^-'i^^^^o. signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps., plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left Vi right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrata the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s d iies taux de reduction aifHrjnta. Lorsque !e document est trop gra:id pour dtro reproduit en un suul clich6, il e'^t fitmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, do gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^^^mmm^^^^^^r Eev. E. a. Fyfe, ]).]). LIFE AND LABORS OF R0BI:RT ALEX. FYFE, D.D., FOUN'DEU AND FOU MANY YEARS PRINCIPAL OF TlIK CANADIAN LirKRAKY INSTITUTE, Sow Woodaloek Colleje) BY J. E. WELLS, M.A rRlNTKO FOR TlIK AUTHOR BY W. J. GAGE & COMPANY, TORONTO. FC5 7 re — TJ THE — ASSOCIATED ALUMNI AND ALUMN.E — OF — WOODSTOCK COLLEGE (FOKMERLY THE CANADIAN LITERARY INSTITITTE) MOST OF WHOM WERE EITHER FtLLOVV-TKAC^BRS, OR DILIUENT AND EXEMPLARY STUDENTS, AT THE INSTITUTE DURING THE I'RINUIPALSHIP OF HIM WHOSE LIFE AND LABORS ARE HERE COMVEMORATED, IN MEMORY OF THE PLEASANT INTERCOURSE AND ASSO(nATIONS OF THE PAST, THIS LITTLE WORK IS RESPECTFL'LLY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. P 11 E F A C E This little voluiiK^ is tlio outcome of a desire whicli has for some years M'aited only opportunity to take shape as a purpose. As soon as circumstancos seemed to make it possible, the work was und(!rtaken as a labor of love. It is now sent fortli, not indeed without a painful sense of its many defects, yet with confidence in its kind recep- tion by those for whom it has been prepared, the friends and admirers of him whose life-work it records. The writer can but express his regret that the work is not worthier of its subject, and especially that it does not contain more of those incidents of private life and social intercourse which are always of interest in memoirs of a departed friend, and which are often pleasingly illus- trative of endearing traits of character. It was hoped at the outset that much material of this personal kind would be forthcoming from the correspondence and recollections of intimate friends of the deceased. This hope has been to some extent disappointed, owing partly to dinmess of recollections, and the absence of records, and partly, it may be, to a dread lest in this way the sanctity of private confidence should be in some measure violated. Notwithstanding, however, the scarcity of available material of the kind indicated, the narrative of Dr. Fyfe's superabundant labors for the denomination and the public will, it is believed, be found tolerably connected and IMIKFACK. of us- at ould ble fe's blic and cornpleto, ami drawn from reliable sources. Thus the chief and most lei;itinuite end of biography has been, it is hoped, attained. It will be found, moreover, that a lartre part of it has been given in the most satisfactory of all forms — the words of Dr. Fyfe himself. It may not be amiss to allude here to an impression which, iud'rinjx h'om certain intimations, seems to have been received by some, that both Dr. Fyfe and Mrs. Fyfe, and especially the latter,«lreaded the "inevitable memoir," and did what was possible to prevent its appearance, by- destroying the papers which might be used as material. Had the writer shared this impression, a veiy delicate (juestion vv*)uld have arisen, as to how far such a feeling on their part should be regarded as bimling and sacred. That Dr. F\ f e would, himself, have been the last perso:i to let his modesty, or any other purely personal feeling stand in the way of anything which might promise to be of .service to th ? cause for which he lived, is abunf years, anished [ha first lie work \)rward, Issing on JBaptists lor look- ing,' backward. Tlieir hands are to the plonj^di, their eyes on the yet distant j^oal. Tliey naturally, ahiiost neces- sarily, forf^'et the thinnrs tliat are beliind. Had tlie story ut* L)r. Fyt'e's life and labors been put on record ininiedi- ately after his decease, it niii^dit, no doubt, liave been not only gratifying to his friends but profitable to many, liut now, when we liave so ample evidence that the stimulus to be derived from his example is no longer needed to urjjfe on tlie educational work of the denomi- nation, many, even of his warmest admirers, may think that the progress and perfection of that work are the best, perhaps now the only needful tribute to tlie memory of its foun TNTKODU( TK'N. i^iven in the case of the Ex-Piesident of the iJnitecl States. No one can doubt tliat first his businesK mis- fortunes and tlien the tragic details of suffering patiently borne and slow-coming dtath bravely met, )iad a larga share in kindling tlie popular enthusiasm which has finally enslirined him amongst the demi-gods of the Republic, and paid him almost more than mortal honors. Seven 3^ears hence, when the impulse of hero-worship shall have passed away, a calmer and juster estimate of the man and his deeds will be foi-med, though it may remain for another generation to assign him his true place in history. If, again, the aim of a posthumous biography is to gratify the curiosity of the living by laying have to the gaze of the public the sacred privacy of the home and the individual lif'^, the ■ ct will be vastly greater when the unveiling process takes place while the closing scenes are still fresh in the popular memorj^ Of tliis, too, we have lately had a striking and somewhat deplorable instance, the result Iteing that one who had lono: been I'evered as a prince and seer amongst literary men, had the sancity of his private life so ruthlesly invaded, and the faults of his personal di'posed, m belong 1 ) life is ■^--\- te, and ^)iiebec. 1 oiind a ^ brain ; of the ^^ proud. ucative ■ years, -fi^H )d stock ^e been an impossibility. Two conditions were indispensable to the establishment of that institution so speedily upon its present prosperous basis. The work demanded not only abundant means in liberal hands, but also a people pre- pared to appreciate and profit by the training which it is the business of sucli an institution to give. That the latter condition exists to so encouraging an extent as is evidenced by the goodly number of students in the Toronto Baptist College, is due, I venture to affirm, more to the long years of arduous pioneer work done by Dr. Fyfe in the Institute and amongst the churches, than to any otiier cause, or all others combined. But Christian biography has another and still higher service. In these days of scientific scepticism, and of too frequent degeneracy on the part of those who profess to be Christians, the witness of lives, noble and sym- metrical to the very end, to the power of Christianity, is greatly needed. It is one of the best of testimonies. It monstrates that there are motives and impulses, which are not of this world, which have power to beget and sustain life-long and whole- hearted consecration to unselfish ends. To round off this unanswerable argument, and give it fts full force, the tostimonyof the whole,completedlifeis needed. As has been well said by a recent writer in reference to the danger tliat men in these days should lose faith in the reality of Goodness: "There is, indeed, a great deal to prov^oke it (thejscepticism referred to) : the daily betrayal of trust in business, tne transparent mockery in the political world, the clear h ypocricy in the religious world. Taese mf 16 INTRODUCTION'. are almost enoui^h to lead one to say, ' Is there sucli a tiling as honesty, or tiuth, or religion ?' What is called a religious life, gets its vindication and comes to a full proof of its reality only as it is continuous and lived out to the full" The testimony of a long, active and consisti nt life is one which no sophistry can evade, no infidelity gainsay. The foregoing remarks are intended mainly as an answer to the question which is sure to suggest itself. Why was this little book ever written ? Is it still asked what special claim has the brother and fellow-laborer who was taken from us seven years ago to the distinction of a biography? We ndght generalize the incjuiry. What constitutes any man's claim to a biography ? Who are the men whose lives are worth recording in a book ^ To this it might be replied, not, perhaps, exhaustively, but confidently : — I. Those who were conspicuous by reason of extraordi- nary talents or extraordinary virtues. II. Those who stood forth as leaders in trying times, an- pages will show that, within th. ' somewhat narrow provincial field in which he labored, he had few equals and fewer superiors. If the views a' ove expressed in respect to the true ends of biojrraphy be admitted there is the less cause to rej^fret the scarcity of mere personal and family details in tins memoir. To a certain extent this is undeniably' a drfect in a narrative of tlie kind. In proportion as we are forced to ?. Iinire certain strongly marked traits in a grand character, in that proportion most of us would gladly trace those traits back to their secondary sources. We are naturally curious to know from what type of ancestrv tiuy spruno-, under what kind of home intluences they unfolded them.selves, what part boy playmates, and early schools anr. Fyfe in his manhood's prime, lie was in his youthful days remarkable for his physical strength. He seems to have taken special pride in this, and used often, in later years, to be fonr. youthful le seems often, in 8 athletic weights, n readily rent type 3f tracino- iration of itinacv of ne special or serious hin, those set teeth in giving •mination, e raises of rnificance. e personal lis success s splendid xte of the s nervous resented a [n view of (terial and r life, it is hose early tional hot- REV. U. A, FYKE, D.I). 2.*? lionse, were the healthful, manly toil, and the constant communion with nature in her varied aspects, which AiJihixo — A reat chanije came vvliich made liim a new man. Of tlie particuhirs of his conv<'r,sion we liave no record. Whether the regenerating s))irit came as the gentle hreeze of spi-ing, almost imperccptii)ly awakening the deaul cm no moi'c create its own moral force than a muchino can create its own physical force Nor is this forgiveness oi sins a mere individual phenon»enon. 'J'he histoi-y of the race is the history of the f(;rgiveness of sins, of the transformation of character, of the development of a higher, purer, better maidiood,"* The lives of a Saul of Tarsus, a John Bunyan, a Muller of Bristol, are facts, and facts f" r which modern science is uttci Iv unable to account. The New Testament philosophy expounded by Christ in his discourse with Nicodemus, afl'ords the only explanation. These renmrks are not meant to imply that the early life of the subject of this narrative was marked by any such irregularities or vices as would cause tlu great change to be specially striking to other.s. So far as appeals the contrary was the truth. There seem no reason to suppose, either from any allusions by himself, ■i 4 • Aids to Faith ; by Dr. Lyman Abbott, in Christian Union, Sept. 1885. i IlEV. R. A. VWE, ])D. 27 law is I, it is a pi ni Tied writer ot even nsfonns [t seizes is iroiie credit is vver, not credit is inst be a ;reate its its own r^eness oi' ry of the ^, of the lilt of a ;i Saul of ire facts, nil able to iiiided by [ the only the early j<] by any kin great jo far as I seem no himself, lion, Sept. 3, ■sift or any recolloctions of his friends, that he was ever other tlian a steady, well-behavid lad. None tlie less the great trutli pointed out above is one wliieli Dr. Fyfe himself would have been the tirst to empliasizc. No previous upriglitness, no correctness (;f deportment, could render less necessary the ra>r.ghness not often surpfissed he reduced to practice Paul's great principle of entire consecration. With him he could say at all times " One thing I do." In this rare singleness of purpose his example was worthy of all imitation. In a not ce winch appeared in the Canadian Baptist shortly after hi.s death, written, it is believed, by one who knew him well it is said that "on one occasion when troubled with doubts as to the reality of his conversion, after his baptism, he ended the conllict h}?^ a firm and iixed resolve to devote his life to seeking to benefit and save others, whatever became of him ; and we all know how grandly he eaiTied that resolution into practice throughout his whole subsequent career." 1 he young con\ert was baptize 1 by the llev. John Gilmour, a familiar name in the early annals of the denomination in Ontario and Quebec. In a letter written to J. W. Gilmour, Esq., after his father's decease, which has been kindly entrusted to the writer by Miss Gilmour, of Peterborough, Dr. Fyfe says: "No man had luore of my love and reverence than your late father. It is now more than thirty-four years since he baptized me, and I 2S LIFE AND LABO! S OF l:i ' am gottini^ up among the older men myself. I have ha1f called to preach tlie Oorspel, x'ouriLf Roherb soon resolved to rosiirn liis position, and abandon all secular pursuits, in order to prepare Inmseli' for the ministry of the Word. Wliother ho was helped or hiiidered in carryino: out this resolve by his parents and other members of the family, it seems impossible now to liiscover with cei-tainty. From the recollections of some who knew somethinnr of him in those early days, the impi'ession was received that both his parents were at tliat time Presbyterians, and tliat they disanproved and opp )sed his joinin:^ the Baptists, and preparipfr for tli ' Jjiptist ministry, ^houi^di they afterwards cliantred their views, and not only approved his course, but be'^ame Biiptists themselves. But Mr. James Macdi)nal \, of Huntingdon, Quebec, whose wife was Dr. Fyfe's sister, and whose recollections on this point seem to be delinite, writes that Robert's father was at that time a Presb /- terian, but his mother a I'apt'st, and th ,t he never heard of any opposition to h;s course. As Robert's pirents ^^mm^im 30 LIKE AND LAIJORS OP mi liiiiiii lived with liiin, Mr. Macdonald, for a year after sellinii^ their farii), lie thinks he iiuist have known had anything of the kind existed.* On the other hand, there are, as will pi\sently appear, evidences that the first few years of Robert's student life were embittered by very serious trials. His own refer- ence to the ing- from want of means and of early advantf\ijfes couM have had power to do. Those who had opportunities in after y( ars for observing, on the one hand, the depth and tenderness of his nature, and, on the other, the res;;!ateness of his will and his loyalty to his sense of duty, cm r»adily undi'r.->tand that, however ar^y disapprobation of loved ones nii<4hthave grieve*! his spirit, no opposition, even of those nearest and dearest, could have power to turn him aside from the work to which he believed himself called of God. In regard to all these interesting details, how- ever, the information now avai tible .seems exceedingly indefinite, and even the above statements are made with resei-\ '! ion. One thing is certain, in any case. Not without much toil and tribulation did he obtain an education, and enter upon the ministry of the word. * J. A. Ciuuernii, Esq., of Thurso, say.s : " I knew Dr. Fyfe's father in Qiu'hec soni',' thirty ur thirty-live ycaiH or more siueo. Ho attended Rev. Mr. Mar!?h's ("liiirch (Baptist)." Mr. Marsh himself kindly sends tlio ioUowiiig extiaet fiom ihe reeorn down in body and mind. It is pleasing to V)e able to infer, both from such recollections as that of Dr. Spear, above mentioned, and from what we know of his subsequent career, that liis spiritual life was in the main sustained, and that he remained steadfast in his great resolve. And yet, even '^f- REV. 11. A. FYI'E, D.D. tliis statement must l)e mased there- i^fter by a shadow of doubb. It was nientioiu'd in a pre- j^^ious chapt'jr tha-. in an earlier staL,'e of his spiritual [jistory, when tossi;d on a sea of doubt, he haTand )uipose was, we cannot donbt, renewed as one of the Lssues of this supreme stiungle. We nuiy be sure he was lot left lonL!: to li^^ht the l),itile in darkness and tempest. !'he "peace in Jesus, tlie Christ," which he preached to )thers, would soon flow bick and become an abiding pre- sence in his own soul. Tiie waters af life he ailminis- ^ered would become in him a well of water springing up [nto everlasting lil'e. May not Christian ministers, and all others who have deal with human souls struggling in the meshes of loubt ami lo)iging for the liberty of the sons of God, gain valuable hint from such (sxperiences in such lives ? Too )ften the spiritual anguih seems begotten of the mere Iseltlsh instinct which seeks assurance of personal safety. IThrough even this narrow wicket many may no doubt ^|enter on the path which leads to the celestial hills of |Christdike philanthrop^^ But might it not be wiser and iworthier of the Gospel of "so great a salvation'' if the J eyes of such terror-stricken ones could of tener be lifted tl ! ,' I ' !U HUi W m LIFE AND LAr.oilS OF from tlie qnnLjniircs of sflflsli niu'icty in which thoir f«Mt arc sillkinL,^ and fixoil up > i tlu; world's i,n'(Mxt liarvest- lii'lds, to wliich tho Master is bcckoniDj,' all who wrniM ]>e his triK; followers ? We must not, howovor, overlook the ]juml)ler yet im- portant 1l'.s,)1i which Dr. F\ fe drew from his own bitter experience, and whicli lu? sounflit to impress upon hi< stii'lents. That lesson was the necessity an I duty laid upon evciy ^^ouncr student tocireforhis bodily health — to reoard conscientiously the laws of his physical beinir. In a lecture on Education, delivered at th" openinj^ of the school year in Ls76 from which more copious extracts may be jj^iven in another connection, lit; expressed himself stronij^ly o,i this point. " We sometimes meet men," said he, "of lu^^h intellectual, moral, and social culture who arc unibh- to make any good use of this \ucfh culture becaust; they have destroyed their physical constituti ii iji acquirinj^j it. They have failed to educate the outer mnn, and hence it is ready to perish. When they aie ready to enter upon the active duties of life their bodi s are totterinijf over the grave. Souls witliout bodies are not of much use in this world. They are little better than o-ho.sts." Let young students, especially those fresh from active pursuits, ponder these words and beware how they neglect the conditions of physic d well-being. Apart from a sound body a sound mind is impossible, or, if not impos- sible, is comparativelj'- impotent, so far as influence foi- good is concerned. More thati that, in a neglected and di.seased body may be found, the real cause of many an otherwise mysteri ;us spiritual malady. Good fooil, abundant exercise, and a liberal alio wine 3 of tima for liiil REV. R. A. FVFE, D.D. Ii7 ev yet ini- own bitter ; upon h\< duty lailiy>*icMl id at til" liicli more lection, li<' sometimes 11 oral, and ood use of lyed tlieir lave t'ail(Ml \f to p( risli. ! duties of 0. Souls l-ld. Thev idaily rest and recreation, are niiion;^'st the liiglu'.st duties [a student o».''^^s to liis Master and to his fellow-men as 'clI as to himstdf. Ootl's laws nre written in our pliysi- jal natures as well as in liis liook.and those laws can no nor(! ho violated with impunity in the one case than in *th.) other.* v\ tl. \\ , 1" ill! K * It is proper to o\i)liiiii tliat wliilt; the iiiiiin f.u-ts tif tlie tenihlc Ix-riciKMi iil)(>vf! iflalfil iiif.; ckiir in tlrj v liter'" own iiiLiiioiy, Jia well wtlierwise fully attested, there ef^eina to he no nieauH of (leteriiiining • exact pi'iiod fif Mr. Kyfe'.s eollegc life in which the incident oc- I red. I'Vuni a certain passage in a private hdtcr, writle-n while lie IS at Newton, which leitf^r lias coiUij to hand since the above was and, the author is i.ow im lined lo l.e.iexe tiiat the occurrence luld have heen assigned to tlie year ]SK), during his tiieological iii.se at Newton. Keference will he made to tiie passage in the proper lie. i'he interest and value of the expeiieuce are not materially cted l»y the , offering to take him under the wing of heir " beneficiary societies." His head does not seem to ave been at all turned, nor his purpose shaken, by this atterv. Though I feel thankful for their kindness," e writes, " I feel no disposition to comply. I mean not bind myself in any manner, but act just as Providence eenis to direct." Many young men under similar circumstances would 111 50 LIFE AND LAHOKS OF have seen, perhaps rij^htly, the <^uicling finj^er of Provid- ence in such a proposal. It is quite possi')lc that young Fyfe would have done so, too, had he not been pre- possessed with opinions which may have been largely the offspring of early association with those who held secular learning in low esteem as a preparation for the ministry, and whose views he himself a few years later would have been amongst the first to pronounce short-sighted. In fact his prejudices were even then beginning to give way, and the process of his gradual emancipation may be traced in his subsequent correspondence. He .vas still holding them fast with the tenacity which was a charac- teristic of his strong mind ; but he finds it necessary to fortify himself by argument in his letters t > his friends. To one who took the broader view and aske a (Jlowinc; DkhCKII'TION — SOLKJITATIONS AM> I'llKCAUTIONM - - LoVIC FOH Caxaka — A HrATtis — KvANcEr.isric Lahoiis in Osoookk — Lkttkks— A FiXKi) I'cui'osK — L'REitiTAULE I'ridk— A Dark KXTKALT — A 1'KN IMCTIRK. tHIS year fit tlie Worcester Manual I ^'ov School was ^^^ not a year of ccntinuous study. 's work was twice interrupted ; first by a term of school teaching, no douht necessary to replenish his attenuated purse, and again by sickness. He writes April 16th, 1838: " Last winter I taught school, having about forty .scholars under me, for which I received $20 per month, together with board and washing. I did not like it very well, though I suppose it has done me good." He gives no further particulars. It was while thus engaged in teaching that the revival services mentioned near the close of the last chapter were carried on. From the reference then made to his studies, it is evident that he was carrying on, in part or in whole, the s^'^ork of the High School course, in addition to performing his duties as a teacher, and at the same time conducting religious services every Sun- day! It appears, too, that it was at this time the famous dialogue was written. Involving, as it no doubt did, a very heavy draft upon his time and energies, it operated UEV. I{. A. I'VKE, I). I). 53 )anai>a — Glow I NO S(!OI>llK — -A Dark. \ool was ork was hing, no ^rse, and ' r.ast s under her with though further iniT that the last en made ig on, in ourse, in and at ery Sun- e lamous bt did, ii operated as the proverhinl "last straw." In the end lie had to pay a heavy penalty for his po[)ularity and litmiry ainhition. No wond(!r if, while thus attempting to do the work of two or three strong men, he used to hear, as he hints in one of his letters, the " cocks crowing " before his self- imposed tasks were completed for the night. The natural result followed. His health again gave way. and he was obliged to devote the last term of the school year to travel and recreation in order to regain his strength. Under date July 2nd, he writes : " The latter part of last term my health began to fail rapidly. In fjiet, 1 had not recovered from last winter's complaint. It affected me lirst when I wms teaching school. My symp- toms were a severe headM* iie, pain in the chest, incessant cough, and want of appetite. I was, however, pretty well at the beginning of last t* of ) restore battered a week. , little on crossing fifter five ought lie ids t'ounil Beks, dur- locked to iend who and pre- ys of the h, but im- for He i.> ten con- )cked and Whipple. id? . . . conceru- his mintl which he d a better upon us different etter than eternally f Deity." turned to and niik.-i, and more than one hundred on foot. He adds: "That course very much strengthened me. I sweated out a good many of the bad effects of my complaint." One page of the letter from w^hich the above extracts are made is filled with a description of some of the scenery through which he passed on this somewhat memorable journey. The passao-e is worthy of being transcribed at lengtli. The reader will not expect fault- l less rhetoric from a youth whose schooling thus far had ^"been so limited, and gained in the face of so many diffi- culties, and who was not yet fitted for college. But he lAvill welcome the extract as sliowing a new and pleasing pliase of the character we are studying. The passage is touched with true poetic feeling. It betokens an % almost passionate love of the beautiful in nature, and re- •^ veals a o-limpse of the emotions of a soul attuned to # sympathy with those lofty moods which are vouchsafed 'f only to those finer .susceptibiHties of Imman nature which hint at its kinship to the divine. It will be rememl»ered, too, that these lines were penned, not for the public eye, but in the artless confidence of a private letter to a '^couple of friends: li '■ .Some of those scenes I passed through — tlie magnificent i'dicst, the lovely dell, the rushing rivulet, now f:faml)olling \\ ildly over the rocks and anon nninnurini^ hoarsely ihrough jgthc deep caverns of the eart}>, and the l)land, mild heavens tliiit overshadowed the whole — tilled me with feelings that can lie forgotten only whe;* memory resigns her ollice. How could 1 help exclaiming, 'These are Thy glorious works, Parent of (iood.' 'The heavens declare Thy glory, Lord, and the firma- iiii'nt showeth Thy handiwork.' One j)lace in particular I rririember. I was weak from ill-health, and worn out by want of i-est and the jolting of the stage. I concluded, therefore, to A\ ;dk a few miles. I left Woodstock, Vt., about one o'clock p.m. ou Saturday. I travelled about twenty miles, I was insensible \i AmIi 56 LIFE AND LABORS OF to fatigue. My mind seemed to perform the oHiee of a physi cian. It lent of its elasticity and vigor to its tottering tene- ment, and I hurried along insensibly, like one entranced. On either side arose a chain of tremendous hills, whose towering peaks were fre(|uently concealed in the clouds of heav'en. In the east was 'God's bow,' with all its varied colors, reminding me of Mis unwavering fidelity to faithless man. The sun sinking in the west hsid given to every cloud that floated loosely ir the heavens a crimson tint. Every leaf and herli had been refreshed V»y a slight shower. They sparkled, as it were with pearls ; while the little river, clear as crystal, mui muring over its pebl)ly bed, sent forth a hoarse bass, which arose voluptuously from among the trees and mingled sweetly with the shrill notes of the birds, each one of which seemed vying with the others to bid farewell to the setting sun. I cannot desci'ibe tlui scene, but I was charmed. I could nof move when I came to this spot. My soul see^ned, as if insulted at being enclosed in so narrow a cell, to have burst every fetter and soared away into regions moi-e congenial to itself. Tln' gathering gloom and dampness of the evening aroused me from my reverie; so I walked on a little further atid put up for the night." Another fact which crops out in the letters of this datr may serve to throw an incidental ray of light upon th(! nature of some of the difficulties which caused him at times so much anxiety and worry. It at least shows clearly that, however unsettled were his purposes in i - gard to extending his literary studies, he still felt deeply his need of further training before entering upon the re- sponsible duties of the ministry, and was resolved to have at least a theological course at any cost. In announcing a few weeks beforehand his intention to make this visit to Canada, he says: "The committee at Montreal wrote to me a few days since inquiring whether I wished to return to Montreal and study under Mr. Davies, whom they expect out on the iirst of May. But at present 1 have no inclination to do so, however good a teacher In REV. R. A. FYFE, D.D. 57 may be. They asked also when I thought I should be prepared to enter on a field of labor ! At this my heart sank, an much as you hope to prosper." Again: "I cannot but think of the responsible situation in which you will soot; be placed where not only the eyes of Him who sees 3-01! at al! times, but also the eyes of all the angels, and of al! the men by whom you may b > surrounded, will be turned upon you to see how you discharge your duties, &c." Here we lose sight of our student for a whole year owing to an unfortunate hiatus in the correspondence. REV. R. A. FYFE, IXD. 59 , I expecl i\v I shall know. ] 1 much as lie rather ;, but the crood. ] put it oir are scat- md spiri 3al of the !ycs con- kcPhail, )ilities oi" .i-heartP(l e neither et let me 0(1 before leter you ^o armed pilgrim, .sters and Use thi> nnot but will soor. sees 3'ou md of al! )e turned &c." ole year londence. Tlie next letter is dated, 'Petite N.'tion, July 25th, 1839." How the intervening time was spent cmnot now bii de- termined with certainty. Our last record in July, 1838, left him at the Worcester High Sohooi, whither he had I returned after his visit to Cauid.i a few weeks before, " Fiom his refei^ace to the hard bibor wljich he was com- biniiig with his studies, it seems not improbable tliat he continued in Worcester during tlie next school year, very likely keeping up the alternation of mental and bodily §toil throughout the year. He had, he tells his frieiids, a I* few weeks before the close of the school year in 1838, sou)e thouirht of returninof to Hamilton, anle jr Milne ve been ;ed from I Jesus, at when ches at ' Edwards, sing 'th(> ^'itli pur- I hope to s ot the may hra oxpocteJ from tlioni The last week, in a j:freat mea- sure, has been employed iu iustruot:iii<^ these youu,:j; disciples "• to observe all things whatsoever (Jlirist commaiuleth thein.' A g(j-ipel church w,is forin'id last Lord's Day, nuiiilKMJng t'orty- six ; and afterwards we attended to the ordinance of the Lord's Supp(n\ In looking back I can truly siiy, 'Surely the Lord was iu that plaos',' and to a g.eat degree 'I ku(nv it not.' I left them with deep allectiou, in hopes of rrd's Day these sam,^ individuals were weeping and ent|uiring the way to Zion. Two or three profess to have met with a change since you left. . . , We nunj- l)ered sixteen who were still anxious on the mornin'jf I left. There seem to be new cases of conviction every day. I never founrl it harder to leave any place. On the Sabbath (20th) I preached three times, and, notwithstau ling a fearful (piantity of rain had fallen, the baru was full, and I conversed with the anxious after service till nearly dark. The Lord is certainly doing wonders in that place. I( v^l " Well, I left them on Monday with tears. I may say with j ;.j. fri LIFE .AND LAKOKS OF E/ekiel, 'I went in ItitteiiiesR, in the heat of my spirit, hut tlie hand of tlio Ijord was .stiuiii; iifKin me,' for 1 felt it to be /////// to leave. I went to Hull :i,ml fcuiul Mr. Jamieson, and laid the case before him, but he could not go. • • • • • • • *' When I found tliat Jamieson could not go I did not know what to do. My heart was sore for the people of Osgood. 1 could not sleep for two nights. I committed my ways to the Lord, and exuuiined whether it were not jny duty to return ; but, after considering all things, I concluded it was not. So 1 wrote to IJro. Fraser, and ui'tjed hin», if possiiilc, to visit them now.* The letter will probably reach him this week, and if the Lord see iit He will send him. "It seems to be the univei-sal opinion, Bro. McP., of all thase who know the state of the case, that you should go to Osgood. Though I am not able to say that you t^lioidd go, I cjHi siiy that some one ought to go, and that immediately. And further, Hermes, or Apollo eithei-, would not please them so well as you would. It is not to be wond(M-ed at. [ndeed, I would tiiink it strange v. ei'c it otlujrwisej. But the ({uestion may l)e put and answered by an echo, 'Whom will we get, if you don't cornel' "And now, ])rother, I have said nearly all I can say. I have had hard application from Bro. Tucker. He had concluded that he was going to keep me right or wrong, and Bro. Milne helped him. I had education enough. I would be sick if I went back to study. It was sinful to lose my precious time, ifec, kc. B .t, though my heart is pained for poor, destitute Canada, yet I think I must go back. I think it a duty due to myself and to the cause of ( .hrist that I have at least a little more preparation. 8o all their arguments cannot move me, for my mind is made up. "Will you write to me within three weeks from this date, directing to Laprairie ? For this reason : 1 want you to tell * This appeal was successful. Mr. John Ferguson, sen., an aged refideut of Osiood, wiitcs tlat lio heard Mr. Fraser sny, on his anival, that tl e statt nitnt niatle to hiiu of the piovemeut was such that he liad to come. REV. R. A. FYFE, D.D. 63 fne wlio is the secretary for the 'Society of EiKjuiry'* at Hamilton. I want to write and lay befoio that society the destitution of these rci^ions, and also the d(;sire that seems to be everywhere manifested to hear the everlasting Gospel in this country. 1 will 'fill my mouth with argunients/ and plead with them. Ajid who knows but that the Head of the Churc}i will send one from there to help in this wide ticld? If I am spai-ed to go to Newton, I will lay the case in pei'son before them there, and plead with all my eloquence for one from that place also. Two or three would be a gi-eat accpiisition to Canada in its present state. May the Lord send some laborers into this vast harvest. ....... "Your Friend and Brotlier, " R. A. Fyfe." His zeal in evangelistic work, passionate love for Onada and its people, and fixedness of purpose in re- gard to further study, all stand out clearly behind the faded lines and time -yellowed paper of those letters. 'I'he second to Mr. McPhail, alluded to in the foregoing foot-note, thouii'h bearinnr marks of ijreat haste, contains two sentences of a more directly personal bearing- From one of them it appears that the want of means still harassed his steps, and that at the solicita- tion of his friend he had almost resolved to seek assist- ance in some shape from a certain person who would be likely to give it if asked. He says : " Well, I saw Mr. R , but I had not courajre to ask him. If I should be six years in getting through, I cannot do it. I must fight on though my way is dark. Don't tell me it is pride prevents me. Whatever it may be, j/oit know what such feelings are and can easily sympathize with * Repeating the request in a note a week or two later, lio abks for the name of the " President of the Missionary Society." I»'' m\ iii' ' 64 LIFE AND LABOIIS OF me. They are feelinf^s tha: are painful and often dis- advantageous, yet they are strong."* The reader, too, will sympathize with those feelings and admit that there is a species oF pride which elevates and ennohles. When the Christian brother who has means really feels that he is Christ's steward, and that he is giving of the Master's for the Master's work, the young man who is conscious that his single aim is to tit hin.self for that work will prohahly do well to accept the aid in the spirit in which it is given. But feelings and motives are apt to get sadly mixed on the part of both, and as a rule l)etter things may be expecty tlio lack of more oxtimtled prepamtion. He lopeatoilly assi/^iis it as a reasoTi tor p»ittinid attained hy the nund^er of school sessions he had attended. Whatever his mental habits may have been prior to his conversion, there is abundant evidence that the four years vhich had inter- vened between his entrance into the Hamilton Academy in 1835 and his entrance into Newton Theolon;ical Semi- nary in IcS-'iU had been years of intense mental activity, in sL'ho')l and out of school. No one knew better than he that the tale of months or years at collet^e is no reliable measure of a student's actual attainments. The foUowin^^ passage from a letter written shortly befoi-e the close of his first year at the Worcester school, and while he was anxiously revolving, in the light of possibility and duty, the question of taking the colli'ge course wliich was urged upon him and which he had come to desire, shows the turn which his thou^'hts sometimes took : — "One eonsidenitiou has presented itself to nie since T wrote the tirst part of tliis etter, respecting f?oing through college. Mr. Bailey (Principal of the W. M. L. High School), who is considered to l)e a very good scholar, told me candidly that when he graduated, though among tlie tirst in his class, he could not conjugate tvtvtu, and that during the four years he had btsen teaching he had leained three times as much of every- thing as he learned during his preparatory and collegiate course put together, and I was told that he was a good student too ! Jfe did not tell me this to prevent me from going througli col- lege, for he wishes with all his soul that 1 sho .1(1 go. Now, if a man can become learned out of college; if, after he has learned the tirst principles of things, he can in four years learn i:-U r\ u '- 68 LIFE AND LABORS OF throo times as much out of college as he can in seven years in college, is it not Ix'st to i^et the first printjipies well learned and l(»t the colhv^Iate cirmrso ir;)? T do not, li ow^ivor, de-ipiso a colleL^iato course;; for, were it (!onsist;Mit with my circum- stances, thfc-O is nothing 1 would like better." It may b(i tluit this book will be read by some yonniy men who find themselves in the same (jiiandary as younj^ Fyfe at the time the Toregoinu^ was penne- manner, adapting theniselvos to the position in which (iad in His [)rovidenco had placed them. In what place they ac(pii ed thi.3 culture ; by what means they obtained this coniniand over themselves, is clearly a very subordinate matter. . . . If a man acquires the commend f>ver hii/t.- fe's associates in laljor at Wood- stock know well how v/arm and active was his sympathy with needy students in their truggle to secure an educa- tion, and how much toil and self-denial it cost hiiu to keep the ^und for ministerial education replenished for their benefit. Nor can we doubt that the large compan}'^ of thos'^ whose paths to the fields of usefulness they are now occupying were smoothed by the help thus supplied, will ever lold in grateful memory his unselfish service in this reg; d. In the good, but not always congenial work of soliciting contributions for this purpose he may have been stinjulated both by thankful memories of generous help in his own time of need, and by bitter re- * He says in a letter written about this time : "I am not yet under t\u' KtUication Society. I am afraid to lot the Amm-icans have any olaim on me, lest 1 be drawn away from where 1 am more needed." mS. i'^ I 72 LIFE AND LABORS OF coUectionHof hardsliipsand privations wliich tlu; Oluistian liberality of liis Master's stewards sliould have rendered unnecessary. He passed the entrance examinations successfully. Writinu: to his friend MePiiai' shortly after his admission he refers hrst to his wanderings since they had last met. "Since I saw you I have been to Quebec and over four of the New h^n^land States, besides a great many short Hfty and sixty-mile joui'neys. I have preached twice since J came to the States, and I do not intend to preacli more for six months." He then proceeds: "I entered Newton on the first of October. The examination was pretty close. Only tliink of me. poor little thiiiL;, sitting before four of tlie mo-.t learned men in the country, trying to read Greek and Latin and to go over philosopldes of all kinds, vvh .n I had not looked at some of these things for two years ! However, I was received into the regular course. Indeed I surprised myself, for I diil not think I could do half so well." He is making a specialty of Hebrew. Though pitted against fourteen college gradu- ate^, he has been assured "by pi-etty good authority" that he can take the second, if not the first, place in Hebrew. After giving a brief outline of his regular studies, he goes on to say : " I have counnenced reading a very excellent French work on critieism. I read the Greek classics one hour daily. I tind this beneticial. It gives me a more thorough knowledge of the lanu:nai;e, and I read 'Butler's Analogy' eyery day. I do this for the twofold pui-pose of making his arguments my own and disciplining my powers, for not having had the advantages of a college course, I must indemnify myself for that loss by every lawful mecisure." He praises the beauty of the place, til REV. 11. A. FYFE, D. D. 7:J Vi' the comfort of the rooni.s and bojird, is pleased with his .s()eiet3% and deli^^lited with his teacliers. ■ He "loves the jilacu uuich." There is one drawback — the j^i-eat expense for hooks, flis for tlu; term cost thirty dolhirs. He had been obliijcd to buy them at six months' cr. (lit, but they must be paid for then, and this is alrc;ady ti'oublint;- him. 'J'he laws of the instituticjn do not permit students to accept money for preachini^ durin;^^ term, and he is not certain of frettinijj a place in vacation. He fears poverty is to be his " thorn in the flesli" through life. " J need it to keep me down. I get more of everything than 1 de- serve." " I must trust to Providence." In another part of this letter he speaks to his friend from the fulhiess of his heart of his fears and hopes and aspirations. The words reveal the man, and may be help- ful to others : — " But oh ! luy brother, I may aoquii-e all those things 1 have ineutionod" — referring to his list of studies — " and yet go forth not to bless, hut to curse, mankind. When 1 think of sueli a i-esult my soul sinks within mo, and I could wee]) like a child, for 'who is sulHciont tor thos*; things?' indexed I am woli satisfied that without cultivating tlio jieart there would arise no good, l)ut evil, from cultivating the intellect. Still, I be- lieve that He who was a 'mouth' to Moses can he the same to me. Hut fis lie knows well what wo are and what are tlie duties of ministers, he will give us 'grace according to our day,' and strength to hear any weight of responsibility he may put upon us. 1 if I have asked for anything in earnest — if 1 have pleaded for anything with tears- -it is that God would prepare me to ho a iiHifiil minister. I liave been so impressed with this idea that for dijys in succession it has been the bur- den of my prayers. I do not know how to cultivate my powers to the best advantage. I do not know wliat is best for me, and I entreat Him to show mo. I do not feel satisfied with a cultivation that will pass, but T. want to cultivate my F fr l.'K' ^ r , •; fi I 74 LIFE AND LA nous OF i powers to ///'' h''4 adnanfat/f. I do not think it is presumption to think that Gotl will direct nie in this." Wo do not a<>ain huar from liiui until near tlio close of tlio eoUc'^c 3'^ear, in June, 1. D. 75 '<:* ing labors, regular and extra, he mana^jcd to find time duriiiij^ the year to contribute two or more articles to the Canad I littpfisf, Miujdz'iyu;, which was then hein;!^ pub- lished in Montreal. Tlieso articles wei'e pui>li>])etl over the yio)n de pliune "Julius." The first appeared in the inHuber for- Api-ii, 1 S4(). Its subject was " The S;)urce of Mental Ptjwer Ne<»-lected in our Present Sv^stelus of Edu- cation." The article sets out with the statement that men in tljose days "attempt too much, and therefore do nothing wel!, or leave undone something that ouglit to be done." " We must now not only be instructed 'in all the wisdom of the K'jfvptians,' but we must als ) scourfjfj our poor students through the fearful catalogue of r;tr/(/(^/7i discoveries," Our young ministers must, if they pay any deference to an unieasonable public feeling, know nearly everything that can be known by mortals. In obe^bence to this unreasonable demand, the poor stuilent rises up early and sits uj) late, striving to satisfy what is insati- able. The result is that the student neither satisKes tlie public as to the quantity nor himself as to the (]uality of his studies." lie then goes on to ariju ' tliat want of thoroughness is not the- only evil arising out of thus atteuipting too much. " While we are striving to meet the exorbitant demands made upon our in'^ellecb, lue neglect to ciiltiviitu our fediivjs, and therefore students, after poring over secti ms and cones, Butler's Analogy, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew roots, go out into the world ' as dry as summer dust.' '' " How much effect have students upon the pub- lic mind before they change the frozen style they possess just after leaving our institutions of learning ? Tiie fact is they ha\ c neglected to cultivate their feelings, the source of all their mental power.' 1 > ! 1- i- i , : I '. i i 1 \ m t i m^ 76 LIFE AND LABORS OF Perhaps tlic workings of tlm iniiid and heart of tho j'onni;- writer, at tins pei'iod of Ins liistory, cannot be better portray<'d tlian by (Hiotini^ entire a conple of par}i;esti\ e, and may not be without value to students even in LSSO. "Just call to mind the vounu' man wdio was earnestly inquirino- wluither it was not his duty to prepare for the ministry. Do you remember how you loved to hear him exhort ? Why ? Because his ideas were pnvfound ^ No. Because his language was polished and his manner graceful^ No. But because he felt what he said; and therefore could touch the hearts of his hearers. The young man enters the seminary, finishes his preparatory studies, and returns to his friends. He ri.ses to speak- in the meeting. Presently some begin to j'awn, others pull out their watches, etc. Now why is this ? Are not liis thoughts good, his language polished, an. I). 77 i ■ •* J 11 il d 11 icul)er^»'s of tho north, col^s of humanity; and, therefore, they nei^d not expect to touch the chonls that viltrate in the human breast. Why is it that woman has such power ov(U' us :' Because she has more intt Uect than we ? No. BL'cause she is a woman ^ No such thinir. Hut because she has educated hei- feelinixs more thorou'ddv than we. She can sit night after night by the cradle of her sutt'er- ing (hirlinn-. whi-n the more sturdv form of a man would sink with fatigue. She can melt the stern judL>e, when all the persuasive strains of the lawyer have proved fruitless. This, too, is to be attributed to the superior strength of her feelings. Take, too, the successful play- actor, whose business has been to cultivate his feelings, almost all his life. You will find him b hind the screen, just before appearing on the stage, working up to the highest pitch of excitement his feelings wdiich are already strong. Howev'T, when he appears before the audience, the whole strength of the actor's nature sheds a glory upon the sentiments of the author, which carries lasting conviction to his hearers. They weep or laugh just at the will of the speaker, for his feelings are so much stronger than theirs that he completely masters them. They are captive at his will. The stronger a man's feelings are the better, provided that his intellect be able to balance them." The other article referred to, which was to appear in a '^ 1' i ' ■ [ k i J... : i 'S l.ll'K AND I.VIIOUS OK hitvr muiilMT of the M(hj((:lnf, wo havo Ix'cn unnl>I«' to find. Tlu' oltjrct of (ho arriclo as foroMlifulowo*! whm to show that oriLjiuaUt y of miiul (lo|toiHls in a ^roat inoHsun> upon tlio oultivation of the foolini^^s. lu'fcn'iu'o was um(h» in a previous olui] tor to a foatful sonson of nno is out of place, and vsliouhl [\v assiniiod (o tliis. Ids lirst yoar at Nowtou. lu tht» alis('n('(> of any tlolinito :s, it soi'Uis impos- sible to dccido tbo point with cortainty. In any caso ho passod tliroui^ii tho dcop waters and tho thirk olouds durinLj tho wintoj- of "*)!) 40. lie thus diSL'riluvs the event : — '* PuriuL,^ tho winter I luid .i sonson of foarl'id darkness — even despair. I thouglit I was without (lod in the worM. Perha] s i/ou know tho aui^uish of suoh feoliuLjs. 1 had those foolinjjs for two or thre«> months. I tliouiiiit it was not niv duty to luvacli. and tlioroforo asked a dis- mission from tho Faculty. Hut tlioy would not lot me j^o. Si)on tho l.ord had mercy upon u\e. He breathed upon me aiul bade nu' live." '• Ever since he has boon pleased to smile upcn me." One is dispo.sed to wonder whether lie does not unconsciously put cause for (^tioct when he adils : " But my health waso-ono.and I therefore left the institution for a short time." In view of .<50 uuich persi^ti'iit overwork an(h /)f<(/ of wliicli I lia\r liranl others spcaU I ilonot liave mucli of it. M\ j^i'cat dosin' is t(» s«'(» ('Iirist '•lui-ilicil in tin; conversion of souls." As if anyone^ Iiad any rilit;ed to trav(d for Ids healtli «lurini]j vacation, ane out ol' his povviir for want of funds. lie does not e.\j)eet to Im; ahle to see (/anada a»ijaiii until after his i^raduation, iiidess "somc^thin;^^ very unexpected shall happen." As w(3 shall presently see, the unexpected must have hajipened, though in what form it canio (h)es not apptvir. Ih; sends touchinj^^ expressions oi solicitude and aflection for tlie, people of Os^-ood, where his friend Mr. M(d*hail has now entered u[)on his l<)n<^ pastorate, and adds: " I have pn^ached in mahoj^any pulj)its covered with silk velvc^t, hut 1 had rather preach behind tliat little pine board in 1). Mc\I 's barn." Notwithstandinj^ that his love for those amon<^st whom he had labored is thus unchanged, he now for the first time intimates the possibility tliat he may not return to Canada to labor. His w^arm sympathies are beiuf^ drawn out in another (brection: "As to the certainty of m turning to Canada finally I cannot yet decide. My heart is divided between Canada and Africa. I think of Af I ica, not only on account of its degraro. i'vfe, from Newton Theoh)ifieal lusUtiitioii, (I.S. ^Ve arrived there on \\^'dncsday ev(iiiiii!4', and remaineil about tw(dve days with them. We hehl a prayer-mcoting that same ovcniii,^' ; and also kept meetings on I'riday and Saturday evenings, at wliieli tini3 some interest be- gan to be maiiife ted among the peojile. "On Sal)batli tlie peoj)le gatlu.red out well to hoar — many having eonie ten mili!s to hear the, Oosjxd iireaehe(l, ;ind some sixteen. They listened with profound attention, and some were considerid)ly alfectcil. We continued public service (ivery even- ing in some ])lace or othcu' of the settlement till the next Sabbath. When, released from public engagements we wore cmployeil in private instrui;tion or in visiting from house to house. "Our iiiecitings were protracted to a very late hour; and .sometimes it would be two or three o'clock in the morning lie- fore the ju'oplo would retire. As often as we would pronounce the beiuidiction, some of them would sit down, unwilling to depart. • •••••• "The last Sab])ath we were in Ijeckwith will long bo remem- l)ercd. Early in tlu- morning we heard a number relate their e>:periciice, and tiu-n proceeded to public worship. W(; had u crowded and an attentive audience, and many wine deejily allected. Towards tlie evening wo had a ba[)tism in the Lake Mississippi. As soon as we could get in order we conimenceil pulilic service again. We both addresseil the people that night, and after we had done a numl)er remained and spent the night till dayliglit in religious exercises. " Wlieii the morning appeared wo all prepared for our respec- REV. R. A. FYFE, D. D. cS:i five lioinos, Ajjfaiii we prayed, and coninieiidiitl one anDtlior to tlie Divine caro and protection. ■ ••*••• On ]\ronday niorninf^ wo took our journey on liors(d)aek, and arrived in Osgood in the evening (a distaut-e of sixty miles ov npwards), and tlie next day proceeded to IJytown ; l)nt, l)einLf detained by the steamboat till Friday, we could not arrive at Petite Nation* till Friday evenint,'. Our arrival was annotniced, and a coni])any was soon ^fathered. We continued our meetings till Tuesday — })reaching only in tlu; evenings on week days. The Lord was among ns, and Ijlessed Mis \vord to the conversion of a few souls. Two young men were bajitized in this place. " Tiio time now arrived that Brotlnu' Fyfe must retiwn to his studies, and I return to my own peo]ile ; accordingly we took leave of each other and dejiarted. Never did I labor with a more active and zealous brother tlian he is." How many of even our most devoted ministers and missionaries in these later days would relish a horseback ride of sixty miles or more in one day, followin