THE well-known music publisher of South Portland Street comes of old Glasgow stock on both sides. His father, the late W. E. Allan, was the teacher of dancing to more than one generation of Glasgow citizens, and his grandfather, James Allan, and his great-grandfather, Ebenezer Allan, were well-known music teachers in the city in their time. His grandmother, again, was a daughter of Gilbert Hamilton, merchant, who was a town councillor in 1787 and Lord Provost of the city in 1793. Mr. Allan himself began life as an assistant to his father. But he is best known to-day as the publisher of Scottish airs and songs which are prized in every country to which Scotsmen have made their way- A large part of the credit is due to him, also, of introducing Scottish music into English homes.
Mr. Allan has long been an enthusiastic member of the Independent Order of Foresters, a friendly society which numbers over two hundred thousand persons, and disburses in "benefits" something like £1,000 per day. In 1899 he was elected High Vice-Chief Ranger for Scotland, and in 1901 he became head of the Order in the northern kingdom. He is also a member of the Incorporation of Weavers, and of the Stationers and the Gorbals Benevolent Societies, Collector of the Grand Antiquity, and Vice-President of the Musical artists' Benevolent Societies, besides being a loyal and energetic member of the Church of Scotland.

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