Ian Maclaren.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 10016, 5 December 1908, Page 3 (Supplement)

Lan Maclaren.

s '- '" ' f lan Maclaren, whose busy life came to a, such a sudden close last year, was one of s the most interesting men of our time. A " x minister of the Free Church of Scotland, and a devoted and successful minister, too, he was very far from fitting into the rigid framework presented' by that Church in the time of his youth, and it must have ben with great relief that he passed into the freer atmosphere of Presbyterian- '' ism in England. As minister of Seft'oh 1 Park Church, Liverpool, he attained a- • measure of success which falls to few men, and when, in the midst of his ar- ■-. duous labors he suddenly became one of ; the most popular writers of the day it seined as though there could be no end to his popularity and no bounds to the affection and esteem with which he was regarded. That he embarked on a literary career as a writer of: fiction was due to the. suggestion and encouragement of Dr Robertson Nicoll, whose close friend he remained during the later portion of his life. Than Dr Robertson Nicoll no more fitting biographer of Dr Watson could be found. Dr Robertson Nicoll's biography of his friend must be regarded as a sincere tribute to'friendship as well as an admirable performance in the art of biography. Dr Robertson Nicoll did not come in contact with Dr Watson during the first nart of the hitter's career, but he has been able to obtain minute particulars from trustworthy sources. Born at Manningtree in Essex Di\ Watson may have owed something to the fact that he first saw the lioirt in England, but at the early age of four he was taken with his parents to Perth, and Perth and Stirling were responsible for his bringing, up. His father was in the Inland Revenue service, and rose to the high position of Receiver-General of Taxes in Scotland. ■His ancestry, however, was Highland, and a grand-uncle of his was a noteworthy Roman Catholic priest in the North. Putting these elements together, one can m-etty well account for Dr Watson's temperament,' and one can see that it was likely to be that of the ordinary Free Church minister of his day. He studied at Edinburgh University, where Robert Louis Stevenson was one of his' class fellows, and at New College and Tubingen, and was in due course licensed as a probationer of the Free Church. After being a few months assistant in Barclay Church, Edinburgh, he was ordained minister of Logie.Almond, Perthshire, the picturesque Highland parish, which he has immortalised as Drumtochty. From there he passed to St. Matthew's Church, Glasgow, and then to Liverpool. Dr Robertson Nicoll's storv of his

friend is full of interest for many different classes of readers. In these pages we take note of him particularly as a writer of fiction, seeing that parts of his "Young Barbarians" and his first and last novel" "Claverhouse," appeared in the People's Friend. In connection with these and other matters the writer of these lines corresponded much with Dr Watson, and invariably found him genial and businesslike. His first volume of sketches, "Beside the Bonnie Briar Bush," instantly attained success. Dr Robertson jSTicoll tells us that nearly seven hundred and fifty thousand copies of the book have been sold exclusive of a pirated edition which circulated in enormous numbers. Dr Robertson Nicoll says : "I have not been able to trace a single unfavorable review." There was one, at least, however. Perhaps Dr Robertson Nicoll has overlooked the famous article on ''The Kailyaird' School," by Mr J. H. Millar, in which lan Maclaren was subjected to some very unfavorable criticism. The reading public were of at different mind, and eagerly welcomed "The Days of Auld Lang Syne," and the various books which followed. While rejoicing in his success, Dr Watson did not make the terribly common mistake of over-rating it. He knew quite well what his powers were, "and what was the value of his performance, and took a pretty shrewd discount of the flattery which was poured upon him so indiscriminately. His works-of a theological nature, though appealing to a more limited public, likewise attained* a very wide circulation, and must have had an influence on religious thought of a humanising kind. ° As nreacher and lecturer he showed himself possessed of rare gifts. There were few empty seats when Dr Watson occupied the pulpit or the platform. It has been charged against Dr Watson that he .revels in fientiment and greatly, overdoes the pathetic. He was a humorist, too, and there were few better at telling a story. Dr Robertson Nicoll quotes one or two examples of his anecdotes : "Whp had this place last year?" asked a Southern shooting tenant of his keeper. "Well," said Donald, "I'm ho denyin' that lie wass an Englishman, but he was a good man whatever. Oh, yess, he went to kirk and he 6hot very well, but he wass narrow, very narrow." "Narrow," said' the other in amazement, for he supposed he v meant bigoted, and the charge was generally the other way about. "What was he narrow in?" "Weil," said Donald, "I will be telling you and it wass this way. The Twelfth was a very pood day, and we had fifty-two . brace. But it wass warm; oh, yess, 'very warm, and w-hen we came back to the Lodge the gentleman will say to* me, 'lt is warm,' and I will not be contradicting him. Then he will be saying, 'Maybe you are thirsty,' and I will not be contradicting him. Afterwards he will take out his flask and 1)6 speaking about a dram.. I will not be contradicting him, but will just say, "Toots, toots.' Then he will be pouring it out,, and' when the' gless was maybe half full I will "say, just for politeness, 'Stop.' And he stopped. Oh! yess, a very narrow man." A shooting tenant was making arrangements for the coming winter "before "he went South, and. told the keeper to get t.lno wnmnr, wlln liarl lr,nl- or l, o-fto,. +l-,^

lodge the previous winter to take charge of it again. "You will be meaning- Janet Cameron, but I am not advising you to have Janet this year. Oh, no! it will maybe be better not to have Janet this winter." "Why what was wrong with her?" And then with that painful suspicion of the Highlander which greatly hurts his feclinors, "Did she drink?" "Janet," re- ■ nlied Donald with severity, "iss not the woman to be tasting ? Oh, no! she is a good-living woman, Janet, and has the true doctrine, but I will not be saying that you should have her." "I see ; so you and she, I supposed quarrel?" "It iss not this man who will be quarrelling with Janet Cameron, who is his wife's ■' cousin font' times removed, and a very good woman, though she be a Cameron." / "Well, ask her to take the lodge, and offer her the same wages, as last year, and a little more if that will please her, and tell me what she says." "It is not for wages Janet Canieron will work. ' Oh, no'! that iss not the kind of woman Janet iss, and it is no use asking : 'hei\ for she will not come." "Weil," said the Englishman, getting nettled, "do as you are bid, and give her the chance £t any rate, and tell me what . she says!" "No, sir; it will be wasting my time ■•. going, and I will not be asking her." Then after a pause. "Ye would maybe not be knowin' that Janet iss dead." Said a dying woman to her husband : "I've been a 'very guid wife to you. John, a' thae years?" "I'm no' denyln', Jean, ye havena been a'waster; I'll admit ye hae been economical and verra attentive to the calves and hens." "Ye'ir no' refuse me, then, my last request?" "I will not, Jean, if it's reasonable, but ■'l'll hear it first." "Well, my mither has taken a terrible notion o' gaein' to the funeral, and I can<na get her off it. Noo, John, will ye pro- ' -miseto have her wi' ye in the first coach?" "Oh, woman, something else. I ■ canna do that." TSut, John, I'll never ask anything else o' ye-; -ye micht pit up wi' her juist for ray sake."' i "Weel. Jean; if ye put it that way f ' suppose I nuuiii agree, but 1 tell ye plainly ; ye've spoiled the pleasure of the day for ; me." . i One of lan Maclaren's X»ivorite stories '. illustrates the imperturbable gravity of ; the Lowland Scot and'the humor of the tourist Englishman. : Genial Englishman (as the ticket-col-j lector punches his ticket): "Oh, I say, come now, you've no right to damage my

property. Eh, what! I paid for that ticket." Ticket Collector (after a long pause): 3 "Ye didna pay for the ticket—ye paid lor f yer hurl, and ye're gettin' yer hurl." l That a biographer so accomplished as , Dr Robertson Nicoll should have perforni- , ed his task' well, it is almost needless to i say. His Life of lan Maclaren is likely l to become.one of the most popular books i of its kind. The book, which is prefaced I by a singularly beautiful '-photogravure ■ portrait of lan Maclaren, is published by i dodder and Stoughton, price 6s.