LATE PROFESSOR COLLIE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26531, 5 August 1947, Page 9

LATE PROFESSOR COLLIE

Sir —May I say a word about this perfect Christian gentleman, of whom the Rev D. C, Herron spoke so beautifully at the funeral? Professor Collie s whole hie was linked with that of another who was so like him in character and in ability I refer to the late Rev. Rutherford Waddell, who told me of his first contact with Professor Collie in the faroff days when St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church was a rallying point for all classes Collie came to Dunedin as a raw youth he attended a Bible class conducted by Dr Waddell, and in that class the teacher used to assign questions t the members, who were to write on the subjects and give the answers. One day Dr Waddell was struck by the remarkably fine work of a new lad from the country. That lad was John Collie, and from that first contact these two men were very intimately connected. At Di Waddell’s graveside I stood beside Professor Collie, and I remember the touchang incident when he took a flower and dropped it into the open grave, sayang, “ Farewell, old friend." Dr Waddell had & very high opinion of Professor Collie’s mental powers, and in his quaint way once said to the St. Andrew’s congregation on announcing tna, Mr Collie would preach on the following Sunday, " I have not the slightest doubts about Mr Collie’s ability to preach, but I have doubts about you folk being able to rise to his height of thought.” Apart from his rare intellectual gifts, Professor Collie was a man of beautiful simplicity of life and a native dignity which made him loved by young and old.—l am, etc., August 4. R-