Woodrow Wilson." (Applause.) The company responded to the toast by singing" He's a jolly good fellow." Mr Cowie, in proposing 66 The Imperial Forces," and referring to the part that America had taken in the war, said That the poems and songs of Burns had done more than anything else to cement America and this country together. They all knew how enthusiastic the Americans were over Burns, His songs resounded throughout the land, and it was believed that these would have an ever-increasing influence in binding the two countries more closely together. 66 Sir Robert Cranstoun replied to the toast, and after referring to Mr Gribbel as our most worthy and most welcome guest," he spoke of the camaraderie that existed amongst the fighting forces during the war, their one idea being their God, their King, and their country." They had fought for the love of God, the honour of the King, and the welfare of the people. The Chairman, in proposing the toast of the evening, Our Guest, Mr Gribbel," said That a long-looked-for occasion had come at last. He was not going to inflict upon them the story of the Glenriddel Manuscripts. The facts were as well known to them as to himself. Suffice it to say, that whenever the alarm was sounded in this country every Burnsian sprang to his feet, and they all did what they could to prevent the manuscripts from going across the Atlantic, but without success. When the Manuscripts came into the hands of Mr Gribbel it was not for the purpose of adding to his own collection. He sent them back to Scotland as a gift to the Nation (applause) --not in any ostentatious spirit, because that was contrary to his nature not to ingratiate himself with Burnsians over the Empire, but from a sheer sense of duty. (Applause.) The outstanding characteristic of Mr Gribbel was an abounding love of Scotland and everything Scottish. At an early date he (the Chairman) had suspected that there was a strong strain of Scottish blood in Mr Gribbel. He had turned up all the authorities he could think of -all the place-names and surnames in Scotland, but with very little effect. He was on the wrong trail. The name was not "Gribb-el" but Gri-bbel," and Bell was a common name in Scotland. It was a well-known name in Glasgow, Not long Most ago they had Sir James Bell in the civic chair as Lord Provost of the city. In olden times they had the Black Douglases and the Red Douglases, and he was perfectly certain that it would take little research to discover the Grey-bells of that ilk. (Laughter.) He was perfectly serious; for they had only to look at their worthy guest to see that as the years had gone on he had developed in a very high degree the family characteristics. If his forefathers did not go over with the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620 it was doubtless because they were there already. (Laughter.) With regard to Mr Gribbel's character he must speak with bated breath. The most flattering reports had come about his character and worth. From London they had received word that Mr Gribbel was about the best specimen of the American that had ever crossed the Atlantic. (Applause.) Putting that aside, they all knew of his connection with that organ of public opinion, the Philadelphia Ledger. of them would remember the extracts from the Ledger that appeared in the London and Scottish daily papers, showing that the Ledger had been strongly pro-Ally, and he could corroborate that from correspondence which he had had with Mr Gribbel. After the first few letters the subject of the Glenriddel Manuscripts dropped out of the correspondence, and the war took its place. He (the Chairman) remembered telling him about his own sons, and Mr Gribbel replied that even that brought the war nearer to him and to his door, and when the American Nation sprang to arms the sons of their guest were amongst the first to land in France. (Applause.) Some of them had returned home, but one at least had shed his blood in the great cause for which they were all fighting. Proceeding, the Chairman said that he considered it a very high honour to present the album in name of the Burns Federation. At first they had thought of presenting him with a testimonial of some kind or other. but they had some difficulty in coming to a conclusion as to the form it should take, and at last they made up their mind to present him with an illuminated address. This took root and grew, and then they appealed to the Scottish artists, who responded to them in the most generous spirit. (Applause.) He need not say a single word as to the pecuniary value of the album. All he need say was that it was a Glasgow production and executed in the highest style of the art. Their friend, Mr Connell, had made sure of that. (Applause.) Its value would doubtless be enhanced in the future, when the Gribbel Album would be carefully scanned in order to discover the early efforts of the grand old masters of the Glasgow School. (Applause.) It only remained with him now to call upon their worthy Secretary, Mr Amos, to read the text of the illuminated address, and he might tell them that it was not an array of meaningless words, because the matter had been remitted to a special committee, and every word and every phrase had been carefully weighed and considered. When they heard these words from the lips of Mr Amos they were to understand that these honestly but insufficiently conveyed to Mr Gribbel their opinion of him as a man and their sense of gratitude for the great benefit that he had conferred upon the Scottish Nation. (Loud applause.) Mr Amos read the address, which was in the following terms: “To John Gribbel, Esq., of Anstell Hall, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. "SIR, The Burns Federation, representing many thousands of the admirers of Robert Burns throughout the world, take the occasion of your visit to Scotland to offer you their heartfelt thanks for your generosity in restoring to Scotland the great collection of the Poet's writings known as the Glenriddel MSS. "These precious relics seemed irretrievably lost to Scotland till they came into your hands, when you unhesitatingly showed your appreciation of the most fitting place for their permanent preservation and your wisdom in the arrangements for making them available for inspection and study in Edinburgh and Glasgow. "Your generous action has evoked throughout Scotland feelings of the warmest gratitude. We here seek to express that gratitude in a volume containing, besides this address, drawings of scenes associated with the life and writings of the Poet-the works of eminent Scottish artists. We ask you to accept the volume, accompanied by the earnest hope that it will be cherished by yourself and your descendants as a reminder of a nation's gratitude called forth by your munificence. Signed on behalf of the Burns Federation. ROSEBERY, Hon. Pres. WM. WALLACE, ALEX. LAWSON, JAS. SIVEWRIGHT, Hon. V.-P.'s. D. M'NAUGHT, Pres. THOS. AMOS, Hon. Secy. GEO. A. INNES, Hon. Treas. HUGH M'COLL, J. JEFFREY HUNTER, ALEX. POLLOCK, The Chairman then called upon the company to pledge the toast of Mr and Mrs Gribbel and Family" in an overflowing bumper. 66 The toast was honoured with tremendous enthusiasm, and He's a jolly good fellow" was sung with great heartiness. Mr Gribbel, on rising to reply, received quite an ovation, the company springing to their feet and cheering vociferously. He would have to be a very insensible man," said Mr Gribbel in his opening sentence, "who could sit in his chair here to-night and hear unmoved the things that Mr M Naught has said, even if one's own judgment could go so far as his kindness has gone. I confess to you that had I known the embarrassment that might present itself to me standing before you to-night, I think that Scotland would have got the Glenriddel Manuscripts anonymously.” (Laughter and applause.) Proceeding, Mr Gribbel said that their kindness had made an impression not to be put into words -it could only be felt; and as long as consciousness endured, the kindness of Scotland to him for doing a thing for which he deserved no credit--he simply did it because he loved to do it -would be gratefully remembered. When he sent these manuscripts to Scotland he had the impression that they would be received and given a permanent home, which was all he sought for; but he little thought that Scotsmen, aye, and Scotswomen, the wide world over would express to him the gratitude he had received in hundreds and hundreds of letters. Nearly four years ago, being a little racked in nerves and suffering from sleeplessness, largely due to the war and the attitude of the American Government in holding out of it so long, he made up his mind to get away from civilisation, away from business and correspondence, and after some wandering he found himself in the Arizona desert. There he was told that some distance off he would find a Scotsman named Campbell. This man had been at a trader's post there for forty years. He had gone out dying of tuberculosis, and, like every other Scotsman, he found the very thing he was hunting for. He found an atmosphere that he could breathe and live in, and during all these years he had been out there thriving, and had amassed a competence, but he was a bit short-grained in the temper. (A voice Like a Scotsman again," and laughter.) About six o'clock one evening as he and his friend were going over the Divide, they saw a dry lake in front of them, and he said to his friend, We're coming to Campbell's." They went over the lake they called it a lake, though there had been no water in it since the Flood and he saw against the sunset two little bumps, as they seemed to be, in the landscape. He said to his friend, That is Campbell's "; and as they drew up in front of the store they saw the old man sitting on an up-ended box, leaning over another box on which lay an unopened book, on the top of which was an open book. Campbell had spent forty years in that wilderness, dealing with ranchers, Indians, and cowboys, and the book he was reading was Locke's On the Human Understanding. He tried to get into conversation with him, but did not succeed very well. He walked around him and behind him, and discovered that the unopened book was Chambers' Encyclopædia. He continued his efforts to get into conversation with him, and finally the old man loosened out," as they said in the States. He loosened 66 out to the extent of saying "Whaur are ye frae ?" (Laughter.) He said that he was from Philadelphia. After a little Campbell asked, "What may be your name?" and he replied that it was Gribbel. Without looking up, Campbell asked, Are there many of your family there?" and he answered, "No." Then the old man went on reading for two or three minutes, and afterwards asked, 'Did you ever hear of John Gribbel in Philadelphia ?" He (Mr Gribbel) said that that was his name, and the old man continued |