510 Rev. Dr. John MacLean, Minister of Columba Parish Church, Glasgow, in a recent address of the causes and effects of the war, says: "Pride, vanity and covetousness have caused the Germans to become guilty of unspeakable sins of commission; has not our excessive devotion to the pursuit of pleasure, ease and wealth caused us to be guilty of inglorious sins of omission? Intemperance, the war between capital and labor, political partisanship, and the vices which accompanied them, so engrossed our time, thought and energy that we neglected more useful things. A reduction in our Army and Navy was called for. Those who had the best right to urge that due preparation should be made for the defence of the country were ignored, derided and even insulted whenever they exercised their right. The people would allow no interference with their pursuit of ease, pleasure and gain. Our attitude made our enemies believe that we would not interfere with their insane desire to become masters of the world. They became criminals because we were fools. Both are guilty, and will be punished according to the measure of their guilt. Another question which is more frequently and earnestly asked, is, 'When will the war come to an end?' To this question different answers are given, but all who prophesy become false prophets because they fail to take into account the different aspects of the question. They consider the human factors. the armies, the munitions and the finances of the belligerents, but ignore the Divine element. If the purpose of war be the reformation of the life and character of a nation, that purpose has not yet been fully accomplished. That this purpose may be speedily realized, the civil portion of the population must be as true soldiers in their way, as the military are in theirs. The loyalty and heroism of our Army and Navy will lose much of their value if they do not excite feelings of loyalty and heroism in all ranks and classes of our population, as well as inflict defeat on the enemy." Scottish Women's Hospital The citizens of Calcutta, India, a few weeks ago, sent a check for $65,000 to Hon. Treasurer Mrs. Laurie Greenock, to the hospital's headquarters funds. The similar enthusiastic recognition the work of the Scottish Women's Hospital has received from Canada and America can leave no hesitation in trusting that the work of nursing the sick and wounded of our Allies will be carried continuously on to the end of the war by the Scottish Women's Hospital for Foreign Service. More than £6,000 per month is required for the necessary upkeep of all the hospital units and transport columns at work in the various countries and dependencies of our Allies, and funds are still urgently required if there is to be no cessation of the help and comfort given. THE LATE DR. ANDREW MURRAY A Cape Town message announces the death of Dr. Andrew Murray, the father of the Dutch Church. Dr. Murray was born at Graaf Reinet in 1828. At the age of ten he was sent to Aberdeen to the care of his uncle, Dr. John Murray, and received his education, first under the famous Melvin, at the Grammar School, and afterwards at Marischal College, where he graduated M. A. in 1845. He took his divinity course in Holland, chiefly at Utrecht, preparing himself for the Dutch Reformed Church, of which his father was a pastor, and after three years was licensed and ordained to the pastorate. In 1848 he returned to the Cape and became leader in his Church, directing her Synods, influencing her young men, planting seminaries, and everywhere evangelising. In 1856 he was sent to this country to represent the Colony in connection with some question of government. For many years he ministered at Wellington, Cape of Good Hope; but as president of the South African General Mission and in other connections his influence spread over the whole of South Africa. Dr. Murray was a voluminous author of works bearing on practical and experimental theology. His best known works are "Abide in Christ," "Like Christ," "With Christ" and "The Children for Christ," which attained a wide circulation, and have been translated into several foreign languages. A larger work on the Epistle to the Hebrews, under the title, "The Holy of Holies," has been very favorably received. He visited this country on various occasions, his last visit being specially notable from his reception over the whole kingdom as a preacher of the spiritual life. In America and on the Continent he was welcomed with scarcely less unanimity among the Reformed Churches. Mr. Murray, who was known as a man of great influence in the Keswick movement, was much averse from aught of the nature of personal honor, but in 1898 be accepted the D. D. of Aberdeen University. Prof. A. H. Sayce, a high archaeological authority, recently said. in answer to a question: "Since the discovery of the Tel Armarna tablets until now, great things have been brought out by archaeology, and every one of them has been in harmony wth the Bible." THE CALEDONIAN with its next issue begins the 17th year. ADVERTISE IN IT AND GET RESULTS. Stories of Kitchener Lord Kitchener, whose tragic death the nation and the Empire now mourns, is generally conceived as a man of iron will and stern discipline, but he had also a softer side to his character which endeared him to all with whom he came in contact, even as his fine soldierly qualities compelled the admiration of all. Both sides of his nature are brought out in a recently-published book, "Egypt from 1794 to 1914." "His Lordship," says the author, "well knew how to humor his Egyptian friends and how to reduce his enemies by a word and a look. Those who saw the former leaving his study, beaming with delight, and the latter crawling from The Presence with the cold sweat on their brow, describe the spectacle as truly wonderful. 'He puts his hands on my shoulders, 'cried an old Skiekh, 'and said to me, "Am I not your father? Will a father forget his children?" 'He said to me,' declared a British civilian who had nursed a complaint for some years, “Mr. Blank, if there's anything else you want I can always find time to see you."' His cordiality astonished both British and Egyptians for it was supposed that his manners would be somewhat severe; and this fact, combined with his occasional well-merited 'shortness,' at once created the opinion both in European and native circles that political tranquility was the best policy. Thus he was free to look into the workings of the machine of government and to adjust that which was out of order." THE LAST WORD There was at the time of his governorship an offer to make a road that would link up Cairo with a suburb. It had been hung up by red tape, and the men who made the offer wrote to Kitchener about it: "Lord Kitchener having satisfied himself that the proposals were satisfactory, told the financial authorities simply that he wished to motor out to the suburb on a certain date, and that the road must then be finished. 'But,' they objected, labor is expensive and difficult to obtain.' "Turn the prisoners onto the work,' said he. That isn't possible,' they replied; 'we have not got a sufficient number of warders to keep them in hand along a straggling line of that kind.' 'Warders,' exclaimed Lord Kitchener. 'What the devil is the Army of occupation doing with itself? Let them act as warders. Please see that the work begins tomorrow.'' NO WHITEWASH WANTED "A few days after his arrival in Egypt a rumor reached the agency that a certain native official in Upper Egypt had been guilty of some small offence or other, and Lord Kitchener thought the matter worthy of inquiry. He therefore told the startled head of the Ministry concerned to send an English Inspector post haste to the spot-a journey of some 12 hours by the train-in order to ascertain the true facts. The inspector, being accustomed to settle matters of this kind out of Court, and feeling that the case did not merit the public scolding of the offender, wrote a mild report upon the subject. This was forwarded to Lord Kitchener, who is said to have read it and returned it with the following words scribbled across the corners: 'I asked you to find out the facts, not to whitewash the official.'" HIS WAY Lord Kitchener on one occasion became much annoyed at the way the enemy sniped his messengers. Consequently he instructed men to lay telephone wires across a certain stretch of desert. Of course, it had to be done, but there was considerable shouldershrugging about it, for it was felt that the enemy would summarily sever the wire after they had got over their initial awe of it, and this happened repeatedly. But Kitchener never complained. He just ordered the wires to be repaired. Later on the shoulder-shruggers discovered, to their intense surprise, that Kitchener had caused the real wires to be laid underground. PRICKS FOR THE POMPOUS Lord Kitchener had a strong dislike for anything approaching snobbishness. One day a pompous individual came up and claimed his friendship, asserting that their families were intimately connected two generations ago. "Indeed," replied Lord Kitchener, "then, if, as you say, your grandfather worked with mine, they must have been selling tea in the same shop." An officer came to him with his eyeglass fixed, and was promptly asked, "Is it necessary for you to wear that?" "Absolutely sir," was the reply. "That's a pity." replied Kitchener: 'I was going to offer you a place on my staff. As it is, you must go down to the base. Short-sighted men are not wanted here." A rich father wrote directly to his lordship offering to settle £250 a-piece on each of his two sons if the War Minister would give them commissions. "Settle the money on your daughter instead," came the reply: "if your sons are any good I will be glad to take them for nothing." Crushing was his reply to an effusive individual who met him in Whitehall shortly after the South-African War. He started"Halloa, Lord Kitchener, I bet you don't know me." His Lordship gazed at him unmoved. "You win," he replied laconically. "What is your taste in hair-pins?" is said to have been the query with which he annihilated a dandified officer. A MAN OF BUSINESS "Sorry to report loss of five men through explosion of dynamite," was the gist of a telegram from the front put into his hands one day. "Do you want any more dynamite," was his immediate answer. A favorite captain of Lord Kitchener's was once entrusted with an important mission. There was a delay in executing it "Very "But I through his horse casting a shoe. sorry," was Kitchener's comment. cannot rest my plan of campaign on a horse's shoe or an officer's carelessness." A nobleman with a pet son in the Yeomanry wired to Lord Kitchener, "Please allow son to return at once. Urgent family reasons." Kitchener was having none of this playing at soldiers. "Son cannot return at all," he wired in reply. "Urgent military reasons." "Keep the gun," he is said to have wired to the War Office authorities, who were pressing a certain weapon upon him. "I can throw stones myself." In India, when someone complained of the malicious and false reports of the habits of a great personage, he said without a quiver, "What does it matter? Why, they say even worse things about me." WHEN HE SURRENDERED Even Kitchener, stern and unbending, has been known to suffer the pangs of defeat. His conqueror was a little child. The FieldMarshal was dozing in a deck chair en route to India, when a tiny maiden playing with a ball let it fly into his Lordship's face, whence it rolled to his feet. The great soldier woke up, and turned on the child with basilisk gaze which had often made strong men quail. The girl was not abashed. "Pick up my ball!" she said imperatively. Kitchener frowned. "Pick up my ball!" she repeated insistently in awful tones. Lord Kitchener retorted-"Haven't you got a nurse?" The little girl stamped her foot-"Pick up my ball!" Kitchener looked around despairingly, but espied no reinforcements. "Where is your mother?" he said-and said it weakly. This time he received an ultimatum, "Pick up my ball!" Kitchener meekly complied and fled to the smoking-room. KITCHENER AS A SPY It is related how two scouts from the Egyptian lines came upon a ragged Arab sitting under a date tree, who begged from them, in wailing tones of the professional mendicant of the East, imploring them in the word so familiar to every tourist for "baksheesh." The next day this same beggar was pointed out to one of the scouts as an English officer of great promise, who was able to disguise himself so as to deceive "the very elect." In fact, it was none other than Herbert Kitchener, whose name was just beginning to be mentioned as a coming man, and who later conquered that very Soudan whose natives he could copy to the life. WHAT DID IT At Komatiepoort the guns had stuck in the mud. Neither horses nor men could move them. Kitchener dismounted, got his tunic off, was at a spare place against the limber, and was pushing like grim death. The gun creaked, moved, a moment more was out of the mud. It was not Kitchener's strength that moved it, but the climbing While out driving in Egypt one day, Kitchener saw a poor old man in the street whom he had seen before in the Soudan. He very kindly stopped his carriage and gave the old fellow a lift. The native was delighted with the honor done him, and sat by Kitchener's side the observed of all observers. A few days later the old man was seen hovering about Kitchener's quarters, and an officer asked him what he wanted. "I should like very much to drive out with Lord Kitchener again," he replied. "Why?" asked the officer. "Well you see," said the Soudanese, “after my friends and acquaintances had seen me sitting in the carriage by the side of Lord Kitchener, they came to me one after the other, and from one I received £5, from another £2, and from another £1, and from the poor, 40 piastres. They all believe that I have great influence with his Lordship, and they think I could speak to him in their favor. And," he added naively, "I should very much like that to happen all again." over Prof. Watson on Gaelic Education. Prof. Watson of Edinburgh, recently, gave a stirring address in Perth on "Gaelic Education." He pointed out the defect in the system of Gaelic education and that the Gaelic language was not getting the place it ought to get in the Highland schools. A few years ago when an examiner of schools, he examined Lewis children of about twelve to thirteen years of age in English, Latin, French, mathematics, navigation and agriculture, but he never examined any Lewis child in Gaelic. He felt that the Gaelic language might be used to be a means of very great intellectual profit for the Highland people. In the Church of Scotland at the present time there were sixteen vacant there was Gaelic-speaking parishes, and practically not a single available man to fill them; not only so, but a close examination of all the students at present attending the four universities disclosed the fact that there were only seven students who could within the next four years possibly become qualified to fill those charges, so that the outlook was practically hopeless in the meantime. To-day, there was no man on the roll of probationers of the United Free Church to fill a Gaelic charge. With regard to the position in the Free Church, they had never been able to fill all their charges. Several members of the Comunn Gaidhealach also addressed the meeting advocating a forward policy. The West Parish Church Congregation, Inverness, elected the Rev. Mr. Maclellan as its minister. |