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| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 04:36:01 -0700 |
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| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 04:36:01 -0700 |
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diff --git a/11113-h/11113-h.htm b/11113-h/11113-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f9c3404 --- /dev/null +++ b/11113-h/11113-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,5321 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content= + "text/html; charset=UTF-8"> + <meta content="pg2html (binary version 0.12a)" name= + "generator"> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Principal Cairns, by John + Cairns. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> + <!-- + * { font-family: Times; + } + P { text-indent: 1em; + margin-top: .75em; + font-size: 12pt; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; } + HR { width: 33%; } + PRE { font-family: Courier, monospaced;} + .toc { margin-left: 15%; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0em;} + CENTER { padding: 10px;} + // --> + </style> + </head> + <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11113 ***</div> + + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h1> + PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + </h1> + <center> + <b>BY JOHN CAIRNS</b> + </center> + <center> + FAMOUS SCOTS SERIES + </center> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <center> + The designs and ornaments of this volume are by Mr. Joseph + Brown. + </center><a name="2HPRE02"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + PREFACE + </h2> + <p> + In preparing the following pages I have been chiefly indebted + for the materials of the earlier chapters to some MS. notes + by my late uncle, Mr. William Cairns. These were originally + written for Professor MacEwen when he was preparing his + admirable <i>Life and Letters of John Cairns, D.D. LL.D.</i> + They are very full and very interesting, and I have made free + use of them. + </p> + <p> + To Dr. MacEwen's book I cannot sufficiently express my + obligations. He has put so much relating to Principal Cairns + into an absolutely final form, that he seems to have left no + alternative to those who come after him between passing over + in silence what he has so well said and reproducing it almost + in his words. It is probable, therefore, that students of the + <i>Life and Letters</i>—and there are many who, like + Mr. Andrew Lang with Lockhart's <i>Life of Scott</i>, "make + it their breviary "—will detect some echoes of its + sentences in this little book. Still, I have tried to look at + the subject from my own point of view, and to work it out in + my own way; while, if I have borrowed anything directly, I + trust that I have made due acknowledgment in the proper + place. + </p> + <p> + Among those whom I have to thank for kind assistance, I + desire specially to mention my father, the Rev. David Cairns, + the last surviving member of the household at Dunglass, who + has taken a constant interest in the progress of the book, + and has supplied me with many reminiscences and suggestions. + To my brother the Rev. D.S. Cairns, Ayton, I am indebted for + most valuable help in regard to many points, especially that + dealt with at the close of Chapter VI.; and I also owe much + to the suggestions of my friends the Rev. P. Wilson and the + Rev. R. Glaister. For help in revising the proofs I have to + thank the Rev. J.M. Connor and my brother the Rev. W.T. + Cairns. + </p> + <p> + J.C. + </p> + <p> + DUMFRIES, <i>20th March</i> 1903. + </p> + <hr> + <a name="2H_TOC"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CONTENTS + </h2> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HPRE02">PREFACE</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH04">CHAPTER I: ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH05">CHAPTER II: DUNGLASS</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH06">CHAPTER III: COLLEGE DAYS</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH07">CHAPTER IV: THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH08">CHAPTER V: GOLDEN SQUARE</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH09">CHAPTER VI: THE CENTRAL PROBLEM</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH10">CHAPTER VII: THE APOSTLE OF UNION</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH11">CHAPTER VIII: WALLACE GREEN</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH12">CHAPTER IX: THE PROFESSOR</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH13">CHAPTER X: THE PRINCIPAL</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2HCH14">CHAPTER XI: THE END OF THE DAY</a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#2H_4_15">FOOTNOTES</a> + </p> + <hr> + <a name="2H_4_03"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + </h2> + <hr> + <a name="2HCH04"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER I + </h2> + <h3> + ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD + </h3> + <p> + John Cairns was born at Ayton Hill, in the parish of Ayton, + in the east of Berwickshire, on the 23rd of August 1818. + </p> + <p> + The farm of Ayton Hill no longer exists. Nothing is left of + it but the trees which once overshadowed its buildings, and + the rank growth of nettles which marks the site of a vanished + habitation of man. Its position was a striking one, perched + as it was just on the edge of the high ground which separates + the valley of the little river Eye from that of the Tweed. It + commanded an extensive view, taking in almost the whole + course of the Eye, from its cradle away to the left among the + Lammermoors to where it falls into the sea at Eyemouth a few + miles to the right. Down in the valley, directly opposite, + were the woods and mansion of Ayton Castle. A little to the + left, the village of Ayton lay extended along the farther + bank of the stream, while behind both castle and village the + ground rose in gentle undulations to the uplands of + Coldingham Moor. + </p> + <p> + South-eastwards, a few miles along the coast, lay + Berwick-on-Tweed, the scene of John Cairns's future labours + as a minister; while away in the opposite direction, in the + heart of the Lammermoors, near the headwaters of the + Whitadder and the Dye, was the home of his immediate + ancestors. These were tenants of large sheep-farms; but, + through adverse circumstances, his grandfather, Thomas + Cairns, unable to take a farm of his own, had to earn his + living as a shepherd. He died in 1799, worn out before he had + passed his prime, and his widow was left to bring up her + young fatherless family of three girls and two boys as best + she could. After several migrations, which gradually brought + them down from the hills to the seaboard, they settled for + some years at Ayton Hill. The farm was at the time under some + kind of trust, and there was no resident farmer. The widowed + mother was engaged to look after the pigs and the poultry; + the daughters also found employment; and James, the elder + son, became the shepherd. He was of an adventurous and + somewhat restless disposition, and, at the time of the + threatened invasion by Napoleon, joined a local Volunteer + corps. Then the war fever laid hold of him, and he enlisted + in the regular army, serving in the Rifle Brigade all through + the Peninsular War, from Vimiera to Toulouse, and earning a + medal with twelve clasps. He afterwards returned, bringing + with him a Portuguese wife, and settled as shepherd on the + home-farm of Ayton Castle. + </p> + <p> + The younger son, John, as yet little more than a child, was + hired out as herd-boy on the neighbouring farm of + Greystonelees, between Ayton and Berwick. His wages were a + pair of shoes in the half-year, with his food in the farm + kitchen and his bed in the stable loft. His schooldays had + begun early. He used afterwards to tell how his mother, when + he was not more than five years old, carried him every day on + her back on his way to school across a little stream that + flowed near their cottage. But this early education was often + interrupted, and came very soon to a close; not, however, + before he was well able to read. Writing he taught himself + later; and, later still, he picked up a good working + knowledge of arithmetic at a night-school. He was a quiet, + thoughtful boy, specially fond of reading, but, from lack of + books, reading was almost out of his reach. He had not even a + Bible of his own, for Bibles were then so dear that it was + not possible for parents in humble life to provide those of + their children who went out into the world with copies even + of the cheapest sort. In place of a Bible, however, his + mother had given him a copy of the Scottish Metre Version of + the Psalms, with a "Preface" to each Psalm and notes by John + Brown of Haddington. This was all the boy had to feed his + soul on, but it was enough, for it was strong meat; and he + valued and carefully kept that old, brown, leather-bound + Psalm-book to the end of his days. + </p> + <p> + When James left home, the shepherding at Ayton Hill was taken + up by his brother John. Though only a lad in his teens, he + was in every respect, except in physical strength, already a + man. He was steady and thoughtful, handy and capable in farm + work, especially in all that concerned the care of sheep, for + which he had a natural and probably an inherited instinct. He + was also held in great regard by the Rev. David Ure, the + earnest and kindly minister of the Burgher Meeting-house, + which stood behind the Castle woods at the lower end of Ayton + village. The family were of that "strict, not strictest + species of Presbyterian Dissenter," and John attended also + the Bible-class and Fellowship Meeting. The family of John + Murray, a ploughman or "hind" from the Duns district, and now + settled at Bastleridge, the next farm to Ayton Hill, also + attended Mr. Ure's church. An intimacy sprang up between the + two families. It ripened into affection between John Cairns + and Alison, John Murray's only daughter, and in June 1814 + they were united in marriage. The two eldest daughters of the + Cairns family had already gone to situations, and were soon + to have homes of their own. The grand old mother, who had + been for so many years both father and mother to her + children, was beginning to feel the infirmities of age. When, + therefore, the young couple took up housekeeping, she left + the home and the work at Ayton Hill to them, and with her + youngest daughter went over to live in Ayton. + </p> + <p> + John Cairns and his wife were in many respects very unlike + one another. He was of a grave, quiet, and somewhat anxious + temperament, almost morbidly scrupulous where matters of + conscience and responsibility were concerned. She, on the + other hand, was always hopeful, making light of practical + difficulties, and by her untiring energy largely helping to + make these disappear. She had a great command of vigorous + Scotch, and a large stock of homely proverbs, of which she + made frequent and apposite use. Both husband and wife were + excellently well read in their Bibles, and both were united + in the fear of God. Built on this firm foundation, their + union of twenty-seven years was a singularly happy one, and + their different temperaments contributed to the common stock + what each of them separately lacked. Ayton Hill remained + their home for six years after their marriage, and here were + born their three eldest children, of whom the youngest, John, + is the subject of the present sketch. + </p> + <p> + In the spring of 1820 the trust under which Ayton Hill had + been worked for so many years was wound up, and a new tenant + took the farm. It became necessary, therefore, for the + shepherd to seek a new situation, and this brought about the + first "flitting" in the family history. The Berwickshire + hinds are somewhat notorious for their migratory habits, in + which some observers have found a survival of the + restlessness which characterised their ancestors in former + times, and was alike the result and the cause of the old + Border Forays. Be that as it may, every Whitsunday term-day + sees the country roads thronged with carts conveying + furniture and bedding from one farm to another. In front of + the pile sits the hind's wife with her younger children, + while the hind himself with his older boys and girls walks + beside the horse, or brings up the rear, driving the family + cow before him. In some cases there is a flitting every year, + and instances have even been known in which anxiety to + preserve an unbroken tradition of annual removals has been + satisfied by a flitting from one house to another on the same + farm. + </p> + <p> + The Cairns family now entered on a period of migration of + this kind, and in the course of eleven years they flitted no + less than six times. Their first removal was from Ayton Hill + to Oldcambus Mains, in the parish of Cockburnspath, where + they came into touch with the Dunglass estate and the + Stockbridge Church, with both of which they were in + after-years to have so close a connection. The father had + been engaged by the Dunglass factor to act, in the absence of + a regular tenant, as joint steward and shepherd at Oldcambus, + and the family lived in the otherwise unoccupied farmhouse. + The two elder children attended a school less than a mile + distant, and in their absence John, the youngest, who was now + in his fourth year, used to cause no little anxiety to his + careful mother by wandering out by himself dangerously near + to the edge of the high sea-cliffs behind the farmhouse. + </p> + <p> + At length, in a happy moment, he took it into his head to go + to school himself; and, although he was too young for + lessons, the schoolmaster allowed him to sit beside his + brother and sister. When he was tired of sitting, tradition + has it that the little fellow used to amuse himself by + getting up and standing in the corner to which the school + culprits were sent. Here he duly put on the dunce's cap which + he had seen them wear, and which bore the inscription, "For + my bad conduct I stand here." + </p> + <p> + A tenant having been at length found for Oldcambus Mains, the + family, which had been increased by the birth of three more + children, removed back to the Ayton district, to the farm of + Whiterigg, two miles from the village. The house which they + occupied here is still pointed out, but it has been enlarged + and improved since those days. At that time, like all the + farm servants' dwellings in the district, it consisted of a + single room with an earthen floor, an open unlined roof of + red tiles, and rafters running across and resting on the wall + at each side. There was a fireplace at one end and a window, + and then a door at right angles to the fireplace. When the + furniture came to be put in, the two box-beds with their + sliding panels were set up facing the fireplace; they touched + the back wall at one end, and left a small space free + opposite to the door at the other. The beds came almost, if + not quite, up to the level of the rafters, and screened off + behind them perhaps a third of the entire space, which was + used as a lumber closet or store. Above the rafters, well + furnished with <i>cleeks</i> for the family stock of hams, + there was spread, in lieu of a ceiling, a large sheet of + canvas or coarse unbleached cotton. There was a table under + the window, a <i>dresser</i> with racks for plates, etc., set + up against the opposite wall, and an eight-day clock between + the window and the fireplace. "Fixtures" were in such houses + practically non-existent; the grate, which consisted merely + of two or three bars or <i>ribs</i>, the iron <i>swey</i> + from which hung the large pot with its rudimentary feet, and, + in some cases, even the window, were the property of the + immigrants, and were carried about by them from farm to farm + in their successive flirtings. + </p> + <p> + When at Whiterigg, the children attended school at Ayton, and + here young John learned his letters and made considerable + progress in reading. After two years, the death of the + Whiterigg farmer made another change necessary, and the + family returned to the Dunglass estate and settled at + Aikieside, a forester's cottage quite near to their former + home at Oldcambus Mains, and within easy reach of Oldcambus + School. Aikieside is in the Pease Dean, a magnificent wooded + glen, crossed a little lower down by a famous bridge which + carries the old post road from Edinburgh to Berwick over the + Pease Burn at a height of nearly one hundred and thirty feet. + A still older road crosses the stream close to its mouth, + less than a mile below the bridge. The descent here is very + steep on both sides, but it seems to have been even steeper + in former times than it is now. This point in the old road is + "the strait Pass at Copperspath," where Oliver Cromwell + before the battle of Dunbar found the way to Berwick blocked + by the troops of General Leslie, and of which he said that + here "ten men to hinder are better than forty to make their + way." + </p> + <p> + Beautiful as the Pease Dean is, it has this drawback for + those who live in the vicinity—especially if they + happen to be anxious mothers—that it is infested with + adders; and as these engaging reptiles were specially + numerous and specially aggressive in the "dry year" 1826, it + is not surprising that when, owing to the cottage at + Aikieside being otherwise required, John Cairns was offered a + house in the village of Cockburnspath, he and his wife gladly + availed themselves of that offer. From Cockburnspath another + removal was made in the following year to Dunglass Mill; and + at last, in 1831, the much travelled family, now increased to + eight, found rest in a house within the Dunglass grounds, + after the father had received the appointment of shepherd on + the home-farm, which he held during the rest of his life. + </p><a name="2HCH05"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER II + </h2> + <h3> + DUNGLASS + </h3> + <p> + The Lammermoor range, that "dusky continent of barren + heath-hills," as Thomas Carlyle calls it, runs down into the + sea at St. Abb's Head. For the greater part of its length it + divides Berwickshire from East Lothian; but at its seaward + end there is one Berwickshire parish lying to the north of + it—the parish of Cockburnspath. The land in this parish + slopes down to the Firth of Forth; it is rich and well + cultivated, and is divided into large farms, each of which + has its group of red-roofed buildings, its substantial + farmhouse, and its long tail of hinds' cottages. The seaward + views are very fine, and include the whole of the rugged line + of coast from Fast Castle on the east to Tantallon and North + Berwick Law on the west. In the middle distance are the tower + of Dunbar Church, the Bass Rock, and the Isle of May; and + farther off is the coast of Fife, with Largo Law and the + Lomonds in the background. The land is mostly bare of trees, + but there is a notable exception to this in the profound + ravines which come down from the hills to the sea, and whose + banks are thickly clothed with fine natural wood. + </p> + <p> + Of these, the Pease Dean has already been mentioned. Close + beside it is the Tower Dean, so called from an ancient + fortalice of the Home family which once defended it, and + which stands beside a bridge held in just execration by all + cyclists on the Great North Road. But, unquestionably, the + finest of all the ravines in these parts is Dunglass Dean, + which forms the western boundary of Cockburnspath parish, and + divides Berwickshire from East Lothian. From the bridge by + which the Edinburgh and Berwick road crosses the dean, at the + height of one hundred feet above the bed of the stream, the + view in both directions is extremely fine. About a hundred + and fifty yards lower down is the modern railway bridge, + which spans the ravine in one gigantic arch forty feet higher + than the older structure that carries the road; and through + this arch, above the trees which fill the glen, one gets a + beautiful glimpse of the sea about half a mile away. + </p> + <p> + Above the road-bridge, and to the right of the wooded dean, + are the noble trees and parks of Dunglass grounds. The + mansion-house, a handsome modern building, part of which + rises to a height of five storeys, is built only some eight + or ten feet from the brink of the dean, on its western or + East Lothian side. About fifty yards farther west are the + ivy-covered ruins of a fine Gothic church, whose massive + square tower and stone roof are still tolerably complete. + This church before the Reformation had collegiate rank, and + is now the sole remaining relic of the ancient village of + Dunglass. In former times the Dunglass estate belonged to the + Earls of Home, whose second title, borne to this day by the + eldest son of the house, is that of Lord Dunglass. But it was + bought about the middle of the seventeenth century by the + Halls, who own it still, and in whose family there has been a + baronetcy since 1687. The laird at the time with which we are + now dealing was Sir James Hall, whose epitaph in the old + church at Dunglass bears that he was "a philosopher eminent + among the distinguished men of an enquiring age." He was + President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh for many years, + and was an acknowledged expert in Natural Science, especially + in Geology. His second son was the well-known Captain Basil + Hall, R.N., the author of a once widely-read book of travels. + </p> + <p> + Behind the church, and about a hundred yards to the west of + the mansion-house, are the offices—stables, close + boxes, coach-house, etc., all of a single storey, and built + round a square paved courtyard. The coachman's house is on + one side of this square, and the shepherd's on the other. The + latter, which is on the side farthest from the "big house," + has its back to the courtyard, and looks out across a road to + its little bailyard and a fine bank of trees beyond it. It is + neat and lightsome, but very small; consisting only of a + single room thirteen feet by twelve, with a closet opening + off it not more than six feet broad. How a family consisting + of a father, mother, and eight children could be stowed away + in it, especially at night, is rather a puzzling question. + But we may suppose that, when all were at home, each of the + two box-beds would be made to hold three, that a smaller bed + in the closet would account for two more, and that for the + accommodation of two of the younger children a sliding shelf + would be inserted transversely across the foot of one of the + box-beds. Certainly, an arrangement of this kind would fail + to be approved by a sanitary inspector in our times; and even + during the day, when all the family were on the floor + together, there was manifest overcrowding. But the life was a + country one, and could be, and was, largely spent in the open + air, amid healthful surroundings and beautiful scenery. + </p> + <p> + The income available for the support of such a large + household seems to us in these days almost absurdly + inadequate. The father's wages rarely exceeded £30 a + year, and they never all his life reached £40. They + were mostly paid in kind. So many bolls of oats, of barley + and of peas, so many carts of coals, so many yards of growing + potatoes, a cow's grass, the keep of two sheep and as many + pigs, and a free house,—these, which were known as the + <i>gains</i>, were the main items in the account. This system + gave considerable opportunity for management on the part of a + thrifty housewife, and for such management there were few to + surpass the housewife in the shepherd's cottage at Dunglass. + </p> + <p> + The food was plentiful but plain. Breakfast consisted of + porridge and milk; dinner, in the middle of the day, of + Scotch kail and pork, occasionally varied by herrings, fresh + or salt according to the season, and with the usual + accompaniments of potatoes and pease bannocks. At supper + there was porridge again, or mashed potatoes washed down with + draughts of milk, and often eaten with horn spoons out of the + large pot which was set down on the hearth. Tea was only seen + once a week—on Sunday afternoons. And so the young + family grew up healthy and strong in spite of the + overcrowding. + </p> + <p> + Before the removal to Dunglass, the two eldest children had + been taken from school to work in the fields, where they + earned wages beginning at sixpence a day. Their education, + however, was continued in some sort at a night-school. John + and his younger brother James, and the twins, Janet and + William, who came next in order, attended the parish school + at Cockburnspath, a mile away. Cockburnspath is a village of + about two hundred and fifty inhabitants, situated a little + off the main road. It has a church with an ancient round + tower, and a venerable market-cross rising from a platform of + steps in the middle of the village street. + </p> + <p> + On the south side of the street, just in front of the church, + stood the old schoolhouse—a low one storey building, + roofed with the red tiles characteristic of the + neighbourhood, and built on to the schoolmaster's two-storey + dwelling. The schoolmaster at this time was John M'Gregor, a + man of ripe and accurate scholarship and quite separate + individuality. The son of a Perthshire farmer, he had studied + for the ministry at St. Andrews University, and had, it was + said, fulfilled all the requirements for becoming a + licentiate of the Church of Scotland except the sending in of + one exercise, This exercise he could never be persuaded to + send in, and that not because he had any speculative + difficulties as to the truth of the Christian revelation, nor + yet because he had any exaggerated misgivings as to his own + qualifications for the work of the ministry; but because he + preferred the teaching profession, and was, moreover, + indignant at what he conceived to be the overbearing attitude + which the ministers of the Established Church assumed to the + parish schools and schoolmasters. This feeling ultimately + became a kind of mania with him. He was at feud with his own + parish minister, and never entered his church except when, + arrayed in a blue cloak with a red collar, he attended to + read proclamations of marriages; and he could make himself + very disagreeable when the local Presbytery sent their annual + deputation to examine his school. Yet he was essentially a + religious man; he had a reverence for what was good, and he + taught the Bible and Shorter Catechism to his scholars + carefully and well. + </p> + <p> + As he disliked the ministers, so he showed little deference + to the farmers, who were in some sort the "quality" of the + district, and to such of their offspring as came under his + care. The farmers retaliated by setting up an opposition + school in Cockburnspath, which survived for a few years; but + it never flourished, for the common people believed in + M'Gregor, whom they regarded as "a grand teacher," as indeed + he was. He had a spare, active figure, wore spectacles, and + took snuff. There was at all times an element of grimness in + him, and he could be merciless when the occasion seemed to + demand it. "Stark man he was, and great awe men had of him," + but this awe had its roots in a very genuine respect for his + absolutely just dealing and his masterful independence of + character. + </p> + <p> + John Cairns first went to Mr. M'Gregor's school when the + family removed to Cockburnspath from Aikieside, and he made + such progress that two years later, when he was ten years + old, the master proposed that he should join a Latin class + which was then being formed. This proposal caused great + searchings of heart at home. His father, with anxious + conscientiousness, debated with himself as to whether it + would be right for him thus to set one of his sons above the + rest. He could not afford to have them all taught Latin, so + would it be fair to the others that John should be thus + singled out from them? The mother, on the other hand, had no + such misgivings, and she was clear that John must have his + Latin. The ordinary school fees ranged from three to five + shillings a quarter; but when Latin was taken they rose to + seven and sixpence. Mr. M'Gregor had proposed to teach John + Latin without extra charge, but both his father and his + mother were agreed that to accept this kind offer was not to + be thought of for a moment; and his mother was sure that by a + little contriving and saving on her part the extra sum could + be secured. The minister, Mr. Inglis, who was consulted in + the matter, also pronounced strongly for the proposal, and so + John was allowed to begin his classical studies. + </p> + <p> + Within two years Greek had been added to the Latin; and, as + the unavoidable bustle and noise which arose in the evening + when the whole family were together in the one room of the + house made study difficult, John stipulated with his mother + that she should call him in the morning, when she rose, an + hour before anybody else, to light the fire and prepare the + breakfast. And so it happened that, if any of the rest of the + family awoke before it was time to get up, they would see + John studying his lesson and hear him conjugating his Greek + verbs by the light of the one little oil-lamp that the house + afforded. Perhaps, too, it was what he saw, in these early + morning hours, of the unwearied and self-forgetful toil of + his mother that taught him to be in an especial degree + thoughtful for her comfort and considerate of her wants both + then and in after-years. + </p> + <p> + But his regular schooldays were now drawing to an end. His + father, though engaged as the shepherd at Dunglass, had other + duties of a very multifarious kind to discharge, and part of + his shepherd work had been done for him for some time by his + eldest son, Thomas. But Thomas was now old enough to earn a + higher wage by other work on the home-farm or in the woods, + and so it came to be John's turn to take up the work among + the sheep. When his father told Mr. M'Gregor that John would + have to leave school, the schoolmaster was so moved with + regret at the thought of losing so promising a scholar, that + he said that if John could find time for any study during the + day he would be glad to have him come to his house two or + three nights in the week, and to go over with him then what + he had learned. As Mr. M'Gregor had become more and more + solitary in his habits of late—he was a bachelor, and + his aged mother kept house for him—this offer was + considered to be a very remarkable proof of his regard, and + it was all the more gratefully accepted on that account. + </p> + <p> + It fortunately happened that the work to which John had now + to turn his hand allowed him an opportunity of carrying on + his studies without interfering with its efficiency. That + work was of a twofold character. He had to "look" the sheep, + and he had to "herd" them. The looking came first. Starting + at six o'clock in the morning, accompanied by the faithful + collie "Cheviot," he made a round of all the grass-parks on + the home-farm, beginning down near the sea and thence working + his way round to a point considerably higher up than the + mansion-house. His instructions were to count the sheep in + each field, so that he might be able to tell whether they + were all there, and also to see whether they were all afoot + and feeding. In the event of anything being wrong, he was to + report it to his father. The circuit was one of three or four + miles, and the last field to be looked was that in which were + gathered the fifty or sixty sheep that were to be brought out + to the unfenced lawns round the mansion-house and be herded + there during the day. + </p> + <p> + These sheep were generally to be found waiting close to the + gate, and when it was opened they could quite easily find + their own way down to their feeding-ground. As they passed + slowly on, cropping the grass as they went, John was able to + leave them and go home for his breakfast of porridge and + milk. Breakfast having been despatched, and Cheviot fed, he + once more wrapped his shepherd's plaid about him, remembering + to put a book or two, and perhaps a piece of bannock, into + the <i>neuk</i> of it, and set out to find his flock. There + was usually little difficulty in doing so, for the sheep knew + the way and did not readily wander out of it; while, even if + they had deviated a little from the direct route, no great + harm would at this stage of their passage have resulted. It + was quite different when they came down to the lawns near the + house. These were surrounded by ornamental shrubbery, and it + was to keep the sheep from invading this and the adjacent + flower-borders that the services of the herd-boy were + required. + </p> + <p> + What he had to do, then, after he had brought the sheep down, + was to take his place on some knoll which commanded the + ground where they were feeding, and keep an eye on them. If + nothing disturbed them they would feed quietly enough, and a + long spell of reading might be quite safely indulged in. If + any of them showed signs of wandering out of bounds, a stroll + in their direction, book in hand, would usually be quite + sufficient, with or without Cheviot's aid, to turn them. And + if a leading sheep were turned, the others would, sheep-like, + follow the new lead thus imparted. This was the usual state + of things in fine weather. In wet weather there were not the + same possibilities of study, unless the feeding-ground + happened to be in the neighbourhood of the old church, where + sufficient shelter could be found for reading and the sheep + could be watched through the open doorway. About four + o'clock—in winter somewhat earlier—it was time to + take the sheep back to the fold-field, and then the parks had + to be again looked, this time in the reverse order, the + shepherd's cottage being gained in time for supper. + </p> + <p> + After supper, John would go into Cockburnspath to recite the + lessons he had prepared to Mr. M'Gregor. The schoolmaster + never prescribed any definite section to be learned; he left + this to his pupil, in whose industry and interest in his work + he had sufficient confidence. He rarely bestowed any praise. + A grim smile of satisfaction, and sometimes a "Very well, + sir," were all that he would vouchsafe; but to others he + would be less reticent, and once he was heard to say, "I have + so far missed my own way, but John Cairns will flourish yet." + </p> + <p> + John is described as having been at this time a well-grown + boy, somewhat raw-boned and loose-jointed, with an eager + look, ruddy and healthy, and tanned with the sun, his hair + less dark than it afterwards became. He was fond of schoolboy + games—shinty, football, and the rest—and would + play at marbles, even when the game went against him, until + he had lost his last stake. Archery was another favourite + amusement, and he was expert at making bows from the + thinnings of the Dunglass yews, and arrows tipped with iron + <i>ousels</i>—almost the only manual dexterity he + possessed. Like all boys of his class, his usual dress was a + brown velveteen jacket and waistcoat and corduroy trousers + that had once been white. + </p> + <p> + Along with the teaching he got from Mr. M'Gregor, there went + another sort of education of a less formal kind which still + deserves to be mentioned. Now that he was earning a + wage,—it was about eightpence or tenpence a + day,—which of course went into the common stock, he + ventured occasionally to ask his mother for sixpence to + himself. With this he could obtain a month's reading at the + Cockburnspath library. A very excellent library this was, and + during the three years of his herding he worked his way + pretty well through it. It was especially strong in history + and standard theology, and in these departments included such + works as Gibbon's <i>Decline and Fall</i>, Mitford's + <i>History of Greece</i>, Russell's <i>Modern Europe</i>, + Butler's <i>Analogy</i>, and Paley's <i>Evidences</i>. In + biography and fiction it was less strong, but it had a + complete set of the Waverley Novels in one of the early + three-volume editions. When he went to Mr. M'Gregor's, John + used often to take butter churned by his mother to the + village shop, and the basket in which he carried it was + capacious enough to hold a good load of books from the + library on the return journey. + </p> + <p> + All the family were fond of books, and the small store of + volumes, mostly of old Scotch divinity, in the little + bookcase at Dunglass was well thumbed. But reading of a + lighter kind was also indulged in, and on winter nights, when + the mother was plying her spinning-wheel and the father had + taken down his cobbler's box and was busily engaged patching + the children's shoes, it was a regular practice for John to + sit near the dim oil-lamp and read to the rest. Sometimes the + reading would be from an early number of Chambers's + <i>Journal</i>, sometimes from Wilson's <i>Tales of the + Borders</i>, which were then appearing—both of these + being loans from a neighbour. But once a week there was + always a newspaper to be read. It was often a week or a + fortnight old, for, as it cost sixpence halfpenny, it was + only by six or eight neighbours clubbing together that such a + luxury could be brought within the reach of a working-man's + family; but it was never so old as to be uninteresting to + such eager listeners. + </p> + <p> + But the most powerful of all the influences which affected + John Cairns at this period of his life remains to be + mentioned—that which came to him from his religious + training and surroundings. The Christian religion has acted + both directly and indirectly on the Scottish peasantry, and + it has done so the more powerfully because of the democratic + character of the Presbyterian form which that religion took + in Scotland. Directly, it has changed their lives and has + given them new motives and new immortal hopes. But it has + also acted on them indirectly, doing for them in this respect + much of what education and culture have done for others. It + has supplied the element of idealism in their lives. These + lives, otherwise commonplace and unlovely, have been lighted + up by a perpetual vision of the unseen and the eternal; and + this has stimulated their intellectual powers and has so + widened their whole outlook upon life as to raise them high + above those of their own class who lived only for the + present. All who have listened to the prayers of a devout + Scotch elder of the working-class must have been struck by + this combination of spiritual and intellectual power; and one + thing they must have specially noticed is that, unlike the + elder of contemporary fiction, he expressed himself, not in + broad Scotch but in correct and often stately Bible English. + </p> + <p> + But this intellectual activity is often carried beyond the + man in whom it has first manifested itself. It tends to + reappear in his children, who either inherit it or have their + own intellectual powers stimulated in the bracing atmosphere + it has created. The instances of Robert Burns and Thomas + Carlyle, who both came out of homes in which + religion—and religion of the old Scottish + type—was the deepest interest, will occur to everyone. + Not the least striking illustration of this principle is + shown in the case of John Cairns. In the life of his soul he + owed much to the godly upbringing and Christian example shown + to him by his parents; but the home at Dunglass, where + religion was always the chief concern, was the nursery of a + strong mind as well as of a strong soul, and both were fed + from the same spring. In this case, as in so many others, + spiritual strength became intellectual strength in the second + generation. + </p> + <p> + The Cairns family attended church at Stockbridge, a mile + beyond Cockburnspath and two miles from Dunglass, and the + father was an elder there from 1831 till his death. The + United Secession—formerly the Burgher—Church at + Stockbridge occupied a site conveniently central for the wide + district which it served, but very solitary. It stood amid + cornfields, on the banks of a little stream, and looked + across to the fern-clad slopes of Ewieside, an outlying spur + of the Lammermoors. Except the manse, and the beadle's + cottage which adjoined it, there was no house within sight, + nor any out of sight less than half a mile away. + </p> + <p> + The minister at this time was the Rev. David M'Quater Inglis, + a man of rugged appearance and of original and vigorous + mental powers. He was a good scholar and a stimulating + preacher, excelling more particularly in his expository + discourses, or "lectures" as they used to be called. When he + tackled some intricate passage in an Epistle, it was at times + a little hard to follow him, especially as his utterance + tended to be hesitating; but when he had finished, one saw + that a broad clear road had been cut through the thicket, and + that the daylight had been let in upon what before had been + dim. "I have heard many preachers," said Dr. Cairns, in + preaching his funeral sermon nearly forty years later, "but I + have heard few whose sermons at their best were better than + the best of his; and his everyday ones had a strength, a + simplicity, and an unaffected earnestness which excited both + thought and Christian feeling." Nor was he merely a preacher. + By his pastoral visitations and "diets of examination" he + always kept himself in close touch with his people, and he + made himself respected by rich and poor alike. + </p> + <p> + The shepherd's family occupied a pew at Stockbridge in front + of the pulpit and just under the gallery, which ran round + three sides of the church. That pew was rarely vacant on a + Sunday. There was no herding to be done on that day, and in + the morning the father looked the sheep in the parks himself + that the herd-boy might have his full Sabbath rest. He came + back in time to conduct family worship, this being the only + morning in the week when it was possible for him to do so, + although in the evening it was never omitted, and on Sunday + evening was always preceded by a repetition of the Shorter + Catechism. After worship the family set out for church, where + the service began at eleven. + </p> + <p> + The situation of Stockbridge, it has been already said, was + solitary, but on Sundays, when the hour of worship drew near, + the place lost its solitude. The roads in all directions were + thronged with vehicles, men on horseback, and a great company + on foot; the women wearing the scarlet cloaks which had not + yet given place to the Paisley shawls of a later period, and + each carrying, neatly wrapped in a white handkerchief, a + Bible or Psalm-book, between whose leaves were a sprig or two + of southernwood, spearmint, or other fragrant herb from the + cottage garden. + </p> + <p> + The service lasted about three hours. There was first a + "lecture" and then a sermon, each about fifty minutes long; + several portions of psalms were sung; and of the three + prayers, the first, or "long prayer," was seldom less than + twenty minutes in length. In summer there was an interval of + half an hour between the lecture and the sermon, "when," says + Mr. William Cairns, "there was opportunity for a delightful + breathing-time, and the youths who were swift of foot could + just reach the bottom of a hill whereon were plenteous + blaeberries, and snatch a fearful joy if one could swallow + without leaving the tell-tale marks on the lips and tongue." + </p> + <p> + At the close of the afternoon service there was a Sunday + school, chiefly conducted by Mr. Inglis himself, at which an + examination on the sermon that had just been delivered formed + an important part of the exercises. And tradition has it that + the questioning and answering, which had at first been evenly + distributed among the pupils, usually in the end came to + resolve themselves pretty much into a dialogue between Mr. + Inglis and John Cairns. It was here that the minister first + came to close grips with his elder's son and took the measure + of the lad's abilities. After he did so, his interest in + John's classical studies was constant and helpful; and, + although he gave him no direct assistance in them (if he had + done so, he would have called down upon himself the wrath of + Mr. M'Gregor), he was always ready to lend him books and give + him useful advice. + </p> + <p> + After three years at herding and at Mr. M'Gregor's, the + question arose, and was the subject of anxious debate in the + family councils, as to what was to be done with John. He was + now sixteen. His elder brother, Thomas, had got a post under + his father, whom he afterwards succeeded as shepherd at + Dunglass. His elder sister had gone to a situation. And now + James, the brother next younger than himself, had also left + home to be apprenticed to a tailor. It was time for some + decision to be come to with regard to him. Mr. M'Gregor was + anxious that a superstructure should be built on the + foundation laid by himself by his going to College. Mr. + Inglis's advice was unhesitatingly given in the same + direction. With his father, the old scruples arose about + setting one of his children above the rest; but again his + mother's chief concern was more about ways and means. His + father's question was, <i>Ought</i> it to be done? his + mother's, <i>Can</i> it be done? There were great + difficulties in the way of answering this practical question + in the affirmative. There were then no bursaries open for + competition; and though the expenses at home were not so + great as they had once been, now that three of the family had + been so far placed in life, the University class-fees and the + cost of living, even in the most frugal way, entailed an + expense which was formidable enough. Still, the mother + thought that this could be faced, and, in order to acquaint + herself more fully with all the facts of the situation, she + resolved to pay a long-promised visit to her youngest + brother, who with his family was now living in Edinburgh. He + was a carrier between that city and Jedburgh, and, though + still in a comparatively humble way, was said to be doing + well. + </p> + <p> + The visit was a great success. Mrs. Cairns was most warmly + received by her brother and his wife, who proposed that John + should stay with them and share with their own family in what + was going. This offer was gratefully accepted, so far as the + question of lodging was concerned. As to board, John's mother + had ideas of her own, and insisted on paying for it, if not + in money at least in kind. Thus it was settled that John was + to go to College, but nothing was settled beyond this. + Perhaps his parents may have had their own wishes, and his + minister and his schoolmaster their own expectations, about a + career for him; but in the boy's unworldly heart there was + nothing as yet beyond the desire for further learning and the + earnest resolution to be not unworthy of the sacrifices which + had made the realisation of this desire possible. He worked + at his herding up till the day before he left for the + University, in the end of October 1834; and then, starting in + the middle of the night with William Christison, the + Cockburnspath carrier, he trudged beside the cart that + conveyed the box containing his clothes and his scanty stock + of books all the thirty-five miles between Dunglass and + Edinburgh. + </p><a name="2HCH06"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER III + </h2> + <h3> + COLLEGE DAYS + </h3> + <p> + When John Cairns entered the University of Edinburgh in + November 1834 he passed into a world that was entirely + strange to him. It would be difficult to imagine a greater + contrast than that between the low-roofed village school and + the spacious quadrangle surrounded by heavily balustraded + stone terraces and stately pillared façades, into + which, at the booming of the hourly bell, there poured from + the various classrooms a multitudinous throng of eager young + humanity. And he himself in some mysterious way seemed to be + changed almost beyond his own recognition. Instead of being + the Jock Cairns who had herded sheep on the braes of + Dunglass, and had carried butter to the Cockburnspath shop, + he was now, as his matriculation card informed him, "Joannes + Cairns, Civis Academiae Edinburgeniae;" he was addressed by + the professor in class as "Mr. Cairns," and was included in + his appeal to "any gentleman in the bench" to elucidate a + difficult passage in the lesson of the day. + </p> + <p> + He attended two classes this winter—that of "Humanity" + or Latin taught by Professor Pillans, and that of Greek under + the care of Professor George Dunbar. Pillans had been a + master at Eton, and at a later period Rector of the Edinburgh + High School. He was a little man with rosy cheeks, and was a + sound scholar and an admirable teacher, whose special "fad" + was Classical Geography. Dunbar had begun life as a working + gardener at Ayton Castle. He had compiled a Greek Lexicon + which had some repute in its day, but he was not an inspiring + teacher, and his gruff manners made him far from popular. + </p> + <p> + Trained by a country schoolmaster, and having no experience + of competition except what a country school affords, John + Cairns had until now no idea of his own proficiency + relatively to that of others; and it was something of a + revelation to him when he discovered how far the grounding he + had received from Mr. M'Gregor enabled him to go. His + classical attainments soon attracted notice, and at the end + of the session, although he failed to win the Class Medals, + he stood high in the Honours Lists, and was first in private + Latin studies and in Greek prose. Nor were these the only + interests that occupied him. A fellow-student, the late Dr. + James Hardy, writes of him that from the first he was great + in controversy, and that in the classroom during the ten + minutes before the appearance of the professor, he was always + the centre of a knot of disputants on the Voluntary Church + question or some question of politics. Also it is recorded + that, on the day after a Parliamentary election for the city, + he had no voice left, having shouted it all away the day + before in honour of the two successful Whig candidates. + </p> + <p> + During this session, as had been previously arranged, he + lodged in Charles Street with his mother's brother, whose + eldest son, John Murray, shared his room. For this cousin, + who was about his own age, he had always the greatest regard, + and he was specially grateful to him for the kindness with + which he helped him over many of the difficulties which, as a + raw lad from the country, he experienced when he first came + to live in the city. The friendship between the cousins + remained unbroken—though their paths in life were + widely different—till they died, within a fortnight of + each other, nearly sixty years later. + </p> + <p> + All through the winter a box travelled with the Cockburnspath + carrier every three or four weeks between Edinburgh and + Dunglass, taking with it on the outward journey clothes to be + washed and mended, and on the return journey always including + a store of country provisions—scones, oatmeal, butter, + cheese, bacon, and potatoes. The letters that passed between + the student and his family were also sent in the box, for as + yet there was no penny post, and the postage of a letter + between Dunglass and Edinburgh cost as much as sixpence + halfpenny or sevenpence. Often, too, John would send home + some cheap second-hand books, for he had a general commission + to keep his eye on the bookstalls. Amongst these purchases + was sometimes included a Bible, so that before the end of the + winter each member of the family had a separate Bible to take + to church or Sunday school. + </p> + <p> + At the close of the winter session he accepted the invitation + of another brother of his mother, who was a farmer at + Longyester, near Gifford in East Lothian, on the northern + fringe of the Lammermoors, to come and be tutor to his three + boys during the summer. At Longyester he spent four very + happy months in congenial work among kind people. He learned + to ride, and more than once he rode along the hill-foots to + Dunglass, twenty miles to the eastward, to spend the Sunday + with his father and mother. + </p> + <p> + During these months he also came into personal contact with a + family whose influence on him during these early years was + strong and memorable—the Darlings of Millknowe. + Millknowe is a large sheep-farm in the heart of the + Lammermoors, just where the young Whitadder winds round the + base of Spartleton Law. The family at Millknowe, consisting + at this time of three brothers and two sisters, all of whom + had reached middle life, were relatives of his father, the + connection dating from the time when his forebears were + farmers in the same region. They were a notable family, full + of all kinds of interesting lore, literary, scientific, and + pastoral, and they exercised a boundless hospitality to all, + whether gentle or simple, who came within their reach. One of + them, a maiden sister, Miss Jean Darling, took a special + charge of her young cousin, and in a special degree won his + confidence. From the first she understood him. She saw the + power that was awakening within him, and was, particularly in + his student days, his friend and adviser. + </p> + <p> + As the summer of 1835 advanced, it came to be a grave + question with him whether he could return to college in the + ensuing winter. His father had had a serious illness; and, + though he was now recovering, there was a doctor's bill to + settle, and he still required more care and better + nourishment than ordinary. Cairns was afraid that, with these + extra expenses to be met, his own return to College might + involve too serious a drain on the family resources. While + matters were in this state, and while he was still at + Longyester, he received a request from Mr. Trotter, the + schoolmaster of his native parish of Ayton, to come and + assist him in the school and with the tuition of boarders in + his house. This offer was quite in the line of the only ideas + as to his future life he had as yet entertained; for, so far + as he had thought seriously on the subject, he had thought of + being a teacher. On the other hand, while his great ambition + was to return to the University, the fact that most of his + class-fellows in the past session had been older than himself + suggested to him that he could quite well afford to delay a + year before he returned. + </p> + <p> + So he went to Ayton, lodging while there with his father's + youngest sister, Nancy, who had come thither from Ayton Hill + along with her mother, when her brother John was married in + 1814, and had remained there ever since. Cairns had not been + two months in Ayton before his responsibilities were + considerably increased. Mr. Trotter resigned his office, and + the heritors asked the assistant to take charge of the school + until a new teacher should be appointed. There were between + one hundred and fifty and two hundred children in the school; + he was the sole teacher, and he was only seventeen. Moreover, + some delay occurred before the teacher who had been appointed + to succeed Mr. Trotter could come to take up his work. But + Cairns proved equal to the situation. The tradition is that + his rule was an exceedingly stern one, that he kept the + children hard at work, and that he flogged extensively and + remorselessly. + </p> + <p> + When the new master arrived upon the scene, he subsided into + his original post of assistant. It had been his original + intention to go back to the University in November 1836; but + as that date approached it became evident that the financial + difficulty was not yet removed, so he accepted an engagement + to continue his work in Ayton for another year. + </p> + <p> + His stay in Ayton was a very happy one. He liked his work, + and had several warm friends in the village and district. + Among these were Mr. Ure, the kindly old minister who had + married his parents and baptized himself. Then there was Mr. + Stark, minister of another Secession church in the + village—a much younger man than Mr. Ure, but a good + scholar and a well-read theologian. There was also a + fellow-student, Henry Weir, whose parents lived in Berwick, + and who used often to walk out to Ayton to see him, Cairns + returning the visits, and seeing for the first time, under + Weir's auspices, the old Border town in which so much of his + own life was to be spent. + </p> + <p> + All this while he was working hard at his private studies. To + these studies he gave all the time that was not taken up by + his teaching. He read at his meals, and so far into the night + that his aunt became alarmed for his health. He worked his + way through a goodly number of the Greek and Latin classics, + in copies borrowed from the libraries of the two ministers; + and he not only read, but analysed and elaborately annotated + what he read. But in the notes of the books read during the + year 1837 a change becomes evident. It can be seen that he + took more and more to the study of theology and Christian + evidences, and his note-books are full of references to + Baxter and Jeremy Taylor, to Robert Hall, Chalmers, and + Keith. + </p> + <p> + At length in the summer a crisis was reached. A letter to his + father, which has not been preserved, announced that his + views and feelings with regard to spiritual things had + undergone a great and far-reaching change, and that religion + had become to him a matter of personal and paramount concern. + Another letter to Henry Weir on the same subject is of great + interest. It is written in the unformed and somewhat stilted + style which he had not yet got rid of, and, with + characteristic reticence, it deals only indirectly with the + details of the experience through which he has passed, being + in form a disquisition on the importance of personal + religion, and a refutation of objections which might occur to + his correspondent against making it the main interest of his + life. + </p> + <p> + "My dear Henry," the letter concludes, "I most earnestly wish + that you would devote the energies of your mind to the + attentive consideration of religion, and I have no doubt + that, through the tuition of the Divine Spirit, you would + speedily arrive at the same conviction of the importance of + the subject with myself, and then our friendship would, by + the influence of those feelings which religion implants, be + more hallowed and intimate than before. I long ardently to + see you." + </p> + <p> + The experience which has thus been described caused no great + rift with the past, nor did it produce any great change in + his outward life. He did not dedicate himself to the + ministry; he did not, so far as can be gathered, even become + a member of the Church; and although for a short time he + talked of concentrating his energies on the Greek Testament, + to the disparagement of the Greek and Latin classical + writers, within two months we find him back at his old + studies and strenuously preparing for the coming session at + College. But a new power had entered into his life, and that + power gradually asserted itself as the chief and dominating + influence there. + </p> + <p> + Cairns returned to the University in the late autumn of 1837, + enrolling himself in the classes of Latin, Greek, and Logic. + Although he maintained his intimacy with his uncle's family, + he now went into lodgings in West Richmond Street, sharing a + room with young William Inglis, son of the minister at + Stockbridge, then a boy at the High School. Here is the + description he gives to his parents of his surroundings and + of the daily routine of his life: "The lodging which we + occupy is a very good room, measuring 18 feet by 16 feet, in + every way neat and comfortable. The walls are hung with + pictures, and the windows adorned with flowers. The rent is + 3s. 6d., with a promise of abatement when the price of coals + is lowered. This is no doubt a great sum of money, but I + trust it will be amply compensated by the honesty, + cleanliness, economy, and good temper of the landlady.... I + shall give you the details of my daily life:—Rise at 8; + 8.30-10, Latin class; 10-1, private study; 1-2, Logic; 2-3, + Greek class; 4-12.30, private study. As to + meals—breakfast on porridge and treacle at 8.15; dine + on broth and mutton, or varieties of potatoes with beef or + fish, at 3.15; coffee at 7; if hungry, a little bread before + bed. I can live quite easily and comfortably on 3s. or 3s. + 6d. per week, and when you see me you will find that I have + grown fat on students' fare." + </p> + <p> + At the close of the session he thus records the result of his + work in one of the classes:— + </p> + <p> + "There is a circumstance which but for its connection with + the subject of clothes I should not now mention. You are + aware that a gold medal is given yearly by the Society of + Writers to the Signet to the best scholar in the Latin class. + Five are selected to compete for it by the votes of their + fellow-students. Having been placed in the number a fortnight + ago, I have, after a pretty close trial, been declared the + successful competitor. The grand sequence is this, that at + the end of the session I must come forward in the presence of + many of the Edinburgh grandees and deliver a Latin oration as + a prelude to receiving the medal. Although I have little fear + that an oration will be forthcoming of the ordinary length + and quality, I doubt that the trepidation of so unusual a + position will cause me to break down in the delivery of it; + but we shall see. The reference of this subject to the + clothes you will at once discern. The trousers are too tight, + and an addition must be made to their length. The coat is too + wide in the body, too short and tight in the sleeves, and too + spare in the skirt. As to my feelings I shall say nothing, + because I do not look upon the honour as one of a kind that + ought to excite the least elation ... I would not wish you to + blazon it, nor would I, but for the cause mentioned, have + taken any notice of it." + </p> + <p> + Besides this medal, he obtained the first place in the Greek + class. In Logic he stood third, and he carried off a number + of other prizes. He had been in every way the better for the + interruption in his course; his powers had matured, he knew + what he could do, and he was able to do it at will, and from + this point onward he was recognised as easily the first man + of his time in the University. But he had now to look about + him for employment in the vacation; and for a while, in spite + of the successes of the past session, he was unable to find + it, and was glad to take some poorly paid elementary + teaching. But at length, by the good offices of one of the + masters in the Edinburgh Academy, backed by the strong + recommendation of Professor Pillans, he became tutor in the + family of Mr. John Donaldson, W.S., of whose house, 124 + Princes Street, he became an inmate. "What I want," said Mr. + Donaldson to the professor, "is a gentleman." "Well," replied + Pillans, "I am sending you first-rate raw material; we shall + see what you will make of it." He retained this situation + till the close of his University course, to the entire + satisfaction of his employer and his family, and with great + comfort to himself—the salary being more than + sufficient for his simple needs. + </p> + <p> + He had, as we have seen, attended the class of Logic during + his second session; but as he was then devoting his main + strength to classics, and as the subject was as yet quite + unfamiliar to him, he did not fully give himself up to it nor + yield to the influence of the professor, Sir William + Hamilton. But during the summer, while he was at Mr. + Donaldson's, in going again over the ground that he had + traversed during the past session, he was led to read the + works of Descartes, Bacon, and Leibnitz, with the result that + mental philosophy at once became the supreme interest of his + academic life, and, when the winter came round again, he + yielded entirely to its spell and to that of the great man + who was then its most distinguished British exponent. + </p> + <p> + The class of Hamilton's that he attended in the session of + 1838-39 was that of Advanced Metaphysics. It so happened that + at that time a hot controversy was going on about this very + class. The Edinburgh Town Council, who were the patrons of + Hamilton's chair, claimed also the right to decide as to what + subjects the professor should lecture on, and pronounced + Metaphysics to be "an abstruse subject, not generally + considered as of any great or permanent utility." But, while + this controversy was raging without, within all was calm. "We + were quietly engaged"—wrote Cairns twenty years + later—"in our discussions as to the existence of the + external world while the storm was raging without, and only + felt it to be another form of the <i>non-ego</i>; while the + contrast between the singular gentleness and simplicity of + our teacher in his dealings with his pupils, and his more + impassioned qualities in controversy, became more + remarkable."<a href="#note-1">1</a> Hamilton's philosophy may + not now command the acceptance that once belonged to it, and + that part of it which has been most influential may be put + to-day to a use of which he did not dream, and of which he + would not have approved, but Hamilton himself—"the + black eagle of the desert," as the "Chaldee Manuscript" calls + him—was a mighty force. The influence of that vehement + and commanding personality on a generation of susceptible + young men was deep and far-reaching. He seized and held the + minds of his students until they were able to grasp what he + had to give them,—until, in spite of the toil and pain + it cost them, they were <i>made</i> to grasp it. And he + further trained them in habits of mental discipline and + intellectual integrity, which were of quite priceless value + to them. "I am more indebted to you," wrote Cairns to him in + 1848, "for the foundation of my intellectual habits and + tastes than to any other person, and shall bear, by the will + of the Almighty, the impress of your hand through any future + stage of existence." + </p> + <p> + Cairns was first in Hamilton's class at the close of the + session, and also first in Professor John Wilson's Moral + Philosophy Class. "Of the many hundreds of students," Wilson + wrote four years later, "whose career I have watched during + the last twenty years, not one has given higher promise of + excellence than John Cairns; his talents are of the highest + order; his attainments in literature, philosophy, and science + rare indeed; and his character such as to command universal + respect." + </p> + <p> + This winter he joined with eight or nine of Hamilton's most + distinguished students in forming the "Metaphysical Society," + which met weekly for the purpose of discussing philosophical + questions. In a Memoir which he afterwards wrote of John + Clark, one of the founders of this Society, he thus describes + the association that led to its being formed, and that was + further cemented by its formation: "Willingly do I recall and + linger upon these days and months, extending even to years, + in which common studies of this abstract nature bound us + together. It was the romance—the poetry—of + speculation and friendship. All the vexed questions of the + schools were attempted by our united strength, after our + higher guide had set the example. The thorny wilds of logic + were pleasant as an enchanted ground; its driest + technicalities treasured up as unspeakably rare and precious. + We stumbled on, making discoveries at every step, and had all + things common. Each lesson in mental philosophy opened up + some mystery of our immortal nature, and seemed to bring us + nearer the horizon of absolute truth, which again receded as + we advanced, and left us, like children pursuing the rainbow, + to resume the chase. In truth, we had much of the character + of childhood in these pursuits—light-heartedness, + wonder, boundless hope, engrossment with the present, + carelessness of the future. Our old world daily became new; + and the real world of the multitude to us was but a shadow. + It was but the outer world, the <i>non-ego</i>, standing at + the mercy of speculation, waiting to be confirmed or + abolished in the next debate; while the inner world, in which + truth, beauty, and goodness had their eternal seat, should + still survive and be all in all. The play of the intellect + with these subtle and unworldly questions was to our minds as + inevitable as the stages of our bodily growth. Happy was it + for us that the play of affection was also active—nay, + by sympathy excited to still greater liveliness; and that a + higher wisdom suffered us not in all these flowery mazes to + go astray."<a href="#note-2">2</a> + </p> + <p> + From indications contained in the brief Memoir from which + this extract is taken, as well as from references in his + correspondence, it would appear that about this time he + subjected his religious beliefs to a careful scrutiny in the + light cast upon them by his philosophical studies. From this + process of testing and strain he emerged with his faith + established on a yet firmer basis than before. One result of + this experience may perhaps be found in a letter to his + father, in which he tells him that he has been weighing the + claims of the Christian ministry as his future calling in + life. He feels the force of its incomparable attractions, but + doubts whether he is fitted in elevation and maturity of + character to undertake so vast a responsibility. Besides, he + is painfully conscious of personal awkwardness in the common + affairs of life, and unfitness for the practical management + of business. And so he thinks he will take another year to + think of it, during which he will complete his College + course. + </p> + <p> + He spent the summer of 1839 with the Donaldson family at + their country seat at Auchairn, near Ballantrae, in south + Ayrshire, occupying most of his leisure hours in mathematical + and physical studies in preparation for the work of the + coming winter. In the session of 1839-40, his last at the + University, he attended the classes of Natural Philosophy and + Rhetoric, taking the first place in the latter and only just + missing it in the former. He attended, besides, Sir William + Hamilton's private classes, and was much at his house and in + his company. In April 1841 he took his M.A. degree, coming + out first in Classics and Philosophy, and being bracketed + first in Mathematics. Among his fellow-students his + reputation was maintained not merely by the honours he gained + in the class lists, but by his prowess in the debating arena. + Besides continuing his membership in the Metaphysical + Society, he had also been, since the spring of 1839, a member + of the Diagnostic, one of the most flourishing of the older + students' debating societies. Of the Diagnostic he speedily + became the life and soul, and discussed with ardour such + questions as the Repeal of the Corn Laws, Vote by Ballot, and + the Exclusion of Bishops from the House of Lords. One + memorable debate took place on the Spiritual Independence of + the Church, then the most burning of all Scottish public + questions. The position of the Non-Intrusion party in the + Established Church was maintained by Cairns's friend Clark, + while he himself led on the Voluntary side. The debate lasted + two nights, and, to quote the words of one who was present, + "Cairns in reply swept all before him, winning a vote from + those who had come in curiosity, and securing a large Liberal + majority. Amidst a scene of wild enthusiasm we hoisted his + big form upon our shoulders, and careered round the old + quadrangle in triumph. Indeed he was the hero of our College + life, leaving all others far behind, and impressing us with + the idea that he had a boundless future before + him."<a href="#note-3">3</a> + </p><a name="2HCH07"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV + </h2> + <h3> + THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY + </h3> + <p> + Over Cairns's life during his last session at the University + there hung the shadow of a coming sorrow. His father's + health, which had never been robust, and had been failing for + some time, at length quite broke down; and it soon became + apparent that, although he might linger for some time, there + was no hope of his recovery. In the earlier days of his + illness the father was able to write, and many letters passed + between him and his student son. The following extracts from + his letters reveal the character of the man, and surely + furnish an illustration of what was said in a former chapter + about the educative effect of religion on the Scottish + working-man:— + </p> + <p> + "DUNGLASS, <i>Dec</i>, 23,1839. + </p> + <p> + "I would not have you think that I am overlooking the Divine + agency in what has befallen me. I desire to ascribe all to + His glory and praise, who can bring order out of confusion + and light out of darkness; and I desire to look away from + human means to Him who is able to kill and to make alive, + knowing that He doth not grieve willingly nor afflict the + children of men." + </p> + <p> + "DUNGLASS, <i>Jan</i>. 5, 1840. + </p> + <p> + "As I have no great pain except what arises from coughing, I + have reason to bless the Lord, who is dealing so bountifully + with me.... It would be unpardonable in me were I not + endeavouring to make myself familiar with death in the forms + and aspects in which he presents himself to the mind. Doubts + and fears sometimes arise lest I should be indulging in a + false and presumptuous hope, and, as there is great danger + lest we should be deceived in this momentous concern, we + cannot be too anxious in ascertaining whether our hope be + that of the Gospel, as set forth in His Word of truth. Still, + through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom, I + trust upon scriptural grounds, I can call my Saviour, I am + enabled to view death as a friend and as deprived of its + sting, and this is a source of great comfort to me and cheers + my drooping mind. I can say that my Beloved is mine and I am + His, and that He will make all things to work together for + His own glory and my eternal good. Dear son, I have thus + opened my mind to you, and I trust that your prayers will not + be wanting that my faith may be strengthened, and that all + the graces of the Holy Spirit may abound in me, to the glory + of God through our Lord Jesus Christ." + </p> + <p> + During this and part of the next year Cairns remained in Mr. + Donaldson's family, and his relations with that family as a + whole, as well as his special work in the tuition of the + young son and daughter of the house, were of the most + agreeable kind. He had by this time, however, formed some + intimate friendships in Edinburgh, and there were several + pleasant and interesting houses that were always open to him. + One of these deserves special mention. Among his most + intimate College friends was James McGibbon Russell, a + distinguished student of Sir William Hamilton, and one of the + founders of the Metaphysical Society. Russell was the son of + a Perthshire parish minister, but his parents were dead, and + he lived with an uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Archibald + Wilson, whose own family consisted of two sons and three + daughters. Cairns was introduced by Russell to the Wilson + family, and soon became intimate with them. His special + friend—at last the dearest friend he had in this + world—was the younger son, George, afterwards the + well-known chemist and Professor of Technology in the + University of Edinburgh. No two men could be less + alike—George Wilson with a bright, alert, nimble mind; + Cairns with an intellect massive like his bodily frame, and + characterised chiefly by strength and momentum; and yet the + two fitted into each other, and when they really got to know + each other it might truly be said of them that the love + between them was wonderful, passing the love of women. + </p> + <p> + By the midsummer of 1840 Cairns had come to a final decision + about his future calling. "I have," he wrote to his father on + 13th June, "after much serious deliberation and prayer to God + for direction, made up my mind to commence this year the + study of divinity, with a view to the office of the ministry + of the Gospel. I pray you, do implore the grace of God on my + behalf, after this very grave and solemn determination." + </p> + <p> + The Secession Church, to which he belonged, and to whose + ministry he desired to seek admission, had no theological + tutors who were set apart for the work of teaching alone. Its + professors, of whom there were four, were ministers in + charges, who lectured to the students during the two holiday + months of August and September. The curriculum of the + "Divinity Hall," as it was called, consisted of five of these + short sessions. During the remaining ten months of each year + the student, except that he had to prepare a certain number + of exercises for the Presbytery which had him under its + charge, was left very much to do as he pleased. + </p> + <p> + Cairns entered the Hall, at that time meeting in Glasgow, in + the August of 1840. Of the four professors who were on the + staff of the institution, and all of whom were capable men, + only two need here be mentioned. These were Dr. Robert Balmer + of Berwick and Dr. John Brown of Edinburgh. Dr. Balmer was a + clear-headed, fair-minded theologian—in fact, so very + fair, and even generous, was he wont to be in dealing with + opponents that he sometimes, quite unjustly, incurred the + suspicion of being in sympathy, if not in league, with these + opponents. He is specially interesting to us in this place, + because Cairns succeeded him first in his pulpit, and then, + after a long interval, in his chair. Dr. Brown, the grandson + and namesake of the old commentator of Haddington, was a man + of noble presence and noble character, whose personality + "embedded in the translucent amber of his son's famous + sketch" is familiarly known to all lovers of English + literature. He was the pioneer of the scientific exposition + of the Scriptures in the Scottish pulpit, and was one of the + first exegetical theologians of his time. His point of view + may be seen in a frequent criticism of his on a student's + discourse: "That is truth and very important truth, but it is + not <i>the</i> truth that is taught in this passage." Being + so, it was simply "matter in the wrong place," <i>dirt</i> to + be cleared away as speedily as possible. + </p> + <p> + Cairns had been first attracted to Dr. Brown by his speeches + on the Annuity Tax, an Edinburgh ecclesiastical impost for + which he had suffered the spoiling of his goods, and he had + been for more than a year a member of his church in Broughton + Place; but it was only now that he came to know him really + well. Henceforth his admiration for Dr. Brown, and the + friendship to which Dr. Brown admitted him, were to be + amongst the most powerful influences of his life. Among his + fellow-students at the Hall were several young men of + brilliant promise, such as John Ker, who had been first + prizeman in the Logic class in Hamilton's first session, W.B. + Robertson, Alexander MacEwen, Joseph Leckie, and William + Graham. Of these, Graham, bright, witty, versatile, the most + notorious of punsters and the most illegible of writers, was + his chief intimate, and their friendship continued unbroken + and close for half a century. + </p> + <p> + But meanwhile the shadow was deepening over the home at + Dunglass. All through the autumn and early winter his father + was slowly sinking. He was only fifty-one, but he was already + worn out; and his disease, if disease it might be called, had + many of the symptoms of extreme old age. His son saw him for + the last time near the close of the year. "I cannot say," he + wrote to Miss Darling, "that depression of spirits was the + only, or even the chief, emotion with which I bade farewell + to my father. There was something so touching in his patience + and resignation, so calm and inwrought in his meek submission + to the Divine will, that it affected me more strongly than + raptures of religious joy could have done. He displays the + same evenness of temper in the sight of death as has marked + his equable and consistent life." + </p> + <p> + He died in the early morning of 3rd January 1841. His son + William thus describes the scene: "It was the first time any + of us except our mother had looked on the face of the dying + in the act of departing, and that leaves an impression that + can never be effaced. When the end came, and each had truly + realised what had happened, our mother in a broken voice + asked that 'the Books' might be laid on the table; then she + gave out that verse in the 107th Psalm— + </p> + <pre> + 'The storm is changed into a calm + At his command and will; + So that the waves that raged before, + Now quiet are and still.' +</pre> + <p> + It was her voice, too, that raised the tune. Then she asked + Thomas to read a chapter of the Bible and afterwards to pray. + We all knelt down, and Thomas made a strong effort to steady + his voice, but he failed utterly; then the dear mother + herself lifted the voice of thanksgiving for the victory that + had been won, and after that the neighbours were called + in."<a href="#note-4">4</a> + </p> + <p> + Cairns was soon to have further experience of anxiety in + respect to the health of those who were near to him. Towards + the close of the year in which his father died, his brother + William, who had almost completed his apprenticeship to a + mason at Chirnside, in Berwickshire, was seized with + inflammation, and for some weeks hung between life and death. + At length he recovered sufficiently to be removed under his + elder brother's careful and loving supervision to the + Edinburgh Infirmary, where he remained for four months. + During all that time Cairns visited his brother twice every + day, he taught himself to apply to the patient the galvanic + treatment which had been prescribed, and brought him an + endless supply of books, periodicals, and good things to eat + and smoke. + </p> + <p> + In the end of 1842 George Wilson was told by an eminent + surgeon that he must choose between certain death and the + amputation of a foot involving possible death. He agreed at + once to the operation being performed, but begged for a week + in which to prepare for it. He had always been a charming + personality, and had lived a life that was outwardly + blameless; but he had never given very serious thought to + religion. Now, however, when he was face to face with death, + the great eternal verities became more real to him, and + during the week of respite the study of the New Testament and + the counsel and sympathy and prayers of his friend Cairns + prepared him to face his trial with calmness, and with "a + trembling hope in Christ" in his heart. The two friends, who + had thus been brought so closely together, were henceforth to + be more to each other than they had ever been before. + </p> + <p> + The next year, 1843, was a memorable one in the + ecclesiastical history of Scotland. Cairns, though not + sympathising with the demand of the Non-Intrusion party in + the Church of Scotland for absolute spiritual independence + within an Established Church, had an intense admiration for + Chalmers, and was filled with the greatest enthusiasm when he + and the party whom he led on the great 18th of May clung fast + to the Independence and left the Establishment behind them. + Indeed his enthusiasm ran positively wild, for it is recorded + that, when the great procession came out of St. Andrew's + Church, Cairns went hurrahing and tossing up his hat in front + of it and all the way down the hill to Tanfield Hall. To Miss + Darling, who had no sympathy with the Free Church movement, + he wrote: "I know our difference of opinion here. But you + will pardon me for saying that I have never felt more + profound emotions of gratitude to God, of reverence for + Christianity, of admiration of moral principle, and of pride + in the honesty and courage of Scotsmen, than I did on that + memorable day." + </p> + <p> + In the autumn of this year he was able to carry out a project + which he had had before him, and for which he had been saving + up his money for a long time. This was the spending of a year + on the Continent. It was by no means so common in those days + as it has since become for a Scottish theological student to + attend a German University. Indeed, until the early Forties + of last century, such a thing was scarcely known. Then, + however, the influence of Sir William Hamilton, and the + interest in German thought which his teaching stimulated, + created the desire to learn more about it at its source. + </p> + <p> + It is natural that this movement should have affected the + students of the Secession Church before it reached those of + the Establishment; for not only were they less occupied with + the great controversy of the day and its consequences, but + their short autumn session left them free to take either a + winter or a summer <i>semester</i>, or both, at a German + University without interrupting their course at home. The + late Dr. W.B. Robertson of Irvine used to lay claim to having + been the pioneer of these "landlouping students of divinity." + John Ker and others followed him; and when Cairns set out in + 1843, quite a large company of old friends were expected to + meet at Berlin. Cairns's departure was delayed by the illness + of James Russell, who was to have accompanied him, but he set + out towards the end of October. He had accepted an + appointment as <i>locum tenens</i> for four weeks in an + English Independent chapel at Hamburg, which delayed his + arrival at Berlin until after the winter <i>semester</i> had + commenced. But this interlude was greatly enjoyed both by + himself and by the little company of English merchants who + formed his first pastoral charge, and who, on a vacancy + occurring, made a strong but fruitless attempt to induce him + to remain as their permanent minister. + </p> + <p> + Arrived in Berlin, he joined his friends—Nelson, + Graham, Wallace, and Logan Aikman. With Nelson he shared a + room in the Luisenstrasse, where they set up that household + god of all German students—a "coffee-machine," with the + aid of which, and some flaming <i>spiritus</i>, they brewed + their morning and evening beverage. They dined in the middle + of the day at a neighbouring restaurant, on soup, meat, + vegetables, and black bread, at a cost of threepence. + </p> + <p> + At the University, Cairns heard four or five lectures daily, + taking among others the courses of Neander on Christian + Dogmatics, Trendelenburg on History of Philosophy, and + Schelling, the last of the great philosophers of the + preceding generation, on Introduction to Philosophy. Of + these, Schelling impressed him least, and Neander most. + Through life he had a deep reverence for Neander, whom he + regarded, with perhaps premature enthusiasm, as the man who + shared with Schleiermacher the honour of restoring Germany to + a believing theology. + </p> + <p> + Here is the description he gives of him in a letter from + Berlin to George Wilson: "Suppose yourself in a large square + room filled with Studiosi, each with his inkstand and immense + <i>Heft</i> before him and ready to begin, when precisely at + 11.15 a.m. in shuffles a little black Jew, without hat in + hand or a scrap of paper, and strides up to a high desk, + where he stands the whole time, resting his elbows upon it + and never once opening his eyes or looking his class in the + face; the worst type of Jewish physiognomy in point of + intellect, though without its cunning or sensuality; the face + meaningless, pale, and sallow, with low forehead, and nothing + striking but a pair of enormous black eyebrows. The figure is + dressed in a dirty brown surtout, blue plush trousers, and + dirty top-boots. It begins to speak. The voice is loud and + clear, and marches on with academic stateliness and gravity, + and even something of musical softness mixes with its notes. + Suddenly the speaker turns to a side. It is to spit, which + act is repeated every second sentence. You now see in his + hands a twisted pen, which is gradually stripped of every + hair and then torn to pieces in the course of his mental + working. His feet, too, begin to turn. The left pirouettes + round and round, and at the close of an emphatic period + strikes violently against the wall. When he has finished his + lecture, you see only a mass of saliva and the rags of his + pen. Neander is out of all sight the most wonderful being in + the University. For knowledge, spirituality, good sense, and + indomitable spirit of the finest discretion on moral + subjects, the old man is a real marvel every way. In private + he is the kindest but also the most awkward of mortals. His + lectures on <i>Dogmatik</i> and <i>Sittenlehre</i> I value + beyond all others, and I would gladly have come to Berlin to + hear him alone." + </p> + <p> + Besides hearing these University lectures, Cairns read German + philosophy and theology for nine or ten hours daily, took + lessons in Hebrew from a young Christian Jew named + Biesenthal,<a href="#note-5">5</a> and in these short winter + months acquired such a mastery of German as a spoken language + that in the spring he was urged by Professor Tholuck of Halle + to remain and qualify as a Privatdocent at a German + University. He also gained a knowledge of men and things + German, and a living interest in them, which he retained + through life. + </p> + <p> + At the close of the winter <i>semester</i>, the last weeks of + which had been saddened by the news of James Russell's death; + he set out on a tour extending over three months, and planned + to include the principal cities and sights of Central and + Southern Europe. He had only about £20 in his pocket, + but he made this cover all the expenditure that was necessary + for his modest wants. He travelled alone and, whenever it was + possible, on foot, in the blouse and peaked cap of a German + workman, and with a light knapsack strapped on his shoulders. + He avoided hotels and lived cheaply, even meanly; but, with + his splendid health, simple tastes, and overflowing interest + in all that he saw, this did not greatly matter. + </p> + <p> + His classical studies, and an already wide knowledge of + European history, suggested endless interesting associations + with the places through which he passed; and the picture + galleries furnished him with materials for art criticisms + which, considering that he had had few opportunities of + seeing paintings, surprise one by their insight and grasp. At + Wittenberg we find him standing by the grave of Luther in the + Castle Church, and reflecting on the connection between his + presence there and the life and work of the man whose body + lay below. "But for him there had neither been a Scotland to + send out pilgrim students of theology, nor a Germany to + receive them." + </p> + <p> + At Halle he has interesting interviews with Tholuck and + Julius Müller; from Dresden he diverges to Herrnhut, + where he witnesses the ordination of a Moravian missionary + and takes part in a love-feast. At Prague, that wonderful + city where the barbaric East begins, he finds his deepest + interest stirred by the Jewish burying-ground and the hoary + old synagogue. And so he passes on from city to city, and + from land to land, by Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich, to + Innsbruck, thence over the Brenner to Trent and Venice, and + by Bologna to Florence and Rome. Returning by Genoa, Milan, + and the Italian Lakes, he passes into Switzerland, and + travels homeward by the Rhine. During this tour, when, in + spite of the heat, he frequently walked forty-five or fifty + miles a day, he had little time for letter-writing; but a + small paper-covered book, in which he each night jotted down + in pencil his impressions of what he had seen during the past + day, has fortunately been preserved. From this three brief + extracts may be made, and may serve as specimens of the + whole, which is virtually reproduced entire in Dr. MacEwen's + Biography. The first contains a description of the Jewish + cemetery at Prague: "Through winding, filthy, pent-up, and + over-peopled lanes, in the part of the old town next the + river, heaped up with old clothes, trinket-ware, + villainous-looking bread, and horrid sausages, one attains to + an open space irregularly and rudely walled in and full of + graves. The monuments date from the tenth century. No + language can give an idea of its first impression. At one end + one sees innumerable masses of grey weather-beaten stones in + every grotesque angle of incidence and coincidence, but all + rude and mean, covered with mystic Hebrew letters and + half-buried amid long grass, nettles, and weeds. The place + looks exactly as if originally a collection of dunghills or, + perhaps, of excavated earth, left to its natural course after + the corpses had been thrown in and the rude billets set over + them. The economy of the race is visible in their measure for + the dead, and contrasts wonderfully with the roominess and + delicate adornment of German churchyards in general. The hoar + antiquity of the place is increased by a wilderness of alders + which grow up around the walls and amidst the stones, + twisted, tangled, stunted, desolately old and yet renewing + their youth, a true type of the scattered, bruised, and + peeled, yet ineradicable Israel itself." + </p> + <p> + An incident at Novi, between Genoa and Milan, is thus + described: "I had strolled into a vineyard behind the town, + quite lonely and crowned with one cottage. On one of the + secluded paths I found a little girl lying on the grass, with + her face turned up to the sun and fast asleep. The breeze + played beautifully with her hair, and her dress fluttered and + rustled, but there she lay, and nothing but the heaving of + her frame, which could hardly be distinguished from the + agitation of the wind, proved that she was only asleep. I + stood gazing for a long while, thinking of the Providence + that watched alike over the child in its slumberings and the + pilgrim in his wanderings; and as I saw her companions + playing at no great distance, I left the spot without + awakening the absent little one. As I was passing the cottage + door, however, I was overtaken by the mother in evident + agitation. She pointed along the path I had come by, as if + she feared her child had wandered to the highway or been lost + amid the wild brushwood that grew on that side of the + vineyard. I soon made her understand that the + <i>piccolina</i> was just behind her, and waited till she + bounded away and returned with the crying thing in her arms, + loading it with gentle reproaches and me with warm + expressions of gratitude." + </p> + <p> + At Milan it must be admitted that he goes into raptures over + the Cathedral, but one is glad to note that he reserves an + ample tribute of enthusiasm for the old church of St. + Ambrose: "In the cloister of St. Ambrose I saw the famous + cypress doors which the saint closed against Theodosius, + time-worn but solid; the brazen serpent, the fine pulpit with + the bas-relief of the Agape, and the veritable Episcopal + chair of marble, with solid back and sides, and lions + embossed at the corners, in which he sat in the councils of + his presbyters. It is almost the only relic I have done any + honour to. I knelt down and kissed it, and forgot for the + time that I was both Protestant and Presbyterian." + </p> + <p> + After a stormy and perilous voyage from Antwerp, he reached + Newcastle in the first week of August, and started at once + for Edinburgh to be present at the opening of the Divinity + Hall. At the Dunglass lodge-gate his brother David, who was + waiting for a letter which he had promised to throw down from + the "Magnet" coach as he passed, caught a hurried glimpse of + him, lean and brown as a berry after his exertions and his + exposure to the Italian sun. On the following Saturday he put + his pedestrian powers to the proof by walking from Edinburgh + to Dunglass, when he covered the thirty-five and a half miles + in seven hours and fifty minutes, having stopped only twice + on the way—once in Haddington to buy a biscuit, and + once at a wayside watering-trough to take a drink. + </p> + <p> + The Hall session of 1844 was Cairns's last, and the next step + for him to take in ordinary course was to apply to a + Presbytery for license as a probationer. He had, however, + some hesitation in taking this step, mainly because he was + not quite clear whether the real work of his life lay in the + discharge of the ordinary duties of the ministry, or whether + he might not render better service by devoting himself, as + opportunity offered, more exclusively to theological and + literary work in behalf of the Christian faith. His friend + Clark, whom he consulted in the matter, strongly urged him to + decide in favour of the latter alternative. His speculative + and literary faculties, he urged, had already been tested + with brilliant results; his powers as a preacher, on the + other hand, were as yet an unknown quantity, and Clark + thought it doubtful if they would be appreciated by an + average congregation. The struggle was severe while it + lasted, but it ended in Cairns deciding to go on to the + ministry in the ordinary way. In November 1844 be applied to + the Edinburgh Presbytery of the Secession Church for license, + and he received it at their hands in the following February. + He had not long to wait for a settlement. Dr. Balmer of + Berwick, one of his divinity professors, had died while he + was in Switzerland, and on his deathbed had advised his + congregation to wait until Cairns had finished his course + before electing a successor. Accordingly, it was arranged + that he should preach in Golden Square Church, Berwick, a few + weeks after he received license. The result was that a + unanimous and enthusiastic call was addressed to him. He + received another invitation from Mount Pleasant Church, + Liverpool, of which his friend Graham was afterwards + minister; but, after some hesitation, he decided in favour of + Berwick. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile changes had been taking place in the home circle at + Dunglass. His brother William, whose illness has been already + referred to, had now passed beyond all hope of recovering the + use of his limbs. Having set himself resolutely to a course + of study and mental improvement under his brother John's + guidance, he was able to accept a kindly proposal made to him + by Sir John Hall of Dunglass, that he should become the + teacher of the little roadside school at Oldcambus, which + John had attended as a child. On the marriage of his eldest + brother in the summer of 1845 the widowed mother came to keep + house for him, and henceforth the Oldcambus schoolhouse + became the family headquarters. But that summer brought + sorrow as well as change. Another brother, James, a young man + of vigorous mental powers, and originally of stalwart + physique, who had been working at his trade as a tailor in + Glasgow, fell into bad health, which soon showed the symptoms + of rapid consumption. He came home hoping to benefit by the + change, but it became increasingly clear that he had only + come home to die. He lingered till the autumn, and passed + away at Oldcambus at the end of September. It was with this + background of change and shadow that the ordination of John + Cairns took place at Berwick on August 6, 1845. + </p><a name="2HCH08"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER V + </h2> + <h3> + GOLDEN SQUARE + </h3> + <p> + Berwick is an English town on the Scottish side of the Tweed. + As all that remained to England of the Scottish conquests of + Edward I., it was until the Union of the Crowns the Calais of + Scotland. It thus came to be treated as in a measure separate + from England although belonging to it, and was for a long + time separately mentioned in English Acts of Parliament, as + it still is in English Royal Proclamations. This status of + semi-independence which it so long enjoyed has helped to give + it an individuality more strongly marked than that of most + English towns. + </p> + <p> + In religious matters Berwick has more affinity to Scotland + than to England. John Knox preached in the town for two years + by appointment of the Privy Council of Edward VI., and in + harmony with his influence its religious traditions were in + succeeding generations strongly Puritan, and one of its + vicars, Luke Ogle, was ejected for Nonconformity in 1662. + </p> + <p> + After the Revolution of 1688 this tendency found expression + in the rise and growth of a vigorous Presbyterian Dissent; + and in the early years of the eighteenth century there were + two flourishing congregations in the town in communion with + the Church of Scotland. But as these soon became infected + with the Moderatism which prevailed over the Border, new + congregations were formed in connection with the Scottish + Secession and Relief bodies, and it was of one of + these—Golden Square Secession Church—that John + Cairns became the fourth minister in 1845. + </p> + <p> + Berwick is one of the very few English towns which still + retain their ancient fortifications. The circuit of the + walls, which were built in the reign of Elizabeth, with their + bastions, "mounts," and gates, is still practically complete, + and is preserved with care and pride. A few ruins of the + earlier walls, which Edward I. erected, and which enclosed a + much wider area than is covered by the modern town, still + remain; also such vestiges of the once impregnable Castle as + have not been removed to make way for the present + railway-station. Beyond this, there is little about Berwick + to tell of its hoary antiquity and its eventful history. But + its red-roofed houses, rising steeply from the left bank of + the Tweed, and looking across the tidal river to the villages + of Tweedmouth and Spittal, have a picturesqueness of their + own, whether they are seen when the lights and shadows of a + summer day are playing upon them, or when they are swathed in + the white folds of a North Sea <i>haar</i>. + </p> + <p> + The Berwick people are shrewd, capable, and kindly, and + combine many of the good qualities of their Scotch and + Northumbrian neighbours. Their dialect is in some respects + akin to the Lowland Scotch, with which it has many words in + common; and it has also as a prominent feature that rising + intonation, passing sometimes almost into a wail, which one + hears all along the eastern Border. But the great outstanding + characteristic of Berwick speech is the <i>burr</i> a rough + guttural pronunciation of the letter "i." With nothing but + the scanty resources of our alphabet to fall back upon, it is + quite impossible to represent this peculiarity phonetically, + but it was once remarked by a student of Semitic tongues that + the sound of the Hebrew letter 'Ayin is as nearly as possible + that of the burr, and that, if you want to ascertain the + correct Hebrew pronunciation of the name <i>Ba'al</i>, all + you have got to do is to ask any Alderman of Berwick to say + "<i>Barrel"</i><a href="#note-6">6</a> + </p> + <p> + In 1845 the population of Berwick was between 8000 and 9000. + "It included," says Dr. MacEwen, "some curious elements." Not + the least curious and dubious of these was that of the lower + class of the old Freemen of the Borough. These men had an + inherited right to the use of lands belonging to the + Corporation, which they let; and to a vote at a Parliamentary + election, which they sold. When an election drew near, it was + a maxim with both political parties that the Freemen must be + conciliated at all costs; and the Freemen, knowing this, were + quite prepared to presume on their knowledge. Once, at an + election time, it happened that in the house of a prominent + political leader in Berwick a fine roast of beef was turning + before the kitchen fire, and was nearly ready for the dinner + table, when a Freeman walked in, lifted it from the spit, and + carried it off. No one dared to say him nay, for had he not a + vote? and might not that vote turn the election? + </p> + <p> + At the other end of the social scale were the half-pay + officers, the members of neighbouring county families, and + the attorneys and doctors, who in some degree constituted the + aristocracy of Berwick, and most of whom attended the + Episcopalian Parish Church. The bulk of the shopkeepers and + tradesmen, with some of the professional men and a large + proportion of the working people, were Dissenters, and were + connected with one or other of the half-dozen Presbyterian + congregations in the town. Of these that of which Cairns was + the minister was the most influential and the largest, having + a membership of about six hundred. + </p> + <p> + The church was in Golden Square, of which it may be said that + it is neither a square nor yet golden, but a dingy close or + court opening by an archway from the High Street, the main + thoroughfare of Berwick. The building was till recently a + tannery, but the main features of it are still quite + distinguishable. It stood on the left as one entered from + High Street, and it had the usual high pulpit at its farther + end, with a precentor's desk beneath it, and the usual deep + gallery supported on metal pillars running round three of its + four sides. The manse, its door adorned with a decent brass + knocker, stood next to the church, on the side farthest from + the street. It gave one a pleasant surprise on entering it to + find that only its back windows looked out on the dim little + "square." In front it commanded a fine view of the river, + here crossed by a quaint old bridge of fifteen arches, which, + owing to the exigencies of the current, is much higher at the + Berwick end than at the other, and, as an Irishman once + remarked, "has its middle all on one side." For some little + time, however, after Cairns's settlement, he did not occupy + the manse, but lived in rooms over a shop in Bridge Street; + and when at length he did remove into it, he took his + landlady with him and still remained her lodger. + </p> + <p> + For the first five years of his ministry Cairns devoted + himself entirely to the work which it entailed upon him, and + steadily refused to be drawn aside to the literary and + philosophical tasks which many of his friends urged him to + undertake. He had decided that his work in Berwick demanded + his first attention, and, until he could ascertain how much + of his time it would absorb, he felt that he could not go + beyond it. On the early days of the week he read widely and + hard on the lines of his Sunday work, and the last three days + he devoted to writing out and committing to memory his two + sermons, each of which occupied about fifty minutes in + delivery. The "committing" of his sermons gave him little or + no trouble, and he soon found that it could be relegated + without anxiety to Saturday evening. And he got into the + habit of preparing for it by a Saturday afternoon walk to the + little yellow red-capped lighthouse at the end of Berwick + Pier. At the upper end of the pier was a five-barred gate, + and on the way back, when he thought that nobody was looking, + he would vault over it with a running leap. + </p> + <p> + His preaching from the first made a deep impression. + Following the old Seceder tradition, and the example of his + boyhood's minister Mr. Inglis, and of his professor Dr. + Brown, his discourse in the forenoon was always a "lecture" + expository of some extended passage of Scripture, and forming + one of a consecutive series; while that in the afternoon + followed the familiar lines of an ordinary sermon. But there + was nothing quite ordinary in his preaching at any time. Even + when there was no unusual flight of eloquence, there was + always to be noted the steady march of a strong mind from + point to point till the conclusion had been reached; always a + certain width and elevation of view, and always the ring of + irresistible conviction. And although the discourse had been + committed to memory and was reproduced in the very words that + had been written down in the study, no barrier was thereby + interposed between the preacher and his hearers. + Somehow—at least after the first few + paragraphs—when he had properly warmed to his work, the + man himself seemed to break through all restraints and come + into direct and living contact with his hearers. + </p> + <p> + His action sermon, <i>i.e.</i> the sermon preached before the + Communion, was always specially memorable and impressive. He + had the subject chosen weeks, and sometimes even months, + beforehand, and, as he had no other sermon to write for the + Communion Sunday, he devoted the whole of the preceding week + to its preparation. His action sermons, which were those he + usually preached on special occasions when he was away from + home, dealt always with some theme connected with the Person + or Work of Christ. They were frequently apologetic in their + conception and structure, full of massive argument, which he + had a remarkable power of marshalling and presenting so as to + be understood by all; but the argument, reinforced by bursts + of real eloquence, always converged on the, exaltation of the + Redeemer. "I never thought so much of him as I do to-day," + said one of his hearers to another after one of these + sermons, "I never thought so much of Christ as I do to-day," + replied the other; and that reply showed that in at least one + case the purpose of the preacher in preparing and delivering + his sermon had been fulfilled. + </p> + <p> + On the Sunday evening Cairns had a Bible-class of over one + hundred young men and women, to which he devoted great care + and attention. "It was the best hour of the day to us," wrote + one who was a member of this class. "He was nearer us, and we + were nearer him, than in church. The grandeur and momentum of + his pulpit eloquence were not there, but we had instead a + calm, rich, conversational instruction, a quiet disclosure of + vast stores of information, as well as a definite dealing + with young hearts and consciences, which left an unfading + impression." + </p> + <p> + But Cairns was no mere preacher and teacher. He put out his + full strength as truly in his pastoral work as in his work + for and in the pulpit. He visited his large congregation + statedly once a year, offering prayer in each house, and + hearing the children repeat a psalm or portion of Scripture + which he had prescribed the year before. He timed these + visits so accurately that he could on one occasion banter one + of his elders on the fact that he had received more than his + due in one year, because the last visitation had been on the + 1st of January and this one was on the 31st of December. A + good part of his visiting had to be done in the country, + because a considerable section of his congregation consisted + of farmers or hinds from Northumberland, from the "Liberties + of Berwick," and even from Scotland, which first begins three + miles out from the town. These country visitations usually + concluded with a service in a barn or farm-kitchen, to which + worshippers came from far and near. + </p> + <p> + But besides this stated and formal visitation, which was + intimated from the pulpit, constant attention was bestowed on + the sick, the bereaved, the poor, the tempted, and all others + who appealed specially to the minister's heart or his + conscience. And yet there was no sense of task-work or of a + burden to be borne about his relations to his congregation. + His exuberant frankness of manner, contrasting as this did + with the reserved and somewhat stiff bearing of his + predecessor Dr. Balmer, won the hearts of all. And his keen + sense of the ludicrous side of things often acted as an + antiseptic, and kept him right both with himself and with his + people. + </p> + <p> + Once, however, as he used to tell, it brought him perilously + near to disaster. He was in the middle of his sermon one + Sunday afternoon in Golden Square. It was a hot summer day, + and all the doors and windows were open. From the pulpit he + could look right out into the square, and as he looked he + became aware of a hen surrounded by her young family pecking + vigorously on the pavement in search of food, and clucking as + she pecked. All at once an overwhelming sense of the + difference between the two worlds in which he and that hen + were living took possession of him, and it was with the + utmost difficulty that he restrained himself from bursting + into a shout of laughter. As it was, he recovered himself + with a mighty gulp and finished the service decorously + enough. + </p> + <p> + Cairns was also assisted in his work by his phenomenal powers + of memory. After reading a long sermon once, or at most twice + over, he could repeat it verbatim. Once when he was + challenged by a friend to do so, he repeated, without + stopping, the names of all the children in his congregation, + apologising only for his imperfect acquaintance with two + families who had recently come. Another instance of this is + perhaps not so remarkable in itself, but it is worth + mentioning on other grounds. Five-and-thirty years after the + time with which we are now dealing, when he was a professor + in Edinburgh, some of his students were carrying on mission + work in a growing district of the city. An iron church was + erected for them, but the contractor, an Englishman, before + his work was finished was seized with illness and died. He + was buried in one of the Edinburgh cemeteries, and Dr. Cairns + attended the funeral. Having ascertained from the widow of + the dead man that he had belonged to the Church of England, + he repeated at the grave-side the whole of the Anglican + Burial Service. When he was asked afterwards how he had thus + come to know that Service without book, he replied that he + had unconsciously got it by heart in the early days of his + Berwick ministry, before there was either a cemetery or a + Burials Act, when he had been compelled to stand silent and + hear it read at the funerals of members of his own + congregation in the parish churchyard. + </p> + <p> + Rather more than a year and a half after his ordination, in + May 1847, the Secession Church in which he had been brought + up, and of which he was now a minister, entered into a union + with another of the Scottish non-Established Churches, the + Synod of Relief. There was thus formed the United + Presbyterian Church, with which his name was afterwards to be + so closely associated. The United Church comprised five + hundred and eighteen congregations, of which about fifty + were, like those in Berwick, in England; the nucleus of that + English Synod which, thirty years later, combined with the + English Presbyterian Church to form the present Presbyterian + Church of England. References in his correspondence show that + this union of 1847, which afterwards had such happy results, + excited at the time little enthusiasm, and was entered into + largely as a matter of duty. "It is," he writes, "like the + union, not of two globules of quicksilver which run together + of themselves, but of two snowballs or cakes of mud that need + in some way very tough outward pressure. I hope that the + friction will elicit heat, since this neither cold nor hot + spirit is not to edification." + </p> + <p> + The other letters of this period range over a wide variety of + subjects. With John Clark he compares experiences of + ministerial work; with John Nelson he discusses European + politics as these have been affected by the events of the + "year of revolutions," 1848; with George Wilson he discourses + on every conceivable topic, from abstruse problems of + philosophy and theology to the opening of the North British + Railway; while his mother and his brothers, William and + David, the latter of whom about this time left his work in + the Dunglass woods to study for the ministry, are kept in + touch with all that he knows they will best like to hear + about. But in all this wide field of human life and thought + and activity, which he so eagerly traverses, it is quite + evident that what attracts him most is the relation of it all + to a higher and an eternal order. With him the main interest + is a religious one. Without an atom of affectation, and + without anything that is at all morbid on his part, he + reveals this at a hundred points. In this connection a letter + which he wrote to Sir William Hamilton and which has since + become well known, may be quoted here; and it, with Sir + William's reply, will fittingly conclude the present chapter. + This letter bears date November 16, 1848, and is as + follows:— + </p> + <p> + "I herewith enclose the statement respecting the Calabar + Mission of our Church, which I take blame to myself for + having so long delayed to send. My avocations are very + numerous, and a habit of procrastination, where anything is + to be written, has sadly grown on me with time. I cannot even + send you this brief note without testifying, what I could not + so well utter in your presence, my unabated admiration of + your philosophical genius and learning, and my profoundly + grateful sense of the important benefits received by me both + from your instructions and private friendship, I am more + indebted to you for the foundation of my intellectual habits + and tastes than to any other person, and shall bear, by the + will of the Almighty, the impress of your hand through any + future stage of existence. It is a relief to my own feelings + to speak in this manner, and you will forgive one of the most + favoured of your pupils if he seeks another kind of + relief—a relief which he has long sought an opportunity + to obtain—the expression of a wish that his honoured + master were one with himself in the exercise of the + convictions, and the enjoyment of the comforts, of living + Christianity, or as far before himself as he is in all other + particulars. This is a wish, a prayer, a fervent desire often + expressed to the Almighty Former and Guide of the spirits of + men, mingled with the hope that, if not already, at least + some time, this accordance of faith will be attained, this + living union realised with the great Teacher, Sacrifice, and + Restorer of our fallen race. You will pardon this + manifestation of the gratitude and affection of your pupil + and friend, who, if he knew a higher, would gladly give it as + a payment of a debt too great to be expressed. I have long + ago been taught to feel the vanity of the world in all its + forms—to renounce the hope of intellectual distinction, + and to exalt love above knowledge. Philosophy has been to me + much; but it can never be all, never the most; and I have + found, and know that I have found, the true good in another + quarter. This is mysticism—the mysticism of the + Bible—the mysticism of conscious reconciliation and + intimacy with the living Persons of the Godhead—a + mysticism which is not like that of philosophy, an irregular + and incommunicable intuition, but open to all, wise and + unwise, who take the highway of humility and prayer. If I + were not truly and profoundly happy in my faith—the + faith of the universal Church—I would not speak of it. + The greatest increase which it admits of is its sympathetic + kindling in the hearts of others, not least of those who know + by experience the pain of speculation, the truth that he who + increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. I know you will + indulge these expressions to one more in earnest than in + former years, more philanthropic, more confident that he + knows in whom he has believed, more impressed with the duty + of bearing everywhere a testimony to the convictions which + have given him a positive hold at once of truth and + happiness. + </p> + <p> + "But I check myself in this unwonted strain, which only your + long-continued and singular kindness could have emboldened me + to attempt; and with the utterance of the most fervent wishes + for your health, academical success, and inward light and + peace, I remain your obliged friend and grateful pupil." + </p> + <p> + To which Sir W. Hamilton replied as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "EDINBURGH, <i>Dec</i>. 4, 1848. + </p> + <p> + "I feel deeply obliged to you for the kindness of your + letter, and trust that I shall not prove wholly unworthy of + the interest you take in me. There is indeed no one with whom + I am acquainted whose sentiments on such matters I esteem + more highly, for there is no one who, I am sure, is more + earnest for the truth, and no one who pursues it with more + independence and, at the same time, with greater confidence + in the promised aid of God. May this promised aid be + vouchsafed to me."<a href="#note-7">7</a> + </p><a name="2HCH09"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI + </h2> + <h3> + THE CENTRAL PROBLEM + </h3> + <p> + It was confidently expected, not merely by Cairns's personal + friends but by others in a much wider circle, that he would + make a name for himself in the world of letters and + speculative thought. It was not only the brilliance of his + University career that led to this expectation, for, + remarkable as that career had been, there have been many men + since his time who, so far as mere prize taking is concerned, + have equalled or surpassed him—men who never aroused + and would not have justified any high-pitched hopes about + their future. But Cairns, in addition to gaining academic + distinctions, seems to have impressed his contemporaries in a + quite exceptional degree with a sense of his power and + promise. Professor Masson, writing of him as he was in his + student days, thus describes him: "There was among us one + whom we all respected in a singular degree. Tall, + strong-boned, and granite-headed, he was the student whom Sir + William Hamilton himself had signalised and honoured as + already a sterling thinker, and the strength of whose logic, + when you grappled with him in argument, seemed equalled only + by the strength of his hand-grip when you met him or bade him + good-bye, or by the manly integrity and nobleness of his + character."<a href="#note-8">8</a> And again, writing of him + as he was at a later date, the same critic gives this + estimate of his old fellow-student's mental calibre: "I can + name one former student of Sir William Hamilton's, now a + minister in what would be accounted in England one of the + straitest sects of Scottish Puritanism, and who has + consecrated to the duties of that calling a mind among the + noblest I have known and the most learned in pure philosophy. + Any man who on any subject of metaphysical speculation should + contend with Dr. Cairns of Berwick-on-Tweed, would have + reason to know, ere he had done with him, what strength for + offence and defence there may yet be in a Puritan minister's + hand-grip."<a href="#note-9">9</a> + </p> + <p> + That this is no mere isolated estimate of a partial friend it + would not be difficult to prove. This was what his friends + thought of him, and what they had taught others outside to + think of him too. The time, however, had now come when it had + to be put to the proof. During the first five years of his + ministry at Berwick, as we have seen, Cairns devoted himself + entirely to his work in Golden Square. He must learn to know + accurately how much of his time that work would take up, + before he could venture to spend any of it in other fields. + But in 1850 he felt that he had mastered the situation, and + accordingly he began to write for the Press. The ten years + between 1850 and 1860 were years of considerable literary + activity with him, and it may be said at once that their + output sustained his reputation, and even added to it. There + falls to be mentioned first a Memoir of his friend John + Clark, who, after a brief and troubled ministerial career, + had died of cholera in 1849. Cairns's Life of him, prefixed + to a selection from his Essays and Sermons, fills only + seventy-seven small pages, and it is in form to a large + extent a defence of metaphysical studies against those who + regard them as dangerous to the Christian student. But it + contains many passages of great beauty and tenderness, and + delineates in exquisite colours the poetry and romance of + College friendships. "I am greatly charmed," wrote the author + of <i>Rab and his Friends</i> to Cairns, "with your pages on + the romance of your youthful fellowship—that sweet hour + of prime. I can remember it, can feel it, can scent the + morn."<a href="#note-10">10</a> + </p> + <p> + In 1850 the <i>North British Review</i>, which had been + started some years previously in the interests of the Free + Church, came under the editorship of Cairns's friend Campbell + Fraser. Although he was a Free Church professor, he resolved + to widen the basis of the <i>Review</i>, and he asked Cairns + to join his staff, offering him as his province German + philosophy and theology. Cairns assented, and promised to + furnish two articles yearly. The first and most important of + these was one which appeared in 1850 on Julius Müller's + <i>Christian Doctrine of Sin</i>. This article, which is well + and brightly written, embraces not merely a criticism of the + great work whose name stands at the head of it, but also an + elaborate yet most lucid and masterly survey of the various + schools of theological thought which were then grouping + themselves in Germany. Other contributions to the <i>North + British</i> during the next four years included articles on + "British and Continental Ethics and Christianity," on "The + Reawakening of Christian Life in Germany," and on "The Life + and Letters of Niebuhr"; while yet other articles saw the + light in the <i>British Quarterly Review</i>, the <i>United + Presbyterian Magazine</i>, and other periodicals. In 1858 + appeared the important article on "Kant," in the eighth + edition of the <i>Encyclopedia Britannica</i>, which was + written at the urgent request of his friend Adam Black, and + which cost him ten months reading and preparation. + </p> + <p> + As has been already said, his reputation appears to have been + fully maintained by these articles. They brought him into + touch with many interesting people, such as Bunsen and F.D. + Maurice; and, in Scotland, deepened the impression that he + was a man with a future. In 1852 John Wilson resigned the + Professorship of Moral Philosophy in the University of + Edinburgh, and the Town Council, who were the patrons of the + chair, took occasion to let Cairns know that he might have + the appointment if he desired it. He declined their offer, + and with characteristic reticence said nothing about it + either to his relatives or to his congregation. He threw + himself, however, with great ardour into the support of the + candidature of his friend Professor P.C. M'Dougall, who + ultimately was elected to the post. + </p> + <p> + Four years later Sir William Hamilton died, and a fierce + fight ensued as to who was to be his successor. The two most + prominent candidates were Cairns's friend Campbell Fraser, + then Professor of Logic in the New College, Edinburgh, and + Professor James Frederick Ferrier of St. Andrews. Fraser was + then a Hamiltonian and Ferrier was a Hegelian, and a great + hubbub arose between the adherents of the two schools. This + was increased and embittered by the importation of + ecclesiastical and political feeling into the contest; Fraser + being a Free Churchman, and Ferrier receiving the support of + the Established Church and Tory party. The Town Council were + very much at sea with regard to the philosophical + controversy, and, through Dr. John Brown, they requested + Cairns to explain its merits to them. Cairns responded by + publishing a pamphlet entitled <i>An</i> <i>Examination of + Professor Ferrier's Theory of Knowing and Being</i>. This + pamphlet had for its object to show that Ferrier's election + would mean a renunciation of the doctrines which, as + expounded by Hamilton, had added so greatly to the prestige + of the University in recent times as a school of philosophy, + and also to expose what the writer conceived to be the + dangerous character of Ferrier's teaching in relation to + religious truth. It increased the storm tenfold. Replies were + published and letters sent to the newspapers abusing Cairns, + and insinuating that he had been led by a private grudge + against Ferrier to take the step he had taken. It was also + affirmed that he was acting at the instigation of the Free + Church, who wanted to abolish their chair of Logic in the New + College, but could not well do so so long as they had its + present incumbent on their hands. A doggerel parody on + <i>John Gilpin</i>, entitled "The Diverting History of John + Cairns," in which a highly coloured account is given of the + supposed genesis of the pamphlet, was written and found wide + circulation. The first two stanzas of this effusion were the + following:— + </p> + <pre> + "John Cairns was a clergyman + Of credit and renown, + A first-rate U.P. Church had he + In far-famed Berwick town. + + John likewise had a loving friend, + A mighty man of knowledge, + The Rev. A.C. Fraser, he + Of the sanctified New College." +</pre> + <p> + Cairns found it needful to issue a second pamphlet, + <i>Scottish Philosophy: a Vindication and Reply</i>, in + which, while tenaciously holding to what he had said in the + last one, he challenged Ferrier to mention one single + instance in which he had made a personal attack on him. When + at length the vote came to be taken, and Fraser was elected + by a majority of three, there were few who doubted that the + intervention of the Berwick minister had been of critical + importance in bringing about this result. + </p> + <p> + Two years later George Wilson, who was now a professor in the + University, had the satisfaction of intimating to his friend + that his <i>alma mater</i> had conferred on him the degree of + D.D., and in the following year (1859) a much higher honour + was placed within his reach. The Principalship of the + University became vacant by the death of Dr. John Lee, and + the appointment to the coveted post, like that to the two + professorships, was in the hands of the Town Council. It was + informally offered to Cairns through one of the councillors, + but again he sent a declinature, and again he kept the matter + carefully concealed. It was not, in fact, until after his + death, when the correspondence regarding it came to light, + that even his own brothers knew that at the age of forty this + great and dignified office might have been his. + </p> + <p> + These declinatures on Cairns's part of philosophical posts, + or posts the occupation of which would give him time and + opportunity for doing original work in philosophy, are not on + the whole difficult to understand when we bear in mind his + point of view. He had, after careful deliberation, given + himself to the Christian ministry, and he meant to devote the + whole of his life to its work. He was not to be turned aside + from it by the attractions of any employment however + congenial, or of any leisure however splendid. His + speculative powers had been consecrated to this object, as + well as his active powers, and would find their natural + outlet in harmony with it. And so the hopes of his friends + and his own aspirations must be realised in his work, not in + the field of philosophy but in that of theology. Accordingly, + he decided to follow up his work in the periodicals by + writing a book. He took for his subject "The Difficulties of + Christianity," and made some progress with it, getting on so + far as to write several chapters. Then he was interrupted and + the work was laid aside. The great book was never written, + nor did he ever write a book worthy of his powers. A + moderate-sized volume of lectures on "Unbelief in the + Eighteenth Century," a volume of sermons, most of which were + written in the first fifteen years of his ministry, a Memoir + of Dr. Brown,—these, with the exception of a quantity + of pamphlets, prefaces, and magazine articles, were all that + he gave to the world after the time with which we are now + dealing. How are we to account for this? The time in which he + lived was a time of great intellectual activity and + unsettlement—time that, in the opinion of most, needed, + and would have welcomed, the guidance he could have given; + and yet he stayed his hand. Why did he do so? This is the + central problem which a study of his life presents, and it is + one of no ordinary complexity; but there are some + considerations relating to it which go far to solve it, and + these it may be worth while for us at this point to examine. + </p> + <p> + At the outset, something must be allowed for the special + character of the influence exerted on Cairns by Sir William + Hamilton. That influence was profound and far-reaching. In + the letter to Hamilton which was quoted at the end of the + preceding chapter, Cairns tells his master that he must + "bear, by the will of the Almighty, the impress of his hand + through any further stage of existence," and, strong as the + expression is, it can scarcely be said to be an exaggeration. + But Hamilton's influence, while it called out and stimulated + his pupil's powers to a remarkable degree, was not one which + made for literary productiveness. He was a great upholder of + the doctrine that truth is to be sought for its own sake and + without reference to any ulterior end, and he had strong + ideas about the discredit—the shamefulness, as it + seemed to him—of speaking or writing on any subject + until it had been mastered down to its last detail. This + attitude prevented Hamilton himself from doing full justice + to his powers and learning, and its influence could be seen + in Cairns also—in his delight in studies the relevancy + of which was not always apparent, and in a certain + fastidiousness which often delayed, and sometimes even + prevented, his putting pen to paper. + </p> + <p> + But another and a much more important factor in the problem + is to be found in the old Seceder ideal of the ministry in + which he was trained and which he never lost. It has been + truly said of him that "he never all his life got away from + David Inglis and Stockbridge any more than Carlyle got away + from John Johnston and Ecclefechan." According to the Seceder + view, there is no more sublime calling on earth than that of + the Christian ministry, and that calling is one which + concerns itself first and chiefly with the conversion of + sinners and the edifying of saints. This work is so awful in + its importance, and so beneficent in its results, that it + must take the chief place in a minister's thoughts and in the + disposition of his time; and if it requires the sole place, + that too must be accorded to it. "To me," wrote Cairns to + George Gilfillan in 1849, "love seems infinitely higher than + knowledge and the noblest distinction of humanity—the + humble minister who wears himself out in labours of Christian + love in an obscure retreat as a more exalted person than the + mere literary champion of Christianity, or the recondite + professor who is great at Fathers and Schoolmen. I really + cannot share those longings for intellectual giants to + confront the Goliath of scepticism—not that I do not + think such persons useful in their way, but because I think + Christianity far more impressive as a life than as a + speculation, and the West Port evangelism of Dr. Chalmers far + more effective than his Astronomical Discourses."<a href= + "#note-11">11</a> + </p> + <p> + It was to the ministry, as thus understood, that Cairns had + devoted himself at the close of his University course and + again just before he took license as a probationer, when for + a short time, as we have seen, he had been drawn aside by the + attractions of "sacred literature." He never thought of + becoming a minister and was putting his main strength into + philosophy and theology. Not that he now forswore all + interest in either, but from the moment of his final + decision, he had determined that the mid-current of his life + should run in a different direction. + </p> + <p> + Yet another important factor in the case is to be found in + the circumstances of his Berwick ministry. Had his lot been + cast in a quiet country place, with only a handful of people + to look after, the great book might yet have been written. + But he had to attend to a congregation whose membership was + at first nearly six hundred, and afterwards rose to seven + hundred and eighty and, with his standard of pastoral + efficiency, this left him little leisure. Indeed it is + wonderful that, under these conditions, he accomplished so + much as he did—that he wrote his <i>North British</i> + articles, maintained a reputation which won for him so many + offers of academic posts, and at the same time laid the + foundation of a vast and spacious learning in Patristic and + Reformation theology. Akin to his strictly ministerial work, + and flowing out of it, was the work he did for his Church as + a whole—the share he took in the Union negotiations + with the Free Church during the ten years that these + negotiations lasted, and the endless round of church openings + and platform work to which his growing fame as a preacher and + public speaker laid him open. + </p> + <p> + But there is one other consideration which, although it is to + some extent involved in what has already been said, deserves + separate and very special attention. Although his friends and + the public regretted his withdrawal from the speculative + field, it is not so clear that he regretted it himself. He + had, it is true, worked in it strenuously and with + conspicuous success, and had revealed a natural aptitude for + Christian apologetics of a very high order. But it does not + appear that either his heart or his conscience were ever + fully engaged in the work. He never seemed as if he were + fighting for his life, because he always seemed to have + another and an independent ground of certainty on which he + based his real defence. There is a passage in his Life of + Clark which bears upon this point so closely that it will be + well to quote it here:— + </p> + <p> + "The Christian student is as conscious of direct intercourse + with Jesus Christ as with the external world, or with other + minds. This is the very postulate of living Christianity. It + is a datum or revelation made to a spiritual faculty in the + soul, as real as the external senses or any of the mental or + moral faculties, and far more exalted. This living contact + with a living person by faith and prayer is, like all other + life, ultimate and mysterious, and must be accepted by him in + whom it exists as its own sufficient explanation and reason, + just as the principles of natural intelligence and + conscience, to which it is something superadded, and with + which, in this point of view, though in other respects + higher, it is co-ordinate. No one who is living in communion + with Jesus Christ, and exercising that series of affections + towards Him which Christianity at once prescribes and + creates, can doubt the reality of that supernatural system to + which he has been thus introduced; and nothing more is + necessary than to appeal to his own experience and belief, + which is here as valid and irresistible as in regard to the + existence of God, of moral distinctions, or of the material + world. He has no reason to trust the one class of beliefs + which he has not, to trust the other.... To minds thus + favoured, this forms a <i>point d'appui</i> which can never + be overturned—an <i>aliquid inconcussum</i> + corresponding to the '<i>cogito ergo sum</i>' of Descartes. + Their faith bears its own signature, and they have only to + look within to discover its authenticity. Philosophy must be + guided by experience, and must rank the characters inscribed + on the soul by grace at least as sacred as those inscribed by + nature. Such persons need not that any man should teach them, + for they have an unction from the Holy One; and to them + applies the highest of all congratulations: 'Blessed art + thou; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but + My Father which is in heaven.'"<a href="#note-12">12</a> + </p> + <p> + These words contain the true explanation of Cairns's life. + There was in it the "<i>aliquid inconcussum</i>"—the + "unshaken somewhat"—which made him independent of other + arguments, and which kept him untouched by all the + intellectual attacks on Christianity. Other people who had + not this inward testimony, or who, having it, could not + regard it as unshaken by the assaults of infidelity, he could + argue with and seek to meet them on their own intellectual + ground; but for himself, any victories gained here were + superfluous, any defects left him unmoved. Was it always so + with him? Or was there ever a time when he was carried off + his feet and had to struggle for dear life for his Christian + faith amid the dark waters of doubt? + </p> + <p> + There are indications that on at least one occasion he + subjected his beliefs to a careful scrutiny, and, referring + to this later, he spoke of himself as one who, in the words + of the Roman poet, had been "much tossed about on land and on + the deep ere he could build a city." This, coming from one + who was habitually reticent about his religious experiences, + may be held as proving that there was no want of rigour in + the process, no withholding of any part of the structure from + the strain. But that that structure ever gave way, that it + ever came tumbling down in ruins about him so that it had to + be built again on new foundations, there is no evidence to + show. The "<i>aliquid inconcussum</i>" appears to have + remained with him all through the experience. This seems + clear from a passage in a letter written in 1848 to his + brother David, then a student in Sir William Hamilton's + class, in which he says; "I never found my religious + susceptibilities injured by metaphysical speculations. + Whether this was a singular felicity I do not know, but I + have heard others complain."<a href="#note-13">13</a> + </p> + <p> + This, taken in conjunction with the passage quoted above from + Clark's Life, in which it is hard to believe that he is not + speaking of himself, seems decisive enough, and in a mind of + such speculative grasp and activity it is remarkable. "Right + down through the storm-zone of the nineteenth century," + writes one who knew him well, "he comes untroubled by the + force of the '<i>aliquid inconcussum</i>.' Edinburgh, + Germany, Berwick; Hamilton, Kant, Hegel, Strauss, Renan, it + is all the same. The cause seems to me luminously plain. + Saints are never doubters. His religious intuitions were so + deep and clear that he was able always to find his way by + their aid. They gave him his independent certainty, his + '<i>aliquid inconcussum</i>.'" + </p> + <p> + His influence on the religious life of his time was largely + due to the spiritual faculty in him that is here referred to. + He was the power he was, not so much because of his + intellectual strength as because of his + character,—because he was "a great Christian." But in + this respect he had the defects of his qualities; and it is + open to question whether he ever truly appreciated the + formidable character of modern doubt, just because he himself + had never had full experience of its power, because the iron + of it had never really entered into his soul. + </p> + <p> + George Gilfillan, who, with all his defects, had often gleams + of real insight, wrote thus in his diary 14th January 1863: + "I got yesterday sent me, per post, a lecture by John Cairns + on 'Rationalism, Ritualism, and Pure Religion,' or some such + title, and have read it with interest, attention, and a good + deal of admiration of its ability and, on the whole, of its + spirit. But I can see from it that he is not the man to + grapple with the scepticism of the age. He has not sufficient + sympathy with it, he has not lived in its atmosphere, he has + not visited its profoundest or tossed in its stormiest + depths. Intellectually and logically he understands it as he + understands most other matters, but sympathetically and + experimentally he does not." + </p> + <p> + There is a considerable amount of truth in this, although it + is lacking somewhat in the sympathy which the critic + desiderates in the man he is criticising. Cairns did not feel + that the battle with modern doubt was of absolutely + overwhelming importance, and this, along with the other + things to which reference has been made, kept him from giving + to the world that new statement of the Christian position + which his friends hoped to get from him, and which he at one + time hoped to be able to give. + </p><a name="2HCH10"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII + </h2> + <h3> + THE APOSTLE OF UNION + </h3> + <p> + The close of the period dealt with in the last chapter was + made sadly memorable to Cairns by the death of some of his + closest friends. In October 1858 died the venerable Dr. + Brown, with whom, since he was a student, he had stood in the + closest relations, and whom he revered and habitually + addressed as a father. In November 1859 the bright spirit of + George Wilson, the dearest of all his friends, passed away; + and in the same year he had to mourn the loss of Miss + Darling, the correspondent and adviser of his student days. + His brave old mother died in the autumn of 1860, and in the + following year he lost another old and dear friend in Mrs. + Balmer, the widow of his predecessor in Golden Square, who + perhaps knew him better than his own mother, and had been + deeper in his confidence than anyone since he came to + Berwick. From this period he became more reserved. With all + his frankness there was always a characteristic reticence + about him, and this was less frequently broken now that those + to whom he had so freely poured out his soul had been taken + from him. But he drew closer to those who were still + left—especially to his own kindred, to his sisters, to + his brother William at Oldcambus, and to his brother David, + who had now been settled for some years as minister at + Stitchel, near Kelso.<a href="#note-14">14</a> + </p> + <p> + Dr. Brown had nominated him as one of his literary executors, + and his family were urgent in their request that he should + write their father's Life. With great reluctance he + consented, and for eighteen months this task absorbed the + whole of his leisure, to the complete exclusion of the work + on "The Difficulties of Christianity," with which he had + already made some progress. The undertaking was a labour of + love, but it cannot be said to have been congenial. Memoir + writing was not to his taste, and in this case he had made a + stipulation that still further hampered him and made success + very difficult. This was that he should omit, as far as + possible, all personal details, and leave these to be dealt + with in a separate chapter which Dr. Brown's son John + undertook to furnish. This chapter was not forthcoming when + the volume had to go to press, and was separately issued some + months later. When the inspiration did at length come to "Dr. + John," it came in such a way as to add a new masterpiece to + English literature, and one which, while it gave a + wonderfully living picture of the writer's father, disclosed + to the world as nothing else has ever done the true + <i>ethos</i> and inner life of the Scottish Secession Church. + The Memoir itself, of which this "Letter to John Cairns, + D.D." is the supplementary chapter, is a sound and solid bit + of work, giving an accurate and interesting account of the + public life of Dr. Brown and of the movements in which he + took part. It is, as William Graham said of it, "a + thoughtful, calm, conclusive book, perhaps too reticent and + colourless, but none the less like Dr. Brown because of + that." + </p> + <p> + No sooner was this book off his hands than Cairns was urged + to undertake another biographical work—the Life of + George Wilson. But this, in view of his recent experience, he + steadfastly refused to do, and contented himself with writing + a sketch of his friend for the pages of <i>Macmillan's + Magazine</i>. When, however, Wilson's biography was taken in + hand by his sister, Cairns promised to help her in every + possible way with his advice and guidance, and this he did + from week to week till the book was published. This help on + his part was continued by his seeing through the press + Wilson's posthumous book, <i>Counsels of an Invalid</i>, + which appeared in 1862. With the completion of this task he + seemed to be free to return to his theological work, and he + did return to it; but his release turned out to be only a + brief respite. In 1863 the ten years' negotiations for Union + between the Free and United Presbyterian Churches, in which + he felt impelled to take a prominent and laborious part, were + begun, and they absorbed nearly all of his leisure during + what might have been a productive period of his life. When he + emerged from them he was fifty-four years of age, he had + passed beyond the time of life when his creative powers were + at their freshest, and the general habits of his life and + lines of his activity had become settled and stereotyped. + </p> + <p> + This is not the place in which to enter into a detailed + account of the Union negotiations. That has been done with + admirable lucidity and skill by such writers as Dr. Norman + Walker in his Life of Dr. Robert Buchanan, and by Dr. MacEwen + in his Life of the subject of the present sketch, and it does + not need to be done over again. But something must be said at + this point to indicate the general lines which the + negotiations followed and to make Cairns's relation to them + clear. That he should have taken a keen and sympathetic + interest in any great movement for ecclesiastical union was + quite what might have been expected. What interested him in + Christian truth, and what he had, ever since he had been a + student, set himself specially to expound and defend, were + the great catholic doctrines which are the heritage of the + one Church of Christ. Constitutionally, he was disposed to + make more of the things that unite Christians than of those + which divide them; and, while he was loyally attached to his + own Church, many of his favourite heroes, as well as many of + his warmest personal friends, belonged to other Churches. + Hence anything that made for Union was entirely in line with + his feelings and his convictions. Thus he had thrown himself + heartily into the work of the Evangelical Alliance, and at + its memorable Berlin Meeting of 1857 had created a deep + impression by an address which he delivered in German on the + probable results of a closer co-operation between German and + British Protestantism. In the same year he took part in a + Conference in Edinburgh which had been summoned by Sir George + Sinclair of Ulbster to discuss the possibility of Church + Union at home. And when in 1859 the Union took place in the + Australian Colonies of the Presbyterian Churches which bore + the names of the Scottish Churches from which they had + sprung, it was to a large extent through his influence that + the Australian United Presbyterians took part in the Union. + </p> + <p> + His ideal at first was of one great Presbyterian Communion + co-extensive with the English language, and separately + organised in the different countries and dependencies in + which its adherents were to be found, but having one creed + and one form of worship and complete freedom from all State + patronage and control. But, as the times did not seem ripe + for such a vast consummation, he made no attempt to give his + ideal a practical form, and concentrated his energies on the + lesser movement which was beginning to take shape for a union + of the Presbyterian Churches in England and the + non-Established Presbyterian Churches in Scotland. He was one + of those who brought this project before the Synod of the + United Presbyterian Church in May 1863, when he appeared in + support of an overture from the Berwick Presbytery in favour + of Union. The overture was adopted with enthusiasm, and the + Synod agreed by a majority of more than ten to one to appoint + a committee to confer with a view to Union with any committee + which might be appointed by the Free Church General Assembly. + The Free Church Assembly, which met a fortnight later, passed + a similar resolution unanimously, although not without a keen + discussion revealing elements of opposition which were + afterwards to gather strength. + </p> + <p> + It is quite possible that, as competent observers have + suggested, if the enthusiasm for the project which then + existed had been taken advantage of at once, Union might have + been carried with a rush. But the able men who were guiding + the proceedings thought it safer to advance more slowly; and, + when the Joint Union Committee met, they went on to consider + in detail the various points on which the two Churches + differed. These had reference almost entirely to the + relations between Church and State. The United Presbyterians + were, almost to a man, "Voluntaries," <i>i.e.</i> they held + that the Church ought in all cases to support itself without + assistance from the State, and free from the interference + which, in their view, was the inevitable and justifiable + accompaniment of all State establishments. The Free + Churchmen, on the other hand, while maintaining as their + cardinal principle that the Church must be free from all + State interference, and while therefore protesting against + the existing Establishment, held that the Church, if its + freedom were adequately guaranteed, might lawfully accept + establishment and endowment from the State. An elaborate + statement was drawn up exhibiting first the points on which + the two Churches were agreed with regard to this question, + and then the points on which they differed. From this it + appeared that they were at one as to the duty of the + State—or, in the language of the Westminster + Confession, the "Civil Magistrate"—to make Christian + laws and to administer them in a Christian spirit. The Civil + Magistrate ought, it was agreed, to be a Christian, not + merely as a man but as a magistrate. The only vital point of + difference was with regard to the question of Church + establishments—as to whether it was part of the + Christian Civil Magistrate's duty to establish and endow the + Church. But, as it seemed to be a vain hope that the Free + Church would ever get an Establishment to its mind, it was + urged that this was a mere matter of theory, and might be + safely left as an "open question" in a United Church. The + statement referred to, which is better known as the "Articles + of Agreement," was not ready to be submitted in a final form + to the Synod and Assembly of 1864, and the Committee, which + was now reinforced by representatives from the Reformed + Presbyterian Church and from the Presbyterian Church in + England, was reappointed to carry on its labours. + </p> + <p> + But meanwhile clouds were beginning to appear on the horizon. + In the United Presbyterian Synod there was a small minority + of sturdy Voluntaries who, while not opposed to Union, were + apprehensive that the price to be paid for it would be the + partial surrender of their testimony in behalf of their + distinctive principle. They did not wish to impose their + beliefs on others, but they were anxious to reserve to + themselves full liberty to hold and propagate their views in + the United Church, and they were not sure that, by accepting + the Articles of Agreement, they were in fact doing this. The + efforts of Dr. Cairns and others were directed, not without + success, to meeting their difficulties. But in the Free + Church a more formidable opposition began to show itself. + There had always been a conservative element in that Church, + represented by men who held tenaciously to the more literal + interpretation of its ecclesiastical documents and + traditions; and, as the discussions went on, it became clear + that the hopelessness of a reconciliation with the + Establishment was not so universally felt as had been at + first supposed. The supporters of the Union movement included + almost all the trusted leaders of the Church—men like + Drs. Candlish, Buchanan, Duff, Fairbairn, Rainy, and Guthrie, + Sir Henry Moncreiff, Lord Dalhousie, and Mr. Murray Dunlop, + most of whom had got their ecclesiastical training in the + great controversy which had issued in the Disruption; but all + their eloquence and all their skill did not avail to allay + the misgivings or silence the objections of the other party. + At length in 1867 a crisis was reached. The Articles of + Agreement, after having been finally formulated by the + Committee, had been sent down to Presbyteries for their + consideration; and the reports of the Presbyteries were laid + on the table of the Assembly of that year. The question now + arose, Was it wise, in view of the opposition, to take + further steps towards Union? The Assembly by 346 votes to 120 + decided to goon; whereupon the Anti-Union leaders resigned + the seats which up to this time they had retained on the + Union Committee. + </p> + <p> + It is true that, after the Committee had been relieved of + this hostile element, considerable and rapid progress was + made. Hopes were cherished for a time that the Union might + yet be consummated, and the determination was expressed to + carry it through at all hazards. But the Free Church + minority, ably led and knowing its own mind, stubbornly + maintained its ground. Its adherents, who included perhaps + one-third of the ministers and people of the Church, were + specially numerous in the Highlands, where United + Presbyterianism was practically unrepresented. + </p> + <p> + Here most distorted views were held of the Voluntaryism which + most of its ministers and members professed. It was + represented as equivalent to National Atheism, and from this + the transition was an easy one, especially in districts where + few of the people had even seen a United Presbyterian, to the + position that an upholder of National Atheism must himself be + an Atheist. It became increasingly clear, as the years + passed, that if the Union were to be forced through, there + must be a new Disruption, and a Disruption which would cost + the Free Church those Highland congregations which for thirty + years it had been its glory to maintain. Moreover, it was + currently reported that the Anti-Union party had taken the + opinion of eminent counsel, and that these had declared that, + in the event of a Disruption taking place on this question of + Union, the protesting minority would be legally entitled to + take with them the entire property of the Church. The + conviction was forced on the Free Church leaders (and in this + they were supported by their United Presbyterian brethren) + that the time was not yet ripe for that which they so greatly + desired to see, and that even for Union the price they would + have to pay was too great. And so with heavy hearts they + decided in 1873 to abandon the negotiations which had been + proceeding for ten years. All that they felt themselves + prepared to carry was a proposal that Free Church or United + Presbyterian ministers should be "mutually eligible" for + calls in the two Churches—a proposal that did not come + to much. + </p> + <p> + Three years later, the Reformed Presbyterian Church united + with the Free Church, and in the same year (1876) the United + Presbyterian Church gave up one hundred and ten of its + congregations, which united with the English Presbyterian + Church and thus formed the present Presbyterian Church of + England. The original idea, at least on the United + Presbyterian side, had been that all the negotiating bodies + should be welded into one comprehensive British Church; but + this, especially in view of the breakdown of the larger + Union, proved to be unworkable, and the final result for the + United Presbyterians was that they came out of the + negotiations a considerably smaller and weaker Church than + they had been when they went into them. + </p> + <p> + In all the labours and anxieties of these ten years Dr. + Cairns had borne a foremost part. At the meetings of the + Union Committee he took an eager interest and a leading share + in the discussions; and, while never compromising the + position of his Church, he did much to set it in a clear and + attractive light. In the United Presbyterian Synod, where it + fell to his lot year by year to deliver the leading speech in + support of the Committee's report, his eloquence, his + sincerity, and his enthusiasm did not a little to reassure + those who feared that there was a tendency on the part of + their representatives to concede too much, and did a very + great deal to keep his Church as a whole steadily in favour + of Union in spite of many temptations to have done with it. + Dr. Hutton, one of those advanced Voluntaries who had never + been enthusiastic about the Union proposals, wrote to him at + the close of the negotiations: "We have reached this stage + through your vast personal influence more than through any + other cause." + </p> + <p> + Outside of the Church Courts he delivered innumerable + speeches at public meetings which had been organised in all + parts of the country in aid of the Union cause. These more + than anything else led him to be identified in the public + mind with that cause, and gained for him the name of the + "Apostle of Union." The meetings at which these speeches were + delivered were mostly got up on the Free Church side, where + there seemed to be more need of missionary work of this kind + than on his own, and his appearances on these occasions + increased the favour with which he was already regarded in + Free Church circles. "The chief attraction of Union for me," + an eminent Free Church layman is reported to have said, "is + that it will bring me into the same Church with John Cairns." + </p> + <p> + That he was deeply disappointed by the failure of the + enterprise on which his hopes had been so much set, he did + not conceal; but he never believed that the ten years' work + had been lost, and he never doubted that Union would come. He + did not live to see it, but when, on October 31, 1900, the + two Churches at length became one, there were many in the + great gathering in the Waverley Market who thought of him, + and of his strenuous and noble labours into which they were + on that day entering. Dr. Maclaren of Manchester gave + expression to these thoughts in his speech in the evening of + the day of Union, when, after paying a worthy tribute to the + great leader to whose skill and patience the goodly + consummation was so largely due, he went on to say: "But all + during the proceedings of this day there has been one figure + and one name in my memory, and I have been saying to myself, + What would John Cairns, with his big heart and his sweet and + simple nature, have said if God had given him to see this + day! 'These all died in faith, not having received the + promises... God having provided some better thing for us.'" + </p><a name="2HCH11"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII + </h2> + <h3> + WALLACE GREEN + </h3> + <p> + All the time occupied by the events described in the last two + chapters, Dr. Cairns was carrying on his ministry in Berwick + with unflagging diligence. True to his principle, he steadily + devoted to his pulpit and pastoral work the best of his + strength, and always let them have the chief place in his + thoughts. He gave to other things what he could spare, but he + never forgot that he had determined to be a minister first of + all. His congregation had prospered greatly under his care, + and in 1859 the old-fashioned meeting-house in Golden Square + was abandoned for a stately and spacious Gothic church with a + handsome spire which had been erected in Wallace Green, with + a frontage to the principal open square of the town. A few + years earlier a new manse had been secured for the minister. + This manse is the end house of a row of three called + Wellington Terrace. These stand just within the old town + walls, which are here pierced by wide embrasures. They are + separated from the walls by a broad walk and a row of + grass-plots, alternating with paved spaces opposite the + embrasures, on which cannon were once planted. The manse + faces south, and is roomy and commodious. When Dr. Cairns + moved into it, he had an elderly servant as his housekeeper, + of whom he is said to have been not a little afraid; but, + after a couple of years or so, his sister Janet was installed + as mistress of his house; and during the remaining thirty-six + years of his life she attended to his wants, looked after his + health, and in a hundred prudent and quiet ways helped him in + his work. + </p> + <p> + The study at Wellington Terrace is upstairs, and is a large + room lighted by two windows. One of these looks across the + river, which at this point washes the base of the town walls, + to the dingy village of Tweedmouth, rising towards the + sidings and sheds of a busy railway-station and the + Northumberland uplands beyond. The other looks right out to + sea, and when it is open, and sometimes when it is shut, "the + rush and thunder of the surge" on Berwick bar or Spittal + sands can be distinctly heard. In front, the Tweed pours its + waters into the North Sea under the lee of the long pier, + which acts as a breakwater and shelters the entrance to the + harbour. Far away to the right, Holy Island, with the + castle-crowned rock of Bamborough beyond it, are prominent + objects; and at night, the Longstone light on the Outer Farne + recalls the heroic rescue by Grace Darling of the shipwrecked + crew of the <i>Forfarshire</i>. + </p> + <p> + Opposite this window stood the large bookcase in which Dr. + Cairns's library was housed. The books composing the library + were neither very numerous, very select, nor in very good + condition. Although he was a voracious reader, it must be + admitted that Dr. Cairns took little pride in his books. It + was a matter of utter indifference to him whether he read a + favourite author in a good edition or in a cheap one. The + volumes of German philosophy and theology, of which he had a + fair stock, remained unbound in their original sober livery, + and when any of them threatened to fall to pieces he was + content to tie them together with string or to get his sister + to fasten them with paste. One or two treasures he had, such + as a first edition of Bacon's <i>Instauratio Magna</i>, a + first edition of Butler's <i>Analogy</i>, and a Stephens + Greek Testament; also a complete set of the Delphin Classics, + handsomely bound, and some College prizes. These, with the + Benedictine edition of Augustine, folio editions of + Athanasius, Chrysostom, and other Fathers, some odd volumes + of Migne, and a considerable number of books on Reformation + and Secession theology, formed the most noteworthy elements + in his collection. He added later a very complete set of the + writings of the English Deists, and the works of Voltaire, + Rousseau, and Renan. Side by side with these was what came to + be a vast accumulation of rubbish, consisting of presentation + copies of books on all subjects which his anxious conscience + persuaded him that he was bound to keep on his shelves, since + publishers and authors had been kind enough to send them to + him. Nearly all the books that belonged to his real library + he had read with care. Most of them were copiously annotated, + and his annotations were, as a rule, characterised by a + refreshing trenchancy,—in the case of some, as of + Gibbon, tempered with respect; in the case of others, as of + F.W. Newman and W.R. Greg, bordering on truculence. The only + other noteworthy objects in the study were two splendid + engravings of Raphael's "Transfiguration" and "Spasimo" (the + former bearing the signature of Raphael Morghen), which had + been a gift to him from Mrs. Balmer. + </p> + <p> + The greater part of each day was spent in this room. He could + get along with less sleep than most men; and however late he + might have sat over his books at night, he was frequently in + his study again long before breakfast. After breakfast came + family worship, each item of which was noteworthy. Although + passionately fond of sacred music, he had a wild, + uncontrollable kind of voice in singing. He seemed to have + always a perfectly definite conception of what the tune ought + to be, but he was seldom able to give this idea an accurate, + much less a melodious, expression. Yet he never omitted the + customary portion of psalm or hymn, but tackled it with the + utmost gallantry, fervour, and enthusiasm, although he + scarcely ever got through a verse without going off the tune. + </p> + <p> + His reading of Scripture had no elocutionary pretensions + about it; it was quiet, and to a large extent gone through in + a monotone; but two things about it made it very impressive. + One of these was the deep reverence that characterised it, + and the other was a note of subdued enthusiasm that ran all + through it. It was clear to the listener that behind every + passage read, whether it was history, psalm, or prophecy, or + even the driest detail of ritual, there was visible to him a + great world-process going on that appealed to his imagination + and influenced even the tones of his voice. And his prayers, + quite unstudied as they of course were, brought the whole + company right into the presence of the Unseen. They were + usually full of detail,—he seemed to remember everybody + and everything,—but each petition was absolutely + appropriate to the special case with which it dealt, and all + were fused into a unity by the spirit of devotion that welled + up through all. After prayers he went back to his study, and + nothing was heard or seen of him for some hours, except when + his heavy tread was heard upstairs as he walked backwards and + forwards, or when the strains of what was meant to be a + German choral were wafted down from above. + </p> + <p> + The afternoon he usually spent in visiting, and, so long as + he remained in Berwick, there was no more familiar figure in + its streets than his. The tall, stalwart form, already a + little bent,—but bent, one thought, not so much by the + weight of advancing years as by way of making an apology for + its height,—the hair already white, the mild and kindly + blue eye, the tall hat worn well back on the head, the + swallow-tail coat, the swathes within swathes of broad white + neckcloth, the umbrella carried, even in the finest weather, + under the arm with the handle downward, the gloves in the + hands but never on them, the rapid eager stride,—all + these come back vividly to those who can remember Berwick in + the Sixties and early Seventies of last century. His + visitations were still carried out with the method and + punctuality which had characterised them in the early days of + his ministry, and he usually arranged to make a brief pause + for tea with one of the families visited. On these occasions + he would frequently be in high spirits, and his hearty and + resounding laughter would break out on the smallest + provocation. That laugh of his was eminently characteristic + of the man. There was nothing smothered or furtive about it; + there was not even the vestige of a chuckle in it. Its deep + "Ah! hah! hah!" came with a staccato, quacking sound from + somewhere low down in the chest, and set his huge shoulders + moving in unison with its peals. The whole closed with a long + breath of purest enjoyment—a kind of final licking of + the lips after the feast was over. + </p> + <p> + Returning to his house, he always entered it by the back + door, apparently because he did not wish to put the servant + to the trouble of going upstairs to open the front door for + him. It does not seem to have occurred to him to use a + latch-key. In the evening there was generally some meeting to + go to, but after his return, when evening worship and the + invariable supper of porridge and milk were over, he always + went back to his study, and its lights were seldom put out + until long past midnight. + </p> + <p> + Although his reading in these solitary hours was of course + mainly theological, he always kept fresh his interest in the + classical studies of his youth. He did not depend on his + communings with Origen and Eusebius for keeping up his Greek, + but went back as often as he could find time to Plato and to + the Tragedians. Macaulay has defined a Greek scholar as one + who can read Plato with his feet on the fender. Dr. Cairns + could fully satisfy this condition; indeed he went beyond it, + for when he went from home he was in the habit of taking a + volume of Plato or Aeschylus with him to read in the train. + One of his nephews, at that time a schoolboy, remembers + reading with him, when on a holiday visit to Berwick, through + the <i>Alcestis</i> of Euripides. It may have been because he + found it necessary to frighten his young relative into habits + of accuracy, or possibly because an outrage committed against + a Greek poet was to him the most horrid of all outrages; but + anyhow, during these studies, he altogether laid aside that + restraint which he was usually so jealous to maintain over + his powers of sarcasm and invective. He lay on the study sofa + while the lesson was going on, with a Tauchnitz Euripides in + his hand; but sometimes, when a false quantity or a more than + usually stupid grammatical blunder was made, he would spring + to his feet and fairly shout with wrath. Only once had he to + consult a Greek lexicon for the meaning of a word; and then + it turned out that the meaning he had assigned to it + provisionally was the right one. A Latin lexicon he did not + possess. + </p> + <p> + On Sunday, Wallace Green Church was a goodly sight. Forenoon + and afternoon, streams of worshippers came pouring by + Ravensdowne, Church Street, and Walkergate Lane across the + square and into the large building, which was soon filled to + overflowing. Then "the Books" were brought in by the stately + beadle, and last of all "the Doctor" came hurriedly in, + scrambled awkwardly up the pulpit stair, and covered his face + with his black gloved hands.<a href="#note-15">15</a> Then he + rose, and in slow monotone gave out the opening psalm, during + the singing of which his strong but wandering voice could now + and again be distinctly heard above the more artistic strains + of the choir and congregation rendering its tribute of + praise. The Scripture lessons were read in the same subdued + but reverent tones, and the prayers were simple and direct in + their language, the emotion that throbbed through them being + kept under due restraint. The opening periods of the sermon + were pitched in the same note, but when the preacher got + fairly into his subject he broke loose from such restraints, + and his argument was unfolded, and then massed, and finally + pressed home with all the strength of his intellect, + reinforced at every stage by the play of his imagination and + the glow of a passionate conviction. His "manner" in the + pulpit was, it is true, far from graceful. His principal + gesture was a jerking of the right arm towards the left + shoulder, accompanied sometimes by a bending forward of the + upper part of the body; and when he came to his peroration, + which he usually delivered with his eyes closed and in + lowered tones, he would clasp his hands and move them up and + down in front of him. But all these things seemed to fit in + naturally to his style of oratory; there was not the faintest + trace of affectation in any of them, and, as a matter of + fact, they added to the effectiveness of his preaching. + </p> + <p> + In Wallace Green Dr. Cairns was surrounded by a devoted band + of office-bearers and others, who carried on very successful + Home Mission work in the town, and kept the various + organisations of the church in a vigorous and flourishing + state. He had himself no faculty for business details, and he + left these mostly to others; but his influence was felt at + every point, and operated in a remarkable degree towards the + keeping up of the spiritual tone of the church's work. With + his elders, who were not merely in regard to ecclesiastical + rank, but also in regard to character and ability, the + leaders of the congregation, he was always on the most + cordial and intimate terms. In numerical strength they + usually approximated to the apostolic figure of twelve, and + Dr. Cairns used to remark that their Christian names included + a surprisingly large number of apostolic pairs. Thus there + were amongst them not merely James and John, Matthew and + Thomas, but even Philip and Bartholomew. + </p> + <p> + The Philip here referred to was Dr. Philip Whiteside + Maclagan, a brother of the present Archbishop of York and of + the late Professor Sir Douglas Maclagan. Dr. Maclagan had + been originally an army surgeon, but had been long settled in + general practice in Berwick in succession to his + father-in-law, the eminent naturalist, Dr. George Johnstone. + It was truly said of him that he combined in himself the + labours and the graces of Luke the beloved physician and + Philip the evangelist. When occasion offered, he would not + only diagnose and prescribe but pray at the bedsides of his + patients, and his influence was exerted in behalf of + everything that was pure and lovely and of good report in the + town of Berwick. His delicately chiselled features and fine + expression were the true index of a devout and beautiful soul + within. Dr. Cairns and he were warmly attached to one + another, and he was his minister's right-hand man in + everything that concerned the good of the congregation. + </p> + <p> + It will readily be believed that Dr. Cairns had not been + suffered to remain in Berwick during all these years without + strong efforts being made to induce him to remove to larger + spheres of labour. As a matter of fact, he received in all + some half-dozen calls during the course of his ministry from + congregations in Edinburgh and Glasgow; while at one period + of his life scarcely a year passed without private overtures + being made to him which, if he had given any encouragement to + them, would have issued in calls. These overtures he in every + case declined at once; but when congregations, in spite of + him or without having previously consulted him, took the + responsibility of proceeding to a formal call, he never + intervened to arrest their action. He had a curious respect + for the somewhat cumbrous and slow-moving Presbyterian + procedure, and when it had been set in motion he felt that it + was his duty to let it take its course. + </p> + <p> + Once when a call to him was in process which he had in its + initial stages discouraged, and which he knew that he could + not accept, his sister, who had set her heart on furnishing + an empty bedroom in the manse at Berwick, was peremptorily + bidden to stay her hand lest he might thereby seem to be + prejudging that which was not yet before him. Two of the + calls he received deserve separate mention. One was in 1855 + from Greyfriars Church, Glasgow, at that time the principal + United Presbyterian congregation in the city. All sorts of + influences were brought to bear upon him to accept it, and + for a time he was in grave doubt as to whether it might not + be his duty to do so. But two considerations especially + decided him to remain in Berwick. One was the state of his + health, which was not at that time very good; and the other + was the pathetic one, that he wanted to write that book which + was never to be written. + </p> + <p> + Nine years later, in 1864, a yet more determined attempt was + made to secure him for Edinburgh. A new congregation had been + formed at Morningside, one of the southern suburbs of the + city, and it was thought that this would offer a sphere of + work and of influence worthy of his powers. A call was + accordingly addressed to him, and it was backed up by + representations of an almost unique character and weight. The + Free Church leaders, with whom he was then brought into close + touch by the Union negotiations, urged him to come to + Edinburgh. A memorial, signed by one hundred and sixty-seven + United Presbyterian elders in the city, told him that, in the + interests of their Church, it was of the utmost importance + that he should do so. Another memorial, signed by several + hundred students at the University, put the matter from their + point of view. A still more remarkable document was the + following:— + </p> + <p> + "The subscribers, understanding that the Rev. Dr. Cairns has + received a call to the congregation of Morningside, desire to + express their earnest and strong conviction that his removal + to Edinburgh would be a signal benefit to vital religion + throughout Scotland, and more especially in the metropolis, + where his great intellectual powers, his deep and wide + scholarship, his mastery of the literature of modern + unbelief, and the commanding simplicity and godly sincerity + of his personal character and public teaching, would find an + ample field for their full and immediate exercise." + </p> + <p> + This was signed (amongst others) by three Judges of the Court + of Session, by the Lord Advocate, by the Principal and seven + of the Professors of the University, and by such + distinguished ministers and citizens as Dr. Candlish, Dr. + Hanna, Dr. Lindsay Alexander, Adam Black, Dr. John Brown, and + Charles Cowan. It was a remarkable tribute (Adam Black in + giving his name said, "This is more than ever was done for + Dr. Chalmers"), and it made a deep impression on Dr. Cairns. + The Wallace Green congregation, however, sought to counteract + it by an argument which amusingly shows how well they knew + their man. They appealed to that strain of anxious + conscientiousness in him which he had inherited from his + father, by urging that all these memorials were "irregular," + and that therefore he had no right to consider them in coming + to his decision. They also undertook to furnish him with the + means of devoting more time to theological study than had + hitherto been at his disposal. After a period of hesitation, + more painful and prolonged than he had ever passed through on + any similar occasion, he decided to remain in Berwick. He was + moved to this decision, partly by his attachment to his + congregation; partly by a feeling that he could do more for + the cause of Union by remaining its minister than would be + possible amid the labours of a new city charge; and partly by + the hope, which was becoming perceptibly fainter and more + wistful, that he might at last find leisure in Berwick to + write his book. + </p> + <p> + But, although he did not become a city minister, he preached + very frequently in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and indeed all over + the country. His services were in constant request for the + opening of churches and on anniversary occasions. He records + that in the course of a single year he preached or spoke away + from home (of course mostly on week days) some forty or fifty + times. Wherever he went he attracted large crowds, on whom + his rugged natural eloquence produced a deep impression. It + has been recorded that on one occasion, while a vast audience + to which he had been preaching in an Edinburgh church was + dispersing, a man was overheard expressing his admiration to + his neighbour in language more enthusiastic than proper: + "He's a deevil o' a preacher!" + </p> + <p> + With all this burden of work pressing on him, it was a relief + when the annual holiday came round and he could get away from + it. But this holiday, too, was usually of a more or less + strenuous character, and embraced large tracts of country + either at home or, more frequently, on the Continent. On + these tours his keen human interest asserted itself. He loved + to visit places associated with great historic events, or + that suggested to him reminiscences of famous men and women. + And the actual condition of the people, how they lived, and + what they were thinking about, interested him deeply. He + spoke to everybody he met, in the train, in the steamboat, or + in hotels, in fluent if rather "bookish" German, in correct + but somewhat halting French, or, if it was a Roman Catholic + priest he had to deal with, in sonorous Latin. And, without + anything approaching cant or officiousness, he always tried + to bring the conversation round to the subject of + religion—to the state of religion in the country in + which he was travelling, about which he was always anxious to + gain first-hand information, and, if possible and he could do + it without offence, to the personal views and experiences of + those with whom he conversed. He rarely or never did give + offence in this respect, for there was never anything + aggressive or clamorous or prying in his treatment of the + subject. + </p> + <p> + On his return to Berwick his congregation usually expected + him to give them a lecture on what he had seen, and the MSS. + of several of these lectures, abounding in graphic + description and in shrewd and often humorous observation of + men and things, have been preserved. It must suffice here to + give an extract from one of them on a tour in the West of + Ireland in 1864, illustrating as it does a curious phase of + Irish social life at that time. Dr. Cairns and a small party + of friends had embarked in a little steamer on one of the + Irish lakes, and were taking note of the gentlemen's seats, + varied with occasional ruins, which were coming in view on + both sides. + </p> + <p> + "A fine ancient castle," he goes on to say, "surrounded by + trees and almost overhanging the lough, attracted our gaze + for some time ere we passed it. The owner's name and + character were naturally brought under review. 'Is not Sir + —— a Sunday man?' says one of the company to + another. 'He is.' The distinction was new to me, and I + inferred something good, perhaps some unusual zeal for + Sabbath observance or similar virtue. But, alas! for the + vanity of human judgments. A 'Sunday man' in the West of + Ireland is one who only appears on the Sunday outside his own + dwelling, because on any other day he would be arrested for + debt. Even on a week day he is safe if he keeps to his own + house, where in Ireland, as in England, no writ can force its + way. Sir —— was also invulnerable while sitting + on the grand jury, where quite lately he had protracted the + business to an inordinate length in order to extend his own + liberty. As the boat passed close beside his castle, a + handsome elderly gentleman appeared at an open window, and + with hat in hand and a charming smile on his face made us a + most profound and graceful salutation. We could not be + insensible to so much courtesy—since it was Sir + —— himself who thus welcomed us; but as we waved + our hats in reply, one of our party, who had actually a writ + out against the fine old Irish gentleman at the very time, + with very little prospect of execution, muttered something + between his teeth and pressed his hat firmer down on his head + than usual. Such landlordism is still not uncommon. The same + friend is familiar with writs against other gentlemen whose + house is their castle, and to whom Sunday is 'the light of + the week.'" + </p> + <p> + The closing period of Dr. Cairns's ministry at Berwick was + made memorable by a remarkable religious revival in the town. + Following on a brief visit in January 1874 from Messrs. Moody + and Sankey, who had then just closed their first mission in + Edinburgh, a movement began which lasted nearly two years. + With some help from outside it was carried on during that + time mostly by the ministers of the town, assisted by laymen + from the various churches, among whom Dr. Maclagan occupied a + foremost place. Dr. Cairns threw himself into this movement + with ardour, and although he did not intend it, and probably + was not aware of it, he was its real leader, giving it at + once the impetus and the guidance which it needed. Besides + being present, and taking some part whenever he was at home + in the crowded evangelistic meetings that for a while were + held nightly, and in the prayer-meeting, attended by from one + hundred and fifty to two hundred, which met every day at + noon, he must have conversed with hundreds of people seeking + direction on religious matters during the early months of + 1874. And, knowing that many would shrink from the publicity + of an Inquiry Meeting, he made a complete canvass of his own + congregation, in the course of which by gentle and tactful + means he found out those who really desired to be spoken to, + and spoke to them. The results of the movement proved to be + lasting, and were, in his opinion, wholly good. His own + congregation profited greatly by it, and on the Sunday before + one of the Wallace Green Communions, in 1874, a great company + of young men and women were received into the fellowship of + the Church. The catechumens filled several rows of pews in + the front of the spacious area of the building, and, when + they rose in a body to make profession of their faith, the + scene is described as having been most impressive. Specially + impressive also must have sounded the words which he always + used on such occasions: "You have to-day fulfilled your + baptism vow by taking upon yourselves the responsibilities + hitherto discharged by your parents. It is an act second only + in importance to the private surrender of your souls to God, + and not inferior in result to your final enrolment among the + saints.... Nothing must separate you from the Church militant + till you reach the Church triumphant." + </p><a name="2HCH12"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX + </h2> + <h3> + THE PROFESSOR + </h3> + <p> + It had all along been felt that Dr. Cairns must sooner or + later find scope for his special powers and acquirements in a + professor's chair. In the early years of his ministry he + received no fewer than four offers of philosophical + professorships, which his views of the ministry and of his + consecration to it constrained him to set aside. Three + similar offers of theological chairs, the acceptance of which + did not involve the same interference with the plan of his + life, came to him later, but were declined on other grounds. + When, however, a vacancy in the Theological Hall of his own + Church occurred by the death of Professor Lindsay, in 1866, + the universal opinion in the Church was that it must be + filled by him and by nobody else. Dr. Lindsay had been + Professor of Exegesis, but the United Presbyterian Synod in + May 1867 provided for this subject being dealt with + otherwise, and instituted a new chair of Apologetics with a + special view to Dr. Cairns's recognised field of study. To + this chair the Synod summoned him by acclamation, and, having + accepted its call, he began his new work in the following + August. + </p> + <p> + As in his own student days, the Hall met for only two months + in each year, and the professors therefore did not need to + give up their ministerial charges. So he remained in Berwick, + where his congregation were very proud of the new honour that + had come to their minister, and that was in some degree + reflected on them. Instead of "the Doctor" they now spoke of + him habitually as "the Professor," and presented him with a + finely befrogged but somewhat irrelevant professor's gown for + use in the pulpit at Wallace Green. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Cairns prepared two courses of lectures for his + students—one on the History of Apologetics, and the + other on Apologetics proper, or Christian Evidences. For the + former, his desire to go to the sources and to take nothing + at second-hand led him to make a renewed and laborious study + of the Fathers, who were already, to a far greater extent + than with most theologians, his familiar friends. His + knowledge of later controversies, such as that with the + Deists, which afterwards bore fruit in his work on "Unbelief + in the Eighteenth Century," was also widened and deepened at + this time. These historical lectures were almost overweighted + by the learning which he thus accumulated; but they were at + once massive in their structure and orderly and lucid in + their arrangement. + </p> + <p> + In the other course, on Christian Evidences, he did not + include any discussion on Theism which—probably because + of his special familiarity with the Deistical and kindred + controversies, and also because the modern assaults on + supernatural Christianity from the Evolutionary and Agnostic + standpoint had not yet become pressing—he postulated. + And, discarding the traditional division of the Evidences + into Internal and External, he classified them according to + their relation to the different Attributes of God, as + manifesting His Power, Knowledge, Wisdom, Holiness, and + Benignity. With this course he incorporated large parts of + his unfinished treatise on "The Difficulties of + Christianity," which, after he had thus broken it up, passed + finally out of sight. + </p> + <p> + The impression which he produced on his students by these + lectures, and still more by his personality, was very great. + "I suppose," writes one of them, "no men are so hypercritical + as students after they have been four or five years at the + University. To those who are aware of this, it will give the + most accurate impression of our feeling towards Dr. Cairns + when I say that, with regard to him, criticism could not be + said to exist. We all had for him an appreciation which was + far deeper than ordinary admiration; it was admiration + blended with loyalty and veneration."<a href= + "#note-16">16</a> Specially impressive were the humility + which went along with his gifts and learning, and the wide + charity which made him see good in everything. One student's + appreciation of this latter quality found whimsical + expression in a cartoon which was delightedly passed from + hand to hand in the class, and which represented Dr. Cairns + cordially shaking hands with the Devil. A "balloon" issuing + from his mouth enclosed some such legend as this: "I hope you + are very well, sir. I am delighted to make your acquaintance, + and to find that you are not nearly so black as you are + painted." + </p> + <p> + During the ten years' negotiations for Union a considerable + number of pressing reforms in the United Presbyterian Church + were kept back from fear of hampering the negotiations, and + because it was felt that such matters might well be postponed + to be dealt with in a United Church. But, when the + negotiations were broken off, the United Presbyterians, + having recovered their liberty of action, at once began to + set their house in order. One of the first matters thus taken + up was the question of Theological Education. As has been + already mentioned, the theological curriculum extended over + five sessions of two months. It was now proposed to + substitute for this a curriculum extending over three + sessions of five months, as being more in accordance with the + requirements of the times and as bringing the Hall into line + with the Universities and the Free Church Colleges. A scheme, + of which this was the leading feature, was finally adopted by + the Synod in May 1875. It necessarily involved the separation + of the professors from their charges, and accordingly the + Synod addressed a call to Dr. Cairns to leave Berwick and + become Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics in + the newly constituted Hall, or, as it was henceforth to be + designated—"College." In this chair it was proposed + that he should have as his colleague the venerable Dr. + Harper, who was the senior professor in the old Hall, and who + was now appointed the first Principal of the new College. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Cairns had thus to make his choice between his + congregation and his professorship, and, with many natural + regrets, he decided in favour of the latter. This decision, + which he announced to his people towards the close of the + summer, had the incidental effect of keeping him in the + United Presbyterian Church, for in the following year the + English congregations of that Church were severed from the + parent body to form part of the new Presbyterian Church of + England; and Wallace Green congregation, somewhat against its + will, and largely in response to Dr. Cairns's wishes, went + with the rest. He had still a year to spend in Berwick, + broken only by the last session of the old Hall in August and + September, and that year he spent in quiet, steady, and happy + work. In June 1876 he preached his farewell sermon to an + immense and deeply moved congregation from the words (Rom. i. + 16), "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the + power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth." + "For more than thirty years," he concluded, "I have preached + this gospel among you, and I bless His name this day that to + not a few it has by His grace proved the power of God unto + salvation. To Him I ascribe all the praise; and I would + rather on such an occasion remember defects and shortcomings + than dwell even upon what He has wrought for us. The sadness + of parting from people to whom I have been bound by such + close and tender ties, from whom I have received every mark + of respect, affection, and encouragement, and in regard to + whom I feel moved to say, 'If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let + my right hand forget her cunning,' inclines me rather to + self-examination and to serious fear lest any among you + should have suffered through my failure to set forth and urge + home this gospel of salvation. If then any of you should be + in this case, through my fault or your own, that you have not + yet obeyed the gospel of Christ, I address to you in Christ's + name one parting call that you may at length receive the + truth." + </p> + <p> + A few weeks later he and his sister removed to Edinburgh, + where they were joined in the autumn by their brother + William. William Cairns, who had been schoolmaster at + Oldcambus for thirty-two years, was in many respects a + notable man. Deprived, as we have seen, in early manhood of + the power of walking, he had set himself to improve his mind + and had acquired a great store of general information. He was + shrewd, humorous, genial, and intensely human, and had made + himself the centre of a large circle of friends, many of whom + were to be found far beyond the bounds of his native parish + and county. Since his mother's death an elder sister had kept + house for him, but she had died in the previous winter, and + at his brother's urgent request he had consented to give up + his school al Oldcambus and make his home for the future with + him in Edinburgh. The house No. 10 Spence Street, in which + for sixteen years the brothers and sister lived together, is + a modest semi-detached villa in a short street running off + the Dalkeith Road, in one of the southern suburbs of the + city. It had two great advantages in Dr. Cairns's + eyes—one being that it was far enough away from the + College to ensure that he would have a good walk every day in + going there and back; and the other, that its internal + arrangements were very convenient for his brother finding his + way in his wheel-chair about it, and out of it when he so + desired. + </p> + <p> + The study, as at Berwick, was upstairs, and was a large + lightsome room, from which a view of the Craigmillar woods, + North Berwick Law, and even the distant Lammermoors, could be + obtained—a view which was, alas! soon blocked up by the + erection of tall buildings. At the back of the house, + downstairs, was the sitting-room, where the family meals were + taken and where William sat working at his desk. He had been + fortunate enough to secure, almost immediately after his + arrival in Edinburgh, a commission from Messrs. A. & C. + Black to prepare the Index to the ninth edition of the + <i>Encyclopaedia Britannica</i>, then in course of + publication. During the twelve years that the work lasted he + performed the possibly unique feat of reading through the + whole of the twenty-five volumes of the Encyclopaedia, and + thus added considerably to his already encyclopaedic stock of + miscellaneous information. Opening off the sitting-room was a + smaller room, or rather a large closet, commanding one of the + finest views in Edinburgh of the lion-shaped Arthur's Seat; + and here of an evening he would sit in his chair alone, or + surrounded by the friends who soon began to gather about him, + </p> + <pre> + "And smoke, yea, smoke and smoke." +</pre> + <p> + Sometimes a more than usually resounding peal of laughter + would bring the professor down from his study to find out + what was the matter, and to join in the merriment; and then, + after a few hearty words of greeting to the visitors, he + would plead the pressure of his work and return to the + company of Justin or Evagrius. + </p> + <p> + His three nephews, who during the Edinburgh period were + staying in town studying for the ministry, always spent + Saturday afternoon at Spence Street, and sometimes a student + friend would come with them. Dr. Cairns was usually free on + such occasions to devote an hour or two to his young friends. + He was always ready to enter into discussions on + philosophical problems that happened to be interesting them, + and the power and ease with which he dealt with these gave an + impression as of one heaving up and pitching about huge + masses of rock. His part in these discussions commonly in the + end became a monologue, which he delivered lying back in his + chair, with his shoulders resting on the top bar of it, and + which he sometimes accompanied with the peculiar jerk of his + right arm habitual to him in preaching. A <i>snell</i> remark + of his brother William suggesting some new and comic + association with a philosophic term dropped in the course of + the discussion, would bring him back with a roar of laughter + to the actual world and to more sublunary themes. When the + young men rose to leave he always accompanied them to the + front door, and bade each of them good-bye with a hearty + "Πáντα τà + καλá σοι + γéνοιτο," + <a href="#note-16">17</a> [Greek: Panta ta kala soi + genoito] and an invariable injunction to "put your foot on + it,"—"it" being the spring catch by which the gate + was opened. + </p> + <p> + Once a week during the session a party of six or eight + students came to tea at Spence Street, until the whole of his + two classes had been gone over. After tea in the otherwise + seldom used dining-room of the house, some of the party + accompanied the professor to the study. Here he would show + them his more treasured volumes, such as his first edition of + Butler, which he would tell them he made a point of reading + through once a year. Others, who preferred a less unclouded + atmosphere, withdrew with his brother into his sanctum. Soon + all reassembled in the dining-room, and a number of hymns + were sung—some of Sankey's, which were then in + everybody's mouth, some of his favourite German hymns with + their chorals, which might suggest references to his student + days in Berlin or to later experiences in the Fatherland, and + some by the great English hymn-writers. At last came family + worship, always impressive as conducted by him, but often the + most memorable feature by far in these gatherings. It was a + very simple, and may seem a very humdrum, way of spending an + evening; but the homely hospitality of the + household—the conversational gifts, very different in + kind as these were, of himself and his brother—and, + above all, his genial and benignant presence, made everything + go off well, and the students went away with a deepened + veneration for their professor now that they had seen him in + his own house. + </p> + <p> + During his first two years in Edinburgh he was busily engaged + in writing lectures and in adapting his existing stock to the + requirements of the new curriculum. Of these lectures, and of + others which he wrote in later years, it must be said that, + while all of them were the fruit of conscientious and + strenuous toil, they were of unequal merit, or at least of + unequal effectiveness. Some of them, particularly in his + Apologetic courses, were brilliant and stimulating. Whenever + he had a great personality to deal with, such as Origen, + Grotius, or Pascal, or, in a quite different way, Voltaire, + he rose to the full height of his powers. His criticisms of + Hume, of Strauss, and of Renan, were also in their own way + masterly. But a course which he had on Biblical Theology + seemed to be hampered by a too rigid view of Inspiration, + which did not allow him to lay sufficient stress on the + different types of doctrine corresponding to the different + individualities of the writers. And when, after the death of + Principal Harper, he took over the entire department of + Systematic Theology, his lectures on this, the "Queen of + sciences," while full of learning and sometimes rising to + grandeur, gave one on the whole a sense of incompleteness, + even of fragmentariness. This impression was deepened by the + oral examinations which he was in the habit of holding every + week on his lectures. + </p> + <p> + For these examinations he prepared most carefully, sitting up + sometimes till two o'clock in the morning collecting material + and verifying references which he deemed necessary to make + them complete. His aim in them was not only to test the + students' attention and progress, but to communicate + information of a supplementary and miscellaneous character + which he had been unable to work into his lectures. And so he + would bring down to the class a tattered Father or two, and + would regale its members with long Greek quotations and with + a mass of details that were pure gold to him but were hid + treasure to them. His examination of individual students was + lenient in the extreme. It used to be said of him that if he + asked a question to which the correct answer was Yes, while + the answer he got was No, he would exert his ingenuity to + show that in a certain subtle and hitherto unsuspected sense + the real answer <i>was</i> No, and that Mr. So-and-so + deserved credit for having discovered this, and for having + boldly dared to <i>say</i> No at the risk of being + misunderstood. This, of course, is caricature; but it + nevertheless sufficiently indicates his general attitude to + his students. + </p> + <p> + It was the same with the written as with the oral + examinations. In these he assigned full marks to a large + proportion of the papers sent in. Once it was represented to + him that this method of valuation prevented his examination + results from having any influence on the adjudication of a + prize that was given every year to the student who had the + highest aggregate of marks in all the classes. He admitted + the justice of this contention, and promised to make a + change. When he announced the results of his next examination + it was found that he had been as good as his word; but the + change consisted in this: that whereas formerly two-thirds of + the class had received full marks, now two-thirds of the + class received ninety per cent.! + </p> + <p> + And yet the popular idea of his inability to distinguish + between a good student and a bad one was quite wrong. He was + not so simple as he seemed. All who have sat in his classroom + remember times when a sudden keen look from him showed that + he knew quite well when liberties were being attempted with + him, and gave rise to the uncomfortable suspicion that, as it + was put, "he could see more things with his eyes shut than + most men could see with theirs wide open." The fact is, that + all his leniency with his students, and all his apparent + ascription to them of a high degree of diligence, + scholarship, and mental grasp, had their roots not in + credulity but in charity—the charity which "believeth + all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." His very + defects came from an excess of charity, and one loved him all + the better because of them. Hence it came about that his + students got far more from contact with his personality than + they got from his teaching. It is not so much his lectures as + his influence that they look back to and that they feel is + affecting them still. + </p> + <p> + When Dr. Cairns came to Edinburgh from Berwick, it was only + to a limited extent that he allowed himself to take part in + public work outside that which came to him as a minister and + Professor of Theology. There were, however, two public + questions which interested him deeply, and the solution of + which he did what he could by speech and influence to + further. One of these was the question of Temperance. During + the first twenty years of his ministry he had not felt called + upon to take up any strong position on this question, + although personally he had always been one of the most + abstemious of men. But about the year 1864 he had, without + taking any pledge or enrolling himself on the books of any + society, given up the use of alcohol. He had done so largely + as an experiment—to see whether his influence would + thereby be strengthened with those in his own congregation + and beyond it whom he wished to reclaim from intemperance. + </p> + <p> + When he became a professor he was invited to succeed Dr. + Lindsay as President of the Students' Total Abstinence + Society, and, as no absolute pledge was exacted from the + members, he willingly agreed to do so. From this time his + influence was more and more definitely enlisted on behalf of + Total Abstinence, and in 1874 he took a further step. In + trying to save from intemperance a friend in Berwick who was + not a member of his own congregation, he urged him to join + the Good Templars, at that time the only available society of + total abstainers in the town. In order to strengthen his + friend's hands, he agreed to join along with him. This step + happily proved to be successful as regarded its original + purpose, and Dr. Cairns remained a Good Templar during the + rest of his life. + </p> + <p> + While there were some things about the Order that did not + appeal to him, such as the ritual, the "regalia," and the + various grades of membership and of office, with their + mysterious initials, he looked upon these things as + non-essentials, and was in hearty sympathy with its general + principles and work. But, although he was often urged to do + so, he never would accept office nor advance beyond the + initiatory stage of membership represented by the simple + white "bib" of infancy. On coming to Edinburgh, he looked + about for a Lodge to connect himself with, and ultimately + chose one of the smallest and most obscure in the city. The + members consisted chiefly of men and women who had to work so + late that the hour of meeting could not be fixed earlier than + 9 p.m. He was present at these meetings as often as he could, + and only lamented that he could not attend more frequently. + </p> + <p> + While fully recognising the right of others to come to a + different conclusion from his own, and while uniformly basing + his total abstinence on the ground of Christian expediency + and not on that of absolute Divine law, his view of it as a + Christian duty grew clearer every year. And he carried his + principles out rigidly wherever he went. He perplexed German + waiters by his elaborate explanations as to why he drank no + beer; and once, as he came down the Rhine, he had a + characteristically sanguine vision of the time when the + vineyards on its banks would only be used for the production + of raisins. At the same time his interest in Temperance work, + alike in its religious, social, and political aspects, was + always becoming keener. He was frequently to be found on + Temperance platforms, and was in constant request for the + preaching of Temperance sermons. Some of his speeches and + sermons on the question have been reprinted and widely read, + and one New Year's tract which he wrote has had a circulation + of one hundred and eighty thousand. + </p> + <p> + The other question in which he took a special interest was + that of Disestablishment. To those who adopted the "short and + easy method" of accounting for the Disestablishment movement + in Scotland by saying that it was all due to jealousy and + spite on the part of its promoters, his adhesion to that + movement presented a serious difficulty. For no one could + accuse him of jealousy or spite. Hence it was a favourite + expedient to represent him as the tool of more designing + men—as one whose simplicity had been imposed upon, and + who had been thrust forward against his better judgment to do + work in which he had no heart. This theory is not only + entirely groundless, but entirely unnecessary; because the + action which he took on this question can readily be + explained by a reference to convictions he had held all his + life, and to circumstances which seemed to him to call for + their assertion. + </p> + <p> + He had been a Voluntary ever since he had begun to think on + such questions. His father, in the days of his boyhood, had + subscribed, along with a neighbour, for the <i>Voluntary + Church Magazine</i>, and the subject had often been discussed + in the cottage at Dunglass. It will be remembered that during + his first session at the University he was an eager disputant + with his classmates on the Voluntary side, and that towards + the close of his course, after a memorable debate in the + Diagnostic Society, he secured a victory for the policy of + severing the connection between Church and State. These views + he had never abandoned, and in a lecture on Disestablishment + delivered in Edinburgh in 1872 he re-stated them. While + admitting, as the United Presbyterian Synod had done in + adopting the "Articles of Agreement," that the State ought to + frame its policy on Christian lines, he denied that it was + its duty or within its competence to establish and endow the + Church. This is, to quote his own words, "an overstraining of + its province,—a forgetfulness that its great work is + civil and not spiritual,—and an encroachment without + necessity or call, and indeed, as I believe, in the face of + direct Divine arrangements, on the work of the Christian + Church." + </p> + <p> + These, then, being his views, what led him to seek to make + them operative by taking part in a Disestablishment campaign? + Two things especially. One of these was the activity at that + time of a Broad Church party within the Established Church. + He maintained that this was no mere domestic concern of that + Church, and claimed the right as a citizen to deal with it. + In a national institution views were held and taught of which + he could not approve, and which he considered compromised him + as a member of the nation. He felt he must protest, and he + protested thus. + </p> + <p> + The other ground of his action was the conviction, which + recent events had very much strengthened, that the continued + existence of an Established Church was the great obstacle to + Presbyterian Union in Scotland. It is true that there was + nothing in the nature of things to prevent the Free and + United Presbyterian Churches coming together in presence of + an Established Church. As a matter of fact, they have done so + since Dr. Cairns's death, though not without secessions, + collective and individual. But experience had shown that it + was the existence of an Established Church, towards which the + Anti-Union party had turned longing eyes, which was the + determining factor in the wrecking of the Union negotiations. + Besides, Dr. Cairns looked forward to a wider Union than one + merely between the Free and United Presbyterian Churches, and + he was convinced that only on the basis of Disestablishment + could such a Union take place. To the argument that, if the + Church of Scotland were to be disestablished, its members + would be so embittered against those who had brought this + about that they would decline to unite with them, he was + content to reply that that might safely be left to the + healing power of time. The petulant threat of some, that in + the event of Disestablishment they would abandon + Presbyterianism, he absolutely declined to notice. + </p> + <p> + The Disestablishment movement had been begun before Dr. + Cairns left Berwick, and he supported it with voice and pen + till the close of his life. He did so, it need not be said, + without bitterness, endeavouring to make it clear that his + quarrel was with the adjective and not with the + substantive—with the "Established" and not with the + "Church," and under the strong conviction that he was engaged + "in a great Christian enterprise." + </p><a name="2HCH13"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER X + </h2> + <h3> + THE PRINCIPAL + </h3> + <p> + During 1877 and 1878 the United Presbyterian Church was much + occupied with a discussion that had arisen in regard to its + relation to the "Subordinate Standards," i.e. to the + Westminster <i>Confession of Faith</i> and the <i>Larger and + Shorter Catechisms</i>. These formed the official creed of + the Church, and assent to them was exacted from all its + ministers, probationers, and elders. A change of opinion, + perhaps not so much regarding the doctrines set forth in + these documents as regarding the perspective in which they + were to be viewed, had been manifesting itself with the + changing times. It was felt that standards of belief drawn up + in view of the needs, reflecting the thought, and couched in + the language of the seventeenth century, were not an adequate + expression of the faith of the Church in the nineteenth + century. The points with regard to which this difficulty was + more acutely felt were chiefly in the region of the + "Doctrines of Grace"—the Divine Decrees, the Freedom of + the Human Will, and the Extent of the Atonement. Accordingly, + a movement for greater liberty was set on foot. + </p> + <p> + There were many, of course, in the Church who had no sympathy + with this movement, and who, if they had been properly + organised and led, might have been able to defeat it. But the + recognised and trusted leaders of the Church were of opinion + that the matter must be sympathetically dealt with, and, on + the motion of Principal Harper, the Synod of 1877 appointed a + Committee to consider it, and to bring up a report. This + Committee, of which Dr. Cairns was one of the conveners, soon + found that, if relief were to be granted, they had only two + alternatives before them. They must deal either with the + Creed or with the terms of subscription to it. There were + some who urged that an entirely new and much shorter Creed + should be drawn up. Dr. Cairns was decidedly opposed to this + proposal. The subject of the Creeds of the Reformed Churches + was one of his many specialties in the field of Church + History, and he had a reverence for those venerable + documents, whose articles—so dry and formal to + others—suggested to his imagination the centuries of + momentous controversy which they summed up, and the great + champions of the faith who had borne their part therein. + Besides, he was very much alive to the danger of falling out + of line with the other Presbyterian Churches in Great Britain + and America, who still maintained, in some form or other, + their allegiance to the Westminster Standards. + </p> + <p> + His influence prevailed, and the second alternative was + adopted. A "Declaratory Statement" was drawn up of the sense + in which, while retaining the Standards, the Church + understood them. This Statement dealt with the points above + referred to in a way that would, it was thought, give + sufficient relief to consciences that had shrunk from the + naked rigour of the words of the <i>Confession</i>, It also + contained a paragraph which secured liberty of opinion on + matters "not entering into the substance of the faith," the + right of the Church to guard against abuse of this liberty + being expressly reserved. Dr. Cairns submitted this + "Declaratory Statement" to the Synods of 1878 and 1879, in + speeches of notable power and wealth of historic + illustration, and, in the latter year, it was unanimously + adopted and became a "Declaratory Act." The precedent thus + set has been followed by nearly all the Presbyterian Churches + which have since then had occasion to deal with the same + problem. + </p> + <p> + Except when he had to expound and recommend some scheme for + which he had become responsible, or when he had been laid + hold of by others to speak in behalf of a "Report" or a + proposal in which they were interested, Dr. Cairns did not + intervene often in the debates of the United Presbyterian + Synod. He preferred, to the disappointment of many of his + friends, to listen rather than to speak, and shrank from + putting himself in any way forward. He had been Moderator of + the Synod in 1872, and as an ex-Moderator he had the + privilege, accorded by custom, of sitting on the platform of + the Synod Hall on the benches to the right and left of the + chair. But he never seemed comfortable up there. He would sit + with his hands pressed together, and in a stooping posture, + as if he wanted to make his big body as small and + inconspicuous as possible; and, as often as he could, he + would go down and take his place among the rank and file of + the members far back in the hall. But he had all a true + United Presbyterian's loyal affection for the Synod, and a + peculiar delight in those reunions of old friends which its + meetings afforded. Amongst his oldest friends was William + Graham, who although, since the English Union, no longer a + United Presbyterian, simply could not keep away from the + haunts of his youth when the month of May came round. On such + occasions he was always Dr. Cairns's guest at Spence Street. + He kept things lively there with his nimble wit, and in + particular subjected his host to a perpetual and merciless + fire of "chaff." No one else ventured to assail him as Graham + thus did; for, with all his geniality and unaffected + humility, there was a certain personal dignity about him + which few ventured to invade. But he took all his friend's + banter with a smile of quiet enjoyment, and sometimes a more + than usually outrageous sally would send him into convulsions + of laughter, whose resounding peals filled the house with + their echoes. + </p> + <p> + In the spring of 1879 died the venerable Principal Harper. + Dr. Cairns felt the loss very keenly, for Dr. Harper had been + a loyal and generous friend and colleague, on whose clear and + firm judgment he had been wont to rely in many a difficult + emergency. Besides, as his biographer has truly said, "he was + habitually thankful to have someone near him whom he could + fairly ask to take the foremost place."<a href= + "#note-18">18</a> Now that Dr. Harper was gone, there seemed + to be no doubt that that foremost place would be thrust upon + him. These expectations were fulfilled by the Synod of that + year, which unanimously and enthusiastically appointed him + Principal of the College. His friend Dr. Graham, who, as a + corresponding member from the Synod of the Presbyterian + Church of England, supported the appointment, gave voice to + the universal feeling when he described him as "a man of + thought and labour and love and God, who had one defect which + endeared him to them all—that he was the only man who + did not know what a rare and noble man he was." + </p> + <p> + In the following year (1880) Principal Cairns delivered the + Cunningham Lectures. These lectures were given on a Free + Church foundation, instituted in memory of the distinguished + theologian whose name it bears; and now for the first time + the lecturer was chosen from beyond the borders of the Free + Church. Dr. Cairns highly appreciated the compliment that was + thus paid him, regarding it as a happy augury of the Union + which he was sure was coming. He had chosen as his subject + "Unbelief in the eighteenth century as contrasted with its + earlier and later history"; and, although it was one in which + he was already at home, he had again worked over the familiar + ground with characteristic diligence and thoroughness. Thus, + in preparing for one of the lectures, he read through twenty + volumes of Voltaire, out of a set of fifty which had been put + at his disposal by a friend. The first lecture dealt with + Unbelief in the first four centuries, which he contrasted in + several respects with that of the eighteenth. Then followed + one on the Unbelief of the seventeenth century, then three on + the Unbelief of the eighteenth century, in England, France, + and Germany respectively; and, finally, one on the Unbelief + of the nineteenth century, from whose representatives he + selected three for special criticism as typical, viz. + Strauss, Renan, and John Stuart Mill. These lectures, while + not rising to the level of greatness, impress one with his + mastery of the immense literature of the subject, and are + characterised throughout by lucidity of arrangement and by + sobriety and fairness of judgment. They were very well + received when they were delivered, and were favourably + reviewed when they were published a year later.<a href= + "#note-19">19</a> + </p> + <p> + Between the delivery and the publication of the Cunningham + Lectures Dr. Cairns spent five months in the United States + and Canada. The immediate object of this American tour was to + fulfil an engagement to be present at the Philadelphia + meeting of the General Council of the Presbyterian + Alliance—an organisation in which he took the deepest + interest, as it was in the line of his early aspirations + after a great comprehensive Presbyterian Union. But he + arranged his tour so as to enable him also to be present at + the General Assembly of the American Presbyterian Church at + Madison, and at that of the Presbyterian Church of Canada at + Montreal. The rest of the time at his disposal he spent in + lengthened excursions to various scenes of interest. He + visited the historic localities of New England and crossed + the continent to San Francisco, stopping on the way at Salt + Lake City, and extending his journey to the Yo-Semite Valley. + More than once he went far out of his way to seek out an old + friend or the relative of some member of his Berwick + congregation. Wherever he went he preached,—in fact + every Sunday of these five months, including those he spent + on the Atlantic, was thus occupied,—and everywhere his + preaching and his personality made a deep impression. As + regarded himself, he used to say that this American visit + "lifted him out of many ruts" and gave him new views of the + vitality of Christianity and new hopes for its future + developments. + </p> + <p> + After the publication of the Cunningham Lectures there was a + widely cherished hope that Dr. Cairns would produce something + still more worthy of his powers and his reputation. He was + now free from the incessant engagements of an active + ministry, and he had by this time got his class lectures well + in hand. But, although the opportunity had come, the interest + in speculative questions had sensibly declined. There is an + indication of this in the Cunningham Lectures themselves. In + the last of these, as we have seen, he had selected Mill as + the representative of English nineteenth-century Unbelief. + Even then Mill was out of date; but Mill was the last British + thinker whose system he had thoroughly mastered. In the index + to his <i>Life and Letters</i> the names of Darwin and + Herbert Spencer do not occur, and even in an Apologetic tract + entitled <i>Is the Evolution of Christianity from mere + Natural Sources Credible</i>? which he wrote in 1887 for the + Religious Tract Society, there is no reference whatever to + any writer of the Evolutionary School. With his attitude to + later German theological literature it is somewhat different, + for here he tried to keep himself abreast of the times. Yet + even here the books that interested him most were mainly + historical, such as the first volume of Ritschl's great work + on Justification (almost the only German book he read in a + translation), and the three volumes of Harnack's <i>History + of Dogma</i>. + </p> + <p> + This decay of interest in speculative thought might be + attributed to the decline of mental freshness and of + hospitality to new ideas which often comes with advancing + years, were it not that, in his case, there was no such + decline. On the contrary, as his interest in speculative + thought gradually withered, his interest on the side of + scholarship and linguistics became greater than ever, and his + energy here was always seeking new outlets for itself. When + he was nearly sixty he began the study of Assyrian. He did so + in connection with his lectures on Apologetics,—because + he wanted to give his class some idea of the confirmation of + the Scripture records, which he believed were to be found in + the cuneiform inscriptions. But ere long the study took + possession of him. His letters, and the little time-table + diary of his daily studies, record the hours he devoted to + it. When he went to America he took his Assyrian books with + him, and pored over them on the voyage whenever the Atlantic + would allow him to do so. And he was fully convinced that + what interested him so intensely must interest his students + too. One of them, the Rev. J.H. Leckie, thus describes how he + sought to make them share in his enthusiasm:— + </p> + <p> + "One day when we came down to the class, we found the + blackboard covered with an Assyrian inscription written out + by himself before lecture hour, and the zest, the joy with + which he discoursed upon the strange figures and signs showed + that, though white of hair and bent in frame, he was in the + real nature of him very young. For two days he lectured on + this inscription with the most assured belief that we were + following every word, and there was deep regret in his face + and in his voice when he said, 'And now, gentlemen, I am + afraid we must return to our theology.'"<a href= + "#note-20">20</a> + </p> + <p> + Another of his students, referring to the same lectures, + writes as follows:— + </p> + <p> + "It was fine, and one loves him all the more for it, but it + was exasperating too, with such tremendous issues at stake in + the world of living thought, to see him pounding away at + those truculent old Red Indians in their barbarian original + tongue. Yet I would not for much forget those days when we + saw him escaping utterly from all worries and troubles and + perfectly happy before a blackboard covered with amazing + characters. It was pure innocent delight in a new world of + knowledge, like a child's in a new story-book." + </p> + <p> + When he was sixty-three he added Arabic to his other + acquirements. It is not quite clear whether he had in view + any purpose in connection with his professional work beyond + the desire to know the originals of all the authorities + quoted in his lectures. But, when he had sufficiently + mastered the language to be able to read the Koran, he knew + that he had two grounds for self-congratulation, and these + were sufficiently characteristic. One was that he had his + revenge on Gibbon, who had described so triumphantly the + career of the Saracens and who yet had not known a word of + their language. The other was that he was now able to pray in + Arabic for the conversion of the Mohammedans. + </p> + <p> + About the same time he began to learn Dutch. He assigned as + one reason for this that he wanted to read Kuenen's works. + But as the only one of these that he had was in his library + already, having come to him from the effects of a deceased + friend, it is possible that this was just an unconscious + excuse on his part for indulging in the luxury of learning a + new language—that he read Kuenen in order to learn + Dutch, instead of learning Dutch in order to read Kuenen. + However, his knowledge of the language enabled him to follow + closely a movement which excited his interest in no common + degree, viz. the secession of a large evangelical party from + the rationalistic State Church of Holland, under Abraham + Kuyper, the present Prime Minister of that country, and their + organisation into a Free Presbyterian Church. + </p> + <p> + Other languages at which he worked during this period were + Spanish, of which he acquired the rudiments during his tour + in California; and Dano-Norwegian, which he picked up during + a month's residence at Christiania in 1877, and furbished for + a meeting of the Evangelical Alliance at Copenhagen in 1884. + All this time he was pursuing his Patristic and other + historical studies with unflagging vigour, always writing new + lectures, always maintaining his love of abstract knowledge + and his eager desire to add to his already vast stores of + learning. When, a year and a half before his death, a vacancy + occurred in the Church History chair in the College, he + stepped into the breach and delivered a course of lectures on + the Fathers, which took his class by storm. + </p> + <p> + "His manner," says one who heard these lectures, "was quite + different in the Church History classroom from what it was in + that of Systematic Theology. In the latter he taught like a + man who felt wearied and old; but in the former he showed a + surprising freshness and enthusiasm. It was delightful to see + him in the Church History class forgetting age and care, and + away back in spirit with Origen and his other old friends." + </p> + <p> + These lectures, while abounding in searching and masterly + criticism of doctrinal views, are specially noticeable for + their delineation of the living power of Christianity as + exhibited in the men and the times with which they deal. This + was the aspect of Christian truth which had all along + attracted him. It was what had determined his choice of the + ministry as the main work of his life, and in his later years + it still asserted its power over him. Although he had now no + longer a ministerial charge of his own, he could not separate + himself from the active work of the Church—he could not + withdraw from contact with the Christian life which it + manifested. + </p> + <p> + During the winter months he preached a good deal in + Edinburgh, especially by way of helping young or weak + congregations, more than one of which he had at different + times under his immediate care until they had been lifted out + of the worst of their difficulties. In summer he ranged over + the whole United Presbyterian Church from Shetland to + Galloway, preaching to great gatherings wherever he went. In + arranging these expeditions, he always gave the preference to + those applications which came to him from poor, outlying, and + sparsely peopled districts, where discouragements were + greatest and the struggle to "maintain ordinances" was most + severe. His visits helped to lift the burden from many a + weary back, and never failed to leave happy and inspiring + memories behind them. Among these summer engagements he + always kept a place for his old congregation at Berwick, + which he regularly visited in the month of June, preaching + twice in the church on Sunday, and finishing the day's work + by preaching again from the steps of the Town Hall in the + evening. On these occasions the broad High Street, at the + foot of which the Town Hall stands, was always crowded from + side to side and a long way up its course, while all the + windows within earshot were thrown open and filled with eager + listeners. + </p> + <p> + In this continual pursuit of knowledge, and in the + contemplation, whether in history or in the world around him, + of Christianity as a Life, his main interests more and more + lay. In the one we can trace the influence of Hamilton, in + the other perhaps that of Neander—the two teachers of + his youth who had most deeply impressed him. Relatively to + these, Systematic Theology, and even Apologetics, receded + into the background. Secure in his "<i>aliquid + inconcussum</i>," he came increasingly to regard the life of + the individual Christian and the collective life of the + Church as the most convincing of all witnesses to the Unseen + and the Supernatural. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile the apologetic of his own life was becoming ever + more impressive. In the years 1886 and 1887 he lost by death + several of his dearest friends. In the former year died Dr. + W.B. Robertson of Irvine; and, later, Dr. John Ker, who had + been his fellow-student at the University and at the Divinity + Hall, his neighbour at Alnwick in the early Berwick days, and + at last his colleague as a professor in the United + Presbyterian College. In the early part of the following year + his youngest sister, Agnes, who with her husband, the Rev. + J.C. Meiklejohn, had come to live in Edinburgh two years + before for the better treatment of what proved to be a mortal + disease, passed away. And in the autumn he lost the last and + the dearest of the friends that had been left to him in these + later years, William Graham. These losses brought him yet + closer than he had been before to the unseen and eternal + world. + </p> + <p> + He was habitually reticent about his inner life and his + habits of devotion. No one knew his times of prayer or how + long they lasted. Once, indeed, his simplicity of character + betrayed him in regard to this matter. The door of his + retiring-room at the College was without a key, and he would + not give so much trouble as to ask for one. So, in order that + he might be quite undisturbed, he piled up some forms and + chairs against the door on the inside, forgetting entirely + that the upper part of it was obscure glass and that his + barricade was perfectly visible from without. It need not be + said that no one interrupted him or interfered with his + belief that he had been unobserved by any human eye. But it + did not require an accidental disclosure like this to reveal + the fact that he spent much time in prayer. No one who knew + him ever so little could doubt this, and no one could hear + him praying in public without feeling sure that he had + learned how to do it by long experience in the school of + private devotion. + </p> + <p> + Purified thus by trial and nourished by prayer, his character + went on developing and deepening. His humility, utterly + unaffected, like everything else about him, became if + possible more marked. He was not merely willing to take the + lowest room, but far happiest when he was allowed to take it. + In one of his classes there was a blind student, and, when a + written examination came on, the question arose, How was he + to take part in it? Principal Cairns offered to write down + the answers to the examination questions to his student's + dictation, and it was only after lengthened argument and + extreme reluctance on his part that he was led to see that + the authorities would not consent to this arrangement. + </p> + <p> + It was the same with his charity. He was always putting + favourable constructions on people's motives and believing + good things of them, even when other people could find very + little ground for doing so. In all sincerity he would carry + this sometimes to amusing lengths. Reference has been made to + this already, but the following further illustration of it + may be added here. One day, when in company with a friend, + the conversation turned on a meeting at which Dr. Cairns had + recently been present. At this meeting there was a large + array of speakers, and a time limit had to be imposed to + allow all of them to be heard. One of the speakers, however, + when arrested by the chairman's bell, appealed to the + audience, with whom he was getting on extremely well, for + more time. Encouraged by their applause, he went on and + finished his speech, with the result that some of his + fellow-speakers who had come long distances to address the + meeting were crushed into a corner, if not crowded out. Dr. + Cairns somehow suspected that his friend was going to say + something strong about this speaker's conduct, and, before a + word could be spoken, rushed to his defence. "He couldn't + help himself. He was at the mercy of that shouting + audience—a most unmannerly mob!" And then, feeling that + he had rather overshot the mark, he added in a parenthetic + murmur, "Excellent Christian people they were, no doubt!" + </p> + <p> + But not the least noticeable thing about him remains to be + mentioned—the persistent hopefulness of his outlook. + This became always more pronounced as he grew older. Others, + when they saw the advancing forces of evil, might tremble for + the Ark of God; but he saw no occasion for trembling, and he + declined to do so. He was sure that the great struggle that + was going on was bound sooner or later, and rather sooner + than later, to issue in victory for the cause he loved. And + although his great knowledge of the past, and his enthusiasm + for the great men who had lived in it, might have been + expected to draw his eyes to it with regretful longing, he + liked much better to look forward than to look back, using as + he did so the words of a favourite motto; "The best is yet to + be." + </p> + <p> + All these qualities found expression in a speech he delivered + on the occasion of the presentation of his portrait to the + United Presbyterian Synod in May 1888. This portrait had been + subscribed for by the ministers and laymen of the Church, and + painted by Mr. W.E. Lockhart, R.S.A. The presentation took + place in a crowded house, and amid a scene of enthusiasm + which no one who witnessed it can ever forget. Principal + Cairns concluded a brief address thus: "I have now preached + for forty-three years and have been a Professor of Theology + for more than twenty, and I find every year how much grander + the gospel of the grace of God becomes, and how much deeper, + vaster, and more unsearchable the riches of Christ, which it + is the function of theology to explore. I have had in this + and in other churches a band of ministerial brethren, older + and younger, with whom it has been a life-long privilege to + be associated; and in the professors a body of colleagues so + generous and loving that greater harmony could not be + conceived. The congregations to which I have preached have + far overpaid my labours; and the students whom I have taught + have given me more lessons than many books. I have been + allowed many opportunities of mingling with Christians of + other lands, and have learned, I trust, something more of the + unity in diversity of the creed, 'I believe in the Holy + Catholic Church.' In that true Church, founded on Christ's + sacrifice and washed in His blood, cheered by its glorious + memories and filled with its immortal hopes, I desire to live + and die. Life and labour cannot last long with me; but I + would seek to work to the end for Christian truth, for + Christian missions, and for Christian union. Amidst so many + undeserved favours, I would still thank God and take courage, + and under the weight of all anxieties and failures, and the + shadows of separation from loved friends, I would repeat the + confession, which, by the grace of God, time only confirms: + '<i>In Te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum</i>.'" + </p><a name="2HCH14"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI + </h2> + <h3> + THE END OF THE DAY + </h3> + <p> + In May 1891 the report of an inquiry which had been + instituted in the previous year into the working of the + United Presbyterian College was submitted to the Synod. The + portion of it which referred to Principal Cairns's + department, and which was enthusiastically approved, + concluded as follows: "The Committee would only add that the + whole present inquiry has deepened its sense of the immense + value of the services of Dr. Cairns to the College, both as + Professor and as Principal, and expresses the hope that he + may be long spared to adorn the institution of which he is + the honoured head, and the Church of which he is so + distinguished a representative." The hope thus expressed was + not to be fulfilled. + </p> + <p> + The specially heavy work of the preceding session—the + session in which, as already described, he had undertaken + part of the work of the Church History class in addition to + the full tale of his own—had overtaxed his strength, + and, acting on the advice of Dr. Maclagan and his Edinburgh + medical adviser, he had cancelled all his engagements for the + summer. Almost immediately after the close of the Synod an + old ailment which he had contracted by over-exertion during a + holiday tour in Wales reappeared, and yielded only partially + to surgical treatment. But he maintained his cheerfulness, + and neither he nor his friends had any thought that his work + was done. In the month of July he paid a visit to his brother + David at Stitchel. He had opened his brother's new church + there thirteen years before, and it had come to be a standing + engagement, looked forward to by very many in the district, + that he should conduct special services every year on the + anniversary of that occasion. But these annual visits were + very brief, and they were broken into not only by the duties + of the Sunday, but by the hospitalities usual in country + manses at such times. This time, however, there were no + anniversary sermons to be preached; he had come for rest, and + there was no need for him to hasten his departure. The + weather was lovely, and so were the views over the wide + valley of the Tweed to the distant Cheviots. He would sit for + hours reading under the great elm-tree in the garden amid the + scents of the summer flowers. "I have come in to tell you," + he said one day to his sister-in-law, "that this is a day + which has wandered out of Paradise." "We younger people," + wrote his niece, "came nearer to him than ever before. He was + as happy as a child, rejoicing with every increase of + strength. He greatly enjoyed my brother Willie's singing, + especially songs like Sheriff Nicolson's 'Skye' and Shairp's + 'Bush aboon Traquair.' We were astonished to find how + familiar he was with all sorts of queer out-of-the-way + ballads. Never had we seen him so free from care, so genial + and even jubilant."<a href="#note-21">21</a> The summer + Sacrament took place while he was at Stitchel, and he was + able to give a brief address to the communicants from the + words, "Ye do shew forth the Lord's death till He come," in a + voice that was weak and tremulous, but all the more + impressive on that account. One of his brother's elders, a + farmer in the neighbourhood whom he had known since his + schooldays, had arranged that he should address his + work-people in the farmhouse, and to this quiet rural + gathering he preached what proved to be his last sermon. + </p> + <p> + He himself, however, had no idea that this was the case; and + when he left Stitchel he did so with the purpose of preparing + for the work of another session. But as the autumn advanced + and his health did not greatly improve, another consultation + of his doctors was held, the result of which was that he was + pronounced to be suffering from cardiac weakness, and quite + unfit for the work of the coming winter. He at once + acquiesced in this verdict, and, with unabated cheerfulness, + set himself to bring his lectures into a state that would + admit of their being easily read to his classes by two + friends who had undertaken this duty. This done, he wrote out + in full the Greek texts—some five hundred in + all—quoted in his lectures on Biblical Theology. These + two tasks kept him busy until about the end of the year 1891, + when he began an undertaking which many of his friends had + long been urging upon him—the preparation of a volume + of his sermons for the press. He selected for this purpose + those sermons which he had preached most frequently, and + which he had, with few exceptions, originally written for + sacramental occasions at Berwick—some of them far back + in the old Golden Square days. These he carefully + transcribed, altering them where he thought this necessary, + and not always, in the opinion of many, improving them in the + process. + </p> + <p> + He found that his strength was not unduly strained when he + worked thus six or seven hours a day. But he always, as + hitherto, spent one hour daily in reading the Scriptures in + the original tongues, in which time he could get through + three pages of Hebrew and an indefinite quantity of Greek. + There was, however, one change in his habits which had become + necessary. He was forbidden by the doctors to study at night. + And so, instead of going upstairs in the evening, he remained + in the comfortable parlour, where he wrote his letters, + talked to his brother and sister, or to visitors as they came + in, and regaled himself with light literature. This last + consisted sometimes of volumes of the Fathers, but more + frequently of the Koran in the original. He would frequently + read aloud extracts, translating from the Greek and Latin + without ever pausing for a word; as regards the Arabic, he + had Sale's translation at hand to help him through a tough + passage, but he was always a very proud man when he could + find his way out of a difficulty without its aid. + </p> + <p> + As the winter advanced he felt that it was desirable that he + should have another medical opinion, so that, in the event of + his further incapacity, the Synod at its approaching meeting + might make permanent arrangements for carrying on the work of + his chair. On the 19th of February he was examined by Drs. + Maclagan, Webster, and G.W. Balfour, who certified that he + was "unfit for the discharge of any professional duty." After + consulting his relatives, he decided to resign his + Professorship and the Principalship of the College, and on + the 23rd a letter intimating this intention was drafted and + despatched. The committee to which it was sent received it + with great regret, and a unanimous feeling found expression + that, at anyrate, he should retain the office of Principal. + This was echoed from every part of the United Presbyterian + Church as soon as the news of his contemplated resignation + became known; and in a wider circle adequate utterance was + given to the public sympathy and regard. + </p> + <p> + On the 3rd of March he was able to preside at the annual + conversazione of his students, when he was in such genial + spirits, and seemed to be so well, that humorous references + were made by more than one speaker to his approaching + resignation as clearly unnecessary, and indeed preposterous. + On the following Saturday he travelled to Galashiels to + attend the funeral of his cousin John Murray, whose room he + had shared during his first session at the University, and in + his prayer at the funeral service he referred in touching + terms to the close of their life-long friendship. Returning + to Edinburgh, he went to stay till Monday with an old friend, + whose house afforded him facilities for attending the + communion service at Broughton Place Church next day. For + although this church, which he had attended as a student, and + of which he had been a member since he came to live in + Edinburgh, was more than two miles distant from Spence + Street, his Puritan training and convictions with regard to + the Sabbath would never allow him to go to it in a cab. + </p> + <p> + On reaching home next week he resumed his work of + transcription, and went on with it till Thursday, when, after + taking a short walk, he became somewhat unwell. Next day he + felt better, and did some writing in the forenoon; but in the + afternoon the illness returned, and he went to bed. In the + early hours of next morning, Saturday 12th March, his sister, + who was watching beside him, saw that a change was coming, + and summoned Mr. and Mrs. David Cairns, who had fortunately + arrived the evening before. His brother William, on account + of his bodily infirmity, remained below. The end was + evidently near, but he was conscious at intervals, and his + voice when he spoke was clear and firm. "You are very ill, + John," said his brother. "Oh no," he replied, "I feel much + better." "But you are in good hands?" "Yes, in the best of + hands." Then his mind began to wander, and he spoke more + brokenly: "There is a great battle to fight, but the victory + is sure ... God in Christ ... Good men must unite and + identify themselves with the cause." "What cause?" asked his + brother. "The cause of God," he replied. "If they do so, the + victory is sure; otherwise, all is confusion ... I have + stated the matter; I leave it with you." Then, after a short + pause, he suddenly said, "You go first, I follow." These + eminently characteristic words were the last he spoke, and as + David knelt and prayed at his bedside death came. + </p> + <p> + The impression produced on the public mind by his life and + character, and called into vivid consciousness by the news of + his death, found memorable expression on his funeral day, + Thursday 17th March. It had been the original intention of + his relatives that the funeral arrangements should be carried + out as simply as possible, with a service in Rosehall Church, + which was close at hand, for those who desired to attend it, + and thereafter a quiet walk down to Echo Bank Cemetery, where + he was to rest beside his sister Agnes. It was thought that + this would be most in accordance with his characteristic + humility and shrinking from all that savoured of display. But + the public feeling refused to be satisfied with this idea, + and the relatives gave way. + </p> + <p> + The Synod Hall of the United Presbyterian Church, to which + the coffin had been removed in the early part of the day, and + which holds three thousand, was crowded to its utmost + capacity. The Moderator of Synod presided, and beside him on + the platform were the Lord Provost, Magistrates and Council + of the city, the Principal and Professors of the University, + the Principal and Professors of the New College, and many + other dignitaries. In the body of the hall were seated, row + behind row, the members of the United Presbyterian Synod, who + had come from all parts of the country, drawn by affection as + well as veneration for him of whom their Church had been so + proud. Along with them was a very large number of ministers + of the other Scottish Churches, and representatives of public + bodies. The galleries were thronged with the general public. + The brief service was of that simple and moving kind with + which Presbyterian Scotland is wont to commemorate her dead. + There was no funeral oration, and the prayers, which were led + by Dr. Macgregor, the Moderator of the Established Church + General Assembly, by Principal Rainy, and by Dr. Andrew + Thomson, while full of the sense of personal loss, gave + expression to the deep thankfulness felt by all present that + such a life had been lived, and lived for so long, among + them. One incident created a deep impression. After the + coffin had been removed, the various representative bodies + successively left the hall to take their places in the + procession that was being marshalled without. "Wallace Green + Church, Berwick" was called. Then a great company of men rose + to their feet, showing that, after an absence of sixteen + years, their old minister still retained his hold on the + affections of the people among whom he had lived and worked + so long. + </p> + <p> + Outside the hall the scenes were even more impressive, and + were declared by those whose memories went back for half a + century to have been unparalleled in Edinburgh since the + funeral of Dr. Chalmers, in 1847. Along the whole of the + three miles between the Synod Hall and Echo Bank Cemetery + traffic was suspended, flags were at half-mast, and all the + shops were closed. As the procession, which was itself fully + a mile in length, made its slow way along, the crowds which + lined the pavements, filled the windows, and covered the tops + of the arrested tramway cars, reverently saluted the coffin. + When the gates of the University were passed, not a few + thought of the time, more than fifty-seven years before, when + he who was now being borne to his grave amid such great + demonstrations of public homage, came up a shy, awkward + country lad to begin within these walls the life of strenuous + toil that had now closed. How much had passed since then! How + great was the contrast between the two scenes! A little + later, when the procession passed down the Dalkeith Road, + everyone turned instinctively to the house in Spence Street, + where he had lived his simple and godly life, unconscious + that the eyes of men were upon him. As the afternoon shadows + were lengthening he was laid in his grave; and many of those + who stood near felt that a great blank had come into their + lives, and that Scotland and the Church were the poorer for + the loss of him who had followed his Master in simplicity of + heart and had counted cheap those honours which the world so + greatly desires.<a href="#note-22">22</a> + </p> + <p> + It is difficult to count up the gains and losses of a life. + He had great gifts,—gifts of abstract thinking and + writing, powers of scholarly research and continuous + labour,—but his life had followed another path + determined by his early choice. Was this choice a wise one? + It is difficult to say. But two things seem clear. One is + that he never appears to have regretted it. At the public + service in the Synod Hall, Principal Rainy gave thanks for + "those seventy-four years of happy life." These words are + entirely true. His life was an exceptionally happy one. This + surely means a great deal. If he had missed his true + vocation, he could not have had this happiness. + </p> + <p> + The second noticeable point is, that his choice made the + influence of his personality strong throughout Scotland. He + seems to have recognised that his true home lay in the region + of Christian faith and works, in the great common life of the + Church; and so he made his appeal, not to the limited number + of those who could read a learned theological treatise which + the changing fortunes of the battle with Unbelief might soon + have put out of date, but to the common heart of the whole + Church. That great assemblage from all parts of the country + on his funeral day was the response to this appeal, and the + best answer to the question as to whether he had erred in the + choice of a calling and wasted his powers. Waste there + undoubtedly was. In every life this cannot but be so, for a + man must limit himself; but, if it be for a high end, the + renunciation will be blessed with some fruit of good. And so, + although the memory and the name of John Cairns may become + fainter as the years and generations pass, his influence will + live on in the Christian Church, to whose ideal of goodness + he brought the contribution of his character. + </p><a name="2H_4_15"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + <i>Footnotes</i> + </h2><a name="note-1"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>1</u> <i>Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton</i>, p. 231. + </p><a name="note-2"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>2</u> <i>Fragments of College and Pastoral Life</i>, pp. + 24-25. + </p><a name="note-3"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>3</u> <i>Life and Letters</i>, pp. 94-95. + </p><a name="note-4"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>4</u> It would appear that it was not an uncommon custom + in Scotland in former times to have family worship + immediately after a death. Perhaps, too, this verse from the + 107th Psalm was the one usually sung on such occasions. There + may be a reminiscence of this, due to its author's Seceder + training, in a passage in Carlyle's <i>Oliver Cromwell</i>, + where, after describing the Protector's death, and the grief + of his daughter Lady Fauconberg, he goes on to say, "Husht + poor weeping Mary! Here is a Life-battle right nobly done. + Seest thou not + </p> + <pre> + 'The storm is changed into a calm + At his command and will; + So that the waves that raged before, + Now quiet are and still. + + Then are <i>they</i> glad, because at rest + And quiet now they be: + So to the haven he them brings, + Which they desired to see.'" +</pre><a name="note-5"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>5</u> Afterwards author of a learned but fantastic + Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Biesenthal had an + enthusiastic reverence for what in the hands of others were + the dry details of Hebrew Grammar. "Herr Doctor," a dense + pupil once asked him, "ought there not to be a Daghesh in + that Tau?" "God forbid!" was the horrified reply. + </p><a name="note-6"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>6</u> Some words are very hard to pronounce with a burr in + one's throat. Dr. Cairns used to tell that on one occasion, + long after he had got well used to the sound of the Berwick + speech, he was under the belief that a man with whom he was + conversing was talking about a <i>boy</i> until he discovered + from the context that his theme was a <i>brewery</i>. + </p><a name="note-7"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>7</u> <i>Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton</i>, pp. 299-301. + </p><a name="note-8"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>8</u> <i>Macmillan's Magazine</i>, December 1864, p. 139. + </p><a name="note-9"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>9</u> <i>Recent British Philosophy</i>, pp. 265-66. + </p><a name="note-10"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>10</u> See above, pp. 44-45. + </p><a name="note-11"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>11</u> <i>Life and Letters</i>, p. 307. + </p><a name="note-12"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>12</u> <i>Fragments of College and Pastoral Life</i>, pp. + 38-40. + </p><a name="note-13"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>13</u> <i>Life and Letters</i>, p. 295. + </p><a name="note-14"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>14</u> His eldest brother, Thomas, had died from the + effects of an accident in 1856. + </p><a name="note-15"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>15</u> In accordance with the old Scottish custom, Dr. + Cairns wore gloves during the "preliminary exercises," but + took them off before beginning the sermon. On the Sunday + after a funeral he discarded his Geneva gown in the forenoon, + and, as a mark of respect to the deceased, wore over his + swallow-tail coat the huge black silk sash which it was then + customary in Berwick to send to the minister on such + occasions. + </p><a name="note-16"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>16</u> <i>Life and Letters</i>, p. 560. + </p><a name="note-17"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>17</u> "All fair things be thine." + </p><a name="note-18"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>18</u> <i>Life and Letters</i>, p. 661. + </p><a name="note-19"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>19</u> In the following year (1882) he received the degree + of LL.D. from Edinburgh University. + </p><a name="note-20"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>20</u> <i>Life and Letters</i>, p. 743. + </p><a name="note-21"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>21</u> <i>Life and Letters</i>, p, 769. + </p><a name="note-22"><!--Note--></a> + <p class="foot"> + <u>22</u> Six years later the sister who had so long lived + with him was laid in the same grave. William Cairns sleeps + with his kindred in Cockburnspath churchyard. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + + <div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11113 ***</div> +</body> +</html> |