amusing incident regarding his grandson, General Montagu M'Murdo, may here be related. General (then Colonel) M'Murdo, when Inspector-General of the Volunteer Forces in the 'Sixties, conducted an inspection of the Edinburgh Volunteers on the green-clad slopes of Arthur's Seat. The operations continued late into the evening. At the conclusion of his observations on the manoeuvres, the gallant Colonel intimated that he had to make a hurried departure in order to catch the late train for London, and putting spurs to his horse, galloped off the field, exclaiming: “The hour approaches, Tam maun ride!” Beyond the scrap of genealogy given above, no trace was found of other descendants of Dr Blacklock. Accordingly, the Kirk-Session of Buccleuch Parish Church, as representing the heritors, gave the necessary permission to the Edinburgh Burns Club to carry out the belated, but still praiseworthy, repairs upon the tomb of Burns's benefactor. The marble tablet has been replaced by a more enduring one of native granite, bearing the original inscription, the work of which was carried out by Bailie Fraser, under the superintendence of Lord Dean of Guild Macintyre Henry, F.R.I.B.A., the president of the Club. Much kindly assistance and advice were also rendered by Mr James Masterton, of Corstorphine; Mr Thomas Carmichael, S.S.C., ex-president of the Club; and Mr J. Baker Wilson, the present able secretary. 66 Thus has the fame of a good man been revived, and his kindly offices to an unbefriended man of genius been remembered. Scotland should ever be grateful for these words which Dr Blacklock penned to the Rev. Mr G. Lawrie, announcing his intention to pave the way for Burns in the Scottish capital. I have little intercourse," he says, "with Dr Blair, but will take care to have the poems communicated to him by the intervention of some mutual friend. It were much to be wished, for the sake of the young man, that a second edition, more numerous than the former, could immediately be printed, as it appears certain that its intrinsic merit, and the exertion of the author's friends, might give it a more universal circulation than anything of the kind which has been published within my memory." Kind, considerate and discerning-may the name of Dr Blacklock be honoured for all time. The initial steps towards remedying the ruinous condition of the Doctor's place of sepulture having been taken, the Club lost no time in obtaining subscriptions, which were readily forthcoming. Not only was it decided to place a suitable memorial over Dr Blacklock's grave, but likewise over the graves of William Nicol, John Kennedy, and Woods, the actor (in the old Calton Burying-ground), and Allan Masterton (in Old Greyfriars' Churchyard). The Edinburgh Burns Club has faithfully played its part by perpetuating the honourable fame of Blacklock, who warmly welcomed his fellow-countryman and fellow-poet to Edinburgh, where he was to win unfading laurels and to be exalted high among the immortal sons of poesy. And be it remembered also that on 24th August, 1789, this good clergyman wrote to the Bard at Ellisland these words of inspiring cheer:-- Most anxiously I wish to know With thee of late, how matters go; How keeps thy much-loved Jean her health? Gleefully, and in his happiest philosophic vein, the Poet replied: "Wow, but your letter made me vauntie ! Lord send ye aye as weel's I want ye, 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 T 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 |