THE following letter from the Rev. Donald Macleod, Missionary, has been received by the Rev. Neil Cameron, Glasgow:—
BRUCEFIELD, ONTARIO,
CANADA, 31st December, 1908.
MY DEAR MR. CAMERON,—Most likely you will be very near despairing of an answer to your kind and interesting letter of 5th October, which came duly to hand. To one who knows the extent of my work and how I am situated, anything in the nature of an apology, further than to say that I have been constantly engaged and on the move, is quite unnecessary. I was very glad to hear that you were all well. It gave me great pleasure to get your account of the Church in Scotland, and of the Communion seasons.
It was also welcome intelligence to me and to all our people here that Great Britain has been saved the humiliating results, if not indeed, bloodshed, that would have followed the carrying of the Host in the streets of London. By that merciful prohibition, the honour of both the King of Kings and King Edward VII. has been upheld and kept intact, and the cause of Protestantism, let us hope, greatly strengthened. It makes one feel very sceptical of the much-vaunted charity, light, and knowledge of many in the present day, by means of which the enemies of the truth are encouraged, to see Rome waxing so bold as to dare to make such an insulting inroad upon Protestant England. “If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
As mentioned in my brief report to the Synod, the Communion was kept at Lochalsh on the last Sabbath of October. The Church there has undergone quite extensive repairs. It has been raised several feet, and now rests on a solid cement foundation. A large porch has been added, which is itself a big improvement. The plaster work was repaired, and the walls and ceiling papered with good and suitable material. Linoleum has been laid on the aisle and the pulpit made very comfortable. The general appearance both inside and outside, acoustics and comfort, have been greatly improved. I feel very much indebted to the people for putting it into its present comfortable condition for worshipping in, and for the heartiness and willingness with which it was done. A Congregational Meeting was held on the Monday night after the Communion. The funds were found to be in a very satisfactory condition, and more than able to meet the expenses of repairing the Church. On the suggestion of Mr. William Matheson, student, and the motion of Mr. Donald T. Mackenzie, seconded by Mr. Mackay, the meeting unanimously agreed to make a special collection for Rev. Mr. Radasi’s Mission on an early date. As Mr. William Matheson, and his brother, Donald Alick, are at present attending the University of Toronto, it was according to my expressed wish, moved, seconded, and agreed to, that Mr. Daniel Clark would give as many Sabbaths to Lochalsh during my absence as circumstances would allow him. Mr. Clark was at East Williams all the time that I was in Winnipeg, and several Sabbaths at Brucefield since. I was at Lochalsh for three Sabbaths including the one before and after the Communion. The attendance all the time at the various services was very good indeed. The usual week-day services were kept, and I considered the Friday meeting very precious. Friends were present from all the stations of the Mission, and from Toronto and Milwaukee, U.S.A. Miss J. M., of Brucefield, was admitted to the Lord’s Table for the first time. May God give the increase!
After visiting several friends about Ripley and Lucknow I went to Kincardine, to attend the funeral of the late Mrs. Hugh Graham. I stayed there for a few days with Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Mackenzie, after which I went to the North Line, to Mr. John Cameron’s house. I remained there for two Sabbaths. We had a good gathering on the first Sabbath, but the weather being exceptionally boisterous on the second, the attendance was much smaller. The Thanksgiving Day for the harvest was observed by a service in the church. We have not been able to do anything to the church at the North Line yet. We are trying to get a church in the town of Kincardine, but I cannot say what the result of our efforts will be. In connection with it I had, along with Mr. Hugh Graham and Mr. Hugh Mackenzie, a pleasant interview with Mr. Tolmie, M.P. for the Dominion, and he most willingly promised to do what he can for us. Mr. Clark, M.P. for Ontario, is also in favour of our getting it; but the issues are in the Lord’s hand, to whom we must, in faith and dependence, look in all matters that concern His own kingdom and our welfare.
From the North Line I went to East Williams, spending a night with Mr. and Mrs. Macrae, Kincardine, and two or three days at Brucefield on my way there, where I remained for a whole month. During that time I visited our people and kept prayer meetings in several houses. I spent a few days with Mr. McLeish, and a day and night with Mr. Scott at Lobo, where I had a prayer meeting, also making other visits while there. I visited our friends at Ailsa Craig and Nairn. Mr. Menzies and Mr. McMillan are not very strong but able to be up. Mr. David Mackenzie is keeping nicely just now, and able to be about, but Mrs. Leslie was not quite so well then. Mr. and Miss Ross, with whom I stay when there, are well, and all the other friends are in their usual. The attendance, especially at the forenoon service, on all the Sabbaths was very good. Miss Catherine Fraser, Parkhill, a member of our East Williams congregation, and sister of Mrs. Forrest, died since my first visit.
On Friday afternoon, the 18th instant, I left Parkhill by the Grand Trunk Railway, via Sarnia and Port Huron, for Detroit, U.S.A., a distance of about one hundred miles, through a country quite new to me. Towards Sarnia there are larger patches of timber than in other parts of Ontario—remains of the ancient bush—which, with the snow-covered ground, made rather a pretty sight. There the train is taken across by electric power into United States territory, through a wide, substantial tunnel dug beneath the bed of the River St. Clair, the outlet of Lake Huron into Lake St. Clair, which again empties itself by the River Detroit into Lake Erie. Port Huron, a pretty large town, is the first stop on the American side. There I had a wait of a little over an hour, and some trouble with the immigration agent, who wished to make me pay a tax of four dollars, but after a great deal of unnecessary questioning he allowed me to proceed without paying the tax. At Detroit I was met by Mr. Murdo Matheson, Lochalsh, who had come on that day from Glencoe, where he had been attending the funeral of his maternal uncle, and Miss Mackenzie, a sister of Mrs. Shupe. I stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Shupe over the week-end. On Sabbath we had an English Service in the forenoon and again at night in the Jubilee Hall. The Gaelic Service in the afternoon was held in the Central Presbyterian Church, known as the Scotch Church. There was a nice number present at both the English Services, and I should say fully three hundred at the Gaelic. At the close of the Gaelic Service so many came to shake hands with me, who either themselves or their parents left the Highlands of Scotland—especially Lewis, Skye, and Argyllshire—that before the last shake was given my arm was beginning to get tired and sore.
Detroit is a large, busy, clean, and beautiful city, with a population a few years ago of more than 285,000, and is the chief city in the State of Michigan. It has, however, one thing to be specially lamented, that is, the way the Sabbath is kept, or to better express it, not kept. Shops are open as on any ordinary day. It does seem strange that when there is, on the one hand, such a desire on the part of many, in this age, to be church members, and thereby keep in remembrance Christ’s death, and to observe Christmas and Easter which have not a vestige of scriptural authority, there should be, on the other hand, such utter disregard of the Lord’s Day, which, without a shadow of doubt, commemorates Christ’s resurrection from the dead. To commemorate His death, and yet to dislike to commemorate His resurrection, is such a contradiction, that has for all sober-minded people only one plain sad meaning, which needs no comment. Without a doubt, Christian lands are fast losing the blessed heritage of the Lord’s Day, and the day may not be so very far distant when the spouse of Christ will read with lamentation and bitter weeping a meaning into the words of her Lord not till then dreamed of:—“The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and ye shall not see it.”
The whole of Monday was spent in visiting friends, but we were not able to visit all that we would have liked to. I was so pleased to meet there Mrs. Morrison, Goderich, who is on a visit to some of her family. She is fairly well just now, and was able to attend the Gaelic Service. After receiving much kindness from all we met, and having a pleasant visit, we left on Tuesday morning, via Windsor for Newbery, where Mr. Roderick Maclellan met us, and we drove in a sleigh for six miles to his house at Wardsville, where we stayed that night. We had an enjoyable meeting that night, which was attended by a good number, some of whom had come as far as sixteen miles. After promising, if at all possible, to give them a Sabbath some other time, we left the next day the hospitable home of Mr. and Mrs. Maclellan, and returned to Newbery, where we got the train for London. At Glencoe I parted with Mr. Matheson, whose services as precentor at the English Services were very acceptable. I arrived here that night, and intend to remain until next week when I shall be again going back to Newton. All the friends here are well. I have not been feeling quite so well for some weeks back, but, on the whole, I feel that I have no just cause to complain as regards health, but much to be thankful for. I hope this will find you all in the best of health. With kindest regards and best wishes for a happy New Year to you all.—I remain, yours very sincerely,
DONALD MACLEOD.