should the influence of Good Words' be thereby weakened, I declare to you, that I would Booner see this-sooner see the magazine utterly fail, while bravely seeking to realize a right idea of Christian literature, than see it live in tolerable weakness, while attempting to work out an inadequate and, as I believe, a wrong

one.

"But whatever may became of Good Words,' I am grieved to see the tendency, on the part of some good men in the Evangelical Church, to cast away from their heart and sympathy in such a crisis as the present, the cordial aid which others most devoted to Christ and his kingdom are willing to afford to the cause all have at heart, the very moment these others refuse to shape all their plans, and even their phrases, to the stereotyped form which a small party have sanctioned, as being the only type of Evangelism.' They are too apt to be governed by the mere letter and word, instead of looking into the spirit and reality of things, and thus unconsciously accept the well-known advice given in Faust' to a student by whom I need not

How anxious Dr. Macleod was to make Good Words answer to its title in the strictest sense is not, perhaps, sufficiently well known. One of the most distinguished novelists of the day, a personal friend of his own, was engaged to write a story for it. When Dr. Macleod received the MS. and read it over, he wished it to be returned to the writer, because a clergyin it; and this was done accordingly, man was in his opinion unfairly satirized although it involved a loss to the maga zine of £500. Again, when our common friend, Mr. George MacDonald, was about to write "Guild Court," Dr. Macleod was very anxious that no "heterodox" views on the subject of future punishment should be introduced into it. For hours the two discussed the matter in the publishing office with friendliest warmth. At last in tripped a little girl, and by her simple wise prattle, not only put an end to the el for the most interesting character of the controversy, but actually became the modstory. Before his death Dr. Macleod had adopted Mr. Maurice's stand-point on this question, as he emphatieally made manifest in the last sermon I heard him preach at Balmoral.

"With a good conscience towards God and man, I therefore crave as a Christian pastor, seeking to aid his Master's work, the sympathy of the good men of all parties, and of all churches, -for Good Words' belongs to all. If this be denied me, by even a few, on that few be the responsibility of weakening my hands. Profoundly convinced, however, of a higher sympathy, I shall go on as I have begun, with a clear firm I have heard him preach scores of times, purpose, and a peaceful courageous heart. As and cannot call to mind one sermon of his sang long ago, I sing my own words now, and that was dull. Many preachers soar now hope to go on singing them till my voice is si-and then in their discourses, and then

lent

Trust no party, church, or faction,

Trust no leaders in the fight;

But in every word and action,

Trust in God, and do the right!

'Some will hate thee, some will love thee,
Some will flatter, some will slight.
Cease from man, and look above thee,
Trust in God, and do the right!'

then come down with painfully flapping wings; but when Norman Macleod went up he kept up with a strong, steady flight that never flagged. I have often heard him preach under exceptional circumstances - in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Athens, Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Damascus, but the most striking of these exceptional services were when he preached on board a Peninsular and Oriental steamer in the "Dear —, excuse this long letter. When I Mediterranean to a congregation of forebegan it, I had no intention of writing beyond a castle-men line or two. You may make any use of it you -the shaggy-breasted tars all please, and I shall do the same. I am firmly crying like children; and again, when, on resolved to defend my position before the public, the banks of the Caledonian Canal, he adin the confident hope that I shall be backed in dressed the crews of half a hundred fishthe long-run by the intelligence of the country.ing boats. I have said "preached," but in The Christian public must in the end decide neither case was it a set sermon

simply

A

» dan internet as h As in the Free Aswho devoted the entire "Earnest Student "to the

www Indian Missions. How much via implied an only be known by

op who are some way acquainted with the ferness with which the ecclesi2) 6 afnatical parte aged, which, for better for at his wore Seotland in twain, dividing son famir funily, parent from child, and brother om sister. I well remember the when . with which he accepted for Tris a poem sent to him by the ser of one of the doughtiest chamThe Free Church, and one of the

hisks. The

aw published was

I am the queen is utters amongst his leaders.

stand on the "Sabbath question "

asen much of the irrationalism out Souten opinion on that subject — used the grave-clothes, and washed resce of that sublime gift of God, the Lay a rest. And many men of other comConcessus tramos irst began to respect Presbyteis when they became acquainted with Serman Macieod.

iterature, (besides Good Words.) The Contemporary Review, The Sunday Luzine, and Good Words for the Young

cam father, for without his generus aid and encouragement at the beging and all through, I could never have ojected or established any of them.

And his life-long championship of the our has had fruitful results. He did nuca by his own personal exertions, and se by his little work, "How to Help our eserving Poor," but he did more by , brecting our common friend, the Rev. W. eming Stevenson, into this path, and by geing him to write such papers as the Da Dr. Chalmers at Elberfeld.” sex, vinien appeared in the first part of Good Fors, and to which can be directly traced The great Charity Organization moveuques of the day.

فاف

What more need be said? Writing for a ciuesi journal, I feel that some recogniDr. Macleod's fine faculties, and Ma kempt to estimate them, cannot be

to something of Sydney Smith, something of Thackeray, and even something of Lord Palmerston, you have gone some way towards reconstructing Dr. Macleod. He loved work, but he took hold of things by their smooth handle. His mind went straight to its conclusions in ways which irresistibly remind one of the buoyant canon and also of the buoyant prime-minister; but his conscientiousness and reverence were, in comparison to theirs, mountainous in height, and volcanic in force. He had in his nature the "great strong stock of common sense that each of these distinguished men carried about with him; and he had much too of Thackeray's equalizing humour. His humour, like Thackeray's was largely, too, the humour of comradeship.

99

And who can help thinking of this chorus when the image of Norman Macleod arises in his mind? He was the comrade of all good things. There are pioneers, and Dr. Macleod, however, had infinitely camp-followers, and leaders, and the rest. more tenderness than either of the three Dr. Macleod had much of the soldier in men I have named. This quality is abunhim, and would have struck a good stroke dantly shown in his writings, especially in in the very van, but it was not his char- what he has written for children and about acteristic to want to hurry in advance of children. The love of the young is a his company, There is a rather conserva- quality which may stand for a great many tive French epigram which says, "The things. Sometimes it is strong, and yet better is the enemy of the good"-and there is nothing to lay hold of but the it has its truth. Dr. Macleod would not thank me for trying to elevate him at the expense of any human being; so I need not depreciate any lonely fanatic or pioneer of the better, when I say that he was the comrade, rather than the fighting man of the good. Having put his hand to the plough-and manlike-deep were the furrows he made, and straight also, he was not one to look back; but he liked to abide with his own people, and he did. It was in the spirit of a Christian comrade that he did his best work.

Dr. Macleod was a striking example of solidarity of character. You cannot separate in him, even hypothetically for purposes of criticism, the morals from the intellect, or either from the religious currents of his nature. Admitting that his creed does look a little outside of him, his entire simplicity prevents this from being in any way unpleasant. If there were things in his opinion which did not "mortice in" or "splice" with exactitude, the discovery, when you made it, struck you as it might have done, if you had made it in the mind of a big good boy.

bare instinct, which is as strong in monkeys and birds. Sometimes it is cynicism turning in upon itself to get a taste of geniality. But occasionally, as in Norman Macleod, it is a much more comprehensive quality, and much more of an index. For example, it may point to natural simplicity and complete truthfulness of character. Then, again, no one can write with much sympathy about children who has not really lived with them; and this requires both patience and compassionateness. There is something deeper still. When the devil and his angels have done their worst, no one can mix much with children without feeling that man was made for God and goodness; in their society the most unsophisticated play of the better impulses comes so easily to the surface, and so unconsciously, that we can kindle our own torches anew at their little lamps, even in the gustiest weather of this weary worll. From all these points of view it is easy to discern that Norman Macleod loved the young, and the fact is full of significance.

Incidentally, it may be added that Dr. The burden and the mystery had made Macleod had, in perfection, one great sign marks on him, as on the rest of us, and he of simple solidarity of character-he avows it in his writings; but he enjoyed could sing songs, and, what is more, sing life very much his soul lived, if one may his own songs, in such a way as really to so say, with a very full, very strong, very heighten the pleasure of a social gathercomplex life. If you add a double portion ing. The gift is not a very rare of the Celtic religious fervency and glow among the Scotch, in whom the minstrel

one

friendly talk made eloquent by its earnest-first canons of literary workmanship be thereby violated.

ness.

Dr. Macleod liked to see a man, and had a warm place in his heart for soldiers and sailors. He would sing his own war-song, "Dost thou remember!" to a company of old soldiers; and "The Old Lieutenant and His Son" and "Billy Buttons" show how sympathetically he could limn old salts. An absurd report, by-the-bye, has been spread that the latter story was plagiarized from Bret Harte, the fact being that, although only recently republished in a book, "Billy Buttons" appeared in a Christmas number of Good Words long before the publication of "The Luck of Roaring Camp."

66

The favourite student and devoted admirer of Dr. Chalmers, he nevertheless had to fight manfully against his old master at the time of the Disruption; and yet Dr. Macleod did more, perhaps, than any other man to breathe a spirit of com prehensive charity into all the churches. More than once have I seen his stalwart form bent forward in deep interest as he listened to the debates in the Free Assembly Hall; and he devoted the entire profits of his "Earnest Student" to the Free Church Indian Missions. How much all this implied can only be known by those who are in some way acquainted with the fierceness with which the ecclesiastical battle raged, which, for better for worse, rent Scotland in twain, dividing family from family, parent from child, and brother from sister. I well remember the eagerness, too, with which he accepted for Good Words a poem sent to him by the daughter of one of the doughtiest champions of the Free Church, and one of the hardest hitters amongst his leaders.

"Wee Davie" was his own favourite among his works. It was rattled off at a sitting. But he thought very little of his writings, and full of shrewd observation, lively description, and good humour, in two senses, as they are, there can be no doubt that Norman Macleod was infinitely greater in his life than in his books. The last thing of his that he saw published was a sermon preached before the Queen, on Christ blessing little children; it was His stand on the Sabbath question " printed in the June part of Good Words. has taken much of the irrationalism out His children will remember that coinci- of Scotch opinion on that subjectdence, for a fonder father there never was, loosened the grave-clothes, and washed as all will admit who were privileged to the face of that sublime gift of God, the see him surrounded by his little ones, tell-day of rest. And many men of other coming them his wonderful "once-upon-a-munions first began to respect Presbytetime" stories by the hour together. The rianism when they became acquainted with Scottish character is thought to be rugged, Norman Macleod. but it holds, like honey hived in rocks, a rich fund of tenderness. To speak only of Scotsmen of our own day, in no men has this store been richer than in George MacDonald, John Brown, and Norman Macleod. But it is not for me to touch on his domestic life. The beauty of it, in all relations, will, I trust, soon be portrayed by a congenial hand.

In literature, (besides Good Words,) The Contemporary Review, The Sunday Magazine, and Good Words for the Young can call him father, for without his generous aid and encouragement at the beginning and all through, I could never have projected or established any of them.

And his life-long championship of the poor has had fruitful results. He did much by his own personal exertions, and also by his little work, "How to Help our Deserving Poor," but he did more by directing our common friend, the Rev. W. Fleming Stevenson, into this path, and by

one on "Dr. Chalmers at Elberfeld," which appeared in the first part of Good Words, and to which can be directly traced all the great Charity Organization movements of the day.

Sunny is the best epithet for his social life. At a public dinner, in a private drawing-room, in a cosy tobacco-scented tête-à-tête he radiated enjoyment. He was full of fun full to overflowing. And one of the readiest ways in which his abound-getting him to write such papers as the ing spirits found expression was at the point of his pencil. Almost all his letters to me were illustrated with little whimsical drawings, very slight, but showing artistic faculty of the highest kind. Is it well at this time, and in this place, to bring any of these out of the obscurity in which they have hitherto lain? For my part, I cannot help thinking so, unless a not unimportant trait in Dr. Macleod's character is to be suppressed, and one of his own

What more need be said? Writing for a critical journal, I feel that some recognition of Dr. Macleod's fine faculties, and some attempt to estimate them, cannot be

to something of Sydney Smith, something of Thackeray, and even something of Lord The word falls from the pen not infe- Palmerston, you have gone some way licitously. A noble comrade! That was towards reconstructing Dr. Macleod. what Dr. Macleod was, and it is a type of He loved work, but he took hold of character not too often exemplified in cir- things by their smooth handle. His cles to which any such word as "evangeli- mind went straight to its conclusions in cal" is usually applied. There is a " song ways which irresistibly remind one of the of parting" by one of the truest poets of our time, of which in the chorus the re-prime-minister; but his conscientiousness curring words are: