VITAL SIGNSrnCOMMUNITYrnCaledonians of thernHeartlandrnby G. Douglas NicoIIrnCelebrating St. Andrew’s Dayrn(November 30) is not uncommonrnamong Scots, especially in the Englishspeakingrnworld, but the widespreadrncommemoration of the birthday of thernpoet Robert Burns (January 25), even byrnnon-Seots or “Scots for a day,” sets thisrnnational group apart from all otliers. Nornother national heritage rests so heavilyrnon the memory of a literary figure. ThernEnglish do not honor Shakespeare inrnsimilar fashion, nor the Italians Dante.rnThere are many clan organizationsrnand St. Andrew’s and Caledonian societiesrnin the United States today, and onernof the oldest still functioning, foundedrnin 1858, is the Robert Burns Clubrnof Roekford, Illinois. There were tworngroups of Scots settling near the RockrnRiver in northern Illinois in the I840’s.rnOne centered around the agriculturalrncommunity of Caledonia, where thernWillow Creek Presbyterian Church stillrnmaintains the memory of the eady settlers,rnmost of them farmers from thernpeninsula of Kintyre in Argyllshire. Thernother included the mixed group of farmers,rnmerchants, and craftsmen who settledrnin the growing town of Roekford.rnThere were few Highlanders amongrnthem. They came from a variety ofrnLowland communities and were not acc]rnuainted before coming to America. Itrnwas these “invisible immigrants,” livingrnamong many others of European ancestry,rnwho took the opportunity of thernforthcoming Robert Burns centennial inrn1859 to found the Roekford Burns Clubrnand keep their cultural heritage alive.rnThe club’s remarkable longevity is duernto the service of successive leaders whornkept the organization going throughrnthick and thin. These leaders consistentlyrnreflected the populist outlook ofrnRobert Burns himself; they were bankersrnand entrepreneurs, machinists andrnmolders, men from all walks of life. Thernhighest offices of the club were never deniedrnto anyone on the basis of rank,rnwhich Burns labeled “but the guineastamp.”rnIn its aim to honor the immortalrnmemory of the Scottish bard, perhapsrnthe Burns Club’s greatest achievement isrnits witness to the principle that “a man’srna man for a’ that!”rnDuring its early years, the Civil Warrncurtailed the club’s activities somewhat,rnbut in the decade that followed, its annualrnbanquets and summer picnics becamernmajor social events in the Roekfordrncommunity. The members of the organizationrnmet regularly in their rentedrnclub rooms in downtown buildings.rnThey eventually acquired a library of 400rnvolumes and sets for the occasional dramaticrnproductions they presented to thernpublic. But the event that inspired theirrnfounding, the celebration of Burns’rnbirthday, remained their premier activityrnthroughout the years.rnInitially held in the Holland House,rnthese January banquets attracted 150rndiners, the hotel dining room’s limit.rnLater venues would allow for twice asrnmany guests. The format followed a patternrnestablished in Scotland and becamerntraditional, although streamlined in thern20th century. The celebrants enteredrnthe dining room with a grand march, enjoyedrna plentiful meal, and then listenedrnto a scries of short speeches in responsernto various toasts pertinent to the occasion,rnusually by local dignitaries. Thernprimary toast was always “To the ImmortalrnMemory” of Robert Burns, sometimesrndelivered by a guest from Chicagornor elsewhere. Second in popularity wasrnthe toast and response “To the Ladies,”rnwhich was usually humorous. Until a localrnpipe band was organized around thernturn of the century, there might be a singlernpiper from Roekford who played forrnsome Highland dancers (men), and invitedrnvocalists rendered several Scottishrnmelodies. The evening ended with a ballrnlasting into “the wee hours.” The banquetrnhalls were always appropriately decorated,rnand in 1875 a local artist and clubrnmember, Edinburgh-born George J.rnRobertson, gave the club his portrait ofrnRobert Burns, which is still proudly displayedrnat every January celebration.rnFrom the outset these banquets indicatedrnthat their sponsors were both Scotsrnand Americans. On the walls of the HollandrnHouse dining room they hung notrnonly a portrait of Burns, but also one ofrnGeorge Washington and the nationalrnmotto “Eplurihus unum.” William Wallacernand the Scottish motto “Nemo mernimpune lacessit” appeared along with arnrepresentation of Daniel Webster. Theirrnspeeches noted that Burns was a poetrnfor all humanity. They sang “HailrnColumbia” as well as “Scots Wha Hae”rnand toasted both American governorsrnand the British monarch, the land ofrntheir adoption and “Scotland’s worthies,”rnand the American free press andrnthe Scottish educational system. Theserngatherings clearly manifest the dual patriotismrnof Scottish immigrants and theirrndescendants and a continuing appreciationrnof the Scottish traditions of popularrneducation and freedom of thought.rnThe one stumbling block at the earlyrncelebrations, where liquor was banned,rnwas the reconciliation of Burns’ virtues asrna populist, freedom-loving poet andrnhis personal habits as a profligate. Inrnmost cases speakers blamed his vices onrnthe social mores of his day and creditedrnhis virtues to the Scottish character.rnBy this time it was customary for thernclub to stage an annual summer picnic,rnopen to all who came, and attendancernreached its peak in 1879. Held at a stonernquarry north of town that year, the clubrnpicnic drew a record crowd. The steamerrnTransit made regular runs up andrndown the Rock River to the picnic site onrnthe west bank. Boats had to ferry acrossrnthose from the countryside east of Roekford.rnThe local newspaper recorded thatrn400 teams of horses brought as many asrn2,000 picnickers to the quarry grounds.rnObviously, some wagons were left on therneast bank, but it staggers the imaginationrnto think of two “parking lots” filled withrn400 teams of horses.rnAt these picnics a few speeches followedrnthe midday meal, and then thernathletic contests began. Throwing thernhammer and putting the stone werernthe only events which are traditional forrnScottish Highland Games today, but thernother contests were those characteristicrnof American picnics everywhere: running,rnjumping, chasing a greased pig,rnriding bicycles as slowly as possible.rn44/CHRONICLESrnrnrn