Wow, but your letter made me vauntie !
And are ye hale, and weel, and cantie?
I kenn'd it still your wee bit jauntie
Wad bring ye to:

Lord send ye aye as weel's I want ye,
And then ye'll do!"

Robert Burns knew that in Dr Blacklock he had an unfailing friend, the new memorial to whom will lend an added interest to the classic serenity of the old Chapel of Ease of St. Cuthbert's.

R. DUNCAN,

Ex-Secy. Edinburgh Burns Club.

SCHOOL COMPETITIONS IN SCOTTISH

LITERATURE.

IT

"That I for puir auld Scotiand's sake
Some usefu' plan or book should make,
Or sing a sang at least."

may be safely affirmed, without detracting in any way from the importance of any of the excellent schemes proposed and carried out by Burns Clubs, that not one is so important as that which seeks, through the pupils of our Scottish schools, to revive and revivify our national language and literature; and it is fitting that the admirers of that Poet who made Scotland articulate amongst the nations of the world should seek, with the means at their command, to arouse in the rising generation an interest in the works of the first singer of their country, and through that interest to enter in to and take possession of their literary heritage.

That Scotland should, in this twentieth century, still possess a literary tradition, should still have a vocabulary born of its soil, is proof, if proof were needed, of an extraordinary national vitality. Geography and state-craft, commercialism and modern systems of education have conspired in vain to destroy the vital spark of national feeling. still lives in this age of music hall ditties; and, in spite of the spray of materialism and pseudo-cosmopolitanism, it needs but a breath of true sentiment to fan it into a vigorous flame.

It

This work Burns Clubs have been doing in various ways for a long time, but it has at length been recognised that the most effective way of rejuvenating a true national spirit is through the children of our land. The Education Department, rejoicing in the bonds of red-tape, has been slow to move; but many of our Burns Clubs, by means of

Annual Competitions in the reciting of Burns's poems and the singing of Burns's songs, have done much to make our Scottish youth acquainted with their national poesy. But it is not only from the national point of view that this may be regarded as a good work, but also from the purely literary point of view it is greatly to be commended; for the love of poesy and the love of song are feelings which men cannot lose, without peril to the highest and best within them. "Man does not live by bread alone," and it may be that the Muse of Scotland will be awakened by these competitions, and that out of those thousands of children some one emulate of Burns's poetic fire will clothe her message to man in winged words, will again declare the beauty of the landscape or the dignity of man-nay, may become that for which we have long waited, the poet of our murky cities, and will reveal to us the beauty of life that dwells underneath the pall of smoke, will show us the patient suffering and the heroic endurance of the city tenement, and the brotherly kindness which can be found flourishing even in the back lands and in the slums.

In arranging Competitions, to which reference has been made, each Burns Club must determine for itself whether the competition ought to be confined to the Works of Burns or whether the scope of the competition ought to be widened so as to include the works of other purely Scottish writers. For the first year or two it might perhaps be better to confine the competition to the poems and songs of Burns. The selection of the particular pieces should be left in the hands of the Teachers, who will find a wealth of material which may be made quite suitable by a system of judicious bowdlerising. For example, "The Brigs o' Ayr" and "The Twa Dogs," by means of a few omissions, have proved very effective dialogues, while the "Epistles" form a mine from which one may always dig. The common test piece selected by the teacher should be learned by the whole class or classes selected to enter for the competition. In practice it will be found best to take the two highest or the three highest classes

for this purpose; and the test piece should be learned by every member of the class as part of the ordinary work of the school. When the poem has been thoroughly learned, and after due intimation, the headmaster, with whatever other assistance he may desire, should proceed to select the six best out of the classes, or a number equal to the number of prizes to be awarded. This arrangement will minimise the natural disappointment felt at a public defeat when the medal for the best is awarded. To each of the six, in addition to the common test piece, another poem or portion of a poem should be assigned, suited, from the teacher's view, to the capacity and character of the competitor. The selection of songs for the Singing Competition ought to proceed on the same plan, care being taken in both cases not to confine the choice to the best known. To enable teachers to prepare their pupils for the public test it will be well if some basis or standard of excellence should be stated, or rather that certain requirements, vocal and musical, for which marks could be awarded, should be laid down beforehand. These could be obtained, especially in the case of singing, from those who were to act as adjudicators in the public performance. This performance ought to be open not only to the members and friends of the particular Burns Club, but to parents as well. It has been found that, while the admission may be free, it ought to be limited by means of tickets wisely distributed. It is obvious that where there are six reciters and six singers it is impossible to have any long pieces, otherwise the programme becomes too long. To give variety as far as possible, singing and reciting should be alternate.

In districts where there is more than one school, if the Club is not able to provide prizes for each school, only one should be selected. To have competitions between schools is apt, as experience has shown, to provoke an unpleasant rivalry. Nor will the end the Club has in view be attained by changing the venue from year to year. This arrangement weakens the interest both of pupil and teacher, and the

enthusiasm is best kept alive by the annual character of the competition. The medallist and prize-winners of one year ought to be debarred from competing the following year in the same class—that is, the pupils who win prizes for recitation one year may not try next year in the reciting competition, but may be competitors for the singing medal. In this way the interest is not so confined as it would be if prize-winners were allowed to compete year

after year.

These few observations are based on the experience gained in four or five Annual Competitions carried on by the Albany Burns Club of Glasgow. The singing and the reciting at these competitions have delighted all who heard them, for not only did these performances reveal what boys and girls can do under careful training, but more important than that, it has been the means of opening the ears of hundreds to the music and strength of a Poet who had become to them merely a tradition-that and nothing more. To attain the success which has followed the efforts of the Albany Burns Club, the first thing to be done by any Club desirous of carrying on such good work is to secure the support and the enthusiasm of the teachers; if that be gained the result can hardly be other than successful.

JAMES LUCAS, M.A.