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Summary of the Speech:

George Wyndham, though an Englishman and outsider to the Scottish roots of the Club, opens his toast with humility and reverence, acknowledging the daunting task of speaking on Sir Walter Scott’s legacy in front of a deeply invested audience. He frames his remarks around three key perspectives on Scott:

1. Scott as a Companion Through Life
   Wyndham recalls his own boyhood readings of Rob Roy, maturing from bafflement by dialect to deep appreciation of Scott’s characters like Diana Vernon and Andrew Fairservice. He argues that Scott’s novels, first thrilling to youth, become cherished companions in adulthood, rich with emotion and memory.
2. Scott as a Man of Honour and Resilience
   Wyndham highlights Scott’s personal nobility—his stoicism through illness, bankruptcy, and bereavement. He praises Scott’s integrity, refusal of pity or help, and deep commitment to liberty, honour, and patriotism. Even in hardship, Scott retained humour, purpose, and a refusal to succumb to bitterness. Wyndham recounts how Scott wrote Ivanhoe, The Bride of Lammermoor, and The Legend of Montrose in a single year, despite physical agony.
3. Scott as a Great Artist and Innovator
   Scott, Wyndham argues, was not merely a prolific or popular writer, but a profound literary innovator. He developed a unique method combining imagination and observation—bridging the best of Romanticism and Realism. Wyndham positions Scott as the reconciler of opposing forces: law and outlaw, servant and master, Jacobite and Hanoverian, Scotland and England. He sees Scott as the creator of a new genre: romantic realism—a harmony of wonder and truth that transcends literary schools.

Interesting Points Worth Highlighting

• Personal Touch: Wyndham speaks personally and poetically, drawing on his childhood readings, admiration for Scott’s bravery, and Scott’s moral fortitude in the face of ruin and grief.
• Byron and Generosity: He recalls Scott’s graciousness toward Lord Byron—Scott, though eclipsed in fame, praised Byron’s talent generously, embodying magnanimity over rivalry.
• Historical Impact: Wyndham claims that Waverley did more than any other book to ignite the Romantic movement and reshape literature, influencing everything from religion to politics and the arts.
• Innovative Criticism: He brings in Nassau Senior, a classical critic, to demonstrate how even Scott’s early sceptics recognised the novelty and power of his work.
• Universal Legacy: Wyndham closes by asserting that Scott's worth as a man surpasses even his literary achievements. He calls him “an example of valour to all men in all lands for ever,” and leads the audience in a reverent toast.

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Subsidiary Toasts Summary

1. “The Services”
   Proposed by Mr W. Mitchell Thomson, M.P., and responded to by Lieut.-Gen. Sir E. P. Leach, V.C.
   – A traditional patriotic toast, likely honouring military and public service. While no detail is provided in the document, the pairing of a statesman and a decorated general is symbolically significant.
2. “Literature”
   Proposed by Dr Marshall and replied to by Dr Edmund Gosse, a prominent English literary critic and biographer.
   – Gosse’s speech is humorous and humble. He jokes about being an “elderly man of letters” nearly scared off by the weight of addressing a Scottish audience devoted to Scott. – He acknowledges the deep cultural divide between Edinburgh and London, cheekily noting that Scottish writers are warmly embraced in England, but English writers often meet suspicion in Scotland. – Gosse refuses to lament the current state of British literature, as some previous speakers had done. Instead, he expresses cautious optimism, citing William de Morgan and John Galsworthy as exemplary contemporary novelists. – He laments the “bizarrerie of expression” among some young writers, arguing for a return to clarity and simplicity in style—echoing Scott’s own advice to Byron. – Notably, Gosse praises Scott not only for his poetry and novels, but for his generous spirit toward other writers, especially his efforts to promote lesser-known authors and honour his contemporaries like Dryden and Swift.
3. “The City of Edinburgh”
   Proposed by Dr Charles Douglas, with a response by Lord Provost Gibson.
   – No text is provided here, but this toast would traditionally celebrate Edinburgh's heritage and connection to Scott.
4. “The Chairman”
   Proposed by Sir George Douglas, Bart.
   – Likely a tribute to the evening’s presiding officer, The Right Hon. George Wyndham.
5. Musical Contributions and Menu
   – Mr Dambmann’s Band provided musical selections.
   – Mr George Campbell sang several songs.
   – The menu card, designed by James Hay, featured a portrait of George Wyndham and a scene at Carradale from a painting by T. Marjoribanks Hay—a lovely artistic touch linking the evening to visual culture.

Interesting Points

• Gosse’s cross-border wit: He lightly mocks the cultural rivalry between Scotland and England, noting how literary tastes can be “tyrannical” and favour Scottish voices—but he does so with grace and humour, earning warm reception.
• Defence of contemporary literature: Gosse’s refusal to criticise modern authors stands out. Rather than indulging nostalgia, he asserts that genuine literary talent is alive and well—an uncommon stance at commemorative dinners of this sort.
• Scott’s literary generosity: Gosse brings attention to Scott’s encouragement of other writers, even minor ones—a legacy that goes beyond his own work and contributes to the broader health of literature.
• Musical and visual elements: The inclusion of music, song, and custom artwork reinforces the Club’s attention to the arts beyond literature, enriching the atmosphere of the evening.

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