait by Nasmyth, the best realiza- tion and the universally accepted likeness of the National Bard of Scotland, bequeathed to the nation by Colonel William Nicol Burns, last sur- viving son of the poet. Nasmyth executed two copies of his original bust of Burns; one for George Thomson, the poet's friend and publisher, whicK was later touched up by Sir Henry Raeburn and is now in the National Portrait Gallery, London; and another for Mr. Elias Cathcart of Auchendrane, Ayrshire, which remained in the possession of that family until acquired some years ago by Lord Rosebery. Burns' brother Gilbert wrote of the Nasmyth portrait: "Nasmyth's picture is certainly a very good likeness of the poet." Sir Walter Scott, who OF ROBERT BURNS 91 has told us how Burns' eyes literally glowed when he spoke with feeling or interest "the most glori- ous eyes I ever saw" are his words wrote of this picture: "His features are represented in Mr. Nasmyth's picture; but to me it conveys the idea that they are diminished, as if seen in perspective: I think his countenance was moTe massive." Lockhart, one of the best authorities, said that the surviving friends of Burns who had seen the Nasmyth portrait, pronounced it to be a very lively representation of the bard "His well-raised fore- head, shaded with black curling hair, indicated extensive capacity. His eyes were large, dark, full of ardor and intelligence. His face was well- formed, and his countenance interesting and expres- sive." The late Mr. D. W. Stevenson, R. S. A., in his authoritative article on "The Portraits of Burns," has well said : "The manly forehead, the stamp of individual character in every feature, the mobile mouth, the eloquent eye, and the general look of engaging frankness, are all here." As a matter of fact, despite" the efforts of num- erous ardent critics to split a hair on the subject, the Scottish nation is proud to possess this first and original portrait of its National Bard, which has been accepted as, and undoubtedly will remain, the true Burns. The only other portrait which seems to have been consulted by the sculptors to any considerable extent, is that by Archibald Skirving. This por- trait was done in crayon on a gray-tinted paper, THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS and was regarded by Burns' friends as a character- istic likeness, representing the poet in a more thoughtful mood. There has been much difference of opinion as to whether Burns and Skirving ever met, and even if they did meet, it is now admitted that Burns did not formally sit to Skirving, but that the latter carefully copied and tried to improve upon the Nasmyth bust, extending it to life-size. As one writer says: "Skirving gives us quite another phase of the poet's character; the counten- ance is overshadowed by a not unpleasing sadness, not unlikely conjured up by memories of the past or fears for the future the mood of his fine song "The Gloomy Night is Gathering Fast." The original of the Skirving drawing was, until his death recently, in the possession of Sir Theodore Martin. In August, 1910, it was purchased by the trustees of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which now holds a singularly complete group of the authentic portraits of Burns. The portrait by Taylor is of interest inasmuch as Burns gave the young artist sittings for it. It, however, is the work of an inexperienced youth devoid of expression and insipid in the extreme. It is an interesting and no doubt a valuable relic. The remaining portraits and silhouettes of Burns, by Reid, Miers, et al., need not be discussed here. They are all rare curiosities, each with its coterie of admirers. The public's ideal of Burns is not born of "vagrant fancy," as has been alleged. Their con- ception of the great Bard is that which Nasmyth OF ROBERT BURNS 23 has bequeathed to them, and from all indications, that conception, mellowed with age, is to remain the Ideal Burns. Though really outside the scope of this volume as originally intended, we may here notice two cele- brated paintings illustrative of historic incidents in the life of Burns. The first of these is "The Meeting of Burns and Scott" by Charles Martin Hardie, R. S. A. In the winter of 1786-87, Scott, then a lad of fifteen, met Burns at Professor Adam Ferguson's. Sir Walter's description of this meeting is cer- tainly interesting: "The only thing I remember which was remarkable in Burns' manner, was the effect produced upon him by a print of Bun- bury's, representing a soldier lying dead on the snow, his dog sitting in misery on one side ; on the other his widow with a child in her arms. Burns seemed much affected by the print : he actually shed tears. He asked whose the lines were, and it chanced that nobody but myself remembered that they occur in a half -forgotten poem of Langhorne's, called by the unpromising name of 'The Justice of the Peace.' I whispered my information to a friend, who mentioned it to Burns, who rewarded me with a look and a word, which, though of mere civility, I then received with very great pleasure. His person was strong and robust; his manner rustic, not clownish; a sort of dignified plainness and simplicity." The artist has faithfully depicted the scene as related by Sir Walter Scott. The other notable painting is "The Inauguration THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS of Robert Burns as Poet Laureate of the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning No. 2, Edinburgh, March, 1787," presented to the Grand Lodge of Scotland, in 1862, by James Burnes, F. R. S. This canvas by Stewart Watson, hangs in the Freemasons* Hall, Edinburgh, and is exceptionally valuable as a gallery of authentic portraits of the poet's friends and Edinburgh notabilities of the period. Among these may be mentioned the Earl of Glencairn, Lord Monboddo, Dugald Stewart, William Creech and Alexander Nasmyth. The gathering includes a dozen men of title. Burns was an enthusiastic Freemason, as the rec- ords of his mother lodge, St. James's, Tarbolton, show. His "Farewell to the Brethren of St. James's," written before his intended departure to the West Indies, indicates how deeply he felt at severing the filial ties: "Adieu! A heart- warm, fond adieu I Dear brothers of the mystic tie! Ye favoured, ye enlightened few, Companions of my social joy. ***** May Freedom, Harmony and Love, Unite you in the grand design, Beneath the Omniscient Eye above, The Glorious Architect divine! That you may keep th' unerring line, Still rising by the plummet's law, Till order bright completely shine Shall be my prayer when far awa'." OF ROBERT BURNS 95 While visiting the Canongate Kilwinning at Edinburgh one night in March, 1787, Burns was taken completely by surprise, according to the best authorities, by being created Poet Laureate of the lodge. Little did the brethren then think that their ceremony on that evening was to inspire in the artist a picture which has become revered by the "brothers of the mystic tie" everywhere under the canopy of heaven. Both of these celebrated pictures are veritable vade mecums of Burns portraiture, and conse- quently are much prized by lovers of the peasant- poet. "But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flower, its bloom is shed; Or like the snowfall in the river, A moment white then melts forever; Or like the borealis race, That flit ere you can point their place; Or like the rainbow's lovely form, Evanishing amid the storm." Burns, 86 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS THE COTTAGE WHERE BURNS WAS BORN. The humble birth-place of Burns is probably his best known memorial. His genius has made not only Ayr but the whole district around it his monu- ment. It is little to be wondered at therefore that of all places of pilgrimage in Scotland and Old Scotia abounds with them this district remains, the most attractive shrine. Two miles southward from Ayr, on the May- bole road, is the village of Alloway, world-famous as the birth-place of the great Poet of Scotland. It can scarcely be called a village, though it boasts a church, a school and a postoffice, for it contains but a dozen houses; but then one of them is THE COTTAGE which has been immortalized in song and story. Everyone has read of the "Auld Clay Biggin* ' in which on the 25th day of January, 1759, Scotia's bard first saw the light. We have all read how, when the child was born, the old gipsy woman took him in her arms and uttered over him the prophecy recorded by the poet himself: OF ROBERT BURNS 37 "He'll hae misfortunes great and sma', But aye a heart abune them a' He'll be a credit 'till us a', We'll a' be prood o' Robin." iNever was a prophecy more fully realized. His name and fame have permeated to the uttermost corners of the globe, and now, more than one hun- dred and fifty years after his birth, all nations do homage to the glorious genius of the Ayrshire ploughman-poet. The interior of the cottage remains almost as it was at the time of the poet's birth, even to the fur- nishings and bed; and the museum attached to it is full of interesting and priceless Burns relics. Tens of thousands of visitors annually enter the sacred precincts, and many an unbidden tear trick- les down the cheek of old and young, of rich and poor, when they look upon the humble birth-place and recall the earthly struggles of the poet and his untimely death. A writer in December, 1908, "Scribner," says: "I was told by the keeper of the Burns Monument at the Brig o' Doon that more than ten thousand pilgrims had visited that shrine, and also the birth- place hard by, in one week last summer. At that rate a large part of the world needs no description of the cottage where the poet was born. Neither the Shakespeare house at Stratford, nor the Goethe house at Frankfurt, plays so affectingly on one's emotions. This is a far humbler birthplace a closet in a kitchen and the great son of that little house died a cottager as he began. There was no 89 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS New Place and no Weimar Mansion in store for him. The sympathetic tears sprang as naturally there, I think, as in any other of earth's memorable spots, and it swells on a flood of pride pride that a man, and a very poor man, could be so great. I thought scorn of the ostentatiously rich family whom I met descending from a motor car at the door. Very likely they shed tears in the cottage themselves, and felt scorn for nobody. Burns is the poor man's poet His fame is, in so far, more general than Shakespeare's." The humble cot so pathetically described in the following verses by Robert G. Ingersoll, becomes more and more of a shrine as the years roll by; and this one fact alone speaks silently, yet elo- quently, of the intense love which his poems have engendered in the human race: "Though Scotland boasts a thousand names Of patriot, king, and peer, The noblest, grandest of them all Was loved and cradled here. Here lived the gentle peasant prince, The loving cottar-king, Compared with whom the greatest lord Is but a titled thing. 'Tis but a cot roofed in with straw, A hovel made of clay; One door shuts out the snow and storm, One window greets the day; And yet I stand within this room THE BURNS MONUMENT AT ALLOW AY OF ROBERT BURNS And hold all thrones in scorn, For here, beneath this lowly thatch, Love's sweetest bard was born. Within this hallowed hut I feel Like one who clasps a shrine, When the glad lips, at last, have touched The something deemed divine. And here the world through all the years, As long as day returns, The tribute of its love and tears Will pay to ROBERT BURNS." "John Anderson, my jo, John, We clamb the hill thegither; And mony a canty day, John, We've had wi' ane anither: Now we maun totter doon, John, But hand in hand we'll go; And sleep thegither at the foot, John Anderson, my jo." Burns. SO THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS THE ALLOW AY MONUMENT. The noble Monument to the memory of Burns at his birthplace, Alloway, on the banks of his beloved Doon, was the first public monument erected to the poet's memory, excepting the Mau- soleum in St. Michael's churchyard, Dumfries, which is noted later. An article on the "Posthumous History of Burns" in the first issue of the "Burns Chronicle," 1892, by the editor, Mr. John Muir, gives the fol- lowing interesting description of the inception of the monument and of the completed structure: "The Cenotaph which rears its graceful propor- tions on the 'Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon,' beautifying as far as Art can, the garden of Burns' fame, owes its creation to Alexander Boswell, Esquire of Auchinleck, afterwards Baronet, and is a grand trophy of his love and indefatigable zeal to do honor to the memory of Burns. To the invi- tation issued for the preliminary meeting in the county town (Ayr), the only response was the Reverend Hamilton Paul. These two constituted the assembly. Mr. Boswell took the chair, and his solitary auditor was appointed secretary. The Patric Park Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd., Dundee THE BUST OF BURNS IN THE ALLOW AY MONUMENT OF ROBERT BURNS SI business was conducted according to the iiiual mode of procedure, resolutions were proposed and sec- onded, 'that it was desirable to perpetuate the memory of the Bard in some tangible form, etc., etc./ which, of course, were accepted nem. con., and a vote of thanks passed to the chairman by the improvised secretary. A minute was drawn up, signed officially by the two enthusiasts, and adver- tised in all the local and leading newspapers. Pub- licity at once wafted the enterprise into popular favor. Committees were appointed, and subscrip- tions flowed in till the fund reached an aggregate of three thousand three hundred pounds. The site selected for the monument is in Allo- way Croft, on one side of the river Doon, and forms one of the corners of a right angle with the Auld and New Brigs which span the classic stream, and which stand apart from each other only about a hundred paces. The public road passes close by it, and on the opposite side of the road stands Allo- way Kirk. The cottage in which the poet was born is seen in the distance. The building consists of a three sided rustic basement supporting a circular peristyle of the Corinthian Order, surmounted by a cupola, the decorations of which are of a peculiar character, and in direct accordance with the purest specimens of Grecian Art. The substructure is very massive and forms an appropriate basement, the monument being so placed that each side is directly opposite one of the three divisions of Ayrshire Carrick, Cunninghame and Kyle. The interior of the base- ment affords a circular chamber upwards of 18 89 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS feet in diameter and 16 feet high, which forms a Museum for Burns relics. Opposite the entrance is a large semi-circular recess supported by col- umns of the Grecian Doric Order, the entablature of which is continued round the whole apartment. A staircase entering from the interior leads to a gallery above, which commands an extensive pros- pect of varied landscape. The superstructure is composed of nine columns, corresponding to the number of the muses, and the frieze of their entab- lature is richly decorated with chaplets of laurel. The design of the Column is from the temple of Jupiter Stater in the Campo Vaccini at Rome, which is by far the finest example of the Order extant. The foundation stone of the monument was laid on the 25th January, 1820, by Alexander Bos- well, Esquire of Auchinleck, supported by all the masonic lodges in the province, and surrounded by a vast concourse of spectators, after which he delivered an eloquent address. An inscription on the tripod of the Monument dated 4th July, 1823, completes its history." The designer of the Monument was Thomas Hamilton, the noted Edinburgh architect, who also later designed the Burns Monument on the Calton Hill of his native city. It is also worthy of note that the Sir Alexander Boswell who inaugurated the idea of the Alloway Monument was the eldest son of James Boswell, celebrated as the biographer of Johnson. He was created a baronet in 1821 for a loyal song on George IV. He died at Balmuto, Fife, 27th March, 1822, of a wound received the X 8 Q b q OF ROBERT BURNS 33 previous day in a duel with James Stuart of Dun- earn, who had challenged him as the author of some anonymous political pasquinades. This duel was the last to be fought on Scottish soil. Rev. Hamilton Paul, Boswell's coadjutor in the rearing of the first monument to Burns, was a poet, preacher and humorist of renown, but he will be best remembered for his enthusiasm as an admirer of Burns and biographer of the poet. And in the years to come, lovers of the national bard will respect his memory more and more for his great service in saving the fine old Brig o' Doon from destruction. In a day when Burns had scarcely come into his own, Hamilton Paul, by a vigorous poetic appeal, "The Petition of the Auld Brig o* Doon," stirred the Scottish people to action and saved this historic relic which had actually been sold as a quarry to a contractor. By averting this act of sacrilege, Hamilton Paul surely made him- self entitled to a high place in the roll of honor in Burnsiana. Within the Monument there is a marble bust of Burns, on a granite pedestal, placed there in 1847. The following extract from the Minute Book of the trustees of the Monument is both interesting and explanatory: "There was presented to the Monument a Bust of Burns by Patric Park, Esquire, Sculptor, Lon- don, in terms of the following letter: Ayr, Septr. 7th, 1845. Sir, Having last year during the Festival in honour of Burns remarked the want of a Bust of 34 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS the Poet in the beautiful Mont, on the banks of Doon, I professed to several friends Mr. Millar, Mr. Bone, Mr. Gray, and Mr. Auld, that I would execute a Bust in Marble to be presented to the Monument, if the Committee would do me the hon- our of accepting my tribute to the Memory of Burns, or consider it worthy of being placed in that shrine the patriotism and good taste of the Men of Ayrshire have erected to commemorate their illustrious Countryman. The Bust I have been able to complete and I have now so far got it out of my hands by having seen it placed in the Assembly Rooms for public inspection and I can only hope that it will give that satisfaction to the Countrymen and Admirers of Burns which it has been my earnest endeavour to afford them. I am, Sir, Your very obed. servt., (Signed) PATRIC PAEK. J. D. BOSWELL, ESQ. Which Bust has accordingly been placed in the Monument upon a pedestal of Aberdeen Granite." There is no inscription on the pedestal. The bust was no doubt the sculptor's ideal Burns, but it has been much criticized on account of its being too fine and devoid of those natural features which are characteristic of the popular conception of the poet. Amongst the interesting relics in the Monument is the priceless bible presented by Burns to "High- land Mary," while within the neatly kept grounds surrounding the Monument is a little house in D X o CO Q X OF ROBERT BURNS which are picturesque effigies of "Tarn o' Shanter" and "Souter Johnnie," sculptured in freestone by an untrained sculptor, Thorn of Tarbolton. The crude statues are much admired by the thousands who annually visit this historic ground and feast on the beautiful surroundings. Thorn, who was a stone mason to trade, attained fame at a single stride by this group from "Tarn o* Shanter." Orders poured in upon him and he removed to London and later to New York, where, in 1850, he died of the "white plague" when at the height of bis fame. "Oft hae I roved by bonnie Doon, To see the rose and woodbine twine; And ilka bird sang o' its love And fondly sae did I o' mine, Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose, Fu' sweet upon its thorny tree; And my false lover stole the rose, But, ah ! he left the thorn wi' me." * Burns. 86 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS EDINBURGH. THE FLAXMAN STATUE AND THE TEMPLE ON CALTON HILL. "Edina! Scotia's darling seat! All hail thy palaces and towers!" Burns. It is worthy of note that the movement for the erection of a National Monument in Edinburgh to the memory of Burns originated in the East Indies, at Bombay. To Mr. John Forbes Mitchell, who started a subscription for that object in 1812, belongs the honor of launching the idea. It was not, however, until the spring of 1819 that the proposal took practical shape in Britain, and this was at a meeting of noblemen and gentlemen, admirers of the poet, held in the Free Masons' Tavern, London, under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, the Duke of Atholl being in the chair. The whole movement seems to have been confined to the "classes" as opposed to the "masses." The original intention was to erect a colossal bronze statue of the poet in some conspicuous site in the Scottish Capital, but like some more of the Scot- John Flaxman, R. A. Photo by Alex. Inglis, Edinburgh^ THE BURNS STATUE In the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh OF RuBERT BURNS 87 tish Capital's colossal schemes, it dwindled. Sub- scriptions came in slowly, but eventually in July, 1824, John Flaxman, R. A., the first British sculp- tor of his day, was commissioned to execute a life- size marble statue of Burns. The distinguished sculptor did not live to complete the work, but left it unfinished at his death in December, 1826. It was in course of time finished by his brother-in-law and pupil, Mr. Denman. Flaxman worked in a classic vein sculpture in his day had to be classic and on this account his representation of Burns has been subjected to much criticism. The statue is certainly after Nasmyth. The poet is represented standing in front of a short tree trunk. His hands cross in front, the right holding a bunch of daisies, and the left a roll of papers. A plaid is wrapped around the body and falls from his left shoulder. He wears knee-breeches and low shoes. A broad bonnet with a thistle in it lies at his feet to the left, beside a ploughshare. In front, on the plinth, in incised letters, is the following inscrip- tion: "ROBERT BURNS, Born near Ayr, 25th. Jan. 1759. Died at Dumfries, 21st. July, 1796." The square pedestal on which the statue stands has in front a fine piece of sculpture in bas relief f representing the Muse crowning Burns, who is seated. In "The Art Journal" for August, 1897, Mr. Edward Pinnington, an art critic and a prolific writer on Burnsian matters, has an interesting illus- 38 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS trated article on the Art in the then existing Burns statues. Concerning the Edinburgh statue he says : "The Flaxman marble is a fair example of the sculptor's mastery of technique. The chiselling is superb. In certain passages a desire may arise for finer discrimination, a more sensitive appreciation of the subtleties of texture, but as a whole the statue is the product of a highly accomplished sculptor who found a keen delight in the practice of his art. The plaid is arranged in shepherd fashion, its dis- posal being skillfully devised to break the lines of the under folds." When the Flaxman statue was completed the committee in charge of the Burns Memorial, find- ing a large surplus in hand, resolved to erect a mon- umental structure for its reception. Hence origi- nated the Grecian Temple to Burns on the Calton Hill. The Monument is a Corinthian cyclostyle of twelve columns with a cupola on which are winged griffins supporting a tripod, designed by Mr. Thomas Hamilton, of Alloway Monument fame. The stone was taken from the famous Binnie quarry. There was no ceremony at the laying of the foun- dation stone of the Monument. The following extract from the "Scotsman" of September 7th, 1831, explains the state of affairs: "A report was in circulation this morning that the sanction of the magistrates had been obtained for a procession at the laying of the foundation stone of the Burns Monument tomorrow. We are enabled to state that this is not the fact. . . . We are told that the intended procession here was stopped, not by THE BURN'S MONUMENT, Gallon Hill, Edinburgh OF ROBERT BURNS the Lord Provost or his successor-elect, but by the fiat of one timid bailie, whose vociferation of 'No procession! No procession! in the present excited state/ impressed the Council so much that the pub- lic feelings in regard to the pageant were at once sacrificed." The following day, we are told, Edin- burgh was illuminated on account of the coronation of William IV., whereas the foundation stone of a Monument to the memory of a much greater man, the National Bard of Scotland, was laid in mute silence. O temporal William IV. exists in school histories; Burns lives in the hearts of the English- speaking people of the world. It was not until September 10th, 1839, that the Monument and statue were presented by the com- mittee, of whom only two of the originals survived, to the Lord Provost and magistrates as custodians in behalf of the city. Some years afterwards, Henry Scott Riddell, the almost forgotten author of "Scot- land Yet," gave the proceeds of his famous song to defray the expense of an ornamental railing around the Monument. An East Linton worthy, in a poetic impulse, once wrote cynically the couplet: "Puir Burns amang the Calton Rocks Sits lanely in his pepper-box." This embryo-poet no doubt gave voice to the pop* ular idea regarding the appearance of the Calton Hill Monument seen at a distance, but his short effusion is alas no longer true. The Flaxman statue was removed from the Monument on account of the space being too circumscribed for examination of 40 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS the relics of Burns which had been gathered to make this shrine more attractive. For many years the statue stood in the vestibule of the National Gallery on the Mound, and it now occupies a posi- tion in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street. In 1901, the relics themselves were removed to the Corporation Museum, City Cham- bers, on account of damage from damp. When a visitor reaches Edinburgh's Burns Monument now, he reads in large letters : "BURNS MONUMENT IS NOW CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC/' Let us thank God that there are places where Burns Monuments are not closed to the public 1 Scotland's Capital can bring glory to herself, even at this late day, by honoring the National Bard, as she has appropriately honored her "liter- ary darling." "A few seem favorites of Fate, In Pleasure's lap carest; Yet think not all the rich and great Are likewise truly blest." Burns. George E. Ewing Photo by H. W. Jones, Greenoek THE BURNS STATUE, Glasgow OF ROBERT BURNS 41 GLASGOW'S "NATIONAL TRIBUTE." In Glasgow's Valhalla, George Square, are to be seen many eloquent tributes, in the form of statues, to the memory of noted Scotsmen. Scotland's war- riors, statesmen and literary giants stand here shoul- der to shoulder, as it were, the statuary including such figures as Sir Colin Campbell (Lord Clyde), Sir John Moore, David Livingstone, and Sir Wal- ter Scott. One of the most cherished of these is the bronze figure of Robert Burns, standing there, con- templative and thoughtful, amidst all the bustling activity of city life. The movement for the erection of a Burns statue for old St. Mungo, was suggested by an article in one of the Glasgow newspapers as early as 1872. An immediate response followed, and the Waverley Burns Club of Glasgow appealed to the public for a popular subscription, limited to one shilling from each contributor. In the course of a few months the total cost of some two thousand pounds was col- lected, principally in Glasgow, and George E. Ewing, a prominent local sculptor, was invited to submit a model, which having been approved of, he was commissioned to execute in bronze. The sculp- 49 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS tor's conception of Burns was certainly original, and on that account was subjected for a long time to much adverse criticism. The poet is represented standing in a very pen- sive mood. In his left hand is a "modest, crimson- tipped" daisy, while his right hand holds a Kilmar- nock bonnet. His dress is that of the farmer of the period loose coat, knee-breeches, stockings and buckled shoes. The figure, if somewhat heavy, is graceful in outline, and the drapery has been treated in an effective and free manner. The statue is nine feet high, and is placed on a pedestal of gray Aber- deen granite 12 feet high, designed by the sculptor. A great parade and demonstration took place on the occasion of the unveiling of the statue on the 25th of January, 1877. Over 30,000 people crowded into the Square. The unveiling ceremony was performed by Lord Houghton, who delivered a notable address and eulogy of the poet, and Bailie Watson, chairman of the Burns Monument Com- mittee, formally handed over the statue, which is known as the "National Tribute to the Memory of Burns," to the Lord Provost and Council of the City of Glasgow. The front of the pedestal has the inscription : "ROBERT BURNS Born 1759 Died 1796." Since the death of the sculptor, basso-relievos by his brother, Mr. James Ewing, have been inserted in the pedestal. They have been modeled in char- OF ROBERT BURNS 43 acteristic fashion and certainly do much to enrich the general appearance of the Monument. To the left is a representation of the "Cottar's Saturday Night," and to the right "Tarn o' Shan- ter" and the witches; while the back panel has a beautiful and vivid representation from "The Vision," the Muse crowning Burns with a wreath of laurel. George Square has many statues and memorials, some of them more pretentious than the others, but none draw such homage from the people as that plain figure of the Scottish ploughman whose fame is growing as the years roll by. 'If I'm designed yon lordling's slave, By Nature's law designed, Why was an independent wish E'er planted in my mind? If not, why am I subject to His cruelty or scorn? Or why has man the will and power To make his fellow mourn?" Burns. THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS KILMARNOCK. Old Kilmarnock! Who can ever hear the name without thinking of that glorious First Edition which launched the Immortal Bard in the sea of popularity? The name Kilmarnock would be linked to that of Robert Burns in perpetuity with- out stone or marble or bronze; but "Auld Killie" not only has discharged her obligation to honor and perpetuate the memory of Burns, but has been a worthy object lesson to her sister cities in erect- ing one of the noblest tributes to the memory of the National Bard that any town can boast. Kilmarnock is justly proud of the fact that she is a "Burns Town." Here is one of the oldest Burns Clubs in existence, the actual records dating from 1808. Here, too, is the headquarters of that grand institution which is doing such good work to band together in a common Brotherhood all lovers of the great Peasant Poet The Burns Federation a coalition of sincere and enthusiastic men which is without doubt destined to take an honored part in carrying out the great prophecy of the poet that " man to man the world o'er ShaU brothers be for a* that." Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd., Dundee THE BURNS MONUMENT, Kilmarnock OF ROBERT BURNS 45 The Kilmarnock Monument to Burns in Kay Park is undoubtedly the most pretentious the most colossal and imposing of any Burns Memorial. The inauguration of a movement for the erection of a statue to the poet took place at a Burns' Birth- day celebration in 1877. The unprecedented suc- cess of the appeal to the public made the committee in charge extend the original plan so as to include an ornamental building and museum in addition to the statue. Eventually the plans of Mr. Robert Ingram, a Kilmarnock architect, for a Memorial Building and Museum, and the model of Mr. W. Grant Stevenson, R. S. A., Edinburgh, for a mar- ble statue, were accepted by the subscribers, and on August 9th, 1879, before the largest assembly of spectators that Kilmarnock had ever witnessed, the statue was unveiled and the Monument handed over to the Corporation of the Burgh. The masonic ceremony by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Ayr- shire was faithfully carried through, and thereafter Colonel (afterwards General Sir Claud) Alexan- der of Ballochmyle, a relative of "The Bonnie Lass of Ballochmyle" immortalized by Burns, unveiled the statue, and delivered an eloquent ora- tion on the Poetic Genius. The building occupies a height in Kay Park overlooking the town of Kilmarnock, and is in the Scottish baronial style of architecture, well-suited to the site. The Tower is eighty feet high. The principal floor is reached by two flights of stairs with stone balustrades, the latter continued around the balcony. In front is an alcove which forms a fihrine for the beautiful marble statue. Immedi- 46 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS ately behind the alcove is the Museum, entrance to which is had from the balcony. The Museum con- tains some fine relics and MSS. of the poet, includ- ing the great McKie collection of Burnsiana, which comprises almost every edition of Burns' Works that has been published. A circular stair leads to the top of the Tower, from which a beautiful pan- oramic view of the "Land of Burns" is obtained. Mr. Stevenson's statue of Burns in the Kilmar- nock Monument is a little over eight feet high, and with the pedestal about twelve feet high. It is exquisitely chiselled in Sicilian marble, and as a likeness, follows the Nasmyth portrait with a fidel- ity that is indeed striking when seen in the profile. In the costume, too, the Nasmyth picture has been closely followed, including the tight-fitting coat and knee-breeches. Burns is represented in the act of composing. The left hand grasps a notebook rest- ing on the broken stump of a tree, while the right hand holds a pencil as if the poet were ready to indite some of those epic gems that have made his name so dear to the hearts of the common people. The statue is one of the finest realizations of the poet that we have. The Burns Memorial at Kilmarnock is a noble structure and certainly one of the most attractive that have been erected to perpetuate the memory of the world-famous Ayrshire Ploughman. W. Grant Stevenson, R. S. A. By kind permission of the sculptor THE BURNS STATUE IX THE KILMARNOCK MONUMENT OF ROBERT BURNS 47 NEW YORK. AMERICA'S FIRST TRIBUTE TO THE BARD OF SCOTIA. The time has long since passed when Scotland could claim a monopoly of Burns. There is no great poet who is less of a mere name and abstrac- tion. No local boundary can confine his genius and fame; they are universal, and in no part of the world are Burns' works more appreciated and his name more honored than in the United States of America. Nor is it to be wondered at. Did not the great Emerson "The Sage of Concord" tell his countrymen that their Declaration of Independence was not a more weighty document in the history of Freedom than the Songs of Robert Burns? Ameri- cans understand the meaning of "A man's a man for a' that," for it is part of their gospel, and, thanks to the innate reverence for the poet in Scots- men and their descendants, Burns Clubs can be found from Maine to California; from Canada to the Gulf. New York, the commercial metropolis of the New World, fittingly lead the way in the matter of public memorials to the bard. In 1872, the ^ffprts of tjie Sco^t Monument Committee werq 48 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS crowned with success by the erection of a statue to the great novelist in Central Park; and immedi- ately thereafter a Burns Monument Committee was organized, and a commission given to Sir John Steell, the eminent Edinburgh sculptor, for a com- panion statue. Thus it is that Walter Scott and Robert Burns, two of the greatest Sons of Scot- land, sit face to face on that lovely wooded Avenue in the New World's Pantheon. The statue, of which Sir John Steell wrote "It is the best work I have ever done" was unveiled by Mr. William Paton on the afternoon of October 2nd, 1880, before a great gathering of people. It is of bronze, nine feet high. The front of the pedes- tal bears the simple inscription: "ROBERT BURNS." The back of the pedestal states that the Monu- ment was "Presented To The City Of New York By Admirers Of Scotia's Peasant Bard On The One Hundred And Twenty First Anniversary Of His Birth." The sculptor followed the Nasmyth portrait, helped by a cast of the poet's skull. The statue represents the poet in a sitting posture, his seat being the fork of an old elm tree, whose broken limbs on either side form the arms of an impro- vised rustic chair. His head is thrown back and he is supposed to be gazing at the evening star. His features wear an air of intense abstraction, the idea Sir John Steell, R. S. A. Photo by G. P. Hall & Son, New York City THE BURN'S STATUE, Central Park, New York OF ROBERT BURNS 49 of pre-occupation being finely conceived. The right hand holds a pen as if ready to note down the poetic thoughts suggested by his gaze, while his left arm hangs listlessly. The position of the legs gives the appearance of muscular power in repose. The cos- tume consists of a coat and waistcoat of the rustic fashion of his day with knee-breeches and stockings of the "rig and fur" kind. A plough sock lies near the right foot, partly concealed by a scroll bearing the following lines from the beautiful poem "To Mary in Heaven": "Thou lingering star, with lessening ray, That lov'st to greet the early morn, Again thou usher'st in the day My Mary frpm my soul was torn. Oh, Mary! dear departed shade! Where is thy place of blissful rest? See'st thou thy lover lowly laid? H ear's t thou the groans that rend his breast? That sacred hour can I forget? Can I forget the hallowed grove, Where by the winding Ayr we met, To live one day of parting love?" The statue was so much admired that its fame soon spread, and replicas of it have been erected in Dundee, Scotland; London, England; and Dune- din, New Zealand, 50 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS DUNDEE. Where Tay rin* wimpUn* by sae Burns. Two short weeks after the unveiling of SteelTs great statue of Burns in the Mall, Central Park, New York, an exact replica of it was unveiled in "Bonnie Dundee." Almost a hundred years previ- ously, Burns himself, returning from his Highland Tour, had visited the quaint old city on the Tay. In his diary he wrote: "Dundee, a low-lying, but pleasant town with an Old Steeple." And now under the shadow of this same "Old Steeple" St. Mary's Tower, still a conspicuous feature of the town and one of the most remarkable pieces of architecture in Scotland a bronze statue of the National Bard has been erected to the immortal memory of one of the greatest visitors that ever entered the gates of the city. The massive and handsome memorial is located in Albert Square, and was unveiled on the afternoon of Saturday, October 16th, 1880, by Mr. Frank Henderson, M. P., in the presence of 25,000 peo- OF ROBERT BURNS 51 pie, and amid many manifestations of popular enthusiasm. The erection of the statue was the culmination of several years' faithful persistent work by a Burns Monument Committee, comprising some of the best citizens of Dundee, amongst whom was the notable Rev. George Gilfillan, the much-censured Burns critic, and editor of several editions of the poet's works. The design is on the scale of a twelve feet figure, and the statue measures rather over nine feet in height. The pedestal, of Peterhead granite, beauti- fully polished, is about eight by nine feet, and stands six and a half feet high. The pedestal has engraved on front the well-known verse: "Thou ling'ring star, with less'ning ray, That lov'st to greet the early morn, Again thou usher'st in the day My Mary from my soul was torn." On the base is the inscription: "Inaugurated 16th October, 1880." The following highly interesting extract is taken from the Minute Book of the Dundee Burns Club for 1880: "When Sir John Steell began his career as a sculptor many years ago, he cherished the idea of some day modelling a statue of Burns after the manner he has successfully carried out in the fig- ures which now adorn New York and Dundee. It seemed to him that statuary could only worth- ily represent Scotland's chief poet by conveying in 59 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS the work, the highest intellectual phase of the bard. With keen humor, there was in the character of Burns a strong leaven of spiritual ideality, which wells out in such works as 'The Cottar's Saturday Night' and 'To Mary in Heaven/ The sculptor's idea, therefore, was to reproduce his subject in the act of composing the beautiful poem last cited, and in this he has succeeded to the satisfaction of all lov- ers of poetic art. Sir John Steell had, if we may so say, as the text of his sermon in bronze, the account given by Mrs. Burns of the circumstances under which 'To Mary In Heaven' was composed, and the statue illustrates that account in a really noble manner. One excellent feature of the work is its entire freedom from conventionality. The pose of the limbs has been censured as awkward, but the critics who so write fail to perceive that when a human being's consciousness is entirely absorbed by some high inspiration, the airs and graces of posture are undreamt of. Henry Irving's individuality is for the time so entirely merged in the passions of the character of Hamlet that he forgets altogether to pose his limbs with that theatrical grace to which more self-conscious but less gifted performers have accustomed the spectator. In like manner, Sir John Steell's insight into poetic idiosyncrasy has prompted the thought that true art consisted in the negligent disposition of the statuesque limbs. Yet how wonderfully subtle is the manner in which the lines of the limbs are blended with the lines of the drapery, in order to produce the necessary amount of light and shade. The highest poetic grace of the statue is found in the rapt expression of the Sir John Steell, R. S. A. Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd., Dundee THE BURNS STATUE, Dundee OF ROBERT BURNS upturned face, which appears instinct with thoughts that burn. The likeness is taken from Nasmyth's famous portrait; and although the expression is more etherealized than in the picture, to suit the sculptor's conception, the characterization preserved by the painter is all there. The modelling has evi- dently been a work of loving patience to the artist. The limbs bear evidence of keen anatomical obser- vation, and in the contours of the flesh there is a delicate softness inexpressibly pleasing. Dundee has two reasons to be proud of this noble memorial of Robert Burns. Her citizens had the good taste to be attracted by the companion statue commis- sioned by New York, and then there is the fact that the sculptor himself may be regarded as a towns- man." 'Auld Nature swears the lovely dears Her noblest work she classes O ! Her 'prentice han* she tried on man And then she made the lasses, O I" Burns. .H THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS DUMFRIES. Dumfries is a very old and historical town. Pos- sessed of many scenic and archaeological attrac- tions, and loaded down with memories of Bruce and Burns, the "Patriot King" and the "Patriot Bard;" nevertheless, the very fact that the fair "Queen of the South" holds within her gates the ashes of Burns and contains the shrine of one of the greatest geniuses that the world has ever seen, will serve to make Dumfries for all time to come one of the most interesting Meccas known to civilization. Every schoolboy knows, as Macaulay would have said, Burns* relationship to the border town. When the Burns Mausoleum was erected Dumfries could boast of possessing what Allan Cunningham called "the first monument raised by the gratitude of Scot- land to the memory of Burns." But that was many years ago. Since then a second monument has been reared in the town where Burns died, to the "Im- mortal Memory," in the form of a statue which occupies a very conspicuous site in Church Place at the head of High Street. The statue is unique in that it is the work of a woman, Mrs. P. O. Hill, of Edinburgh, a sister of OF ROBERT BURNS 55 Sir Noel Paton, the famous Scottish painter. It is of Carrara marble, and is placed on a gray stone pedestal relieved with appropriate carving. Set into the pedestal are four marble tablets with inscriptions indicative of the trend of the poet's teachings. They are as follows: On South Face. "Erected by the inhabitants of Dumfries (with the aid of many friends) as a loving tribute to their fellow-townsman, the National Poet of Scotland. 6th April, 1882." On East Face. "O Scotia I My dear, my native soil! For whom my warmest wish to heaven is sent." "E'en then a wish, I mind its power A wish that to my latest hour Shall strongly heave my breast: That I, for puir auld Scotland's sake, Some usefu' plan or beuk could make, Or sing a sang at least.". On North Face. "Man's inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn." "Affliction's sons are brothers in distress A brother to relieve, how exquisite the bless." "It's comin' yet for a* that, When man to man the world o'er Shall brothers be, and a' that." THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS On West Face. "The heart's aye the part aye That maks us richt or wrang." 'Prudent, cautious, self-control, is wisdom's root." "The rank is but the guinea stamp : The man's the gowd for a' that." "To make a happy fireside clime To weans and wife; That's the true pathos and sublime Of human life." The statue was raised through the efforts of a committee of Dumfries gentlemen, drawn princi- pally from the "Queen of the South" and "Tarn o' Shanter" Burns Clubs, who labored earnestly for five years. Mrs. Hill, like Sir John Steell, fol- lowed the Nasmyth Portrait assisted by a cast of the skull of the poet. Burns is represented in a half-sitting attitude, resting against a tree trunk. The figure is graceful and natural. His right hand is laid on his heart, while his left holds a bunch of daisies "Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flower." His dress is of the conventional cottar type of his time, with tailed-coat, knee breeches, etc., while a plaid falls in easy folds around his body. His dog, Luath, rests his head against the poet's feet, while at the tree root are a "Tarn o* Shanter" and a shep- herd's horn. Mrs. Hill seems to have been gener- Mrs. D. O. Hill Photo by William Dr u\ H'i7/iam Brown, Paislev THE (JHAVK OF "HIGHLAND MARY," Old West Churchyard, Greenock OF ROBERT BURNS 158 impressed with the remembrance that all the glory and celebrity, originating with mortal man is, like himself, as the grass or the flowers of the fields. "That no memorial erected by human hands can impart durability and permanency to that which, in its own nature, is fugitive and transitory; and that the true glory and distinction, worthy of the ambition of our immortal spirit, is that emanating from Thee above, and resulting from the posses- sion of Thy friendship and favor; and under the influence of such convictions, we would esteem it our first and our last, our greatest, our highest, our most incumbent duty, to seek, in the only appointed way, the honour which cometh from Thee, and to account all other dignity and distinction as sec- ondary to this, and as such entitled only to a subor- dinate share of our regard; but although 'storied urn and animated bust* are powerless to awaken the echoes of the tomb; although neither monu- mental pile nor sepulchral tablet, however gorgeous or costly, can revive the ashes of the silent grave, nor arrest the slow but steady progress of decay, in a world where all that is visible is fated to pass away still Thou knowest it, there are scenes and circumstances, and actions and objects, not unworthy of being cherished by human beings in grateful remembrances; and amongst these is the memory of the illustrious dead, whose actions or whose writings have crowned them with immortal fame. "It is a testimony to lowly worth, and to humble virtue prematurely quenched in death that we are 154 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS now occupied in yielding. It is the tale of pure domestic affection, rudely blighted in its bloom, but rendered instrumental in Thy divine providence in lighting up the fire of genius, in touching the chords of tender feeling deeply seated in the soul and so securing to the world strains of sweetest melody that have found an echo in every breast, that we are now desirous of embalming. "If aught, O Father, in our temper or in our task, be such as meets not with Thine acceptance or approval, we pray Thee, for the sake of the Anointed One, to extend to us Thy divine compas- sion and forgiveness. If, however, our temper be that of divine supplicants, of enlightened Chris- tians, of friends of honesty, sincerity and truth, and if our task be in unison with the purpose in implant- ing generous and grateful affections in our breasts; if it love to discharge a debt of justice to the humble but the renowned dead, too long, it may be, with- held and if it tend withal, in any measure, in its issue, to fan the flame of Genius, of Liberty, of Patriotism, of Virtue, and of Moral Worth, in the spirits of the living then, we beseech Thee to grace it with Thy countenance, and to enrich it with Thy blessing; and all we ask is for Christ's sake AMEN." OF ROBERT BURNS !M MEMORIAL TO "CHLORIS." "THE LASSIE wi* THE LINT WHITE LOCKS." "Poor 'Chloris'; her situation in poetry is splen- did; her situation in life merits our pity, perhaps our charity." So wrote Allan Cunningham of this unhappy woman whose youth and voluptuous beauty, whose bright eyes and witching smiles, enraptured the Scottish bard and inspired him to some of his sweet- est strains. Much has been written of "The Lassie wi' the Lint White Locks," Jean Lorimer, the lovely god- dess of his inspiration, to whom Burns addressed "fictitious reveries of passion," but only perverse minds fail to understand the situation between Burns and his "Chloris." The letters of Burns go to prove that there was the closest kind of intimacy between the Burns and the Lorimer families, and that the tenderness evinced by Burns for "Chloris" was of no clandestine kind. There is no doubt but that this beautiful, young, forsaken wife had a great liking for the poet, so great that it set the gossips' tongues a- wagging; and Burns irresistibly 156 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS enshrined her charms in song. However, his words are words of sincere sympathy: " 'Tis Friendship's pledge, my young, fair friend, Nor thou the gift refuse, Nor with unwilling ear attend The moralizing Muse. Since thou in all thy youth and charms, Must bid the world adieu, (A world 'gainst Peace in constant arms) To join the Friendly Few." Seventy years after her death, a memorial was erected under the auspices of the Edinburgh Ninety Burns Club, to mark the grave of Jean Lorimer in the Preston Street Cemetery, Edinburgh. The memorial a beautiful Celtic Cross in gray granite, modelled on the lines of the old sculptured crosses of lona was designed and executed by Stewart McGlashen, an Edinburgh sculptor. The front of the cross proper is enriched with interlacing Celtic patterns, and in a panel of the shaft is carved in relief the well-known crest of Burns with his motto : "Better a wee bush than nae bield." The die and base bear the following inscription: "CHLORIS. This stone marks the grave of Jean Lorimer, the 'Chloris' and 'Lassie wi* the Lint White Locks' of the poet Burns. Born 1775, Died 1831. Erected under the auspices of the Ninety Bums Club. Edinburgh, 1901." THE "CHLORIS" MEMORIAL, Edinburgh OF ROBERT BURNS 157 On the afternoon of Saturday, May 25th, 1901, there was a great gathering in the Preston Street Cemetery when the monument was unveiled by Rev. George Murray, B. D., chaplain of the Ninety Club. As the reverend gentleman said in his unveil- ing address, the erection of this memorial marked a deviation from the beaten track of Burns Club doings. The event evoked much interest in Burns circles throughout the world, and the memorial is annually visited by large crowds. In erecting this monument the Edinburgh Ninety Club accom- plished the first part of a self-imposed task, namely to mark in an adequate manner the grave of two of Burns' best-known heroines the other being that of "Clarinda" in Canongate Churchyard. Burns himself, full of that tenderness which char- acterized his whole life, and which permeates his songs, lovingly marked the grave of the poet Fer- gusson, his "elder brother in misfortune." All honor to the Edinburgh Ninety Burns Club for so worthily following in the poet's footsteps. 148 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS MEMORIAL TO "CLARINDA/* "She, the fair sun of all her sex, Has blest my glorious day" Burns. Burns was always in love, but perhaps the most famous of all the passions with which the poet was inspired took possession of him when he met Ames Craig, Mrs. McLehose, the young deserted wife of a Jamaica planter. Readers need not be reminded of this unhappy lady's history and the cruel deser- tion of her by her husband. It was just after Burns' return from his High- land Tour that he met Mrs. McLehose. Henley described her as "young, of a poetical fabric of mind, sentimental, a tangle of simple instincts and as simple pieties, having the natural woman's desire for a lover, and the religious woman's resolve to keep the lover's passion within bounds." They were mutually attracted and a correspondence began which has become famous. Throughout the correspondence they adopted the pastoral names of "Sylvander" and "Clarinda." The letters were evi- dently never intended to meet the public eye, yet, li. S. (ianik-y. A. K. S. A. THE "Cl.ARIXDA" MKMORIAL, Kdinbiirgh OF ROBERT BURNS 159 from their fervid eloquence, they have attained world-wide celebrity. These letters, apart alto- gether from the poetical works of Burns, have con- vinced the world that the Scottish Bard was no mere ploughman, but a man of letters, well and deeply read and having the polish of a true gentle- man. Of "Clarinda," the poet wrote to a friend "In her, I met the most accomplished of all womankind, the first of all God's works." And yet some say that his letters are merely complimentary, artificial, and "exaggerated sentiment." Her personality inspired several of the poet's grandest effusions, including "My Nannie's Awa' " and his beautiful farewell lovesong, "Ae Fond Kiss" "Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, alas, forever! * * * * Had we never loved sae kindly, Had we never loved sae blindly, Never met or never parted, We had ne'er been broken-hearted." Men do not write such verses as those for the sake of politeness. They come out of the depths. "These verses," said Sir Walter Scott, "contain the essence of a thousand love tales." Mrs. McLehose lived until 1841, her 83rd year, thus surviving Burns for 45 years. Until her dying day she fondly cherished the memory of the poet "that great genius," as she refers to him in her diary in 1813. In another diary, December 6th, 1831, she wrote, "This day I can never forget, ISO THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS parted with Burns in 1791 never more in this world, may we meet in heaven!" In the east neuk of historic Canongate Church* yard, Edinburgh, where the enclosing wall is the side of a tenement of workmen's houses, is to be seen, amidst the incongruities of life in death, the burial ground of Lord Craig, one of the Lords of Session, and a grand uncle of "Clarinda." Here is the last resting place of the cidevant sweetheart of the National Bard. The tablet which formerly marked the tomb of the famous heroine having dis- appeared, the "Ninety Burns Club" and Lodge Canongate Kilwinning of Freemasons have under- taken the erection of a fitting memorial. The monument will be in the form of a very ornate mural tablet of granite, having a bronze medallion of "Clarinda" by Mr. H. S. Gamley, A. R. S. A. There will be a suitable inscription, and when com- plete the memorial will be a very artistic one. There will be appropriate exercises at the dedica- tion of the memorial, when the stigma attached to the neglected state of the tomb of this most learned and interesting of Burns' heroines will be effec- tively, though tardily, removed. OF ROBERT BURNS 161 DUMFRIES. BUKNS' MAUSOLEUM. As the first Burns monument illustrated and described in this volume was very fittingly the revered Cottage in which the poet first saw the light, so it has been deemed appropriate that the last monuments to be noticed should be the House in which Burns died and the sacred Mausoleum which holds the ashes of the honored and illustrious dead both in Dumfries. When Burns quit his Ellisland farm and took up his residence in Dumfries, he lived for eighteen months in a house at the foot of Bank Street. At Whitsunday, 1793, he removed to a larger house in a quarter then known as Mill Street, but which since his death has been re-christened "Burns Street." Here Burns wrote some of his grandest effusions, and here he died, as the world knows, in practical poverty; and here his widow ma<5e her home until she passed away in 1834. The house in which Burns spent his latest years and breathed his last, adjoins the building known as the Industrial or "Ragged" School, in a niche 162 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS of which may be seen a memorial Bust of the bard in sandstone, placed there by the late Mr. William Ewart, M. P., with the inscription: "In the adjoining house to the north, lived and died the Poet of his Country and of Mankind, Robert Burns." Burns' House itself is indicated by a marble tablet, and many who take a pleasure in melancholy things, annually visit the poet's last home. It is to many, with the single exception of the "Auld Clay Biggin'," on the banks of the Doon, the greatest and best material memento of the National Poet. The first grave of Burns was in the northeast corner of St. Michael's Churchyard, and his widow placed over it a simple slab of freestone which for several years was the only monument. Eventually, however, a general movement was made by several of his ardent admirers, amongst whom was General Dunlop, son of the poet's dear and true friend, Mrs. Dunlop of Dunlop, for the erection of a Mausoleum worthy of his genius. Money flowed in freely for the scheme from lowly peasants and mechanics up to Royalty itself, the subscriptions including one of fifty guineas from George IV., then Prince Regent. Sir Walter Scott and other leading literary men of the day eagerly lent their aid. There was no room for the structure at the orig- inal burial place, and it was therefore built on a site in the southeast of the old Churchyard. The Mausoleum, in form like a Grecian Temple, was designed by Mr. T. F. Hunt, of London, and the OF ROBERT BURNS 163 foundation stone was laid on June 6th, 1815. Shortly afterwards the remains of the poet and of the two sons who had been buried by his side, were lifted and reinterred in the new vault. The Mausoleum was fully completed in 1818. Within the building is a piece of mural sculpture, for ever to be associated with the Tomb of Burns. It is intended to embody one of the poet's own concep- tions the muse Coila finding her favorite son at the plough and throwing her inspiring mantle over him. It was the work of Peter Turnerelli, a Lon- don sculptor born in Belfast, Ireland, of Italian parents; and though it may not inspire fastidious art critics, it at least appeals successfully to the popular eye and heart. The marble in Turnerelli's work has suffered greatly from decay, and recently the figures were repaired to arrest this decay by an Edinburgh sculptor, at the request of the Dumfries Burns Club. As a precautionary measure, plaster casts of the figures have been taken so that the statuary group can be exactly reproduced. Since the completion of the Mausoleum, the vault has been opened to receive the remains of Mrs. Burns (the poet's "Bonnie Jean"), and of three of his sons Robert, James and William. The tombstone which covered the poet's original grave now lies within the Mausoleum. The simple record which is inscribed thereon is as follows: "In memory of ROBERT BURNS, who died the 21st July, 1796, in the 87th year of his age. Maxwell Burns, who died 25th April, 1799, aged 2 years and 9 months ; Francis Wallace Burns, who 164 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS died the 9th July, 1803, aged 14 years; his sons. The remains of Burns removed into the vault below, 19th Septr., 1815; and his two sons. Also the remains of Jean Armour, relict of the poet; born Feby., 1765, and died 26th March, 1884. And Robert, his oldest son, who died on the 14th May, 1857, aged 70 years." On the walls of the vault are tablets with these inscriptions : "This tablet is erected by Major James Glen- cairn Burns, E. I. C. S., to the memory of Sarah Robinson, his wife; died at Neemuch (East Indies) , 7th of November, 1821, aged 24 years; Jean Isa- bella, his daughter, died at sea, 5th of June, 1828, aged 4 years and five months; Robert Shaw, his son, died at Neemuch, llth of December, 1821, aged 18 months. Mary Beckett, his wife, died at Gravesend, 18th of November, 1844, aged 52 years. Lieutenant Colonel James G. Burns, born at Dumfries, 12th August, 1794; died at Cheltenham, 18th Nov., 1865. His remains rest in the vault beneath this tablet." "This tablet is erected by Lieutenant Colonel William Nicol Burns, E. I. C. S., to the memory of his wife, Catherine Adelaide Crone, who died at Kalludghee, in the East Indies, on the 29th of June, 1841. Colonel William Nicol Burns, born at Ellisland 9th April, 1791; died at Cheltenham, 21st Feb., 1872. His remains rest in the vault beneath this tablet." The noble Mausoleum which has been erected Photo by U'illia'n Brown, Paisley THK BURNS MAUSOLEUM, Dumfries OF ROBERT BURNS 165 over the dust of Burns is a shrine to which thou- sands of visitors each year repair. Under the statuary by Turnerelli is carved the one honored word "BURNS." An inscription in Latin was prepared to tell that the Monument was erected "In aeternum honorem Roberti Burns." It was never used, and no other was put in its stead. As some one has well said, neither epitaph nor popular inscription is needed by the man whose name and fame are impressed on the hearts of all his countrymen " Thou need'st no epitaph: while earth Hath souls of melody and hearts of worth. Thine own proud songs, through distant ages sent, Shall form at once thy dirge and monument." True, Burns needs no Monument. But as long as Scotsmen are being born into the world to hear the story of the poet's life and to read his simple verses of Love and Freedom and Humanity that reach to the very depths of the heart, they will con- tinue to rear statues to the Immortal Memory of the sweetest singer of the common joys and sor- rows of Mankind that the world has ever heard. "Go, builder of a deathless name, Thy country's glory and her shame; Go, and th' immortal guerdon claim To Genius due; Whilst rolling centuries thy fame Shall still renew." 166 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS SOME OF THE WORLD'S TRIBUTES TO ROBERT BURNS. "Jean, a hundred years hence they will think more of me than they do now" Burns, to his wife. "Few men have done for any country what Burns has done for Scotland." REV. DR. NOEMAN MACLEOD. "The Peasant-Poet great in what he has done for the unprivileged million ; greater in what he has taught them to do for themselves." HORACE GHEELY. "He loved the people, protested against their wrongs, sang their sorrows and joys, fanned the glow of their well-placed love, sympathized with their toils, and strove for their elevation." REV. GEORGE GILFILLAN, (Much censured critic of Burns). "Not Latimer, not Luther, struck more telling blows against false theology than did this brave OF ROBERT BURNS 167 singer. The 'Declaration of Independence' and the 'Marseillaise' are not more weighty documents in the history of Freedom than the Songs of Burns." RALPH WALDO EMERSON. "Robert Burns lives on with a vitality which gathers strength from time. His fame broadens and deepens every year. * * * The world has never known a truer singer." JAMES GREENLEAF WHITTIER. "Often have I met with associates of the poet who told me how, in his better moods, Burns made the listener laugh at one moment and weep the moment after." REV. DR. McCosH, President of Princeton University. "Burns was great because God breathed into him, in greater measure than into any other man, the spirit of that love which constitutes His own essence, and made him more than other men a liv- ing soul. Burns was great by the greatness of his sympathies." W. CULLEN BRYANT. "The nation which read Burns in the nursery could never have tyrants in the Parliament House. The men who drink at Burns' spring will be too sturdy for oppression, too courageous for power to tamper with, and with too much self-respect for blandishment and bribes." REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER. 168 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS "Burns was a special creation from the great reserve of genius which Nature, or the great Author of Nature, keeps in reserve in order that a flash may come now and again like the great singular flashes of old." PROFESSOR MASSON, of Edinburgh. "The great democrat who, proclaiming the 'Royalty of Man,' struck down Rank with one hand and the old hard Theology with the other, dispel- ling the false conception of a Heavenly Father who sent 'ane to heaven and ten to hell a' for his glory.' There cannot be too many statues erected to the memory of Burns." ANDREW CARNEGIE. "We see in him a freer, purer development of whatever is noblest in ourselves; his life is a rich lesson to us, and we mourn his death as that of a benefactor who lived and taught us." THOMAS CARLYLE. "Burns makes you feel the reality, the depth and the truth of his passion. We have no love-songs in English of the same class as those of Burns." JOHN BROWN, M. D., Author of "Rab and His Friends." "No poet of our tongue ever displayed higher skill in marrying melody to immortal verse, than Robert Burns." SIR WALTER SCOTT. OF ROBERT BURNS 169 "The songs composed for the merriment of an obscure tavern club have set millions singing with delight." LORD HOUOHTON. "In that humble nook, of all places in the world, Providence was pleased to deposit the germ of the richest human life which mankind then had within its circumference." NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE. (On viewing Burns' birthplace) . "Above the storms of praise and blame That blur with mist his wondrous name, His thunderous laughter went and came, And lives and flies; The roar that follows on the flame When lightning dies." SWINBURNE. "His works bear impressed upon them, beyond the possibility of mistake, the stamp of true genius." WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE. "Burns ought to have passed ten years of his life in America, for those words of his: 'A man's a man for a* that* show that true American feeling belonged to him as much as if he had been born in sight of the hill before me as I write Bunker Hill." OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. 170 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS "Burn Homer, burn Aristotle, fling Thucydides into the sea, but let us by all means have 'Highland Mary/ 'Auld Lang Syne' and 'Scots Wha' Hae wi' Wallace Bled/ When Scotland forgets Burns, then History will forget Scotland." PROFESSOE BLACKIE. "Louis Kossuth in Exile, To Robert Burns in Immortality. 'The man o' independent mind Is king of men for a' that/ ' KOSSUTH, the Hungarian Patriot's, inscription in the visitors' book at Alloway. "Fresh as the flower whose modest worth He sang, his genius glinted forth, Rose like a star that, touching earth, For so it seems, Doth glorify its humble birth With matchless beams." WORDSWOETH. 'The rank of Burns is the very first of his art.' BYRON. "But still the music of his song, Rises o'er all elate and strong; Its master chords Are Manhood, Freedom, Brotherhood; Its discords but an interlude Between the words." LONGFELLOW. OF ROBERT BURNS 171 "He came when poets had forgot How rich and strange the human lot; How warm the tints of Life ; how hot Are Love and Hate; And what makes Truth divine, and what Makes Manhood great." WILLIAM WATSON, (Author of "The Woman With the Serpent's Tongue.") "Not even for a second Shakespeare could we let go our Burns." MRS. OLIPHANT. "Read the exquisite songs of Burns. In shape each of them has the perfection of the berry; in light the radiance of the dewdrop." TENNYSON. "He is the daily companion of hundreds of thou- sands of men. He holds the first place in the hearts of his fellow-countrymen." PREMIER ARTHUR J. BALFOUR. "Burns you claim, and claim rightly, as your National Poet; but that does not exclude us as Englishmen from claiming him as one of the glories of the United Kingdom." RIGHT HON. JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN. "The books that have most influenced me are Coleridge and Keats in my youth, Burns as I grew older and wiser." JOHN RUSKIN. 172 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS "O! Kindred soul of humble birth, Divine, though of the lowly earth, Forgotten thou art not to-day, Nor yet neglected here's thy bay! I am a foreign unknown bard Whose devious course is rough and hard ; But cheered at times by thy sweet song, I sing away, nor mind the throng." CHANG YON TONG, Chinese Commissioner, (At the opening of Burns' Cottage, St. Louis Exposition. ) "The freedom-ringing songs of Burns have with- out doubt helped to build the great British Empire." GOVERNOR FRASER, Of Nova Scotia. "I do consider him the most Poet that ever lived." JOSH BILLINGS. "Life is a struggle, and anyone who can, like Robert Burns, ease it, is a benefactor." REV. DR. TALMAGE. "The genius and influence of Robert Burns is beyond analysis and beyond criticism." AMELIA E. BARR. "Only those who speak from the heart and to the heart employ an universal language. Burns was a past master in the use of this language; he gave OF ROBERT BURNS 173 poetic expression to a sympathy that embraced the entire world ; his words live because they glow with the love that makes all mankind kin." WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN. "The right of Burns to a place amongst the Immortals is as incontestable as the right of Scot- land to a place amongst the nations." W. T. STEAD. "The brightest of all our lyrists, the most human of all our satirists." ANDREW LANG. "Others may be the favorites of a class or clique. Burns is the favorite of the whole world." SIR ALFRED AUSTIN, Poet Laureate of England. "Robert Burns was also a preacher a preacher to humanity, and I tell you that if this old earth of ours had more such preachers in its pulpits, it would be a better world." SPEAKER DAVID B. HENDERSON, U. S. House of Representatives. "Burns* true life began with his death. With the poet passed all that was gross or impure; the clear spirit stood revealed, and soared at once to its accepted place among the fixed stars in the firmament of the rare immortals." LORD ROSEBERY. 174 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS "The name of Robert Burns has been, and is, dearer to more hearts than any other except alone that of Him who was born in a manger and died that we might live." SENATOE WILLIAM P. FRYE, of Maine. "It may safely be said that more touching, sublime poetry than that of Burns was never writ- ten." PAUL BLOUET (Max O'Rell). "We esteem the highly-praised Burns amongst the first poetical spirits which the past century has produced." GOETHE. "The total impression of his poems is, and remains always, that of a candid, healthy, tender, fresh and mirthful soul of a fine, free, reflecting and clear mind." WAGNEE. "O Burns, thou joy of my young heart! Thou lark, thou soul of Nature's song! A spark of thee, and of thine art, Hath wandered with me far and long." "CABMEN SYLVA," Queen of Roumania. "Burns is supreme in the qualities of the heart.' SIE A. CONAN DOYLE. OF ROBERT BURNS 175 "Burns is one of the most correct poets the world has ever known." BULWEE LYTTON. "Burns was one who equally delighted and aston- ished the world." RICHARD COBDEN. "Burns was not only a distinguished poet; he was a man on a large scale." HUGH MILLEB. "In my early days I had a passionate fondness for the poetry of Burns. Burns was the god of my idolatry." CHARLES LAMB. "Burns brought to the world the best message ever brought since Bethlehem, of love and hope and reverence for God and man. Humanity the round world over walks more erect for what Robert Burns said and sung." SENATOR GEORGE F. HOAR, of Massachusetts. "Rising above the trammels of birth and poverty, he spoke for the great voiceless class of laboring men throughout the world, while kings and coun- tries listened in amazement. He lived close to the beating heart of Nature ; and all the rich and deep sympathies of life grew and blossomed in his own." PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 175 THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS "Genius is not confined to lands or latitudes. Burns belongs to the world." HON. JAMES 6. ELAINE. "Since Adam there has been none that approached nearer fitness to stand up before God and angels in the naked majesty of manhood than Robert Burns." MARGARET FULLER. "How universal is Burns; what mirth in his cups; what softness in his tears; what sympathy in his every satire ; what manhood in everything." LEIGH HUNT. "Burns was a poet, not of one country or of a generation, but a poet of all time." SIR HENRY BARKLY, Governor of Victoria. "Burns laid open in the poetry of his country both doors and windows to the breath of revolution. In rough outline, in idyllic emotion, in sarcasm and in tenderness, in blasphemy and in prayer, in nega- tion and in aspiration, he seems to conjure up the ethics and aesthetics of a new philosophy." CARDUCCI. "I always have the verses of Robert Burns near at hand on the shelf of the true poets of Nature. Burns lived a hundred years too soon." DAUDET. OF ROBERT BURNS 177 "It were impossible to increase the fame of Rob- ert Burns." LORD KELVIN. "I can think of no verse since Shakespeare's which comes so sweetly and at once from Nature." WILLIAM PITT. "Burns was about as clever a man as ever lived." CHARLES JAMES Fox. "He possessed, as no other poet ever did, the uni- versal alchemy of genius which enabled him to bring to light the pure virgin gold in everything he touched." GOVERNOR KNOTT, of Kentucky. "There can be no question that Burns is the most popular great poet in the world." RICHARD LE GALLIENNE. "Let us for a thousand years from now do honor to the genius and to the character of Robert Burns. It has not the power of curtailing by one second all his journey to his Calvary; we ever remain his debtors who will never be able to pay to him the debt we owe him." T. P. O'CONNOK. in THE WORLD'S MEMORIALS "The child of untamed passion, wild and strong, With native grandeur poured his soul in song; At Inspiration's purest altar knelt, He sung of all he saw, and all he felt; Nor cold neglect, nor penury's suffering hard, Could bend the free-born spirit of the bard. Till latest times the trumpet breath of fame Shall link the Poet with his Country's name." THE END.