OLD IDENTITIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1602, 5 August 1882, Page 21

OLD IDENTITIES.

OBITUARY.

IHE OLDEST ELDER OP THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Mr George Brown, of Tokomairiro, one of the fathers of the Presbyterian Church in Otago, has recently gone to his rest. He died on the 3rd July, aged 85 years. "He came to his grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season."

He was born in Banffshire. Like many another country boy in Scotland, he had little opportunity of attending school. The attiin ments he made in that way were meagre enough. He was early sent to earn his own living, and to eke out the scanty income of the household by_ herding a neighbour's cows. It is an easy kind of life herding, unless there happens to be a more than usually prying and adventurous cow in the herd. In that case the boy, if at all faithful, is kept on the alert, and his nimble feet crush many a "bonnie gowan " as he rushes with a wild whoop after the straying animal. If the cows are all douse, and have a strict regard for proprietary rights, the herd boy has a great deal of leisure. Time hangs heavy on his hands How long the afternoons seem ! How slowly the closely watched shadow of the big tree which is made to do service as a dial moves and lengthens ! How long the sun lingers ovor tho wostern hills ! Doubtless there are other boys, and if there happens to bea" burn " near there is " paidling " enough in the water, and time speeds unnoticed ; or there are visits to be paid to the last-found nest. But all interests and sports get tiresome, even to a boy, when hunger begins to remind him of the porridge that awaits his home-coming. "Bon nic lassies " may be attractive enough in their way, but most herd boys would be inclined to dispute the poet's taste, and assert instead that — " tho greatest bliss the tongue o' man ran name " is a cog of steaming porridge when the "kye come hame." Young Brown had, how. ever, a way of cheating the laggard hours well known to Scotland's noble sons. A strange sight it must have been to see the boydrivine his cows to pasture with a slate danglm°- in hia hand, and a book fixed somewhere 0 about him— in his pocket or under his arm. His school-room was the hill-side, plenty of space there, and no lack of fresh air. Who knows how much the airy schoolroom had to do with the bloom which mantled, his cheeks for fourscore years ! I have before me now *

oopy of the book over which that Bacffshire boy used to pore during those summer days long ago. Most strange I The leaves of this old book have fluttered, too, mayhap in the breezes of that far-off time and place, and yet they are all here still, not one amissing. The book is as compact as ever, looks mummyJike ito its brown covers, and will doubtless be little changed a hundred years hence, it is called "The Instructor, or Young Man's Best Companion." It begins with spelling, and goes in orderly fashion through the three R's, toucheß on the drawing up of legal documents, gives rules, for doing all that's necessary in building a house, lightly drops some hints as to dyeing and gardening, speaks at great length about sundry aspects of domestic economy, and winds up with a "Compendium on the Sciences of * Geography and Astronomy." From 'the fact of his carrying a slate along with the book, I infer that young Brown must have been chiefly taken up with the parts on writing and arithmetic After pushing his way to manhood as best he could, he got married to one who proved to be a true helpmeet. They settled down at Fochabers, and for nearly a quarter of a century he held a responsible position in connection with the sawmills .belonging to Gordon Castle, His painfully-acquired arithmetic had • to do good service here. Those who saw him rapidly calculating the number of feet in a heap of timber could appreciate the result of his open-air Btudy, although they knew nothing of the process by which it had been reached. The "Ten Year's Conflict" began during his stay at Fochabers. He gladly took his place ia the ranks of those who were loyally contending for the sole Headship of Christ in the Church. Mr Dewar, his minister, was Moderator o£ the Presbytery of Strathbogie when the famous Maraoch case occurred. He is honourably mentioned by the historian of that period as " a member of the evangelical party, and a man of great prudence and firmness." Doubtless Mr Brown had often heard of the wonderful call addressed to Probationer Edwards by the parish of Marnoch. The parish consisted of 3000 souls, All who had tongues able to articulate protested against the call. Peter Taylor alone signed it, and he was the keeper of the publichouse in which the Presbytery were wont to dine. I have no doubt also that, along with indignation at the forced settlement of the obnoxious minister, there would be on Brown's part many a quiet, sad laugh at the pitiable straits to which the majority in the Presbytery were sometimes reduced. It would be ludicrous enough >to think of the agent of these men on that January morning forcing open a window in' the manse, and straddling j over the window-sill to open the door for the assembled Presbytery. He would doubtless appreciate that scene in the church, also, when the smart "writer" from Aberdeen put the members of the Presbytery to their wit's end by insisting upon an answer to his very pertinent question— "By what authority are you met here ? " He had much quiet humour about him,:which broke out often in some quaint little story, and a face suffused with laughter. He was elected to the eldership shortly before the Disruption, When that testing time came he cast in his lot with the Free Church, and did his utmost to advance its interests in his own district. He was a hearty worker in the Sabbath school, and the prayer-meeting would never have languished if all the office-bearers had been like Brown. He left his natiyo land for New, Zealand in 1850. Before leaving, his fellow-workmen and others presented him with an address and purse of sovereigns as a token of their respect. Shortly after coming to Otago, he was elected to the eldership in the First Church. For about five years he discharged the duties of his office with singular fidelity. Dr Burns used to Bpeak of him as a model' elder. He removed to Tokomairiro in 1856. The whole of the Southern part of the province was at that time under the ministerial,charge of Mr Bannerman. Toko, was only a corner of his extensive parish. It doubtleßS gave him pleasure to form a session here with such experienced office-bearers as Mr Brown and Mr Henry Clark. During all these years since 1850 the name of George Brown has stood at -the head of the roll of elders in the Toko, session. He was eminently loyal to Christ, .with a loyalty that sprung from practical aquaintanco with His lovs and practical experience of His redeeming grace. As a consequence he was loyal to Christ's Word, loyal to the Presbyterian Church Acts and Ordinances, because he believed that these were more scriptural than ought else. He was also eminently helpful to the Church he loved by his counsel in session, by his fidelity in visiting the sick, by his kindly sympathy with the minister, by his fervent prayers for the furtherance of every good work, and by his cheerful liberality. Another very marked feature of his character was reverence. In the first place reverence for God, and after that reverence for whateverseemedtobearinhoweverfaintadegree the Divine sanction. I shall uever forget the reverent way in which, so long as he was able to move about, he was wont to salute his minister. The manner in which he raised his hat at my' approach always humbled me, and at the same time inspired me with greater selfrespect, and set me on doing all I could to justify this old man's finely-toned reverence. And now he's gone — another of that rapidly-les-sening band of elders who took part in the " Disruption." "Afewmoreye.ars,"said DrGuthrie, some time ago, "and ministers and elders shali all be gone— dead and gone— all but some grey old man, who with slow steps, bending on his staff, will enter the General Assembly and will look around him to see the face of afellowBoldier, and he will not see one. And men, moved by the sight, shall point with reverence to that hoary head and say, ' There goes the last of the Romans ; that old man bore a part in the great Disruption.'" Perhaps in after years 1 when the history of the Presbyterian Church of Otago is written thename of George Brown will come up again as one of the first elders who sat in the first meeting of Presbytery held in June, 1854, and who by his counBel helped to lay the foundations of a Church which is already assuming large proportions in this new land. With that name, when the truth is spoken there will ever be associated loyalty and reverence, and kindly helpfulness, and shrewd sense, and quiet persistent manliness.

A match of a singular character is announced to come off in Paris. A French count has backed his mare to accomplish a distance of 38 kilometres in two hours; and a wealthy landowner has wagered that a snail which he brings with him from Burgundy will crawl two metres and three-quarters round the edge of a billiard-table in the same period of time. As an inducement to the snail to come out of its shell, it is stipulated that a lettuce leaf sprinkled with powdered sugar shall be held before it at a given distance to stir up its activity. Should both competitors do the required distance in the time named, the bet is to be a drawn one. If one , fails the owner is to lose. 100,000 francs is wagered en the event. It has often been said that some men have more money than wit, and here js a fresh planl^ for the old platform,