The society was founded by the Rev George Orr of the North United Free Church and arranged regular lectures on a variety of topics about literature, science and art.
The meetings were usually held on Tuesday evenings at 8 pm in the Eskdale Temperance Hotel hall or the North United Free Church schoolroom. Prominent members included Rev George Orr, John Milne Home (the Duke of Buccleuch’s chamberlain) and James Cairns (woollen mill owner).
| Talk | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Some Aspects of Work on the Edinburgh Parish Council | Margaret Greenlees | Date |
| The Story of the KOSB | Thomas Bell | |
| William Knox, the Sacred Poet, and his Poetry | Thomas Anderson | |
| Hymns Old and New | David Beattie, sculptor and poet | |
| If… | James Cairns, manufacturer | |
| The Lighter Side of My Experience as a Soldier | Fred Ross, formerly private, Gordon Highlanders | |
| Six Months at the Back of the Front | Rev Alister Stewart, Waterbeck | |
| Beautiful Places in the Borderland | Harry Robinson, artist and scoutmaster | |
| Heredity and Environment | David Harkness | |
| A Railway Journey and Observations | John Bell | 16th Dec |