Alexander Dick of Busby, Scotland - 1800s: William Moodie – Letter 23

This is the last letter for 1859 in the collection of Alex Dick's papers.

The bulk of this letter has been transcribed using Google voice typing (apologies for any inaccuracies or grammatical oddities).

I have inserted some extra paragraph breaks for ease of reading (and the bracketed numbers refer to the pages).

Scans of the original letter are included below - click on the thumbnails for the larger-sized image.

Wm Moodie Letter 23 – Busby, 23 Dec 1859 – 10 pages

p.1 - Wm saw an old mutual friend, Js (?) Doherty practising at the Glas. Choral Union - he is married but (Wm thinks) has no family so he & his wife attend the singing regularly.

Transcription from p.2.:

p.2) Re the Glasgow Choral Union: “Hitherto we have had generally two nights a week in Glasgow, but the new oratoria “Gideon” has been so long in coming from the printers that now we are to have three, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. We are to have the usual concert on new years day + this year, did I ever think it, I am to be among the chorus of four hundred voices. The festival comes off on the 24th 25th 26th and 27th Jany when “Messiah”, “Gideon”, “Elijah” and a miscellaneous concert are to form the entertainments.I am getting great practical benefit by attending to this. I hear where the power of the chorus lies, I hear how they are to be taught. I hear how the music should be sung, and above all, I hear the music itself.

Out here in Busby I think I told you I had started a chorus party. We meet in the hall on Thursday nights and I are really making progress. Last night was only our eighth meeting and we managed to sing very well some

p.3) pieces as well as I have heard done some places after I years study. The females are the principal difficulty generally, but, as yet they have turned out well. The only ones you will know are Eliz Thompson (Jas daughter) Maggie McCrum, Jeannie Urie, Jeanie Lang and Arch McCallum’s two lasses. They are all woman by now although they were young when you left.

The Quadrille (?) band gave a concert a while ago in the hall, at which Geo Thompson and our John were singing and I assisted at the harmonium. The “Prima Donna” was a Mrs Jackson from Glasgow. When I say that, after our first interview, on my way home from the field, and preparatory to a private rehearsal, she took “good evening” by pronouncing something that sounded like “so long”, you'll be able to form a pretty fair estimate of her, as a whole which in this case is comprehensive expression.

The concert was you attended but the singing and all went off well. After the concert there came an

p.4) ill concerted ball. The dancing was kept up in a desultory manner until 5 o'clock when “each took the road that pleased himsel’” .

Since that I was sent for to a concert in Thornie but could not attend owing to other engagements and to one in” the Shaws”. About it, had I known that it was to be all native talent I would have played, but by the wording of Dalgleish’s letter I thought he expected a player of great ability to accompany singers to match. Jas and Geo Thompson were there and George was far the best singer there in my opinion. They had Mrs Alexander from the city hall concerts at the piano. She is a very fine player, but I thought rather too profuse in style for plain singers and a plain audience. --

You will expect something about Dalgleish but I had no more than the owner of an introduction to him, as he could not leave his sick wife. I was not very much struck with either his looks or his general conversation judging by what

p.5) little of the latter I heard. He seems to be rather shrewd, but not at all the polished, intellectual man you would fancy a great musician should be. He is a working weaver and would only pass for that in a crowd, but I am to see him sometime again he says - as if I asked to get his acquaintance - when I will be less liable to miss construction in giving an opinion of him. In his kitchen there was, across the whole window, a large cage. I think it was that which disappointed me most of all, I can have no sympathy with a man who cages birds, especially in a town. Did you ever feel the indescribable pain it causes to watch the poor little songsters, too sad to sing the hymn to our Maker, and yet too pure and patient to commit suicide against the walls of their prison, only that they seem so ashamed of the hardness of men's hearts that they hide their pretty heads beneath their wings - this looks like mawkishness or childish folly. But I cannot despise myself for being so weak.

p.6) After the Shaws concert we were taken to a public house for a refreshment. The company were principally the singers and some of the borough councillors, who got generally drunk and quarrelled, in one case came to blows, until we left at 3 in the morning, not overly well pleased with the “queer folk” as seen after parliamentary hours.

However, there, I got an introduction to James Thompson of that place. He is grandson to Burns his mother, still alive, being Burns’ “smirkin’ dear bought Bess” mentioned in the inventory. Thomson is a very fine, quiet man, and sings Burns’ songs with great taste. I was more taken up with his kindly manner then all else seen and heard in the place. I have got pressing invitations to call on his mother anytime I can get down, so I may go someday if I get to hear when he is at home, and that the more readily as his sister plays the piano.-

p.7) You will be waiting now I suppose for some word of Busby rifle corps. since that is the greatest movement in advance which our day can lay claim to, of course I mean politically - well to be up with the times, Wakefield and Miller got one of the clerks sent through the works to get names. In three days forty-seven signed. These were entirely from the country house (about which a word in a little) engraving shop and one machine printing shop. Indeed it was evident that Busby volunteer force was to be much above the average. Then when they saw the thing was going to do, a sheet for subscriptions was written and sent into Wakefield’s room. Lo! and behold! he would have nothing to do with it, a neither would Miller, the reason giving was that we were about to be busy and could not attend to both at once!!

A man asked me the other day if I thought Richard ever said “my kingdom for a horse”. Where is the absurdity of supposing

p.8) he did, when at this time of day “a company” can be pointed (?) at who are willing to risk, in a sense, honor, (we put it first) trade, property, life, yea, their Kingdom of Heaven itself for, not even “a horse”, but a few hours of slavish overtime.

Among the volunteers an opinion existed that a military friend of Mr Crum’s should be Captain. It seems at the same time that each of our “Masters” wanted his own son put at the head. The jealousy caused by this, and the degradation implyed by hinting at a Crum over there, were the true reasons why the thing for the time fell to the ground. Indeed, since Wakefield refused, Miller wanted to start a drill corps without arms or equipments; if the overtime was truly in the way of the first, how was this to remove the difficulty?-

About the Counting House now all the business which used to be done in town is done here now and Wm Hall’s house is gutted and made a wing to the establishment.

p.9) It is common to talk of a staff of clerks, but ours could turn out a respectable army, staff included. We have commenced having weekly pays now and are paid on Thursday nights. This was asked once before and, if I mistake not someone put away for getting up a petition for that purpose! Now it has come without asking, and is, I suppose, purely to be attributed to the spirit of revival which is creating so much disturbance in the teapots all right thinking persons of - but I must not particularise as to what gender.

However, it is good in many important respects to the workers, and come from whom it may we will be thankful for it. –

This revival movement may have interested your curiosity to some extent. I will fill the next and last page with a word on it.-

and to encourage you to face the task, I have a good story to tell of Sam Bruce the foreman joiner; his

p.10) opinion relative to a Busby “case”.-

Now that it nearly forgot again we can judge more coolly of revivalism. it has been distinctly, and from the first, the work of the True Church party. Others have joined partially(?) at various times and places, some from rivalry and some we only believe from the dread of being left behind should the destruction of all things come about as the revivalists has predicted. it has been proved over and over to have arisen from a sympathetic insanity aided by the fears of a thickly sour superstition and an active conscience must arouse. still it had good effects so far as it made men think on the duties of this life when and where they were shown to have been entirely neglected. What has led the thing into discredit is the miraculous agency sought to be established as the prime mover. Sam Bruce said, when told that a “struck” Irish man needed six men to hold him, “If it was the spirit of God, they did not need to be feared for him in his “movings”.”-

I have left no room to make my bows so will close without a word more. We are all well and wish you a happy new year - altho’ it will be past before you receive this. - I remain ever the same sincerely W Moodie

P.S. Thanks for the two papers of much interest. The weekly news (or ex Annies (?)) I send two by this mail

Scans of the original letter (note format of pages – p.4&1, then 2&3, etc.: