A WOMAN’S PIETY

New Zealand Tablet, 11 August 1910, Page 1262

A WOMAN’S PIETY

THE CATHOLIC CAMERONS OF NOVA SCOTIA _ A very interesting article concerning the' Catholic Cameron family of Antigonish, N.S., is contributed to the Casket of that place by a grandson of - Mrs. Margaret Cameron, through whose practical piety and staunch devotion, to her religion, her husband, and his three brothers embraced the Catholic Faith, and as a result of their conversion the Church has now many faithful sons and daughters who are descended from them, including a number who embraced the religious life. Appended is the substance of the article : -

‘ More than a century ago, when this country was yet an almost unbroken wilderness, there lived at or near Fort William, Inverness-shire, Scotland, Dougald ’Cameron end his wife, with an interesting family of sons, young and vigorous, with rugged constitutions and indomitable spirits. Their names were Ewen, John, Lachlan, and Allan. - ‘ They lived in humble circumstances, possessing no more of the world’s goods than was absolutely necessary. They were Presbyterians by faith, and the conditions of the time and place granted them few, if any, educational ad-, vantages. Like many other ambitious young people, they adapted themselves to conditions, and earned their living by accepting such positions as offered. Thus it was that Ewen grasped the shepherd’s crook, it and his faithful dog constituting all his earthly possessions. ■ Not far from this place lived a Catholic family named Gillies, who were in rather better circumstances, and from the location of their home, at the head of the lake (loch), were designated the Gillieses of Ceann-Loch. ‘ In this family was a young, stately maiden, comely in appearance, named Margaret. Between her and the sprightly, attractive young Ewen Cameron an attachment sprang up, which ripened into that passion which brooks no interference, and though her parents opposed it, and arranged a matrimonial alliance between Margaret and one with better prospects in life, and of her own persuasion, yet Love would laugh at locksmiths,” with the result that the poor young shepherd and Margaret were married by the priest on February 1, 1794, under the conditions imposed by the Church in mixed marriages. ‘This event in her life, though it cost her parental sympathy, did not lessen, but rather increased, her devotion to her faith, and her strict observance of its obligations. Now, indeed, she realised that she assumed a double duty, requiring redoubled efforts on her part/ To win him over to the true faith now became the sole object of her life. What means did she adopt ? Did she attempt to convince him at-short range? No. She invariably showed him from day to day, during a period of about six years, the beautiful example of a good, patient, Christian wife and mother, ‘ for now they were blessed with a young family of four children, all of whom were baptised in the Catholic Church.

‘ Ewen’s mind was not unimpressionable. The influence of her ways was doing its work gradually and surely. Her devotion to her Church, he could not fail, to observe, she held above all else, while her love and natural devotion to her husband only became more manifest as the years went by. His conscience now frequently whispered that Church must be true which teaches its members to lead such edifying lives, as does my beloved Margaret, and if so why should I not belong to it with her?” ‘ But, alas! there were obstacles in the way. His employer would dismiss him, did he openly join the Catholic Church, nor did he see any other opening in sight that would not be attended with a similar objection. ‘ On Sundays Ewen and Margaret usually walked together on the same way to church, separating at a certain corner, whence each proceeded on his or her own way to the different places of worship. Ewen had noticed, on seve-. ral occasions, that Margaret, often having proceeded a short distance on her way, sat down and seemed'to be ill at ease. ‘ One Sunday, observing that this was repeated by her, he resolved to investigate, and retracing his steps, found hia spouse weeping. Now, for the first time he discovered that she was in grief, a grief borne for years, but suppressed in his presence. : -. •• ‘No more was needed to consummate his premeditated resolution. It was no sudden , impulse of an excitable moment, but the final act in bringing into happy fruition a conversion carefully considered for a period of six years. Thus he addressed her, the emotions of his heart lending emphasis to his words: ‘ “ Margaret, why do you weep ?” . ■ ‘ She replied, with saddened tones and dejected spirit, for she could scarcely yet hope: Ewen, dear, I weep, because we cannot go to the one church.” . ‘“Thou shall weep no more,” returned he, “for this very day I go with you to your church, for the Church that is so much loved by one of the best women on earth must surely be the Church for me.” ‘ Thus came about the perfect conversion of the first of these Camerons. _ The agency under God was this good, unpretentious, Christian woman. She possessed no education, nor any extraordinary talents, but she possessed what

frSn^v superior-a strong, living faith, radiating : trom every act, word, and work of her life, * % aU xr- cf f 1801 .Ewen, his- wife, and young - Sl eft Jor Na Scotia, where after arriv they setmJ 9 &S a >- Antl • With nnrelaxing effort, and the S*S C 5 and /Wring encouragement .of Margaret, Ewen prospered, -and in a few years was in comfortable ISS 8 ? a \that meant at that period After a time the little log cabin gave place to a larger and more SSrS-T',* family increased incumber, and the virgin soil yielded generously to every stroke of the hoe. Now his material comfort was assured. For ml years his home was the station of the itinerant priest, whe£ fllw mission administering to his yet small and scattered few ft• lat % J 0p l : Fraser Father William McLeod, and others knew Ewen's home as their own, for now churches were few and far between. ' wmrcnes *»A ' Shortly after Ewen brother John became a convert and came to the South River. A little later their brother i-ochlan came, who also embraced the faith. A number of years after these the last of them, Allan, came, who in due time was received, into the Church. He had been in the T™? ynd i, was , with his regiment stationed somewhere in Ireland, when his brothers came. - Three of these settled SrW femll <* of ea s h other, and another at Antigonish Harbor a ■T, heir descendants live at South River, Springheld, and other parts of the county. All these conversions were directly due to that of Ewen, and therefore to the \iLA : 'Through John's'conversion the church in this diocese had for many fruitful years the administration of a Bishopfour grandsons priests, namely, Dr. Angus Cameron, Father Donald Cameron and Father Dougal Cameron (brothers) q ]l , now deceased, and Father C. F. McKinnon, now of &ydaey Mines; also two great-grandsons, Father McMaster of Mabou and Father D. C. Gillies of the College. Besides these there were and still are a respectable number of Johns descendants devout Sisters of religious communities. • "it ™ of u the direct descendants of Ewen ministered in the Church but the late Judge McDonald, of Antigonish, our first Catholic judge, was his grandson; so is Dr. Hugh Cameron, ex-M.P., of Mabou. C B. i • l , do not know whether Margaret's progenitors had always been Catholics, but it is very evident the faith was hrmly implanted in that family. Some years after, her brother named Angus immigrated and settled at Upper South R|ver. A daughter of his married Lachlan McDonald, of Erasers Mills, and was the mother of three sons • who are now doing active services at the altar, in this diocese, namely Father Alex. L. of Inverness, C. 8., Father Ronald L. of St. Peters, C. 8., and Father Donald L. of Arisaig, Antigonish. These reverend gentlemen rejoice to call Margaret of Kin-Loch their grand-aunt.'