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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/11113-0.txt b/11113-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ffa3f97 --- /dev/null +++ b/11113-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4235 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11113 *** + +PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + +BY JOHN CAIRNS + + +FAMOUS SCOTS SERIES + + + + +The designs and ornaments of this volume are by Mr. Joseph Brown, and +the printing is from the press of Morrison & Gibb Limited, Edinburgh. + + + + +PREFACE + + +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 _Life and Letters of John Cairns, +D.D. LL.D._ They are very full and very interesting, and I have made +free use of them. + +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 _Life and Letters_--and there are many who, like Mr. +Andrew Lang with Lockhart's _Life of Scott_, "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. + +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. + +J.C. + +DUMFRIES, _20th March_ 1903. + + + + +CONTENTS + + +PREFACE + +CHAPTER I: ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD + +CHAPTER II: DUNGLASS + +CHAPTER III: COLLEGE DAYS + +CHAPTER IV: THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY + +CHAPTER V: GOLDEN SQUARE + +CHAPTER VI: THE CENTRAL PROBLEM + +CHAPTER VII: THE APOSTLE OF UNION + +CHAPTER VIII: WALLACE GREEN + +CHAPTER IX: THE PROFESSOR + +CHAPTER X: THE PRINCIPAL + +CHAPTER XI: THE END OF THE DAY + + + + +PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I + +ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD + + +John Cairns was born at Ayton Hill, in the parish of Ayton, in the east +of Berwickshire, on the 23rd of August 1818. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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 _cleeks_ 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 _dresser_ 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 _ribs_, the iron _swey_ 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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +DUNGLASS + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _gains_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _neuk_ +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. + +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. + +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." + +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 +_ousels_--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. + +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 _Decline and Fall_, Mitford's _History +of Greece_, Russell's _Modern Europe_, Butler's _Analogy_, and Paley's +_Evidences_. 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. + +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 _Journal_, sometimes from +Wilson's _Tales of the Borders_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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, _Ought_ it to be done? his mother's, _Can_ 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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +COLLEGE DAYS + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +"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." + +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. + +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." + +At the close of the session he thus records the result of his work in +one of the classes:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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 _non-ego_; 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."[1] 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 _made_ 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." + +[Footnote 1: _Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton_, p. 231.] + +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." + +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 _non-ego_, 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."[2] + +[Footnote 2: _Fragments of College and Pastoral Life_, pp. 24-25.] + +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. + +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."[3] + +[Footnote 3: _Life and Letters_, pp. 94-95.] + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY + + +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:-- + + +"DUNGLASS, _Dec_, 23,1839. + +"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." + + +"DUNGLASS, _Jan_. 5, 1840. + +"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." + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _the_ truth that is taught in this +passage." Being so, it was simply "matter in the wrong place," _dirt_ +to be cleared away as speedily as possible. + +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. + +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." + +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-- + + 'The storm is changed into a calm + At his command and will; + So that the waves that raged before, + Now quiet are and still.' + + +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."[4] + +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. + + +[Footnote 4: 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 +_Oliver Cromwell_, 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 + + '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 _they_ glad, because at rest + And quiet now they be: + So to the haven he them brings, + Which they desired to see.'" + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _semester_, 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 _locum tenens_ for four weeks in an English Independent +chapel at Hamburg, which delayed his arrival at Berlin until after +the winter _semester_ 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. + +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 _spiritus_, +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. + +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. + +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 _Heft_ 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 _Dogmatik_ and _Sittenlehre_ I value beyond +all others, and I would gladly have come to Berlin to hear him alone." + +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,[5] 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. + +[Footnote 5: 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.] + +At the close of the winter _semester_, 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. + +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." + +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." + +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 +_piccolina_ 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." + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +GOLDEN SQUARE + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _haar_. + +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 _burr_ 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 _Ba'al_, +all you have got to do is to ask any Alderman of Berwick to say +"_Barrel"_[6] + +[Footnote 6: 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 _boy_ until he discovered from the context that his theme was +a _brewery_.] + +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? + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +His action sermon, _i.e._ 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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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:-- + +"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. + +"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." + + +To which Sir W. Hamilton replied as follows:-- + +"EDINBURGH, _Dec_. 4, 1848. + +"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."[7] + +[Footnote 7: _Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton_, pp. 299-301.] + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE CENTRAL PROBLEM + + +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."[8] 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."[9] + +[Footnote 8: _Macmillan's Magazine_, December 1864, p. 139.] + +[Footnote 9: _Recent British Philosophy_, pp. 265-66.] + +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 _Rab and his Friends_ +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."[10] + +[Footnote 10: See above, pp. 44-45.] + +In 1850 the _North British Review_, 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 _Review_, 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 _Christian Doctrine of Sin_. 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 _North British_ 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 _British Quarterly Review_, the _United Presbyterian +Magazine_, and other periodicals. In 1858 appeared the important +article on "Kant," in the eighth edition of the _Encyclopedia +Britannica_, which was written at the urgent request of his friend +Adam Black, and which cost him ten months reading and preparation. + +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. + +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 _An_ _Examination of Professor Ferrier's Theory +of Knowing and Being_. 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 _John Gilpin_, 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:-- + + "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." + + +Cairns found it needful to issue a second pamphlet, _Scottish +Philosophy: a Vindication and Reply_, 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. + +Two years later George Wilson, who was now a professor in the +University, had the satisfaction of intimating to his friend that +his _alma mater_ 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. + +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. + +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. + +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."[11] + +[Footnote 11: _Life and Letters_, p. 307.] + +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. + +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 _North British_ 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. + +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:-- + +"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 _point d'appui_ which can never be overturned--an _aliquid +inconcussum_ corresponding to the '_cogito ergo sum_' 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.'"[12] + +[Footnote 12: _Fragments of College and Pastoral Life_, pp. 38-40.] + +These words contain the true explanation of Cairns's life. There was +in it the "_aliquid inconcussum_"--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? + +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 "_aliquid +inconcussum_" 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."[13] + +[Footnote 13: _Life and Letters_, p. 295.] + +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 '_aliquid inconcussum_.' +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 '_aliquid inconcussum_.'" + +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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE APOSTLE OF UNION + + +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.[14] + +[Footnote 14: His eldest brother, Thomas, had died from the effects of +an accident in 1856.] + +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 +_ethos_ 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." + +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 _Macmillan's Magazine_. 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, +_Counsels of an Invalid_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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.e._ 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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.'" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +WALLACE GREEN + + +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. + +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 _Forfarshire_. + +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 +_Instauratio Magna_, a first edition of Butler's _Analogy_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _Alcestis_ 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. + +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.[15] 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. + +[Footnote 15: 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.] + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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!" + +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. + +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. + +"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.'" + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE PROFESSOR + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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."[16] 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." + +[Footnote 16: _Life and Letters_, p. 560.] + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, 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, + + "And smoke, yea, smoke and smoke." + + +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. + +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 _snell_ 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 "[Greek: Panta ta kala soi genoito],"[17] and an +invariable injunction to "put your foot on it,"--"it" being the +spring catch by which the gate was opened. + +[Footnote 17: "All fair things be thine."] + +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. + +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. + +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 _was_ No, and that Mr. +So-and-so deserved credit for having discovered this, and for having +boldly dared to _say_ No at the risk of being misunderstood. This, of +course, is caricature; but it nevertheless sufficiently indicates his +general attitude to his students. + +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.! + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _Voluntary Church Magazine_, 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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE PRINCIPAL + + +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 _Confession of Faith_ +and the _Larger and Shorter Catechisms_. 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. + +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. + +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 _Confession_, 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. + +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. + +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."[18] 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." + +[Footnote 18: _Life and Letters_, p. 661.] + +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.[19] + +[Footnote 19: In the following year (1882) he received the degree of +LL.D. from Edinburgh University.] + +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. + +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 _Life and Letters_ +the names of Darwin and Herbert Spencer do not occur, and even in an +Apologetic tract entitled _Is the Evolution of Christianity from mere +Natural Sources Credible_? 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 _History +of Dogma_. + +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:-- + +"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.'"[20] + +[Footnote 20: _Life and Letters_, p. 743.] + +Another of his students, referring to the same lectures, writes as +follows:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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 "_aliquid inconcussum_," +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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!" + +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." + +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: +'_In Te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum_.'" + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +THE END OF THE DAY + + +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. + +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."[21] 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. + +[Footnote 21: _Life and Letters_, p, 769.] + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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.[22] + +[Footnote 22: 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.] + +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. + +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. + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Principal Cairns, by John Cairns + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11113 *** 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> diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ab58a59 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #11113 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11113) diff --git a/old/11113-8.txt b/old/11113-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..71eb347 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/11113-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4659 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Principal Cairns, by John Cairns + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Principal Cairns + +Author: John Cairns + +Release Date: February 16, 2004 [EBook #11113] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRINCIPAL CAIRNS *** + + + + +Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + + + + + + +PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + +BY JOHN CAIRNS + + +FAMOUS SCOTS SERIES + + + + +The designs and ornaments of this volume are by Mr. Joseph Brown, and +the printing is from the press of Morrison & Gibb Limited, Edinburgh. + + + + +PREFACE + + +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 _Life and Letters of John Cairns, +D.D. LL.D._ They are very full and very interesting, and I have made +free use of them. + +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 _Life and Letters_--and there are many who, like Mr. +Andrew Lang with Lockhart's _Life of Scott_, "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. + +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. + +J.C. + +DUMFRIES, _20th March_ 1903. + + + + +CONTENTS + + +PREFACE + +CHAPTER I: ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD + +CHAPTER II: DUNGLASS + +CHAPTER III: COLLEGE DAYS + +CHAPTER IV: THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY + +CHAPTER V: GOLDEN SQUARE + +CHAPTER VI: THE CENTRAL PROBLEM + +CHAPTER VII: THE APOSTLE OF UNION + +CHAPTER VIII: WALLACE GREEN + +CHAPTER IX: THE PROFESSOR + +CHAPTER X: THE PRINCIPAL + +CHAPTER XI: THE END OF THE DAY + + + + +PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I + +ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD + + +John Cairns was born at Ayton Hill, in the parish of Ayton, in the east +of Berwickshire, on the 23rd of August 1818. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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 _cleeks_ 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 _dresser_ 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 _ribs_, the iron _swey_ 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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +DUNGLASS + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _gains_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _neuk_ +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. + +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. + +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." + +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 +_ousels_--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. + +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 _Decline and Fall_, Mitford's _History +of Greece_, Russell's _Modern Europe_, Butler's _Analogy_, and Paley's +_Evidences_. 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. + +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 _Journal_, sometimes from +Wilson's _Tales of the Borders_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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, _Ought_ it to be done? his mother's, _Can_ 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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +COLLEGE DAYS + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +"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." + +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. + +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." + +At the close of the session he thus records the result of his work in +one of the classes:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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 _non-ego_; 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."[1] 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 _made_ 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." + +[Footnote 1: _Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton_, p. 231.] + +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." + +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 _non-ego_, 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."[2] + +[Footnote 2: _Fragments of College and Pastoral Life_, pp. 24-25.] + +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. + +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."[3] + +[Footnote 3: _Life and Letters_, pp. 94-95.] + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY + + +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:-- + + +"DUNGLASS, _Dec_, 23,1839. + +"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." + + +"DUNGLASS, _Jan_. 5, 1840. + +"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." + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _the_ truth that is taught in this +passage." Being so, it was simply "matter in the wrong place," _dirt_ +to be cleared away as speedily as possible. + +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. + +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." + +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-- + + 'The storm is changed into a calm + At his command and will; + So that the waves that raged before, + Now quiet are and still.' + + +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."[4] + +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. + + +[Footnote 4: 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 +_Oliver Cromwell_, 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 + + '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 _they_ glad, because at rest + And quiet now they be: + So to the haven he them brings, + Which they desired to see.'" + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _semester_, 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 _locum tenens_ for four weeks in an English Independent +chapel at Hamburg, which delayed his arrival at Berlin until after +the winter _semester_ 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. + +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 _spiritus_, +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. + +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. + +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 _Heft_ 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 _Dogmatik_ and _Sittenlehre_ I value beyond +all others, and I would gladly have come to Berlin to hear him alone." + +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,[5] 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. + +[Footnote 5: 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.] + +At the close of the winter _semester_, 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. + +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." + +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." + +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 +_piccolina_ 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." + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +GOLDEN SQUARE + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _haar_. + +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 _burr_ 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 _Ba'al_, +all you have got to do is to ask any Alderman of Berwick to say +"_Barrel"_[6] + +[Footnote 6: 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 _boy_ until he discovered from the context that his theme was +a _brewery_.] + +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? + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +His action sermon, _i.e._ 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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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:-- + +"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. + +"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." + + +To which Sir W. Hamilton replied as follows:-- + +"EDINBURGH, _Dec_. 4, 1848. + +"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."[7] + +[Footnote 7: _Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton_, pp. 299-301.] + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE CENTRAL PROBLEM + + +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."[8] 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."[9] + +[Footnote 8: _Macmillan's Magazine_, December 1864, p. 139.] + +[Footnote 9: _Recent British Philosophy_, pp. 265-66.] + +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 _Rab and his Friends_ +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."[10] + +[Footnote 10: See above, pp. 44-45.] + +In 1850 the _North British Review_, 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 _Review_, 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 _Christian Doctrine of Sin_. 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 _North British_ 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 _British Quarterly Review_, the _United Presbyterian +Magazine_, and other periodicals. In 1858 appeared the important +article on "Kant," in the eighth edition of the _Encyclopedia +Britannica_, which was written at the urgent request of his friend +Adam Black, and which cost him ten months reading and preparation. + +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. + +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 _An_ _Examination of Professor Ferrier's Theory +of Knowing and Being_. 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 _John Gilpin_, 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:-- + + "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." + + +Cairns found it needful to issue a second pamphlet, _Scottish +Philosophy: a Vindication and Reply_, 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. + +Two years later George Wilson, who was now a professor in the +University, had the satisfaction of intimating to his friend that +his _alma mater_ 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. + +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. + +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. + +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."[11] + +[Footnote 11: _Life and Letters_, p. 307.] + +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. + +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 _North British_ 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. + +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:-- + +"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 _point d'appui_ which can never be overturned--an _aliquid +inconcussum_ corresponding to the '_cogito ergo sum_' 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.'"[12] + +[Footnote 12: _Fragments of College and Pastoral Life_, pp. 38-40.] + +These words contain the true explanation of Cairns's life. There was +in it the "_aliquid inconcussum_"--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? + +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 "_aliquid +inconcussum_" 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."[13] + +[Footnote 13: _Life and Letters_, p. 295.] + +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 '_aliquid inconcussum_.' +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 '_aliquid inconcussum_.'" + +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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE APOSTLE OF UNION + + +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.[14] + +[Footnote 14: His eldest brother, Thomas, had died from the effects of +an accident in 1856.] + +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 +_ethos_ 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." + +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 _Macmillan's Magazine_. 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, +_Counsels of an Invalid_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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.e._ 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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.'" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +WALLACE GREEN + + +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. + +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 _Forfarshire_. + +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 +_Instauratio Magna_, a first edition of Butler's _Analogy_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _Alcestis_ 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. + +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.[15] 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. + +[Footnote 15: 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.] + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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!" + +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. + +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. + +"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.'" + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE PROFESSOR + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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."[16] 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." + +[Footnote 16: _Life and Letters_, p. 560.] + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, 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, + + "And smoke, yea, smoke and smoke." + + +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. + +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 _snell_ 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 "[Greek: Panta ta kala soi genoito],"[17] and an +invariable injunction to "put your foot on it,"--"it" being the +spring catch by which the gate was opened. + +[Footnote 17: "All fair things be thine."] + +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. + +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. + +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 _was_ No, and that Mr. +So-and-so deserved credit for having discovered this, and for having +boldly dared to _say_ No at the risk of being misunderstood. This, of +course, is caricature; but it nevertheless sufficiently indicates his +general attitude to his students. + +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.! + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _Voluntary Church Magazine_, 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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE PRINCIPAL + + +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 _Confession of Faith_ +and the _Larger and Shorter Catechisms_. 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. + +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. + +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 _Confession_, 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. + +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. + +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."[18] 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." + +[Footnote 18: _Life and Letters_, p. 661.] + +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.[19] + +[Footnote 19: In the following year (1882) he received the degree of +LL.D. from Edinburgh University.] + +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. + +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 _Life and Letters_ +the names of Darwin and Herbert Spencer do not occur, and even in an +Apologetic tract entitled _Is the Evolution of Christianity from mere +Natural Sources Credible_? 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 _History +of Dogma_. + +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:-- + +"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.'"[20] + +[Footnote 20: _Life and Letters_, p. 743.] + +Another of his students, referring to the same lectures, writes as +follows:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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 "_aliquid inconcussum_," +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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!" + +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." + +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: +'_In Te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum_.'" + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +THE END OF THE DAY + + +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. + +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."[21] 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. + +[Footnote 21: _Life and Letters_, p, 769.] + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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.[22] + +[Footnote 22: 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.] + +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. + +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. + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Principal Cairns, by John Cairns + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRINCIPAL CAIRNS *** + +***** This file should be named 11113-8.txt or 11113-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/1/1/1/11113/ + +Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Principal Cairns + +Author: John Cairns + +Release Date: February 16, 2004 [EBook #11113] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRINCIPAL CAIRNS *** + + + + +Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + +</pre> + + <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> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Principal Cairns, by John Cairns + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRINCIPAL CAIRNS *** + +***** This file should be named 11113-h.htm or 11113-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/1/1/1/11113/ + +Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Principal Cairns + +Author: John Cairns + +Release Date: February 16, 2004 [EBook #11113] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRINCIPAL CAIRNS *** + + + + +Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + + + + + + +PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + +BY JOHN CAIRNS + + +FAMOUS SCOTS SERIES + + + + +The designs and ornaments of this volume are by Mr. Joseph Brown, and +the printing is from the press of Morrison & Gibb Limited, Edinburgh. + + + + +PREFACE + + +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 _Life and Letters of John Cairns, +D.D. LL.D._ They are very full and very interesting, and I have made +free use of them. + +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 _Life and Letters_--and there are many who, like Mr. +Andrew Lang with Lockhart's _Life of Scott_, "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. + +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. + +J.C. + +DUMFRIES, _20th March_ 1903. + + + + +CONTENTS + + +PREFACE + +CHAPTER I: ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD + +CHAPTER II: DUNGLASS + +CHAPTER III: COLLEGE DAYS + +CHAPTER IV: THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY + +CHAPTER V: GOLDEN SQUARE + +CHAPTER VI: THE CENTRAL PROBLEM + +CHAPTER VII: THE APOSTLE OF UNION + +CHAPTER VIII: WALLACE GREEN + +CHAPTER IX: THE PROFESSOR + +CHAPTER X: THE PRINCIPAL + +CHAPTER XI: THE END OF THE DAY + + + + +PRINCIPAL CAIRNS + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I + +ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD + + +John Cairns was born at Ayton Hill, in the parish of Ayton, in the east +of Berwickshire, on the 23rd of August 1818. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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 _cleeks_ 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 _dresser_ 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 _ribs_, the iron _swey_ 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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +DUNGLASS + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 L30 a year, and they never all his life reached L40. +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 _gains_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _neuk_ +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. + +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. + +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." + +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 +_ousels_--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. + +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 _Decline and Fall_, Mitford's _History +of Greece_, Russell's _Modern Europe_, Butler's _Analogy_, and Paley's +_Evidences_. 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. + +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 _Journal_, sometimes from +Wilson's _Tales of the Borders_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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, _Ought_ it to be done? his mother's, _Can_ 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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +COLLEGE DAYS + + +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 facades, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +"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." + +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. + +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." + +At the close of the session he thus records the result of his work in +one of the classes:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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 _non-ego_; 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."[1] 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 _made_ 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." + +[Footnote 1: _Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton_, p. 231.] + +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." + +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 _non-ego_, 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."[2] + +[Footnote 2: _Fragments of College and Pastoral Life_, pp. 24-25.] + +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. + +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."[3] + +[Footnote 3: _Life and Letters_, pp. 94-95.] + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE STUDENT OF THEOLOGY + + +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:-- + + +"DUNGLASS, _Dec_, 23,1839. + +"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." + + +"DUNGLASS, _Jan_. 5, 1840. + +"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." + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _the_ truth that is taught in this +passage." Being so, it was simply "matter in the wrong place," _dirt_ +to be cleared away as speedily as possible. + +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. + +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." + +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-- + + 'The storm is changed into a calm + At his command and will; + So that the waves that raged before, + Now quiet are and still.' + + +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."[4] + +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. + + +[Footnote 4: 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 +_Oliver Cromwell_, 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 + + '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 _they_ glad, because at rest + And quiet now they be: + So to the haven he them brings, + Which they desired to see.'" + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _semester_, 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 _locum tenens_ for four weeks in an English Independent +chapel at Hamburg, which delayed his arrival at Berlin until after +the winter _semester_ 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. + +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 _spiritus_, +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. + +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. + +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 _Heft_ 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 _Dogmatik_ and _Sittenlehre_ I value beyond +all others, and I would gladly have come to Berlin to hear him alone." + +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,[5] 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. + +[Footnote 5: 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.] + +At the close of the winter _semester_, 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 +L20 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. + +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." + +At Halle he has interesting interviews with Tholuck and Julius +Mueller; 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." + +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 +_piccolina_ 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." + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +GOLDEN SQUARE + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _haar_. + +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 _burr_ 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 _Ba'al_, +all you have got to do is to ask any Alderman of Berwick to say +"_Barrel"_[6] + +[Footnote 6: 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 _boy_ until he discovered from the context that his theme was +a _brewery_.] + +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? + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +His action sermon, _i.e._ 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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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:-- + +"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. + +"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." + + +To which Sir W. Hamilton replied as follows:-- + +"EDINBURGH, _Dec_. 4, 1848. + +"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."[7] + +[Footnote 7: _Memoir of Sir W. Hamilton_, pp. 299-301.] + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE CENTRAL PROBLEM + + +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."[8] 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."[9] + +[Footnote 8: _Macmillan's Magazine_, December 1864, p. 139.] + +[Footnote 9: _Recent British Philosophy_, pp. 265-66.] + +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 _Rab and his Friends_ +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."[10] + +[Footnote 10: See above, pp. 44-45.] + +In 1850 the _North British Review_, 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 _Review_, 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 Mueller's _Christian Doctrine of Sin_. 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 _North British_ 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 _British Quarterly Review_, the _United Presbyterian +Magazine_, and other periodicals. In 1858 appeared the important +article on "Kant," in the eighth edition of the _Encyclopedia +Britannica_, which was written at the urgent request of his friend +Adam Black, and which cost him ten months reading and preparation. + +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. + +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 _An_ _Examination of Professor Ferrier's Theory +of Knowing and Being_. 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 _John Gilpin_, 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:-- + + "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." + + +Cairns found it needful to issue a second pamphlet, _Scottish +Philosophy: a Vindication and Reply_, 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. + +Two years later George Wilson, who was now a professor in the +University, had the satisfaction of intimating to his friend that +his _alma mater_ 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. + +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. + +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. + +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."[11] + +[Footnote 11: _Life and Letters_, p. 307.] + +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. + +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 _North British_ 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. + +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:-- + +"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 _point d'appui_ which can never be overturned--an _aliquid +inconcussum_ corresponding to the '_cogito ergo sum_' 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.'"[12] + +[Footnote 12: _Fragments of College and Pastoral Life_, pp. 38-40.] + +These words contain the true explanation of Cairns's life. There was +in it the "_aliquid inconcussum_"--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? + +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 "_aliquid +inconcussum_" 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."[13] + +[Footnote 13: _Life and Letters_, p. 295.] + +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 '_aliquid inconcussum_.' +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 '_aliquid inconcussum_.'" + +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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE APOSTLE OF UNION + + +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.[14] + +[Footnote 14: His eldest brother, Thomas, had died from the effects of +an accident in 1856.] + +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 +_ethos_ 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." + +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 _Macmillan's Magazine_. 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, +_Counsels of an Invalid_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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.e._ 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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.'" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +WALLACE GREEN + + +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. + +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 _Forfarshire_. + +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 +_Instauratio Magna_, a first edition of Butler's _Analogy_, 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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _Alcestis_ 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. + +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.[15] 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. + +[Footnote 15: 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.] + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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!" + +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. + +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. + +"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.'" + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE PROFESSOR + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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."[16] 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." + +[Footnote 16: _Life and Letters_, p. 560.] + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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 _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, 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, + + "And smoke, yea, smoke and smoke." + + +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. + +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 _snell_ 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 "[Greek: Panta ta kala soi genoito],"[17] and an +invariable injunction to "put your foot on it,"--"it" being the +spring catch by which the gate was opened. + +[Footnote 17: "All fair things be thine."] + +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. + +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. + +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 _was_ No, and that Mr. +So-and-so deserved credit for having discovered this, and for having +boldly dared to _say_ No at the risk of being misunderstood. This, of +course, is caricature; but it nevertheless sufficiently indicates his +general attitude to his students. + +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.! + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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 _Voluntary Church Magazine_, 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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE PRINCIPAL + + +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 _Confession of Faith_ +and the _Larger and Shorter Catechisms_. 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. + +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. + +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 _Confession_, 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. + +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. + +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."[18] 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." + +[Footnote 18: _Life and Letters_, p. 661.] + +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.[19] + +[Footnote 19: In the following year (1882) he received the degree of +LL.D. from Edinburgh University.] + +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. + +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 _Life and Letters_ +the names of Darwin and Herbert Spencer do not occur, and even in an +Apologetic tract entitled _Is the Evolution of Christianity from mere +Natural Sources Credible_? 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 _History +of Dogma_. + +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:-- + +"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.'"[20] + +[Footnote 20: _Life and Letters_, p. 743.] + +Another of his students, referring to the same lectures, writes as +follows:-- + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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 "_aliquid inconcussum_," +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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!" + +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." + +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: +'_In Te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum_.'" + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +THE END OF THE DAY + + +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. + +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."[21] 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. + +[Footnote 21: _Life and Letters_, p, 769.] + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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.[22] + +[Footnote 22: 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.] + +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. + +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. + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Principal Cairns, by John Cairns + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRINCIPAL CAIRNS *** + +***** This file should be named 11113.txt or 11113.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/1/1/1/11113/ + +Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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