Right: St. Andrew's Society Concert, Richmond Quebec, circa 1900.  Program Included: Solo, Scotch Airs; Song, The Star O'Robbie Burns,  A cornet Solo by Mr. Ai I C Walker; a duet "Robin's Farewell: by Miss Kenmore and J. R Bain and a Humourous recitation by Mr. E Fox. Much more plus Auld Lang Syne and God Save the Queen at the end. (Victoria still must have been Queen.) Norman Nicholson was Treasurer that year. The President was Chas. Campbell. Bottom, Norman's St. Andrew Society membership card for 1908. I have a few of them.

St. Andrew's Day, on December 6^th, was important to the Nicholsons, especially Norman, who was loathe to miss out on the celebrations while working on the railroad in 1908-1912. He couldn't get time off for this day, because it was so close to Christmas. Each year he missed he wrote a letter to the President of the Richmond Society giving his 'excuses.' Read to letters to see how upset he was when he heard from Margaret that his letter wasn't read out at the grand dinner.

Here's a description of St. Andrew's Day from a newspaper clipping from the Nicholson collection; origin unknown but likely the Montreal Herald or Witness.

"This is a red-letter day for Scotsman the world over.It is the day when they gather in every community and celebrate with the skirl of  the pipes, with speeches songs and greeting and dancing, the anniversary of the death of their patron saint Andrew, whole virtues they extol and whose example they strive on that day to emulate. For a long century the Scottish war cry "St Andrew and our right" rang out on many a gory battlefield. The cross of St. Andrew fluttered to the breeze and still does, for it is entwined with the crosses of St. George and Saint Patrick on the Union Jack. Patriotism and Scottish pride are part and parcel of the Scottish character, and they are no more stronger than among those who have left the land of their fathers. There are scores and thousands of Scotsman who have never set eyes on Scotland's mountains or glens who have never gloried to her heather filled moors, who nonetheless feel the Scottish blood stirring in them.

In this Dominion Scotsman have played and still play a very important part: they have held every office of distinction from the Governor General down; they have been and are leaders in the fields of banking, commerce and industry."


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