Ayr Observer - Tuesday 11 March 1890
THE CUMNOCK RE-UNION IN GLASGOW
Since the resuscitation of the annual reunion of the natives of Cumnock resident in Glasgow, a trio of these pleasant, popular, and interesting social gatherings have taken place; and while they have all been attended with a marked degree of success, it is admitted on all hands that the latest one—that which took place on Friday evening week was by far the most successful of the three. As in former years, the place of meeting was the Trades' Hall in Glassford Street, a building that is thoroughly well adapted for a gathering of the kind, being at once spacious, comfortable, and beautiful; and the attendance was so large as to afford the utmost gratification to the committee, upon the members of which a considerable amount of labour must have fallen, both in making the preliminary arrangements and seeing the affair brought to such a successful issue. The company numbered between three and four hundred, and it would doubtless have been much larger if there had been facilities (as in former years) for the people resident in Cumnock to return home the same evening, many having found it inconvenient to go and stay over night.
George Torrance Samson, Esq., J.P., who was unable through illness to take the chair last year, occupied the seat of honour upon the platform, and supporting him were :—The Rev. Robert Campbell, Calton Street U.P. Church, Glasgow; Messrs George Torrance, Glasgow; John Torrance, Glasgow; John Murray, Edinburgh; John Boswell, of Garrallan, Cumnock; Robert Brown, schoolmaster, Cumnock; Jas. Ferguson, builder, Glasgow; William Hill, Hartfield, Cumnock; William Ronald, Glasgow; Thomas Ronald, Glasgow; George printer, Cumnock ; Robert ßlack, watchmaker;Glasgow ; John Templeton, shoemaker, Glasgow; Councillor Richmond, Cumnock; and William Miller, baker, Kirkcowan. On entering from the side room, these gentlemen were received with hearty and prolonged cheering. When the cheering subsided, the Rev. Mr Campbell asked a blessing; and tea was served out and partaken of, thanks being returned by the entire company singing two verses of the second paraphrase to that grand old tune, St Paul s, led by Councillor Richmond.
The CHAIRMAN then rose, amid loud applause, and intimated apologies for absence from the following gentlemen :—Provost Shankland and Mr D. W. Shaw, Ayr; Provost M`Letchie, Rev. J. S. Robertson, Rev. Alex. Macdonald, Rev. John Warrick, Bailie Bannatyne, Councillor Climie, Councillor M‘Geachin, Messrs Arch. Brakenridge, John Bannatyne, and David Smith —all of Cumnock ; Messrs David M'Cowan, James Templeton, and Hugh Kennedy, Glasgow; Rev. Andrew M. Smith, Hamilton; Mr Marcus Bain, Mauchline ; Mr R. M'Cowan, Strathaven ; Mr Andrew M. Torrance, London; Rev. Dr Brown, Paikley ; and Mr David Wardrop, Greenock, The Chairman explained that Mr David Smith and the Rev. Andrew Smith, an well as several others, were absent on account of the death of Mrs David Smith, which, he was sure, they all regretted. Continuing, he said-- I sincerely appreciate the high honour that has been done me in asking me to preside this evening at this our annual re-union, and the pleasure I now feel in being with you is intensified by contrast with the regret I experienced at my inability to be present on the same occasion last year—a regret which I was unable to stifle, even by recalling that often quoted couplet of our national bard, which tells us that— "The best laid schemes o' mice and men, Gang aft aglee." We are met this evening to renew the ties that bind us to our native town, to recall our old associ ttions, and to fan and keep alive that flame of love and kindly memory for our common birth-place, which deep down in the hear:, of every leal and true patriot burns with a steady warmth, and which makes us feel in the midst of this mighty city like members of one family. In no race, I think, is this instinct of regard for youthful surroundings more strongly developed than in the Scottish, in no part of Scotland is it firmer than in Ayrshire. Many causes combine to produce and foster this feeling. Our lot is cast in pleasant places, and amidst scenes of great natural beauty. We might search for ever and never be able to complain of monotory in the landscape, such wonderfully diversified succession of pictures has been painted for our delight by the hand of that great artist—n .ture. Our hills, our valleys, our woods have been the admiration of successive age; they have called forth some of the noblest lyrics to be found in the annals of literature; and they will continue to be admired when this and many generations will have passed away. • As well might Sir Walter Scott have been speaking of the Coob's Glen as of the Trossachs when he says it was "So wond'rous fair, the whole might seem, The phantom of some fairy dream." (Applause.) But I shall not weary you with tedious and clumsy description of scenes with which you are all as familiar as I am. However pleasant they are to recall, I prefer not to mar your recollections of them by too much of the proverbial " Linked sweetness long drawn out." The aspect of our nature is not, however, the only pleasant feature of our surrounding. In our social instincts we are equally gratified by the,nature and disposition of the people among whom it is our lot to dwell. We move, so to speak. in an atmosphere of sympathy and mutual regard, which seems only to grow in vigour as we grow in years. We are essentially a clannish people, but our clannishness never degenerates into narrowness. We have a commynity of interests, it is true, and a harmony of inspiration which bind us closer to each other, and makes us more naturally dependent than we would be in laige centres. We have a peculiar and absorbing interest in the fortunes of our townsmen; we rejoice in their good fortune; we follow with sager gaze their career when they have gone out from amongst us; and we consider an honour done to them is an honour done to ourselves. (Applause). It has always been so in Cumnock, from the time when our town consisted of a few thatched houses, with rear gables looking out upon the Square, until now, when it forms one of the most important district centres in the county. (Applause.) But notwithstanding this—perhaps I might even say, because of this—our range of sympathies is the reverse of circumscribed. Though we love and cherish old friends, we can welcome new ones, and the constant spread of commercial activity is bearing them in upon us in an ever-increasing stream. But perhaps the strongest of all reasons we in Ayrshire have for regarding with such love and veneration our native county, and the place of our nativity, will be found to consisd in the glorious history we have inherited, and the no less glorious traditions bequeathed us by our worthy ancestors From the earliest times of which Scottish history gives us any reliable information, Ayrshire men have stood in the fore front of every progressive movement, and have ever come forward as the pioneers of civilization. (Loud applause.) The Lollards of Kyle were among the very first to undergo persecution for the sake of their religious beliefs, and the standard then raised has never been taken down. An endless succession of civil, religious, and moral reformers has followed in their footsteps, and each generation has proved itself worthy of their predecessors. Nowhere in Scotland are the graves of the martyrs more thickly strewn. On almost every hillside these stern old heroes have stained the heather with their noble blood, and to-day their memory is treasured and their last resting places held sacred by a grateful and admiring posterity; and well might we write on their tombstones the words o the poet Collins
how sleep the brave, who sink to rest. Ey all their county's prayers blest? When Spring, with dewy fingers cold. Returns to deck their hallowed mould, She there shall dress a sweeter sod Than Fancy's feet have ever trod."
(Applause.) It is to these men we must look for the origin of many of the finest traits in the Ayrshire character. In them we find the weighty gravity and steady constancy of the Roman, together with the pathos and subtle humour of the Greek; to them we must trace that stern, unbending integrity and deep religious feeling so prevalent among our peasant farm. a century ago; from their influence alone arose these beautiful customs of filial piety and affection of which the poet speaks in these immortal words : 'From scenes like these old Scotia's grandeur springs, That makes her loved at home, revered abroad. Princes and lords are but the breath of An honest man's the noblest work of God." (Applause.) The mention of Burns leads me to state another of the many causes upon which we value our descent and our country; but it is too late in the day now, even if it were at all relevant to the purpose of our gathering here to-night, for me to begin a panegyric on him to whom the unanimous verdict of an appreciative age has awarded the crown of lyric song, who has clothed in the garb of immortality the woods and . glades of our native Ayrshire, who, in some measure ' reflects upon us a little of his neverfading lustre. Friends, I might, like Tennyson's brook, go on for ever, heaping up the causes we have for gratulation, and harping upon things that have long been to you all, trite, hackneyed and stale; but there is a limit to everyone's patience. A few general remarks, and lam done. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest tendencies of the age, and one which has brought us here to-night, is the tendency to centralisation. Yearly, daily, I might almost say hourly, the best and brightest of our youth are leaving the homes of our ancestors to mix in the bustle, the strife, the worry, and the business of our great commercial centres; not infrequently they attain to the highest honours open to them; many of them prosper and acquire great wealth, most of them are a credit to the place in which they first sr.w the light, but we may wonder when the tide of centralisation will cease to flow, and when the cities will cry enough. Assuredly, it cannot last for ever, it must one day stop; our little island cannot become one hideous wilderness of brickfields nnd smoking chimney stalks; without some of the fresh green country our race would deteriorate and decline, and we should suffer a worse fate than that of the native Australians so vividly depicted by Froude —a fate all the more terrible by contrast with the glory we once enjoyed ; the problem is one of iotense and general human interest ; but the Almighty will work it out in hit own good time. I shall not detain you longer. I have already spoken too long; but allow me before concluding, to express the hope that we may be spared to enjoy many other such re-unions as this, that we shall, as the years roll by, find in each of those meetings a more deep and lasting pleasure; and we shall continue to prosper as a town ; and to extend our sphere of usefulness as individually; that we shall ever zealously foster and cherish the associations and friendship of our youth; that we shall endeavour to live ever upward, ever onward, till that happy time is reached, and the poet's prophecy fulfilled, when "Man to man the world o'er Shall brithers be for a that." The Chairman, before resuming his seat, expressed the c mlial hope that every one would spend a very happy evening.
The Rev. Mr Campbell, at a later stage of the proceedings, was introduced, and briefly addressed the meeting. After several jocular observations, he proceeded to speak in the following terms :—One well known to many of us here was expected to be present to-night, but apprehensive lest he should not be able to come, he sent me a note asking me to be sire and attend. If Mr Smith had asked me to go to Hamilton and preach a sermon for him, or conduct any other meeting, I should only have been too glad to comply with his request, but to come and address a re-union is to me an entirely different thing. (Laughter.) Ido not think anyone present, however, will be disappointed if I do not address you at length. lithe people who attend the Cumnock re-union are like those who attend other re-unions, I am sure they will be clear on one point, viz., that speech-making might be dropped off altogether. (Laughter.) Ladies and gentlemen, I am a Cumnockian. (Applause.) Some of you may perhaps say that New Cumnock is the place to which I belong, but the truth is I belong to both of the Cumnocks. My ancestors belonged to both of the Cumnocks, and I may fairly claim to have the same right and privilege. (Laughter and appl.) I can arsure you that I have very great pleasure in being here to-night ; and although I may be a stranger to you, and although many of you are strangets to me, I am assured of this fact—that your grandfathers and grandmothers, and the same relations of myself, were well known to each other in days long since gone by. (Applause.) I think it is a very becoming thing that we who hail from the same place should meet here in a meeting of this kind(applause)—and if we have not met or seen each other before this time, me have an opportunity of enjoying that pleasure and privilege now—(applause) —remembering the close relationship that there was unquestionably between our common ancestors. (Applause.) I suppose we are all Cumnockians or people hailing from the district or neighbourhood of Cumnock, and I suppose there is no one here whose heart is not going back at this moment to the old spot. " Breathes tlit.re a man with soul so dead This i; my own, my native land'?" And I think we may feel the same thing even to a g..eater degree regarding the place from which we have sprung. (Applause.) My memory to-night has been very busy, and Cumnock occupies the foremost place in my mind. We are here because Cumnock could not keep us. (Laughter.) There was no room in it for us, and with a spirit of enterprise we left the place that was dear to us to fight the battle of life in this great city—(applause)—and I am glad to say that, so far as I know, Cutunock people have been fighting that battle bravely—with honour to themselves, and reflecting credit upon the place from which they have come. (Applause.) My mind has been wandering backward, and I have been looking into ancient history. I have been thinking of some who have gone forth into business and into professions—sof the manner in which they have conducted themselvesand I have come to the conclusion that Cumnock has ' no reason to hide its heud because of any of its sons. (Applause.) Long may this satisfactory and gratifying state of affairs continue, and long may those in Glasgow be ever ready to extend a hearty welcome to Cumnock's soas who are continually pouring in the native town to this great city, in order to find full scope for their energy. (Applause, and a Voice—" The daughters, too.") Oh, no; we don't want the daughters to come here to lose the bloom of their rosy cheeks. (Laughter and applause.) We wish them to remain in the country until they are fully matured and developed, and then the young men can go back and bring them here as wives. (Renewed laughter and applause.) In going over the past I was thinking of those with whom I had the great pleasure of being associated with long since. I was thinking, Mr Chairman, of your brother John Samson; I was thinking of another dear friend, George Drummond, who was closely related to your wife; and I was thinking also of another excellent friend, Duncan Ballantine—all of whom have gone over the border and joined the majority. But, oh ! they lire in our hearts and memories" Still o'er those scenes my memory wakes, And fondly broods with miser care i Time but the mpression deeper makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.' (Applause.) From your own remarks, Mr Chairman, and from other things, I have been thinking of the mighty influence Burns has been in your region. (Applause.) I remember when I used to ramble about in the vicinity of Aird's Moss I had an old copy of Burns—l forget whether it had " batters "or notand it was very dear to me. I don't know what our young friends can really do better than read, after the grand old Book—the Book of books—the works of our poet Burns—(applause)—and if they get the same inspiration from them that I have received, they will get a great blessing indeed. (Applause.) Looking back into the past, it seems but yesterday since I came away from the old place. Why, it is a quarter of a century since I attended a Cumnock re-union in the Merchants' Hall there, and it will soon be twoquarters of a century since I came away from Cumnock ; and yet, do you know, I just feel as closely, even more, attached to it than when I left. (Applause.) The Chairman to-night gave us a good speech. One fine thing he said was about the fens in Cum ock. In days to come, when you have made your fortunes here, what better thing could you do than go back to the old place and settle where you first began? (Applause.) Let me again assure you of the very great pleasure I have had in being here to-night, and in listening to what you, Mr Chairman, have said, and in seeing so many friends in here before me. My mind was going back to the time when I was a lad, and I would like to quote you the following lines of Motherwell
"0 morning light, 0 morning love, 0 'lithesome days and long, When honeyed hopes around our hearts Like morning blossoms strung." (Loud applause.)
Some of these scenes are living in my memory, 'twould he a shame if I could forgot them. (Applause.) God bless Cumnock and all its people; and when you go home tell them that, though fifty miles lie between us, we lovingly think of them, and hope they reciprocate our feelings—that we entertain good wishes towards them, and trust they may do the same for us. (Loud applause.)
Mr Brown, schoolmaster, at the close of the musical programme, said—ln rising to address a few words to you, I may say that I think I am rather out of place, as I am not a native of Cumnock, although I have spent more years in it than a great number of natives have done. (Laughter.) I have spent more time in Cumnock than I have spent, or shall spend, in any other place. But, that aside, a very pleasing duty falls upon me—that of proposing a vote of thanks to the committee. (Applause.) They really deserve it, for they must have wrought hard to being so many people together ; and if you have not had the experience of my native parish (Ochiltree), I hope you will go on increasing, and when you have come to your thirtieth, your fortieth, or perhaps your fiftieth re-union, "may Ibe there to see." (Laughter and applause.) As time is far advanced, I will not detain you. I simply ask you to return a hearty vote of thanks to the committee for their great labours in connection with the get-up of this meeting, and for the success, apart from myself, with which they have filled the platform. (Loud applause.)
Mr John Strathdee NICOL, the energetic and courteous secretary, who on rising was received with loud applause, acknowledged the vote of thanks in a remarkably neat speech. Ile said—On my own behalf and on behalf of the committee I have to thank you most cordially for the hearty manner in which you have responded to the proposal made by Me Brown. You must all know, as Mr Brown has told you, that the labour in getting up a meeting of this kind is enormous, but in our committee there is so much spontaneous enthusiasm that the labour upon the individual members is reduced almost to a minimum. (Applause.) When we see such a large concourse of Cumnock people here tonight we are almost inclined to believe that this re-union, like Alladin's palace, has been the outcome of a single night rather than the result of any labour on the part of the committee. (Applause.) The pleasure we experience in seeing such a large turn-out amply repays us for any labour we have expended, and I can only say that so long as YOU continue to support us in such numbers as you have done to-night, the committee will leave no stone unturned to cater successfully for your enjoyment. (Loud applause.) In future years we will do as much, if not more than we have done at the present time. (Loud applause.)
Mr John Boswell, in proposing a vote of thanks to the Chairman, said ex-Provost Samson was certainly one of the most successful of our Cumnock men, and he had done an amount of work on behalf of the community that was almost incalculable. (Loud applause.)
The Chairman in responding, asked the young men in the meeting to remember, when they met a Cumnock person in the streets of Glasgow, to go forward and extend to him the right hand of fellowship, and he hoped that in days to come the good old town would be made even more famous than it had been in the past. (Applause.) The concert that was given in the course of the evening was one of unusual excellence. This year the committee made a departure from their usual custom, and engaged a professional company instead of securing the services of amateurs; and, with all due deference to the ladies and gentlemen who gave their services in the past, we heartily congratulate the committee on the change. It is a great improvement in many respects, and although it does entail a deal more expense, it obviates a large amount of trouble to the hard-wrought committee, while it also avoids in its entirety that petty ill-feeling which too frequently arises in connection with the selection of amateur vocalists, as those who have experience in such matters very well know. The company was engaged through Mr J. W. Hodge, a native of Cumnock, and consisted of the following artistes :—Miss Maud Bruce, soprano; Mr Fmlayson, tenor; and Mr R. D. Cross, Scotch comedian. They are all well known as standing in the first rank in their respective lines, and it is sufficient to say that they acquitted themselves to the satisfaction of the audience and in a manner worthy their reputations. As a reader and reciter, Mr Dickson Moffat afforded a treat of a rare order, and he was highly appreciated. The proceedings, which were characterised throughout by enthusiasm, refinement, and socialibility, were brought to a conclusion by singing "Auld Lang Sync.' Thereafter the hall was cleared out, and an assembly took place, which was attended by close upon a hundred couples—a galaxy of youth and beauty—and never did a more jovial or good-natured company assemble "to chase the glowing hours with flying feet." Lauchlan's splendid quadrille band of five players was in attendance, and as each fresh tune was struck up, the words of the poet were verified "On with the dance, let joy be unconfined."
Mr James Arthur acted as M.C. with much acceptance, the dances under his supervision being promptly started and carried out with great spirit and hilarity. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly, and we have no doubt all who were present will retain pleasant recollections of the event until another re-union comes round to blot them out and leave more pleasant ones in their stead.
