The Selkirk Arms Hotel in Kirkcudbright, Scotland has long sought the proper manner to keep the spirit of famed Scottish poet and Mason Robert Burns burning bright. The hotel is where Burns' "The Selkirk Grace" was created in 1794, long a staple of Burns Night suppers the world over. So, to raise awareness of Scotland's bard and to remind customers of the hotel's connection to the prayer, the establishment's co-owners Chris Walker and Douglas McDavid have immortalized Burns' portrait and his short, to the point "Selkirk Grace" on the hotel's toilet seats.In a BBC article, McDavid is quoted as saying, "We're so proud of the history attached to the Selkirk Arms and the fact that Robert Burns stayed in this very hotel. . . We need to tell the world that Burns' memory is alive and well and here in Kirkcudbright."
On a toilet seat. In the lav.
Now, patrons are urged to be reverently attentive whilst visiting the bog and riding the porcelain bus, and to contemplate Burns' prayerful prose,
"Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit."
Amen. For inspiration, it certainly beats, "We aim to please. You aim, too, please."
