Kyles-Scalpay is a village in North Harris, five miles east of Tarbert, where the “excellent of the earth” had their residence. Mrs. Christina Morrison, the subject of this brief sketch, was a daughter of Peter MacAskill, Kyles-Scalpay, an eminent man of God, whose walk and conversation was an impressive sermon even to the ungodly. The prayers of this shining witness were answered in the conversion of his daughter. Mrs. Morrison passed, we believe, to her everlasting rest shortly after we came to the North Harris congregation, and, therefore, we are not in a position to give any information about her conversion. That she was a Christian lady who adorned her profession with the graces of “a meek and a quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price” was obvious to all true believers who knew her. Owing to the nature of her last illness, at times it was difficult to understand her conversation, but we could easily observe that her constant theme, in the last days of her Christian pilgrimage, was the love of Christ. Shortly before the end we visited her and her expression revealed that the time of her departure was at hand. After worship we noticed her countenance beaming with joy while she endeavoured to tell us the exceeding kindness of the Lord to her.
A Christian friend from Kyles-Scalpay forwarded to us the following information about Mrs. Morrison:—
“Mrs. Christina Morrison, whose maiden name was MacAskill, was born and brought up in the village of Kyles-Scalpay, Harris, where she passed the most, if not all, of her earthly pilgrimage. She was the second daughter of the godly Peter MacAskill, elder, Kyles-Scalpay. Most of the present-day congregation of North Harris never saw Peter MacAskill. He died on the 4th February, 1905. Mr. MacAskill had more than an ordinary share in forming and organising the Free Presbyterian Church in Harris, especially in the Kyles-Scalpay district. His obituary written by the late Rev. Neil MacIntyre is in the Free Presbyterian Magazine (Vol. Xi.), June, 1906. Mr. MacIntyre says of him, “That he was one of the most wonderful trophies of grace in the present age.” Peter MacAskill, a man of keen spiritual discernment, saw the wickedness of the infamous Declaratory Act at a glance. We may be sure that Mrs. Morrison, who received the counsels and admonitions of a godly father and mother, was influenced by the same, although more is needed in the case of all the fallen race of Adam.
We are not in a position to give facts concerning God’s dealings with her as a lost and ruined sinner by nature. She was a quiet and inoffensive woman who was always exemplary on her attendance on the means of grace at home and during communion seasons in Lewis and Harris. Although a fine-looking woman, she was never very robust, and during one of the many attacks she had she vowed to God, if He would give her the opportunity in His infinite kindness to attend at another communion season, she would, God willing, make a public profession: a vow she kept and that was, we think, four years ago.
Mrs. Morrison suffered much during her last illness, which was patiently borne. She passed to her eternal rest, we believe, on the 23rd of June, 1954, at the age of 66 years. She was tenderly cared for by her own family to whom we extend our sympathy and may her God be their God. “Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.”
Mrs. Morrison was not of those who make it an excuse for absenting themselves from the House of God that the Church is too far away from them. She considered walking five miles to God’s House on Sabbath morning no great sacrifice, and we believe that she could often say, while walking home another five miles, “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.” To see her fellow-sinners neglectful of the means of grace was a matter which grieved her heart, and, truly, she was one of those who “called the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable.”
We extend our sympathies to her sorrowing husband, family and relatives. May they follow in her footsteps, choosing the One Thing needful. “But one thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”—A. McK.