JOHN KNOX.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13288, 20 May 1905, Page 7

JOHN KNOX.

[ The growing custom of celebrating tho i centenaries of distinguished men. who ■ have played a prominent part in the j making of history and literature is one , of the most gratifying features of our r time. For if the twentieth century, ns - many competent critics hold, is not ? likely to give birth to any outstanding . genius either in the world of letters I or in the spheres of politics or religion, t it is well that the monotony of modern - mediocrity should be enlivened by some gleams of the greatness of the past. i And it would be difficult to conceive a more beneficial fashion of keeping alive r tiio memories of tho men who have . toiled and suffered in the interests of . the race than by celebrating the cenj tenaries of their birth, thus impressing 3 tho imaginations of the rising generation, strengthening, broadening, and lefiniug their characters, and cultivating | their patriotism in the rehearsal of the • struggles and victories by which the J heroes of the past established the rights - and liberties which the people of the 3 present accept so lightly and enjoy so ) easily. Sucli celobrations in the case , of tho world's epoch-makers shed an 5 illuminating light upon the pages of history, lending fresh interest to the suidy of what nowadays is unfortunately j a somewhat neglected branch of know--1 ledge. If 'it be true, as Sir Walter ' Raleigh has it, that the end and scope - of all history is to teach us by example ■ of times past such wisdom as may guide ; our desires and actions, then anything , and everything which directs attention , to its p<iges must be welcomed as an . aid to progress and prosperity. Neither ought the fact to be overlooked that the | perspective of time is essential to a ' true estimate of the worth of any man: [ it is impossible to gauge the right pro- ■ portion of his character or to arrive at • a coirect estimate of his worth except • by gazing over the lapse of years. Thus , it is that John Knox, "the one Scotsi nnn to whom of all others his country . and the whole world owe a debt," is , only now really coming into his own. We are to-day confronted with /the remarkable spectacle of the followers of John Knox the woild over united to do him honour by celebrating the 400 th anniversary of his birth uith n simultaneous series of services and demonstrations. This is in itself a wonderful fulfilment of the confident prophecy which the great Scotch leformer uttered shortly before his death: "What I lipvc been to my country, albeit this ungrateful age will not know, yet the ages to come will be compelled to bear witness to the truth." , It i? not too much to say that, outside of Scotland itself, in no part of the British Empire will the fourth centenary of John Knox be more enthusiastically celebrated than in our own colony, and in no part of New Zealand will the enthusiasm be inoie fervid and spontaneous than throughout Otago and Southland. In answer to the question why the memory of this man should appeal to our sentiments of patriotism, of religion, and of liberty as no other Scotsman has ever done, it will be well to take a brief glance at the condition of Scotland in Knox's time. Carlyle has described it ns" a poor, barren country, full of continual broils, dissensions, massaciiugs; a people in the last state of rudeness and destitution, little better than Ireland at Ibis day." And Carlyle does not hesitate to declaie that Scotch literature and thought, and Scotch industry as well, owe everything to Knox and his Reformation; that without the Reformation they would not have been. Thus the hnmo of Knox is inseparably associated witli the establishment of Scottish .Protestantism and the assertion of Scottish nationality. Although there is some controversy as to the date of Knox's birth, it is generally accepted that he was 55 years of age when, in 1560, he came, with the iion of his experiences in tho French galleys and his wanderings in exile branded upon his memory, to take the lead in the political, social, and religious reformation then hastening to its crisis in his native country. A chaos of discordant elements dominated Scotland. The Crown was in the hands of a foreign regent, the nobles were greedy of place and power, tho politicians were men of shifty principles, the middle class had not awakened to their responsibilities, and everywheio disorder, discontent, unrest, and suspicion existed. Knox 'aw that Scotland's chief hope lay in help from England, but good Queen Bess could never forgive him for his "FirsS Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women," and her influence '■ prevented much aid to the Scotch reformers coming fiom England. So Knox spoko his message to the Scots, and the nation, recognising their leader,, ' rallied to the call. With no doubt of' his commission to darken his mind and no fear of man to weaken bis nerve or daunt his resolution, he spoke to the i Scottish nation, wearied of falsehood and , faction, with its life degraded and its 1 conscience demoralised, roused it to a ■ sense of its lesponsibility and awoke its i benumbed love of liberty to a determination to assert the sacred rights of free- i dom. What Knox did for his nation, I to again quote Carlyle, was really a i resurrection from the dead; or, in the f words of an historian of the time, he i changed the Scots from being " one of i the rudest, most iguorant, indigent, and ] turbulent of .peoples into one of the 1 most civilised, educated, prosperous, and i upright which our family of nations can i show." John Knox has not been with- i out his critics and detractors. Ho was ( blamed for the destruction of the 1 numerous and beautiful religious houses ( which prior to the Reformation adorned t Scotland, and (he fact cannot be denied i that Knox preached against image s worship of every kind and stirred up v the people against idolatory of all sorts, a At the same time'he must be exoner- t ated from all idea of playing upon the t passions of those whom lie himself' s designates as "the rascal multitude." t He has been criticised too for his con- t duct to Queen Maly, and "his cruelty q and coarseness" have been much'com- s mented on. The probable explanation is r. that in this attitude alone did he find e

it possible to resist the glamour of royalty and tho beauty and charm of the Queen, to which all those who visited her court invariably succumbed. He has left it on record that women " are weak, frail, impatient, feeble, aud foolish." Yet his English friends were for the most part women, and he was twice married—tire second time when 59 years of age to a girl of between 16 and 17. ( But, after all, these are the mere excrescences upon the ■ character of one who, whatever his faults and failings, was a great man. He was statesman, reformer, educationist all in one, whilst his claims to authorship are by no means inconsiderable. It is cant that at the present day, witii its tendency towards ampler and less-

involved creeds, there is a movement amongst certain sections of the Presbyterian Church in favour of reversion to ,the Confession of John Knor, rather than the retention of the Westminster Confession of Faith; but the Sook of Discipline is confessedly his masterpiece. The entire Book of Discipline has been happily described as Knor's vision of a Scotland religious, virtuous, and happy, but tho portion of the book for which he has been most loudly .lauded is thatwherein he deals with the problem of education. Beginning with elementary schools, to be found in every parish, he arranged for secondary schools in every town and cathedral city; these in turn to lead up to the universities, so equipped as to prepare students for the learned professions and the highest offices of the State. The wealthier parents were to prepare for the education of their sons, whilst bursaries and scholarships were provided for the poorer children. All education was to be compulsory. Although Knox's scheme was never carried out in its entirety, owing to lack of funds, yeb the meie conception proved an inspiration to the Scottish people. It is largely owing to the parish schools that the Scotch people are known all over the world for their intelligence and enterprise. As a recent biographer has remarked: "Even yet, although the sum of human knowledge has increased enormously in extent, the efforts of educationists are absorbed into Knox's scheme without completely filling it up; and, the very latest developments, such as the Education Bill of Lord Young and the munificent gift of Mr Carnegie, only serve to perfect the ladder which lie began to construct." In the light of history John Knox may be judged a hero, for although violence and sternness and dogmatism were all parts of his character, these ruder elements did not obscure the sympathetic humanity beneath. Under all his harshness beat a strong aud loving heart, aild when in his house at tho head of the Canongate, dispensing to his friends some of that good old wine which he had stored in his collar, he would unbertd and show that vein of drollery and that eye for the ridiculous which helped to make him such an honest-hearted, brotherly man. Knox was no gloomy, spasmodic, shrieking fanatic, and, intolerant as he was towards the mass, towards Queen Mary, aud towaids the old Catholic clergy, yet he was no persecutor. Cruel in words and severe in judgment, ho was never cruel in act. Powerfully practical, he was in nowise reflective or speculative; everywhere the hero, lie is nowhere tho philosopher or sage. In short, John Knox was the man for his work and time, and, surveying his life and character after the lapse of 400 years, ivc find little that we cannot heartily respect and even admiringly cherish.