Part 3

INTERESTING STRANGERS--VARIED

THE sad-looking Mr. Michael Davitt had for his chairman Mr. John Ferguson, who arrived in the hall before the speaker of the evening, and assured the audience that Mr. Davitt would follow immediately. “I left him,” said Mr. Ferguson, “just finishing his tea.”

It was Henry George who wrote “Progress and Poverty” and who was called the Apostle of Land Reform. As to the identity of his chairman when he lectured in Glasgow I have only a vague idea.

We have here also M. Paul Blouet, known as “Max O’Rell,” lecturing in his charming way under the auspices of the Sunday Society; Professor Arminius Vambéry, of Buda Pesth, the famous traveller, lecturing in the Berkeley Hall to the members and friends of the then recently formed Scottish Geographical Society; the Claimant, a melancholy man who had done his term in Dartmoor prison, and whose Chairman was Mr. James Martin, one of the quaintest of Glasgow Town Councillors, and a firm believer that this and no other was “the real Sir Roger.” And then here is dear old George Macdonald and his family in their quaint and simple rendering of the “Pilgrim’s Progress,” with no attempt at realistic scenery as a background, but which had, with the appropriately decorative curtains hung round, the effect of a mediæval picture.

On the day that I read the proof of the foregoing sentences came the announcement of the death of George Macdonald on the 18th of September at the age of eighty-one.

HENRY WARD BEECHER

IT was in the end of August 1886 that the venerable Henry Ward Beecher came to Glasgow, on his farewell tour of this country. In Elgin Place Congregational Church he preached on a Sunday on “The Essence of Christianity,” and on the Monday following, in St. Andrew’s Hall, he delivered his lecture on “The Reign of the Common People,” which was said to be one of the best examples of the reverend orator’s vigorous style. On the platform with him were Dr. Joseph Parker, Rev. Albert Goodrich, Rev. W. Howie Wylie, and others.

GLASGOW JURIDICAL SOCIETY

THE Hon. E. J. Phelps delivered an address to this Society in the Queen’s Rooms in the autumn of ’88--a lawyer speaking to lawyers from a platform where representatives of wisdom and learning jostled each other. Mr. Phelps was the successor of James Russell Lowell as American Ambassador to this country.

INSTITUTE OF THE FINE ARTS

AT the opening of the Exhibition of 1885, Sir Peter Coats signalised his presidency of the Institute by giving a banquet among the pictures. That the guests were of a thoroughly representative character may be gathered from the sketch.

PEOPLE AT THE PICTURES

THE quietness of an ordinary afternoon is the best time to see pictures, but there’s something pleasant in wandering round an exhibition in the evening, when by artificial light, if it is good, many pictures seem to have an added charm. To look at pictures in an environment of musical promenade is practically impossible, so one is better to give one’s self up to the music and the crowd.

ARTISTS AND THEIR FRIENDS

THE Exhibition of the Scottish Water Colour Society (to give it its colloquial title) for 1884 was opened as usual by a luncheon party. Notable among the guests were Mr. (now Sir Laurence) Alma-Tadema, whose first appearance it was in Glasgow, and Mr. J. L. Toole, whose first appearance it wasn’t--by a very long way.

Here also is a dinner of the Fine Arts Institute to open the exhibition of 1886 and a sketch strayed from the record of another luncheon of the Water Colour Society, of Sir William Fettes Douglas, who died in 1891.

AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

THE Scottish Society of Painters in Water Colour, not then called Royal, prepared as an offering to Queen Victoria at the Jubilee in 1887, a huge album containing a drawing from each member. The deputation who had the honour of delivering it to her Majesty consisted of the President, Mr. (now Sir) Francis Powell, Mr. Colin Hunter, Mr. Joseph Henderson, and myself. On the 22nd of June, the day after the great Jubilee procession, we attended at Buckingham Palace. Our little present had been sent on previously, and we found it placed on a table in the Picture Gallery in a row of other gifts, that of the Old Water Colour Society, for instance, whose deputation was headed by Sir John Gilbert; next us stood the deputation from a Ladies’ Art Society, and somewhere in the line we noticed a gift of boots and shoes.

The Queen passed up the gallery, pausing a few minutes at each table to accept the offering. We were nearest the top of the room, and ours was, therefore, the last gift to be received. Her Majesty was in quite a flutter of pleasurable excitement and beaming with smiles. As the President showed a few pages of our album, “I shall look over it,” said the Queen, “very carefully, and not in a hurry.” Then she bowed to each of us, and we felt happy.

THE FINE ART INSTITUTE AGAIN

AT the opening dinner of the Exhibition in 1888, Sir Charles Tennant presided, and these are sketches of him and the other speakers of the evening.

ART CLUB COSTUME BALL

UNTIL Friday, 29th of November, 1889, nothing so good of the kind had been seen in Glasgow. The destination of the proceeds was the Scottish Artists’ Benevolent Fund, which had been formed in the previous February, and which benefited to the extent of over £1300. In other ways besides financially the ball was a great success, and had some purely artistic features, such as the grand procession and tableau, the series of dance programmes painted by members of the Art Club and hung up for reference, also the sketches from life done in the “Studio” and afterwards sold by auction along with the programmes for the benefit of the fund.

The _Lillie_ here represented was Mrs. Langtry, who attracted considerable notice, as one sees from the eyes following her; and the _African_ _Lion_, in Moorish costume, was that amiable and distinguished young traveller, Joseph Thomson, whose too early death took place not many years after.

TABLEAUX IN REHEARSAL

THE entertainment in the Theatre Royal, for which this was a preparation, a year later than the event last mentioned, had for its object the benefit of the same Scottish Artists’ Benevolent Association. The Pen-and-Pencil Club and the Glasgow Society of Musicians furnished the human material, which was shaped by Mr. William Glover into such picturesque groups as “The Judgment of Paris,” “Cleopatra before Cæsar,” “Finding the Body of Harold,” “Escape of Prince Charlie,” “Burns and Highland Mary,” and “Tam-o’-Shanter.” Another feature of the evening was a humorous toy symphony of Mr. Allan Macbeth’s, the orchestra being clad in more or less inappropriate costume.

A BERLIOZ CONCERT

A PERFORMANCE in January 1885 of Berlioz’s “Messe des Morts,” which demanded a considerable addition to the drums, and gave Sir August Manns (as he is now) great scope for his unrivalled power as a conductor.

A MACKENZIE ORATORIO

AT the first of the season 1885-6, Sir A. Mackenzie conducted his oratorio “The Rose of Sharon,” the instrumentation of which the musical critic of _Quiz_ declares to be its strong point, and ranking with that of any living master. He says also that the choral work is throughout scholarly and original, and free from that slavish imitation of Mendelssohn so much affected by recent writers.

THE MANNS SEASON

THESE are various items from different programmes in 1886-87, including a sketch of our townsman, Mr. Andrew Black.

MUSICIANS

A GLASGOW Academy Concert in the Queen’s Rooms. The boys are under the leadership of their writing-master and enthusiastic musical professor, Mr. John MacLaren. At the piano is Mrs. MacLaren, and at the harmonium Mr. Strong.

Mr. Frederic Lamond, a pupil of Liszt, made his first public appearance in his native city in the spring of ’86, in the Queen’s Rooms.

The sketch of the dinner to August Manns, given by the Society of Musicians, shows some of the well-known local musical people of the day.

Above that is a familiar view of H. A. Lambeth, for many years the city organist.

DRAMATIC AMATEURS OF THE 5TH L.R.V.

A CLEVER performance (December 1885) in the Crown Halls, of two well-known pieces, in both of which Miss Catherine Watson scored the chief success among the ladies. The acting of Captain Harry MacDowall and Captain F. L. Morrison is also memorable.

DRAMATIC AMATEURS OF THE 1ST L.R.V.

THE Dramatic Critic of _Quiz_ speaks in the highest praise of this performance, given in the Queen’s Rooms in March 1886, and as he must have seen the piece played many times he is qualified to speak, but so far as I am aware none of the players was on that account tempted to go on the professional boards.

An event of the same evening is also here portrayed, the Ball of the Queen’s Own Yeomanry. That is Colonel Neilson in the corner proposing “The Queen.”

DRAMATIC AMATEURS OF THE 1ST L.R.V. AGAIN

_GUY MANNERING_, given in the Theatre Royal in December 1887, brought out some of the performers we had seen in the _Ticket-of-Leave-Man_. The professional assistance was supplied by Miss Julia Seaman, who played “Meg Merrilies.”

THE PHILOMEL CLUB

THIS club gave an excellent rendering of _Dorothy_ at the Queen’s Rooms in April 1888, almost entirely free from any amateur weakness, and noteworthy for the performance of the young ladies, “Dorothy,” Miss Eugenie Smyth, and “Lydia,” Miss Broadfoot, but especially for the capital acting of Mr. J. W. Watson as “Lurcher.” Besides the names appended to the sketches, the following are mentioned in the _Town Tattle_ of the day: Stage manager, Mr. Baynham; at the piano, Miss Helena Donald; at the harmonium, Mr. Rowland Wood; first violin, Mr. W. H. Cole; and designer of the programme, Mr. Duncan Mackellar.

A VOLUNTEER BAZAAR

THE 3rd L.R.V. and their lady friends had three days of amateur shop-keeping with surroundings of a Chinese character in St. Andrews Halls, October 1884. The dresses of the ladies looked smart, some military, some naval and some Swiss or otherwise equally effective national costume. The object of the bazaar was, if I remember rightly, a Drill Hall, and it was entirely successful.

A GATHERING OF THE 1ST L.R.V.

THIS must have been a heavy evening’s work, in St. Andrews Halls, December 1884. First of all there was a prize distribution by Colonel Gildea, then a concert by the Regimental Glee Club, under Captain McNabb, then an inspection of the prizes in the Berkeley Hall, followed by a dance till the small hours. Plenteous refreshment no doubt came in somewhere to sustain us through it all, but I find no note of it anywhere.

WEST OF SCOTLAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION

COWGLEN, in June 1885, saw the twenty-fourth meeting of this Association. On a Saturday afternoon the shooting for the Inter-County Match took place, Renfrew being successful. Among the personages on the opposite page I notice Colonel Merry, Captain Stout, Secretary of the W.S.R.A., Captain MacDowall and Mr. J. A. Aitken.

A BOYS’ BRIGADE INSPECTION

THE Parade Ground was Burnbank, the day the spring holiday of 1886, rather more than two years after the formation of the first company of the Boys’ Brigade, which, as everybody knows, owes its origin to Captain W. A. Smith of the 1st L.R.V. Its admirable organisation making it at once successful in Glasgow, led to the formation of companies all over Great Britain and Ireland and in the Britains beyond the seas. This was probably the earliest Battalion Parade. The Inspecting Officer was Colonel J. Newbigging Smith of the 1st L.R.V., in which regiment the Brigade President, Mr. J. Carfrae Alston, was at one time an officer.

The Church Parade took place in the Queen’s Rooms, where the boys were addressed by the Rev. Dr. Marcus Dods, the most stimulating preacher that could possibly have been chosen to arouse the interest of the youngsters.

A REGIMENTAL SOIRÉE

THIS is the 4th V.B.S.R., on the 30th of November, 1888, with their families and friends, presided over by the Colonel, enjoying tea, fruit, music, speeches, and presentation of prizes.

ON BOARD THE _DRAKE_

H.M.S. _Drake_ lay between the Suspension Bridge and Broomielaw Bridge. She had once been of more imposing appearance, but her days of usefulness were not yet over, for she served as the home of the local detachment of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, who are here represented at gun-drill.

The R.N.A.V. flamed with enthusiasm for some years and were then supposed to be extinguished, but not long ago the extinguisher has been lifted, and the Naval Volunteer spark is found to be unquenched.

WEST OF SCOTLAND SPORTS

IT used to be the correct thing, and I daresay it is so still, for every self-respecting young man and maiden of the West-end to go to Hamilton Crescent Grounds for this spring meeting. The less interested the young man and maiden were in the sports, the better they were pleased, and if they hadn’t a real lack of interest they assumed it. There must have been a few unaffected enthusiasts who stood round the ropes and watched the events eagerly, from the jumping competitions to the obstacle race and the tug-of-war. I cannot claim to have been one of these, and it may be observed that in this sketch the sports are got over in a disgracefully slipshod fashion, while the pencil has been busy with characteristic individuals in the general crowd of easy-going promenaders.

FOOTBALL

NOW here you find spectators who are enthusiastic watchers of the game, genuinely interested in every kick and dribble, breathless when the ball is making for the goal, gasping when it misses, and hysterical when it passes through--moved either to great grief or great joy, according to the party spirit that animates the watcher. This particular game was the Charity Cup-Tie, Queen’s Park _v._ 3rd L.R.V., played at Cathkin Park, 26th of April, 1884.

HIGHLAND SPORTS

THESE were at Burnbank on 13th of September, 1884. They are of a highly national character, with kilts and sporrans and pipes and a real interest in the feats of strength and skill displayed.

The sketches seem to make an attempt to deal with the nominal purpose of the meeting, and the spectators depicted are not inattentive.

CRICKET

THE match was between the Marylebone and the West of Scotland Clubs in July 1885.

There are few things from which I would sooner stay away than from a cricket match. I don’t know anything of the game, but I turn to the paragraph in _Quiz_ dealing with this match and can therefore say that the West made a good stand against the Marylebone, and did better than most people expected; also that the match ended in a draw, the Scotch team wanting 160 runs with seven wickets to fall.

WESTERN BATHS

THIS was not an inauguration, only a re-opening (1886). A chill October evening outside; lots of people crowded on the banks of the pond and in the galleries above making it a warm evening within; plenty of fun in watching the expert swimmers, good music conducted by Mr. Cole, and a little dance to follow.

WELLCROFT BOWLING-GREEN

TO those who are arrived at that time of life when violent athletics become a burden, bowling affords a mild and agreeable substitute that may be taken easily or arduously according to the disposition of the individual. It is a pleasing game to watch--the careful aim, the knowing twist given the ball at the outset of its career, the eager player following it with his eyes or with his whole running body till the journey is accomplished, and the look of dismay or exultation inspired by the degree of success attained.

The unaccustomed bowler has a tendency to tear up the green, and nothing causes a real bowler to frown more than this treatment of his beloved turf. It ranks as an unpardonable sin with cutting the cloth of a billiard-table.

POLICE SPORTS

THE annual meeting in May 1890, with Chief Constable Boyd, Superintendent Andrew and other dignitaries watching one of the most exciting events of the day resulting in a victory for the Glasgow team.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES’ DEMONSTRATION

THIS was in July 1887. There must be a rapture in demonstrating, especially if the day be fine, and there must be something abundantly satisfying in wearing the distinctive toggery of one’s order. As for the banner-bearers, theirs is a quite fearful joy. I have never ascertained--indeed I have never asked--whether a brother is made a banner-bearer for reasons complimentary or punitive.