THE McGONAGALL – This illustrious man of whom Dundee is so justly proud gave one of his famed entertainments in the Masonic Hall on Monday night. It was principally attended by a number of young men who, in a certain sense, properly designate themselves “the choice spirits of Montrose.” It would be difficult to say who was in the chair, as the occupants of that position during the evening varied so much from their respective anxiety to aid the proceedings of those over whom they were appointed to keep order. The McGonagall commenced and speedily realised all that was expected from him. So great was the effect that he produced on the choice spirits that they were compelled to relieve the unbearable intensity of their feelings by an indescribable compound of zoological cries. Still the McGonagall went on. He sang a song of his own about bonnie Montrose, which was so rapturously received that a young choice spirit, in a state of great cerebral excitement, declared the the mighty genius before them ought to be Poet Laureate, and that Tennyson should be called upon to resign. The climax, however, was reached when the McGonagall, sword in hand, was singing a terrific battle piece. The bump of combativeness became so simultaneously roused in the heads of all the choice spirits, that they commenced attacking the lecturer and each other from a bag of flour in possession of one of the choicest of the spirits. To add farther to the effects of this blinding mealy battery, the lights were put out, and confusion reigned supreme. On their being relighted, the appearance of the McGonagall and the flour-bag combattants was ghostly in the extreme; but all, except the great man before them, seemed to be wildly delighted with the ordeal which they had so gallantly passed through. The McGonagall, shaking the dust from off his coat, departed, and was most honourably escorted to the model lodging house by a considerable number of the choice spirits, who, on their way, were loud in their protestations of the great admiration which they entertained for him.
From a Dundee newspaper, 2nd May 1881
