"Ev'n then a wish (I mind its power) A wish that to my latest hour,

Shall strongly heave my breast, That I for puir auld Scotland's sake, Some useful plan or beuk could make, Or sing a sang at least."

That he did succeed in making "usefu' plans for puir auld Scotland" and in making, not only one sang, but many sangs of the loftiest conception for his country's betterment, I need only point to the place of highest honor which he occupies in the affections of its people at home or abroad. In this connection, I will refer to the numerous editions of his works which have been published during the last one hundred and thirty years. Since the first edition (now very scarce) was published at Kilmarnock, in 1786, no fewer than four hundred editions have been given to the world. These editions have been produced chiefly in Scotland, England, Ireland and the United States. Besides these, there have been eighteen editions published in Germany, in the German language, and three editions in France, in the French language. Lastly, but not by any means least in importance, there has recently been published an excellent edition of Burns' songs and poems in the Scottish Gaelic. As an example of the great accuracy with which the translator has been able to retain the beautiful sentiments expressed in the song in its original form, I will quote the last stanza of "Highland Mary":

"Tha bilean rosach nis cho ban,

A phog mi tric la annsa;

Is duint gu brath na suilean grinn
A sheall gu caoimhneil ormsa;

Sa smur san dus tha'n cridh bha blath,
Sa gradhaich mi cho failach;
Ach stoigh am innibh mairibh beo
Mo Mhaire bhoidheach Ghaidhealach."

As another very tangible evidence of the great and increasing popularity of Scotland's immortal bard, let me direct your attention to the large number of statues, monuments, busts and other memorials of his greatness as a poet, and benefactor of the human race, which have been erected in many parts of the world by a grateful and admiring people, to his memory. It is meet that his own Scotland, which he so patriotically loved and revered, should, to date, take first place in the number of monuments erected to the memory of her illustrious son who has done so much in spreading abroad the

name and fame of his "Auld Respectit Mither." "Scotia, his dear, his native land," has contributed twelve monuments, which are to be seen in the following cities and towns: Alloway, Kilmarnock, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Dumfries, Aberdeen, Ayr, Irvine, Paisley, Mauchline, Leith and Stirling, where the bust of Burns occupies a befitting place in Wallace's monument.

The United States takes second place with ten statues to the memory of the Scottish bard: New York, Albany, Barre, (Vt.), Fall River (Mass.), Denver (Col.), Chicago, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Atlanta (Ga.) and Boston. Canada gives three-Toronto (Ont.), Frederickton (N. B.) and Vancouver (B. C.) I wish that I could add Winnipeg, Man. England has given three memorials: London, Thames Embankment, Westminster Abbey, "Poets' Corner" and Carlisle, Bust in Public Library. Ireland: Belfast. Victoria: Ballarat and Melbourne. New Zealand: Dunedin. New South Wales: Sydney.

Then in the hamlet of Alloway, near the town of Ayr, there stands the humble cottage wherein Burns, one hundred and fiftyeight years ago, first saw the light. This shrine is visited yearly by many thousands of admiring and devoted pilgrims from all over the world, who consider it a great honor to have the privilege of standing within the room and viewing the identical bed in which Scotland's Immortal Bard was born. Many glowing tributes to his memory have been spoken and written within the walls of the "Auld Clay Biggin," but perhaps none more appropriate or sincere than the lines written by the noted agnostic, Robert Ingersoll, beginning:

THE EVANGELIST MARK SURNAMED

JOHN MARK

BY REV. ANDREW BURROWS, D.D.

It is somewhat remarkable the fewness of commentators to be found writing upon the Gospel of Mark, compared with any of the other Gospels. It would seem that the attention bestowed upon it is much less than that bestowed upon the writings of the other Evangelists. Some writers have regarded this Gospel as a "mere abridgement of the Gospel of St. Matthew"; other writers again view it as the independent narrative of an independent witness, of one inspired to write a history of the works more than the words of Jesus.

This Evangelist, known as Mark, is supposed to be the same as John, whose surname was Mark, to whom we have reference in Acts xii: 12-25. This latter name was Roman, while John was Jewish. Is not this change analagous to that of the great Apostle, Saul into that of Paul?

From the testimony of some Biblical scholars, we learn that Mark stood on terms of greater intimacy with Peter than with Paul. When Peter was delivered from the prison by the Angel (Acts xii: 12), was it not to the house of Mary, Mark's mother, that he directed his steps? And from Peter's first Epistle (v: 13), we learn of the strength of his affection towards Mark (under whose influence he is supposed to be brought to a knowledge of the Saviour) expressed in his salutation from the church at Babylon"And so doth Marcus, My Son." It is also supposed that this Evangelist was for some time Peter's "Amanuensis," and that from him Mark acquired a knowledge of the wonderful works and beneficent deeds and the sympathetic words of Jesus recorded in his Gospel. Tradition informs us that after the lapse of some years Mark made Alexandria in Egypt his home, and founded a church there of which he became the first Bishop; and there he acquired the friendship of Philo, the eminent Jewish Philosopher and Greek scholars; while there, he did a great work on the coast of Dalmatia, in its evangelization and the organization of churches. This Evangelist and Bishop had a special connection with Venice; some writers tell us that his remains were brought from Alexandria to Venice and were buried in the church of St. Mark there, in his honor and in memory of his name. Various opinions are expressed respecting his death and burial. St. Jerome affirms his death to have taken place in Alexandria in the eighth year of Rome's most wicked Emperor, Nero; while others affirm that he died the Martyr's death and obtained his crown.

In his life he had the superlative honor of writing, as it were, the biography of the Son of Man, from the period of His Baptism to His Crucifixion and Ascension. The historian informs us that Mark wrote his

Gospel after the decease of Peter and Paul, and that it was written specially for the use of the Gentiles, more than for the Jews. His Gospel presents to us Jesus Christ what he was, more by His Works than by His Words, in order to lead men, who read and study it, to a hearty acceptance of Him as the Great Physician, not only of men's bodies, but of men's souls; and this, perhaps, will account for the fewness of our Lord's conversations and discourses and the greater abundance of our Lord's works and miracles than those recorded in the writings of the other Evangelists.

Our consideration of the Christian character as delineated in Scripture is well calculated to expel from our minds the erroneous idea that those men, who followed Jesus, lived as He did, wanting any trace of human weakness and human passion. If we examine the lives of the Apostles as recorded, will we not find that they, like other men, had their personal dispositions and differences and misunderstandings as manifested in the history of John Mark, and evidenced in the case of Paul and Barnabas in relation to him? And does not all this prove that the natural characteristic of holy men are not wholly destroyed, but purified and sanctified by the grace of the Lord Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost?

John Mark was greatly loved by his relative, Barnabas, with such an absorbing love as to prevent him from seeing any faults and blemishes in his character, which Paul could detect, and which led to their separation. But, can we not see the wisdom of the King and Head of the Church in permitting this dissension relative to John Mark spring up between His honored servants? What did it lead to? Did it not lead to the greater prosperity of their missionary enterprise? Did it not issue in much gain to the church? Seeing that the issue of it leads to the formation of two branches of missionary labor instead of one, now that Barnabas with Mark goes into Cyprus, and Paul with Silas goes into Syria and other places to promote the interests of Christianity.

Besides all this, can we not learn something of the character of John Mark, that it was one noted for its weakness, and desirous of avoiding too much toil and laborinvolving too much of the spirit of selfdenial; in a word, he seemed to lack these two special qualities which must enter into the life of every young missionary-a readiness to do what he can, and to practice selfdenial for the good of the cause. It was the lack of these essential qualities in John Mark which led Paul to decline taking him with him on entering on his second missionary tour. What a profitable lesson can be learned from Mark by all young Christians, who enter into the Master's vineyard? To work accordingly to their ability and opportunity, to deny self, and to remember the

promise, "as thy days so shall thy strength be."

From Mark's life-history, can be gathered these two practical lessons: (1) The overruling providence of God in ordering, or permitting, the dissension to arise between his servants on Mark's account; seeing that it led, as we saw, to the furtherance of God's cause on earth. And (2), the warning it gives to young men, who go out to work for Christ, not to be as easily turned aside from their work as Mark was; they should not enter thoughtlessly upon Christian work without counting the cost; they should carry the promise, "My grace is sufficient for

thee!"

The Present Situation

What does America stand for? What is the meaning of that Statue which is built at the mouth of the harbor, and which looks out with frank and earnest face, toward the old world? It is a Statue of Liberty. But that great emblem does not carry the significance that man has liberty to do as he likes, but liberty to do as God likes, an ample opportunity to obey God's holy will. Liberty carries in her hand a torch and not a firebrand, a torch which is the symbol of enlightenment, and rectitude, and truth. It is liberty in the service of light, it is liberty finding herself in the ministry of everything which is lovely and of good report. That is the national emblem as this country has built it on the very frontiers of the new world, and it is that emblem which throws its radiant beams through the address which President Wilson delivered to Congress* * * That is something more noble than peace, if peace means a benumbed indifference to moral issues, and a dead aloofness to the cry and sigh of those who are wronged. There is something worse than the endurance of pain, and that is a callous disregard when pain is being unrighteously inflicted by others. There is something worse than death, and that is to be dead to the call of chivalry, dead to the trumpet-blast of justice and of truth. There is something worse than war, and that something is found in the willingness to contemplate barbarities and yet remain in self-satisfied security. To lose one's honor is a far greater calamity than to lose one's life. I would prefer noble and chivalrous warfare, with all its pangs, and sorrows, and bereavements, and desolations, to a moral laxity which remains easy and unmoved when iniquity is rampant in the world, and when barbarity stalks abroad wearing a triple crown. We may pay too great a price for peace, we can surrender our righteousness, and when we forfeit our righteousness the peace we secure is counterfeit, and it offers only a new breedingground for every sort of shameful mischief and strife. It is only when righteousness and peace have met together that we have a blessed and really enduring communion, a

marriage which is certainly made in heaven. -Extract from Dr. J. H. Jowett's sermon of February 11, 1917.

Prayer For The Day

Eternal God, our Father, we thank Thee we are found in the house of promise. Thy promises were made even before our needs were born. Before we began to hunger Thy bread was ready and before we began to thirst Thy water was at hand. We cannot take Thee by surprise. We cannot bring to Thee a necessity which Thy grace cannot meet. We have no guilt which cannot be removed by Thy forgiveness. We have no anxiety which cannot be smoothed out by the gift of Thy peace. We have no heartache for which Thou hast not provided spiritual balm. We have no failure which Thou canst not turn into the beginnings of glorious victory. And therefore we come to Thee with the confidence that we can find our missing piece in the glorious armory and storehouse of our God. Help us to help one another. May we find the beginning of our own heaven in leading others to Thy gate. May we find the blessedness of prayer in the breadth and depth of our remembrance of our fellow-men. May we drink of the wells of salvation. May we find our joy in wiping away other people's tears. May we find our strength and inspiration in helping lame pilgrims along the road. Impart unto us, we pray Thee, the spirit of self-forgetfulness, and may we all be intent on bringing one another to the unsearchable riches of Thy grace. Lord, meet with us in the worship of this day. May we open our doors and let Thee in. May every form of ministry become the open channels of Thy love, and at eventide may we have great gladness of heart because we have spent the day with Thee. Amen. DR. J. H. JOWETT.

The Limits of Human Achievements

What is true of the body is true of the mind. We all of us know men who write too much, or speak too much, or preach too much. There are many whose fame would be doubled if their work was halved. There are preachers who forget that the only thing that really matters in their life-work is the sermons they prepare for their own congregations and the pastoral work they do in addition. They wander all over the country. They cross the seas. They undertake all manner of offices and duties. They are never at peace and never at their best. They tell you that they work eighteen hours a day. As a rule, they break down prematurely. When they do not, all the life and freshness go out of them. We are to find our tasks and concentrate upon them, and not attempt anything that will impair the efficiency with which they are performed.-British Weekly.

Privileged to sit under the ministry of a rare Scotch preacher, Rev. Robert Watson, D.D., pastor of the Scotch Presbyterian Church, Central Park West, New York, and as member of the Men's Bible Class, led by Rev. Donald Macdougall, B.D., editor of THE CALEDONIAN magazine, also a genuine Scotchman, I will offer a few thoughts on Bible Study.

Bible Study has been conducted from first to last in many different ways. Rev. Mr. Macdougall's method is rather unusual. He takes up the Old Testament as the progressive revelation of God's plan of the religion of Redemption as The Law, in types, forms and covenants, as a preparation for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Take the Book of Genesis, for instance, the Book of Origins. First a comprehensive outline of the book is given; second, an analysis; third, the message and its application; then follows a full discussion of the book of the class.

In other words, the specific object of the Book is looked into. Its keyword is found, then the author's scope, and object of the Book are canvassed to get a graphic sketch or grasp of the Book's mission, and its bearing on the Book or Books which follow.

Thus he moves on from Book to Book as they show the Divine purpose and system of the Bible, with reference all the while to the coming mission and ministry of the Saviour. Such Books of the Bible are selected in their order, as bear most directly upon the Messiah's advent and mission on earth.

So far we have studied the history of Israel during the period of the Theocracy and also under the Monarchy through the reign of Solomon, when the services of the Temple were fully organized. We now take up the Poetical Books in their relation to the inner life of the people and the services of the sanctuary. Later we will resume the history of the divided Kingdom, studying all the prophets in their proper historical positions.

It

It is gratifying that closer and wider needful attention is given to individual and class study of the Bible in this nation. is the study of Bible with prayer that has made this nation become a leader in the nations of the world.

When Christopher Columbus came to this Western Hemisphere, he brought and planted Roman Catholicism in South America, which took root and spread over the entire Latin America, which has held its ground for centuries. But when Ferdinandus Van Syckel, a Protestant Christian, left the Netherlands in 1625 to escape the oppression of Catholocism and landed at seventeen years

of age at Flatbush, Long Island, and the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Scotch Covenants became the progenitors of North American settlements along its coasts, the introduction and lodgment of the Bible and the Christian religion were assured. And as the settlement of the country marched westward, so travelled the Bible and the preached Gospel until it is little wonder that, one who had gone to the wilds of the west to escape Sunday Schools and the Bible, should "in less than a year, write back to a classmate, a young minister in the east, begging him to come out where he was, and start a Sunday School and preach, and be sure to bring plenty of Bibles; that he had become convinced that a place without Christians and the Bible is too much like hell for any living man to live in."

The necessity is upon us for a thorough study and acquaintance of the Bible. Lincoln well understood this, as well also did Washington, or he would never have wrestled upon bended knees with God in prayer at Valley Forge, or again, devoutly studied the Bible.

We but feebly estimate our country's indebtedness to the Bible. Wherefore a course of its study as herein prescribed, covering the entire Book acquainting us with its unity and its culmination in Christ of the whole Bible.

Thus, the life that runs through it, and the designing guide of its Great Author are discerned.

Studying the Bible in the light of an organic and organized system, brings profit to the soul, a sweet savor, and orderliness to a community, power and prosperity to a nation, honors the unity of the Bible, and sets forth its divine purpose. It gives us

a concensus of its doctrine and inspiration. 383 Central Park W.. New York.

Rev. L. MacLean Watt, Edinburgh, chaplain at the front, is recovering from a recent illness. At the meeting of the Town Council, he opened the proceedings with prayer. Lord Provost Lorne Macleod extended a welcome to Mr. MacLean Watt, and expressed the hope that he would soon be well enough to return to his duties at the front. They were all very proud of the position he had at the front, and they rejoiced in the communications and messages he sent about what our brave men were doing. Some of these messages have appeared from time to time in THE CALEDONIAN.