Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen: A PICTURE OF RELIGIOUS LIFE IN BY-GONE DAYS. JAMES STARK, D.D., AUTHOR OF " JOHN MURKER," " LIGHTS OF THE NORTH, ETC. (Ebition. ABERDEEN: D. WYLLIE & SON. MDCCCXCVIII. PRINTED AT THE ROSEMOtTNT PRESS, ABERDEEN. WITH FEELINGS OF SINCERE RESPECT TO SIB WILLIAM HENDERSON OF DEVANHA HOUSE. PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. IT is generally admitted, by those most com- petent to give a judgment, that Dr. Kidd was one of the very greatest religious forces with which this part of the country was ever favoured, and it is with the view of bringing the stimulating witness of his career into still wider circulation that this third and cheap edition of the biography has been issued. We are desirous that this book should have un- hampered access to the homes of the people, and win a standard place in our Sabbath School and other popular libraries, particularly in the North of Scotland, and it is now given at a price which places it within the reach of all. It is a cheap but not an abridged edition. All the printed matter that was in previous editions is here, with some additions, such as are found in pages 145, 253, 279. Perhaps it may not be unfitting to state, and it will be interesting specially to readers in the northern parts of our land to learn, that since viii Preface. this book was written abundant evidence has been forthcoming of the widespread as well as abiding impression produced by Dr. Kidd's striking personality. Never much out of Aber- deen after he entered it, his fame during his lifetime was almost confined to the country on this side of the Tay, but the persons who were influenced by his robust Evangelical testimony, and their descendants, went further afield, and communications from various parts of our colonies particularly from Canada make us aware of the fact that the memory of the Gil- comston pastor is still fragrant to many. J. S. November, 1898. PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. THE First Edition of this book, with the excep- tion of a few copies on superior paper, was exhausted in less than a month after it was published. Such a graceful compliment from the public deserved the acknowledgment of a Second Edition at an earlier date; but the author, in the middle of the winter, was en- grossed with other duties, and could not afford the needed time to put into shape the material which even then had come to hand. During the intervening months many memories have been awakened, without any pinching, and im- portant documents have come to light, which being placed at our service, we have been able to add about forty pages to the book as it was in the First Edition. Slight changes have been made, and a few additions introduced in some parts, notably a letter from Dr. Beattie, the author of the "Minstrel," in Chapter V., and three entirely new chapters are given : " The Anti-Patronage x Preface. Battle," " The Gilcomston Pastor from Home," and " More Kiddiana." "Warm thanks are due to numerous friends who were moved to render service in our effort to make this book a fitting memorial of Dr. Kidd, and to some extent a mirror of the religious life of our city as it was three or four generations ago. J. S. November, 1893. PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. IT is no easy task to write the life of a man who passed from this world fifty-eight years ago ; yet there were many who thought it ought to be written. It was scarcely possible that a unique and striking personality like that of Dr. Kidd could fail to leave an impression, which found its way more or less into print ; but, owing to various circumstances, a detailed bio- graphy, founded upon documents in the custody of relatives, has not till now appeared. An account of his early life was inserted in the " Imperial Magazine " in 1826 ; a brilliant monograph from the pen of Professor Masson appeared in " Macmillan's Magazine " in 1863 ; the late Dr. Candlish, in introducing a second edition of Dr. Kidd's work on the " Sonship " in 1872, published with it a summary of the principal facts in the career of this remarkable man ; in 1888, Mr. J. Martin, in his " Eminent Divines in Aberdeen and the North," gave a brief, but faithful narrative of the experiences xii Preface. and labours of Dr. Kidd ; and, besides the above mentioned, numerous sketches have appeared since his death, more or less fragmentary and fugitive : but such a Memoir as is possible only when the author has access to the inner life of the deceased, as it comes out in diaries, letters, and other private memoranda, has not been put into the possession of the public. It is a memorial of that kind a tribute of respect which has often been less tardily paid to men of far less consequence that it is the design of this book to supply. It must be owned, how- ever, that the writer had a desire, with the materials freely placed at his disposal, not only to delineate the life of a man who, by his breezy and forceful manner, had become an interesting local figure in the gallery of the past ; but also to depict the religious aspects of the times in which he lived, while he was a dweller in this northern region. What lies before the reader is intended to be a contribution to the illustration of that transition period in our national history at the beginning of the present century, when Evangelical life and doctrine came once more to the forefront. Some of the matter in these pages appeared Preface. a few months ago in the columns of local news- papers ; but it has all been recast, and ten entirely new chapters have been added. Assistance in gathering and sifting material has been cheerfully rendered by friends in Aber- deen, and some now residing elsewhere, who, from their special knowledge, are entitled to speak with authority. Advantage has been taken of the memories of surviving members of Dr. Kidd's congregation and there is a con- siderable number of them still to the fore to verify what, by lapse of time, is rapidly becom- ing a tradition. Different versions of the same thing have occasionally come from persons whose word was of equal weight, and in such circum- stances we have tried to give effect to what is probable and congruous. We have done our best to make this book an authentic and reliable record of that part of the past with which it deals ; though it is to be expected that all im- pressions should not agree regarding things so remote, many of which are now being put upon paper for the first time. We thank all friends most sincerely for their courteous attention and valuable aid, and only regret that to give the list of names of those Preface. who have favoured us with oral or written com- munications would be too serious an encroach- ment upon our space. Special mention, how- ever, must be made of Mrs. H. Oswald, without whose unwearied and enthusiastic co-operation the work could not have been done. J. S. ABERDEEN, 22nd October, 1892. CONTENTS. PAGE CHAP. i. Introductory, - - -' - 1 CHAP. ii. Early Days in Ireland, - - 5 CHAP. in. From Ireland to America, - 13 CHAP. iv. From America to Aberdeen, - - 22 CHAP. v. The Professorship in Marischal College, 34 CHAP. vi. Lectureship in Trinity Chapel, - - 50 CHAP, vii. Side Lights from the Diary, 1796-97, - 61 CHAP, viii. Call to Gilcomston Chapel, 72 CHAP, ix. The People's Preacher, 82 CHAP. x. A Sabbath in Gilcomston Chapel, - - 96 CHAP. XL Old Machar and Gilcomston at War, - 107 CHAP, xii. Persecutions, - -. - 115 CHAP. xni. Personal Habits, - .'- - .? - 125 CHAP, xiv. Contemporaries in Aberdeen, - 136 CHAP, xv. Shepherding, 146 CHAP. xvr. Baptisms and Marriages, - - - 158 Contents. PAGE CHAP. xvii. The Minister-Magistrate, - - 167 CHAP, xviii. Theological Authorship, - - - 176 CHAP. xix." Rabbi " Duncan in Dr. Kidd's hands, 185 CHAP. xx. Letters from Dr. Kidd, - - - 193 CHAP. xxi. The Reformer at Work, - - - 203 CHAP. xxn. Lectures on Political Economy, - 211 CHAP. xxin. Controversy with Priest Fraser, - 217 CHAP, xxiv. The Anti-Patronage Battle, - - 228 CHAP. xxv. Domestic Life, 236 CHAP, xxvi. The Gilcomston Pastor from Home, - 243 CHAP, xxvii. Kiddiana, - - 254 CHAP, xxvni. More Kiddiana, 262 CHAP, xxix. Old Age, 280 CHAP. xxx. The End, 289 Appendix, 296 Index, 309 DR. KIDD OF ABERDEEN. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. /(*\NE of the first duties which a self-respecting ^ community owes to itself is to keep in vivid remembrance the men belonging to it who, by their character and work, have shed lustre upon its annals, and bring healthful moral stim- ulus to its succeeding generations. What an advantageous natural situation and sustained enterprise in improvements and extensions are to the material side of a town's prosperity, an enthusiasm for righteousness, made conspicuous in the lives of some of its most notable citizens, is to the inner core of its well-being. We cannot be too advanced in the introduction of well- considered sanitary appliances ; but neither can we have too much of the wholesome influence of noble example in life, more especially when it is B 2 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. illumined and enforced by extraordinary talent and natural genius. One of the wisest men of Ancient Rome said : " You will do the greatest service to the State if you shall raise, not the roofs of the houses, but the souls of the citizens ; for it is better that great souls should dwell in small houses rather than mean souls to burrow in great palaces." But there is no reason why material and moral progress should not keep pace. They do go to- gether when tasteful monuments real things of beauty, that are a joy to look at are erected to the memory of persons who have won distinction. In the absence of stone or bronze statue, which tells its tale and points its moral, a plain, unvar- nished narrative of the career of one of our local heroes ma^ be of use. We propose to do that service for Dr. Kidd. We shall do our best to tell the story to the present generation so as to make that man, if possible, one of the moral forces of the time in which we live. Ours is the humble task of imitating " Old Mortality," who went about the country retouching the lettering upon the tomb- stones of the Covenanters, that the inscriptions might have more legibility. It is said there was a dearth of " saints " in this part of the country in mediaeval times, but if canonisation had been carried over from the Roman to the Protestant Church there is little Introductory. doubt that there would have been at least one " saint " made in Aberdeen within the last fifty years, and that is Dr. Kidd. "Saint James" might have led to confusion with scriptural personages, and to have taken the surname Kidd, besides being unusual, would not have been euphonious, but the prefix has often been added to names far less worthy of it. Of all the men associated with this region during at least a hundred years noted for sterling moral worth and power for good over the people, made all the more striking by a strong dash of eccentricity, Dr. Kidd, it will be generally admitted, stands without a peer. He made a mark in this city which more than half a century has not effaced. Several generations have passed away since his head was put under the sod, and yet amongst native Aberdonians his name is as much a household word as ever. In the houses of not a few you still see the print of his portly Johnsonian figure reverently framed, and also his remarkable " Farewell," which was found after his death amongst his papers. It will be our endeavour to unfold the causes of such widespread and unexampled popularity, which is becoming a tradition, but one that should not be allowed to die. The delineation of the character and the recital of the life and work of this remarkable man may disclose the secret of his power, so as to afford needed direction and Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. stimulus for the duties and opportunities of the present time. Success of the kind that Dr. Kidd achieved is not the accident or the perquisite of any particular age. Geologists are now telling us that most of the great changes which have taken place upon the surface of the earth are due to causes still in existence, and more or less in operation. Certainly, true human greatness has its roots in what belongs to man as he always has been and ever will be. The great man gives one of the proofs of his greatness in bringing himself into close alliance and sympathy with the requirements of the period to which he belongs ; but that in him which constrained him so to do would, speaking generally, have made him the man of whatever hour the hand of the clock of time pointed to ; and, therefore, in perusing the story of Dr. Kidd's life, we may expect to glean some hints which, if well used, will contribute to make our lives of more conse- quence to ourselves and to others. It will throw helpful, and occasionally much- needed, light upon what is to follow if we remember at the outset that the subject of our sketch came from the north of Ireland, and, being a typical and eminently favourable speci- men of the race bred in that part of the world, he had in him, as we shall see, a combination of the fiery impetuosity of the Celt and the invin- cible pertinacity of the Scot. Early Days in Ireland. CHAPTER II. EARLY DAYS IN IRELAND. f*f AMES KIDD was born near Loughbrickland, Q) in the county of Down, on 6th November, 1761. He had, like many in that part of Ire- land, the inestimable privilege of a godly though poor parentage. He was bereft of his father when he was a few months old, and, along with the three sons, of whom he was the youngest, his mother removed to her native place, Brough- shane, in the county of Antrim. The story of his early education reads like a charming bit of romance, and forcibly reminds us that the child is indeed father of the man. The first leaf of the Shorter Catechism was the mental pabulum with which his infant life was nourished. No wonder that he became a mighty man when at that early age he could take such strong food ! From the first leaf of that com- pendium of theology he learned his alphabet, and after spelling and reading each question in rota- tion he committed the whole to memory. It has been remarked by those who have had wide opportunities for observation that memory is a most important part of the basis of intel- lectual pre-eminence. The information we can Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. gather regarding the early training of James Kidd bears out this high estimate that is taken of the function of memory in mental and moral development. When he was a mere child he not only read, but was able to repeat without book, the greater part of the Gospel of John. Every day his mother gave him his portion, causing him to commit to memory the passage that was read, and putting questions to him to induce him to ponder and digest what he had acquired, so that the truth entered into his growing intelli- gence, and was not a mere mechanical appro- priation. When he was an old man, Dr. Kidd often spoke with grateful emotion of the gracious wisdom of his mother in being at such pains so to present Jesus Christ to his mind as to beget in him reverence and love that hallowed the springs of his life. That this quick-witted and faithful mother knew her business as an instructor of her father- less children is amply proved by the fact that her youngest son fell in love with the New Testa- ment, and read it with the absorbed and glowing interest which that most precious of all story books can arouse when intelligence, heart, and imagination are enlisted in the reading. The miracles and parables recorded in the New Testa- ment stirred the fancy and feeling of the child as much as could the story of the Arabian Nights or other nursery tales, and left a rich deposit of Early Days in Ireland. knowledge of more use for the future. Instead of the Bible being associated in his mind with weary task-work it became the companion of his brightest hours ; it was put under his pillow at night, and was read with avidity when he awoke in the morning. With such pure and elevating influences shed upon a naturally ardent and as- piring spirit, and such tastes wrought into the texture of character and habit, into what fair form might we not expect this young life to blossom ? When about eight years of age, he went with his mother to the church in Broughshane on a communion Sabbath. He was placed in a pew in full view of the officiating minister, who, ac- cording to what is said to have been the ancient usage of the Scottish Kirk, was clothed in blue. The appearance of the venerable man of God in this uncommon dress, the white covering of the sacramental table, the bread and wine spread upon it, the peculiar solemnity of the discourse, and the rapt, subdued demeanour of the assembled people struck the susceptible nature of this child ; he was in an ecstasy, and before leaving the place he made a vofa that he should endeavour to acquire needful qualification for the sacred office of the ministry, which his kindled imagina- tion regarded as nothing short of an angelic, if not indeed a divine, function. Consecrated in heart, in vague and childish 8 Dr. Kidd of A berdeen. fashion, at this early age, he yet found it difficult to pay his vows. The widowed mother was not in circumstances to give her youngest son the education he coveted as a means to a great end. But the young Irishman, fired with a noble ambi- tion, was not of the sort to be easily daunted. He borrowed some school books, and, literally committing them to memory, needed little more assistance than that a competent person should hear him repeat his lessons. The ingenuous youth was so terribly in earnest that he awakened a sympathetic interest in some teachers in the district, who gave him gratuitous assistance. No one with a spark of generous manhood in him could fail to offer help to one who by his own exertions proved himself to be so worthy of it. Goethe says that all things come into the ser- vice and use of the man of culture. Is it not so, also, with the person earnestly in pursuit of culture ? James Kidd found, when inspired with the love of learning, and the desire to count for something among the better forces of the world, that, while there were formidable difficulties arrayed against him, there were still more power- ful ministries at hand to further his interests and carry him on to the object he was pursuing. People delight in snubbing the uppish youth, but they cannot help giving a word of good cheer and a helping hand to one who is truly aspiring. What is best in us goes out in admiration for Early Days in Ireland. 9 pluck in the undaunted uphill search for the finer things of life. So, we are told, a youth, belonging to the neighbourhood, of good social position and splen- did parts, named James Ritchie, hearing of the struggles of the young scholar, offered to help him in his spare hours. James Kidd, not able to pay the fee for attendance at a Latin class in the adjoining Academy, borrowed a grammar, com- mitted it bit by bit to memory, and repeated it as he learned it to his honorary tutor, who gave the fatherless boy the benefit of his superior classical outfit. This friend in need was several years older than James Kidd, yet a David and Jonathan like friendship sprung up between them, which lasted till the premature death of Ritchie divided them. As long as he lived, this generous youth was James Kidd's good angel, and the companionship not only softened the rigour of a hard lot, but rendered the youth who had to endure it the inestimable service of so presenting human nature that it could be trusted and loved. When one friend passed away another stepped in. A farmer in the district undertook to place him for six months at the Academy which his deceased friend had attended. He made rapid progress during that time, and soon was along- side those who had for years enjoyed the advan- tages which he possessed for such a limited 10 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. period. In an irregular and scrambling fashion he managed to pick up the elements of a fairly good education for his years. His case was, indeed, an illustration of the truth that God helps those who help themselves, that " self-help " brings help from all sorts of quarters. The youth who had a thirst for knowledge so intense that he would frequently rise during the night, and, lighting what is called in the country a split, that he might look at a passage in one of the classics which he had not succeeded in mastering on the previous day, and who began the practice, before he had reached his teens, of parting com- pany with his bed at the first glimpse of dawn, was not likely to go without his reward. He had an irrepressible impulse and deter- mination to make his personality of some account. He must have an outlet and channel for his superabundant energy. What is in him cannot remain as idle ore. Life must yield its richest possibilities. His course through life is not to be a saunter, but a race, and he will so run as to get the prize. It was noticed by those who watched his career in those early days that he could not bear to be at the bottom of his class. His ambitious spirit was wounded if classmates outstripped him. But it was spirited emulation, not mean envy that moved him. If others shot ahead of him he was spurred to do better. There was Early Days in Ireland. 11 mettle in him that could not brook the pace of a laggard. That other boys should be better clothed and housed than he was never cost him a pang ; but that they should excel him in re- peating the prescribed lessons was more than his spirit could endure. Ah ! that son of the widow was indeed the father of the man that was to be. Mind, and not circumstance, was, in his eyes, the measure of the man ; and he had a passion for personal excellency. Acting in the spirit of the military canon of the first Napoleon that the invaded country should afford needful supplies to the invader, he resolved to make his living by teaching those branches of learning in which he was determined to attain the utmost proficiency. His thorough- ness and enthusiasm drew many pupils around him. It is said that most speakers learn their art at the expense of their audiences, but James Kidd was able to do others, as well as himself, much good in his school. The boy-teacher grew in experience and fitness for his vocation, passing from smaller to larger schools, till he was called by the educational guardians of the place to a school that was erected for him in Kildownie, about twenty miles from Belfast. There he laboured for a number of years, and established his reputation as a man whose pupils bore the mark of being handled by a master in his craft. Still no opening occurred for the higher 12 Dr. Kidd of A berdeen. education needed for the ministry, which was the goal of his desire and endeavour. While yet a young man, he did what to many of his friends seemed to be fatal to his prospects of success as an aspirant to the pulpit : he married the daughter of a respectable farmer in the district Mr. Robert Boyd, of Carnlea, near Ballymena, It almost looked as if he were shut up now to the career of a pedagogue. What with the respon- sibilities of married life, and his inability to procure either time or money to attend a Uni- versity, most men would have felt that con- straining circumstances had released them from obedience to their " vision." It was not so with our young hero. The possibilities of life were not exhausted. There was a new world on the other side of the Atlantic where many of his fellow-countrymen had been able to do what baffled them in the old country. The hard knot might be untied under the more favourable conditions which he expected to find in a country that, like himself, was shaping its future. He resolved to emigrate to America. From Ireland to America, 13 CHAPTER III. FROM IRELAND TO AMERICA. f -0ITHOUT a single letter of introduction, or ^ ^ any friend to bid him welcome after his weary passage of nine weeks, James Kidd, with his family, landed on the shores of what was to him the land of promise in 1784. When they disem- barked at Philadelphia he was directed by the captain of the ship they had sailed in to apply to a fellow-countryman in that city, a school- master of the name of James Little, who was of great service in opening up his future. The manner in which Mr. Kidd began his career in America was truly characteristic, and had in it a prophetic significance. All through life he owed more to inherent worth than to pro- pitious circumstance. Native force of character was left to do for him what the favours of smiling fortune do for many. He carried no letters of introduction to the new world ; but he took with him what was more advantageous an ardent and loyal nature that was generally consistent with itself, and which won the con- fidence and fastened itself to the affections of those who made his acquaintance. He had, under a guiding God, to make his own way, and 14 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. he could make it, as there was stamina in his personality that never failed to give a good account of itself, at least in the eyes of those whose appreciation was of any consequence. It was one of his most admirable personal traits that the best men whom he happened to meet, if they came up to him with openness and discern- ment of mind, could not help making him their friend. Through the recommendation of Mr. Little, Mr. Kidd, soon after his arrival, was installed a.s tutor in a family in New Jersey. From that he passed to a better situation in the family of Nathaniel Ewing, brother of the then provost of the College of Pennsylvania. By and bye Mr. Little, who was advanced in life, induced him to settle in Philadelphia, and become a sharer with him in the work and emoluments of his school. Discovering, however, on closer acquaintance, that Mr. Kidd, from his abilities and acquire- ments was capable of higher work than what was required in a common school, Mr. Little magnanimously advised him to open a classical academy of his own. This Mr. Kidd did, and carried it on with very marked success for years. Several of his pupils were men who took an active and honourable part in the public affairs of their country, amongst them being Commodore Decatur, who was well known in America at the beginning 01 this century. From Ireland to America. 15 In recalling the adventures of his life in America at that period, there was one narrow escape he described which left an impression upon him that was never effaced. When travel- ling through a comparatively uninhabited part of the country, his adventurous spirit led him alone into one of those trackless forests, of which America had many then, and, unable to find a way out, he was kept wandering amidst its soli- tude and darkness for days. At last he was found crawling on hands and feet, exhausted with hunger and fatigue. One advantage, he sometimes said, derived from the trying experi- ence was that he "never afterwards esteemed any of God's bounties, however plain, as not good enough for him, but partook with thankfulness of whatever was set before him." After some lapse of time, a vacancy for an usher having occurred in the College of Penn- sylvania, Mr. Kidd offered himself as a candidate, and was elected to the situation. Having con- tinued to act in that capacity for some time, he was enrolled as a student* and went through the * Certificate received by Mr. Kidd from the University in Philadelphia : "PHILADELPHIA, 12th September, 1795. "This is to certify that Mr. James Kidd, formerly of Philadelphia, in America, and now of Aberdeen, in Scotland, was a student of the University of Pennsylvania, in Phila- delphia, and attended the lectures of the several professors 16 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. entire course of classics, philosophy, and all the other parts of a collegiate training, bringing in money at the same time for the support of him- self and his family as a corrector to the press. One day in the course of his reading he lighted upon a book that contained the Hebrew alphabet, and this circumstance gave an impulse and direction to his whole future life. In a very short time he mastered the letters and vowel- points, and, with the tuition of a Portuguese Jew, in Natural Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Mathematics, and Humanity, in the winter seasons of 1787 and 1789 : that by the advantage of a good natural genius and diligent application to his studies, he acquired such a laudable acquaintance with the different branches of Science, to which he attended, as met with the unanimous approbation of his professors : and that his moral and religious conduct, during his stay with us in America, was unexceptionable and exemplary ; so that he may be admitted into any religious society to which he may choose to attach himself. It is with pleasure that the Provost, Vice-Provost, and the other professors of the University of Pennsylvania, in Phila- delphia, subscribe this unanimous attestation in favour of the moral conduct and literary accomplishments of one of their former pupils, and the Provost begs leave to add that, from his particular knowledge of Mr. Kidd's acquaintance with the Oriental languages, he had recommended him to the notice of the late Professor Robertson, of Edinburgh, and is glad to find that he is now employed at Aberdeen in that important line of instruction. " JOHN EWIXG, Provost, and Prof, of Nat. Ph. "SAM MAYOR, V.-Prov., and Pr. of Moral Philos. " JAS. DAVIDSON, Prof, of Humanity. "Hi. PATERSON, Prof, of Mathematics." From Ireland to America. 17 he was able to read the book of Genesis in the course of a few months. He was smitten with a passion for Oriental languages. He attended a Jewish synagogue every Friday evening, where he learned to read Hebrew fluently, and at the same time acquired an insight into the modes of Jewish thought and worship. The exorbitant charges of his Jewish teacher, and the expenses consequent upon a rising family, reduced Mr. Kidd's finances to a very low ebb. He was greatly in need of one thing, and he as ardently longed for another, and he had not the money with which to purchase both. What he needed was a suit of clothes ; what he lusted after was a Hebrew Bible that he had cast his eyes upon in the window of a Dutch bookseller. In obedience, doubtless, to the behest of his better-half, yielding at last to her repeated re- monstrances, he went away with money he had saved to clothe the outer man. But while going to the clothier's he had to pass the bookseller's, and found, alas ! as many have done before, though usually in connection with other things than sacred literature, that he was on tempta- tion's path. As he passed, he could not help looking at the coveted book ; he stepped in to have a closer inspection : the Dutchman was loud in his praises of the edition and type; the impulse, as he felt the money in his pocket, was too strong to be resisted. He flung the price 18 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. down on the counter, carried off his prize, and the enthusiastic Hebraist had to begin again, by extra toil and economy, gradually to accumulate as much as would enable him to replace his threadbare garments. For some time he had Oriental languages on the brain, and he set his face immediately in the direction of anything that was likely to perfect him in the knowledge of that branch of study. The ardent and simple-hearted youth conceived the idea at that time that a visit to the Holy Land, which had been the scene of heaven's reve- lations and solemn transactions, and where Hebrew had been spoken as a living language, would render him signal service in his studies. Happily he had amongst his intimate friends Dr. Benjamin Rush, the well-known American physician and politician, who succeeded in ex- ploding that juvenile notion. "I think," he said, " I see you coming back from Palestine and lecturing to empty benches: study men and things." But he clung tenaciously to the splendid and beloved ideal of his childhood. He was not to be diverted from the great aim of his life, which was to acquire needful equipment for the pulpit, though he was quite willing to listen to the counsel of experience as to the best method to be pursued. That nothing might be left undone which was within the compass of his inventive From Ireland to America. 19 genius and indomitable will to make him "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed," he resolved to sit at the feet of John Brown of Haddington, and study in the University of Edinburgh, the rising fame of which was attract- ing students from all parts of the world. His friends in America did all they could to dissuade him from this course, but his resolution was not to be shaken. He left America ; but he took with him what gave form and colour to his whole future life. There can be no doubt that America, which had just achieved her Independence, and was re- joicing in the exercise of her dearly- won liberties, was one of the most helpful of Mr. Kidd's " Schools and Schoolmasters." The very air which the society of that young and vigorous commonwealth breathed ; the noble character and pure patriotism of most of her leading citizens of that generation ; the honourable place given to those principles of right for which they had shed their blood on the battlefield; the newly-awakened powers and the consciousness of grand possibilities which were entering into the life of the nation that had just been born ; the ardour, the energy, and aspiration of that race which had Washington at its head must have told with marked effect in the formation of the character of this young, impressible Irishman. What a rare opportunity a people have when 20 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. they, in the providence of God, are free to begin at the beginning, having no other basis of opera- tions for statesmanship than the principles of justice and the eternal laws of God. The Americans of that day were not angels, but many of the men who took part in framing the con- stitution of the newly-born nation were loyal to the holy truths, and respected, with a chivalrous devotion, the higher sentiments which are the inheritance of those who have received a Puritan training. Brushing aside effete tradition and tyrannous custom as a burden that man and not God had laid upon them, they contributed a page to the history of mankind that is of unique interest, as it is the record of an experiment, the very making of which brings us a little nearer the realisation of that high national ideal, which, like an orb of heaven, is very beautiful to behold, but, as some faint-hearted ones think, is quite as difficult to reach. James Kidd, who arrived upon the shores of America two or three years after its Independ- ence had been acknowledged, was just the man upon whom the spirit breathed around him could not but act like a contagion. His constitutional tendencies must have made the society congenial to him, and they seemed also to mark him out as a person who was destined to be one of its life- long and leading citizens, and where unquestion- ably his pecuniary circumstances and personal From Ireland to America, 21 comfort would have been what they never were in Aberdeen. The most unaccountable part of his whole career is his removal from America to Aberdeen. Truly he was led by a way that he knew not, not to the sphere that suited him best, but to the one that needed him most. 22 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. CHAPTER IV. FROM AMERICA TO ABERDEEN. WHAT induced Mr. Kidd to re-cross the Atlantic and come back to the "old country" was the desire to study under the famous John Brown of Haddington, who was then Professor of Divinity under the Associate Synod. It may seem strange to us of the present day that this ambitious divinity student should have turned his back upon the Theological Colleges and tutors of the United States of excellent standing, and should have had such a strong preference for the Scottish Dissenter's prelections as to leave the land where he had now good connections and many friends who were at a loss to account for the step he was taking. But one of his " Irish fits," as he himself afterwards called them, was upon him, and he would go. Probably he was dazzled with the romantic story of the herculean toils in the pursuit of learning of John Brown, who, like himself, was a self-made man, having been once a " herd laddie." But, doubtless, doctrinal and spiritual sympathy was at the bottom of this attachment. We must not forget that, while Brown's writings may not be part of the " master light " of the From America to Aberdeen. 23 present age, yet in popular estimation he was one of the very greatest Scotchmen of that time. His self-interpreting Bible, which was highly com- mended even by church dignitaries in England, and his other productions, had made him widely known and revered wherever Presbyterian Calvinism or genuine piety had a footing. He was indeed a typical Scot of the first rank in moral qualities, of whom we have reason to be proud. Even David Hume could not restrain his praise. On hearing him preach, he remarked " that old man preaches as if Christ were at his elbow." But while man proposes, God disposes ; by the time that Mr. Kidd reached the shores of Scotland the distinguished professor was in his grave. It being the personal pre-eminence and not the denominational connection of Mr. Brown that drew him to Scotland, he was free to cast about for any part of the Presbyterian fold that was most congenial and would be most helpful. Having, by his residence in Ireland and America, been all his life outside the domestic contro- versies and local divisions of ecclesiastical Scot- land, and never having been at any time a strong denominational man, though a staunch Presby- terian, he could choose that connection which was likely to render him most service in view of his life work. He decided to cast in his lot with the Established Church of Scotland. 24 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. A letter from a fellow-student, who, like him- self, had come from America to study in Scot- land, and who had afterwards returned to his own country, sheds some light upon the James Kidd of that period : "NEW YORK, 2nd November, 1792. " MY DEAR FRIEND, You will perhaps think that I have forgotten you because I did not write to you before. I often remember you, and remember you with affection, the friendship you showed me while I was in Edinburgh I would be ungrateful to forget, and that same friendship will prompt you, I doubt not, to enquire how I am situated. In few words, much better and more comfortably than I deserve. I bless God that he has counted me faithful, putting me in the ministry. I was licensed on the 18th ult., and am supplying the vacancy at New York, where I expect soon to be settled. " Shortly after my arrival I visited Philadelphia. I called upon your wife and found all well. She was extremely happy in hearing from you, and it seemed to give her peculiar satisfaction to see a person with whom you were acquainted. In the spring, I suppose, you will prosecute the plan you mentioned when I left you. Do not kill yourself with excessive study. We are made of soul and body, and must take care of both; intemperate application may break the flow of your natural spirits, and then you will be able to do very little at anything. The God of all grace bless you. Whilst we are in a world of toil and sin, let us give daily employment to our Great High Priest, and From, America to Aberdeen. 25 our souls will prosper, and when you pray for yourself forget not your friend, " JAS. M. MASON." Another letter, from his eminent and valued friend, Dr. Rush, shows that, up to 1795, Mr. Kidd still had the intention of returning to America : " PHILADELPHIA, 19th July, 1795. " MY DEAR FRIEND, I rejoice to hear of your intention to return to America in the character of a minister of the Gospel. The harvest is indeed great, but wise, faithful, and zealous labourers are very few in every part of the United States ' When He comes, shall He find faith on the earth? ' I hope you will add to your public labours in the ministry the establishment of a school for teaching the Hebrew language. I wait with impatience to see your translation of the Book of Genesis. I expect to be instructed and benefited by it, for I am engaged in preparing a work for the press to be entitled, ' An Attempt to Explain Sundry Passages in the Old and New Testaments, by the Principles of Medicine and the Laws of the Animal Economy.' I am likewise engaged in preparing a second volume for the press upon the 'Yellow Fever,' to which will be added, ' An Inquiry into the Proximate Cause of Fever, and a Defence of Blood-Letting as a Remedy in certain " I deplore with you the continued effusion of human blood in Europe. How much should it lead us 26 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. to appreciate the Gospel of Jesus Christ when we re- flect that it contains in it a remedy for all the public as well as private calamities of mankind. The United States continue to flourish in their agriculture, manu- factures, and commerce. The treaty with Great Britain, though adopted by our Senate, is disapproved of by 19 out of 20 of our citizens ; I cannot detail the objections to it, not having read it. I am, my dear sir, ever yours sincerely, "BENJAMIN RUSH." Mr. Kidd carried with him letters of intro- duction to some of the leading University men in Edinburgh from Dr. Benjamin Rush, who had been one of its distinguished students, and other tried friends in America. A few of those men of weight and influence in Edinburgh continued for years to take a lively interest in this Ameri- can Irishman, and did all they could to further his interests, and no one more so than Dr. John Hill, Professor of Humanity, some of whose letters are to appear in these pages. By their advice he began anew his academical course at Edinburgh, not content with what he had re- ceived in the College of Philadelphia. Here is a married man, with a family, nearly thirty years of age, taking his place in the class-room with the Scottish youths of that generation ! Yerily such pertinacity deserves its reward. He attended Latin and Greek classes under Hill and Dalziel, also Chemistry under Black, From America to Aberdeen. 27 and Anatomy with Munro ; and was a student under the renowned Dugald Stewart. He en- rolled himself soon after as a student of Divinity* in the Established Church. Probably no one of all his tutors influenced him so much as Dugald Stewart, who, by his attractive style more than his original or profound explorations in the field of mental and moral science, was, along with a few other brilliant men, gradually winning for the University of which they were such orna- ments a European reputation. He who could present subjects usually considered dry and " crabbed," so that, as Sir Walter Scott testifies, " his striking and impressive eloquence ri vetted the attention of the most volatile student," must have had a fascination for Mr. Kidd. *From one of the Edinburgh Professors of Divinity to Mr. Kidd : " EDINBURGH, 29th June, 1795. "DEAR SIR, I was favoured with your letter of the 27th curt., and have, agreeably to your desire, written (on the other leaf) a certificate of your attendance on this Hall. I do not see from my books that you have de- livered any discourses before me. I feel a reluctance to give particular advices to one of your standing, though you modestly request it. I need hardly remind you that much diligence in the study of the Scriptures, and atten- tion to personal religion, are of the highest importance. "With sincere wishes for your success in the im- portant plan of life you have in view. I am, dear sir, yours sincerely, "A. HUNTER." 28 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Having to find maintenance for himself and family while carrying on his studies in Edin- burgh, Mr. Kidd opened classes, under the im- mediate patronage of the celebrated Hebraist, Robertson, as a teacher of Oriental Literature. Thus he was thrown into the current of the best thought and life of Edinburgh at that most in- teresting period of its history, when, by the extraordinary outburst of genius and intellectual energy, of which it was the scene, it was entitled to regard itself as more than a national capital as a distinctive seat of letters and criticism " Modern Athens." His success as a teacher of Hebrew was so conspicuous that, when the Professorship of Oriental Languages in Marischal College, Aber- deen, became vacant by the death of Dr. Donald- son, he was urged by influential friends to lodge an application. His testimonials from experts were so satisfactory that the patron, Sir Alex- ander Ramsay of Balmain, ventured to present this stranger and Irishman to the office, which at the time was more marked for its dignity than its emoluments. When he accepted the professorship, and it appeared to be the will of Providence that he should settle in Aberdeen, he sent for Mrs. Kidd. He was so situated that he could not return for her, and she had to cross the Atlantic alone, not knowing anything of the place for which she was From America to Aberdeen. 29 bound, except that her husband was there, and not dreaming that it was destined to be her home till death came to remove her. When coming over in one of the sailing vessels of the period, a tragedy occurred which threw the rest of her life to some extent into shadow. A great storm arose, and being fright- ened as the vessel was reeling under the assaults of the terrific seas, she rushed up on deck with her youngest child in her arms, when a huge wave leapt on board, knocked her down, and swept the little one from her sight. As may well be supposed, she was never quite the same person after that shock. At last their wanderings are over. After much exploration and vicissitude Mr. Kidd finds a home. It almost looked as if he were to be as restless as the " Wandering Jew," whose lan- guage had such an attraction for him, as he found it so difficult to tie himself down any- where in Ireland or America. What those countries could not do Aberdeen did ; once his foot was planted in that city he never saw his way out of it again. What kind of place was it which held him so fast ? Aberdeen in the early days of Mr. Kidd's resi- dence was a very different place from the large and beautiful city which now bears its name. It was then an ancient and historic town, with a romantic situation, as it stood between its two 30 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. rivers, the Dee and the Don, and fronted the vast expanse of ocean, with no shore beyond nearer than Norway ; but it had not much more than a fifth of its present population, and did not cover a tenth of the space now within its boundaries. Like most old Scottish towns, it was what Jerusalem is said to have been, " a city that is compact together." You could have gone from end to end of it before breakfast and not have suffered any inconvenience, unless from the odours, which at certain parts were more ob- trusive than fragrant. Indeed, Aberdeen as it now presents itself to the eye could scarcely be said to have existed then ; for Union Street a hundred years ago was no more than a dream, if it was even that, and modern Aberdonians cannot be blamed for think- ing that the city, before that magnificent thoroughfare was constructed, must have been like a bridge when nothing else has been erected but a pier on one side, or a palace with no entrance hall or reception room. Union Street is Aberdeen brought to a focus, and enthusiastic citizens of Bon- Accord, daring, in the exuberance of their loyalty, to link things local with the most illustrious associations, have gone so far as to say What would Athens have been without its Acropolis, or Ancient Rome if its Capitol had only been a phantom of the brain ; and what would Aberdeen be if its stateliest and most dis- tinctive feature were not ? From America to Aberdeen. 31 The chief streets in those far-away days were Castle Street, Broad Street, Q-allowgate, Guest- row, Shiprow, Netherkirkgate, Upperkirkgate, and the Green. In most parts beyond, where there are now handsome streets and terraces, there were cornfields and vegetable gardens. The only stage coach which brought the city into connection with the rest of the world, went to Edinburgh, leaving every Monday morning at 4 o'clock, and arriving at its destination in time for dinner next day, a seat in it costing two guineas. A letter posted for London at the beginning of the week arrived at the end of it, the postage for a single sheet being not less than Is. 3d. We have now between seventy and a hundred ministers of religion* : then there were only * The ministers of Aberdeen in the year of Mr. Kidd's arrival, as given in " The Aberdeen Almanac for the year 1793": "George Campbell, James Shireffs, Duncan Shaw, Hugh Hay; College Church, James Shand ; Foot- dee, John Thomson; Chapel of Ease, Belmont Street, John Bryce; Chapel of Ease, Gilcomston, James Gregory. Associate Congregation, Alexander Dick. Associate Congregation (Antiburghers), William M/ 178 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Europe. Columba in lona liacl some spare hours for the contemplation of themes which lay apart from the practical urgency of his work as a herald of the cross ; and why should not he, another Irishman in another part of Scotland, turn aside for a little into the sacred region of scientific theology? His first work on the Trinity, published in 1815, bore this title "An Essay on the Doctrine of the Trinity, attempting to prove it by Reason and Demonstration, founded upon Duration and Space, and upon some of the Divine Perfections, some of the Powers of the Human Soul, the Language of Scripture, and tradition among all Nations." Before the preface there is an " Address to the Elders and Members of the Congregation who worship in the Chapel of Ease, Gilcoinston, by Aberdeen." We give a part of it: "From, the day in which the good providence of God brought us together in the relation of pastor and people, it has been my constant aim and effort to instruct you as particularly as possible in the doctrine of the Trinity, or of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, whose thrice holy name you bear in baptism as the foundation of all the doctrines of revelation, of all true religion, and of all faith and practice according to the scriptures. As this doctrine is the most difficult of all others, it requires great patience and perseverance to obtain any considerable Theological Authorship. 179 knowledge of it, lying so far out of the general com- prehension of common capacities, it requires a particu- lar turn of mind and mode of thinking to enter fully into it. Besides those instructions from the pulpit, in order to carry forward the knowledge of the subject in your minds to greater perfection, I have drawn up the following essay, with much care and as much perspicuity as the nature of the subject would admit, for the express purpose that a present and permanent help might remain among you after I go the way of all the earth." Very probably Dr. Kidd, like others who have handled such high and mysterious subjects, was better satisfied with the conception that was in his own mind, than with the " Essay " upon paper. But Dr. Adam Clarke, no mean authority, said of this treatise : " I consider his work to be a mighty effort of a mighty mind, and should he even fail in the main argument, his work, I am sure, will do much good. He has dared nobly ; and if he fail, it must be by the sun's melting the wax of his pinions through the sublimity of his flight. I believe there is not a Socinian in Britain this day that will be able to demonstrate him to be wrong ; and I fear not to pledge myself to eat the book, though a folio, in which his chain of argumentation can be fairly proved to cut the opposite way." Dr. Kidd's " Dissertation on the Eternal Son- ship of Christ" was published in 1822, and 180 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. re-published, as we have already mentioned, with an Introduction by the late Dr. Candlish in 1872. However disposed the present generation may be to regard such studies as too remote from the practical purposes of life, it is well for Christen- dom that there have been men in the church who went as far as human thought could go in bring- ing the understanding up to faith. Should nothing else be accomplished in grappling with those questions, and trying to go down to the roots, and back to the essences of things, the limitations of reason are made apparent at least, and that is no small advantage. As was to be expected in handling such themes as the Trinity and the Son ship, there is not much colour in the style ; but both books display clear concatenation of thought, expressed in graceful and flowing sentences. Even in Dr. Kidd's days there must have been many who did not find in the treatises any spiritual nutriment commensurate with the intellectual toil expended upon the reading. After the latter was published, the Doctor did, what is ever hazardous in an author to do he challenged the verdict of a friend whom he happened to meet. " Well, have you got my book? " " Yes," was the reply, with a laconic significance, which, however, was lost upon the Doctor. " What did you think of it ? " persisted the author in his unwise interroga- tions. Unwilling to give his real opinion, this Theological Authorship. 181 persecuted reader took refuge in the additional observation, which was meant to be conciliatory, that he had " read it with care." Chased out of that hiding by the sheer pertinacity of Dr. Kidd, the truth at last came out " Weel, doctor, if you will hae't, I didna feel as if your book brocht me the length of my pike staff nearer heaven ! " Several years before the treatises on the Trinity and the Sonship were written, there appeared "A Volume of Sermons explaining the Goodness of God in dispensing the Blessings of the Covenant of Grace, according to the Sovereign Purpose of his Redeeming Love." His other printed works of importance were: " A pamphlet on the Rights and Liberties of the Church against the Usurpation of Patronage ; " " A Catechism for the Young on Approaching the Communion Table for the First Time ; " " Treatise on Infant Baptism ; " and another volume of sermons or rather skeletons of " Sermons published posthumously." Dr. Kidd was just the mould of a man to have made a magnificent scholastic divine. We can imagine him setting out, if he had been alive in the Middle Ages, as another Duns Scotus, nailing his theses to the door of a University, and challenging all competent to the task to debate on high and abstruse themes. While possessing much of the exuberant warmth of 182 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Peter, lie was by no means a stranger to the dialectics of Paul ; but Thomas must have been to him an incomprehensible personage. There is abundant evidence to prove that, if circumstances had been favourable to such a direction of his energies, Dr. Kidd's name might have taken a still more honoured place in the illustrious roll of theological and philosophical writers of which Aberdeen can boast. The writer for the few might have eclipsed the preacher for the many, if it had not been for the impelling temperament, the popular sympathies, the active and earnest spirit of the man, which made him so intent upon doing good to the vast multitude that looked to him for bread, as to leave no more than mere fragments of time for literary pursuits. Who can doubt it was well ordered for Aberdeen? For one man who can wield such a mighty spiritual influence upon a community as he did, you will find a score who can write learned disquisitions. It is to the credit of some ministers of the Gospel that they cannot command the resources, as they do not possess the leisure, of the professional scholar. In each man there is only a certain amount of energy deposited, and if one's soul is aglow with zeal for men he cannot shut himself up in cloistered repose. Dr. Kidd had the instincts of the true philo- sopher or theologian, who loves truth for its own Theological Authorship. 183 sake, and hails with delight any luminous and forcible statement of it, from whatever quarter it may come. In the course of his reading he hap- pened to come upon Drew " On the Soul," and "On the Identity and Resurrection of the Body," and in his warm-hearted, generous way he wrote at once to the author Mr. Samuel Drew, a remarkable man, and one of rare meta- physical acumen urging him to become a can- didate for " the Burnett Prize " of 1,500, to be awarded after three years, on the judgment chiefly of the professors and ministers of Aber- deen, for the best essay on " The evidence, inde- pendently of Revelation, that there is a Being, all-powerful, wise, and good, by whom every- thing exists." Mr. Drew did not get the prize, but this action on the part of Dr. Kidd led to a life-long friendship between these two kindred spirits. The two men were far apart on many points, the one being an Arminian Methodist and the other a Calvinistic Presbyterian, but they were one in their high-toned love of truth and magnanimous catholicity. Dr. Kidd, like all great souls, could, as by instinct, cleave to the heart and essence of Christianity, and if he found a man identified with that he could tolerate a great many differences on minor points. Moral Philosophy was one of his favourite subjects of study, and, in addition to his multi- 184 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. farious duties, lie actually conducted a private class for a series of years, in which he unfolded the principles of that science, which is the twin sister of theology. It is often brought as an accusation against ministers of the gospel, par- ticularly those of marked evangelical sentiments, that their range of intellectual interest is ex- tremely narrow. Many of them are deemed to be worthy of the designation sailors sometimes give to them of " sky pilots " good enough for helping men to steer their course aright for heaven, but of little or no use when direction is needed for the affairs of this present life. That certainly could not be affirmed of Dr. Kidd. He was the first teacher in the kingdom to adopt as a text-book the " Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind" of Dr. Thomas Brown, of Edinburgh. Bacon said he annexed all know- ledge as his province. Dr. Kidd made no such proud boast ; but it is instructive to find him in his old age turning his attention to all sorts of subjects of interest to the race. Rabbi " Duncan in Dr. Kidd's Hands. 185 CHAPTER XIX. "RABBI" DUNCAN IN DR. KIDD'S HANDS. As might have been expected, considering the position Dr. Kidd took as a preacher, a great many University students attended his ministry. Besides his pulpit abilities and general force of character, which were attractive to them as to others, his generous instincts and accessibility made him a special favourite with young men. His sympathy was so diffusive and catching, and he put himself to such pains to be of service to any one, that he could not fail to exert a potent influence over students whose faces were set in the right direction. He invited them to his house, conversed with them in an easy, familiar way, and made them feel at home in his society. Persons at a distance, who sent their sons to study in Aberdeen, often put them under the charge of the minister of Gilcomston. Amongst Dr. Kidd's papers is a letter from the well- known Dr. Waugh, written on behalf of a young man in whom the great Wilberforce, of anti- slavery fame, was interested. The letter says : " Mr. Wilberforce wishes you will have the good- ness to send for him (the student), and make enquiry into the nature of his capacities and the 186 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. genius or bent of his mind, and give him your opinion respecting the particular line of life, literary or mechanical, in which it would be ad- visable to bring him forward." That was as early as 1804. Several years after that, Dr. Kidd had a difficult case on hand belonging to his own parish. John, who after- wards, on account of his extraordinary familiarity with Hebraistic literature, was called " Rabbi " Duncan, owed much in his early days to the judicious help of Dr. Kidd. This profound and original thinker, who, if he had only written as he thought, and occasionally spoke, would have placed himself in the very front rank of teachers of the queen of sciences, said a few days before his death, " Those specially have had influence upon me ... " Dr. Kidd " being one of the few who received this honourable mention. Dr. Duncan said of himself, "I am a philo- sophical sceptic, who have taken refuge in theology." It was certainly no ordinary distinc- tion to have been helpful in establishing such a penetrating and pure spirit in the truth. In Principal Brown's memoir of Dr. Duncan, we have some illustrations of this " special in- fluence" for good, which was so gratefully re- membered at life's close. John Duncan, as already stated, was a native of Aberdeen, a denizen of Gilcomston, and, like Dr. Kidd him- self, had passed from the Secession to the Estab- " Rabbi " Duncan in Dr. Kidd's Hands. 187 lished Church. He was born in humble circum- stances, and had considerable wrestling with un- propitious circumstance before he completed his Academic course ; but his struggle to get learn- ing was nothing to what he had to undergo in order to keep his faith. This worthy man, who, in his own way, was as great an oddity as Dr. Kidd himself, was for years weltering in a sea of metaphysical perplexity and speculative doubt. By nature a strange combination of the rational- ist and the mystic, and dwelling more than was good for him in a world of abstractions, his mind, in the early days of his career, was often in a very restless and morbid state. He came under the influence of Dr. Kidd after he had finished his University studies, and, as is not uncommon at that stage of develop- ment, he had " rather much of the ' young ' man, a great deal more than should be of the ' old ' man, and far too little of the ' new ' man." Dr. Kidd, with his penetrating insight and masterful manner, was just the person to apply the needed correctives. He had the very abundant means of sharp discipline always at hand in his caustic tongue ; and as the chastisement inflicted upon the embryo " Rabbi " came from one whom he was bound to respect for his attainments in theology and genius as a preacher, as well as for his downright sincerity as a man, it was not without salutary effect. 188 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Principal Brown thinks that "the 'special influence ' that Dr. Kidd exerted upon the young 'Rabbi' consisted mainly in the oracular, epi- grammatic wisdom with which he often surprised and overawed him in conversation, and, not least but probably most of all when he snubbed him and made him ashamed of himself." The author we have just quoted gives an illustrative example of the above, as furnished by an eye-witness: "Joseph Thorburn* gave a grand tea party in his house, at which, I believe, all the Evangelical ministers of the town were present. John Duncan was seated near me, and I observed that he regularly helped himself to everything as it came round, without, however, partaking of the viands, but planting them in front, so that by the time we had finished, his cup stood in the midst of a circle composed of bread and butter, toast, cookies, and shortbread. All this time he was so engrossed with the topics on which he was descanting that he paid no attention to the process of tea drinking. He spoke loudly, too, and occupied much of the con- versation. At last Dr. Kidd, who could stand it no longer, exclaimed ' Hold your tongue, sir ; you are gabbling nonsense.' This at once silenced poor John, and struck us all with confusion. In fact, it brought tears into the poor man's eyes, and altogether it was a painful scene, though ludicrous too." * Then Minister of Union Chapel, Aberdeen. " Rabbi " Duncan in Dr. Kidd's Hands. 189 The young theologian needed to be taken out of himself, and Dr. Kidd, by his oracular manner and sharp rejoinder, was just the man to help him to such a deliverance. He refused, as a rule, to be drawn into discussions by the " young man," as he always called John Duncan, who was soon to become the distinguished Oriental scholar. But in the course of their repeated con- versations he would now and again drop a sen- tence as practical as it was sententious, which came with the effect of a shock, and tended to produce a healthier state of mind. "Walking with anyone, the Doctor would reserve himself till they were about to separate, and then give his parting word when the person could not dispute with him about it. In notes of conversations with Dr. Kidd, as quoted by Principal Brown,* Mr. Duncan gives us an excellent example of this method: "Once I was going out of town several miles to teach, and the Doctor walked a bit with me. I was pouring out my complaint to him ' I had a Socinian heart, a Pelagian heart, an Arminian heart, and all kinds of hearts.' As we were parting, the Doctor says, ' Lord, I have a Socinian heart, and a Pelagian heart, and an Arminian heart, and every kind of bad heart ; but the Son of God loved me, and gave himself for me. Good bye.' " Who can doubt that the man who could * "Life of John Duncan, LL.D.," by David Brown, D.D., 1872. 190 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. handle such a difficult subject as " Rabbi " Duncan so skilfully, though occasionally some- what roughly, must have been a great power for good among the students generally of Aberdeen. At home with people of every grade of culture, and of no culture at all, this many-sided, big- hearted man could at once become all things to any man that he might win him to Christ. Doubtless, too, the day will declare that many young men who came to study in Aberdeen at the beginning of the present century had their faith fortified and their spirituality kept alive by the words spoken in private, as well as in public, by this man, who lived to do good as he had opportunity. The northern part of Scotland has won fame for itself for the large number of able ministers and missionaries it has sent to all parts of the world. May not the influence of this massive Christian personality, exerted all those years, and coming down percolating through the generations, have something to do with this enviable distinction ? There is one little incident related by Dr. Duncan which throws a flash of light upon the spiritual character of Dr. Kidd, and shows that, amidst all his efforts on behalf of others, he ever felt as a brother man. His boldness and vehemence may have given some the impression that he stood above his fellows on a pedestal of professional superiority. Not so: underneath i " Duncan in Dr. Kidd's Hands. 191 the kingly manner there was the humble heart. Dr. Duncan says : " He had the habit of using the words ' My God ' in a way that looked like profanity. One day I was walking with him when he did so. As we were parting, I said, having laid hold of his hand, not daring to look up into his face, ' Doctor, I think you used the words " My God " just now.' He said nothing, but pressed my hand, and if he was kind before he was doubly kind afterwards." When tempted to regard Dr. Kidd as an overbearing, arrogant ecclesiastic, let us think of his treatment of a young man who, in delicate fashion, ventured to rebuke him. In recalling scenes in Gilcomston, Dr. Duncan told friends that Dr. Kidd was "very fond of picturing the conversation in hell be- tween the damned souls and damned ministers. He made the lost people say ' Ha ! you preached a trash of morality to us, and you never preached the Gospel, through which alone we could have any morality.' " He also tells us " Dr. Kidd took me once with him to prison, and made me read a passage to the prisoner. I, conceited young puppy as I was, began to expound. Dr. Kidd bore it for a little, and then said ' Young man, will you hold your peace and let the Holy Ghost speak ? ' I expounded no more that night. Once I was propounding my case to him : he spoke not a 192 Dr. Kidd of A berdeen. word. ' Dr. Kidd, do you understand my case ? ' ' I understand it quite well you are running before the Holy Ghost ! ' " Professor Duncan has left on record some interesting reminiscences of Dr. Kidd's gentle- ness in dealing with cases where the "son of consolation " was more needed than the " son of thunder." Fearless, and even violent, censor of unrighteousness as he was, he did not " break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax." There was a serious, good man, as everybody but himself judged, a hearer of Dr. Kidd's, who was asked one day "Well, Thomas, how long have you been praying ? " " For forty years." "And what have you got ? " "I canna say I hae gotten onything." "I wonder you are not tired, and don't give up that kind of hopeless work." " Na, sir, we manna dee that." Well, when Thomas was dying, the Doctor called and asked (as he always did when he was going to pray), " What shall I pray for?" "Give thanks," said Thomas, " give thanks, give thanks for my forty years' prayers in a lump" Letters from Dr. Kidd. 193 CHAPTER XX. LETTERS FROM DR. KIDD. SOME of tlie many letters written by Dr. Kidd have been rescued from oblivion, and we insert those which tend to illustrate salient features in his character, or give us glimpses of the times : To the MARQUIS OF HUNTLY. " ABERDEEN, 21st July, 1825. "May it please your Lordship, Although some- what late, I presume to present my most grateful acknowledgments, and the delighted homage of a numerous list of poor, relieved by the humane and timeous beneficence of your lordship's feeling heart. Many whom you can never see or know are sighing out their gratitude in the retirement of poverty and distress, and blessing the hand that ministered to their unknown wants. The consideration of this, I am. persuaded, will operate as a soothing and sweet com- pensation in a breast which requires no other return for acts of kindness to poor, suffering fellow-creatures. " As acts of real charity and true religion are nearly connected, the heart that is susceptible of the one being more or less so of the other, I have pro- posed to augment your lordship's gratification by O 194 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. associating religion, in the most pure and simple manner, with gratitude on this day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. " I venture to subjoin a copy of the Holy Scrip- tures with my letter of thanks, which I hope you will deign to accept. I do this, my lord, not because I suppose you are unacquainted with the Word of God, but as your lordship has treated me like a marquis, I attempt to return the compliment as a minister of God. I am pretty certain you never saw a copy of this edition of the Bible before; you see it is portable, and will occupy little room in your travel- ling-trunk, and you will find upon trial that it is the very best and dearest companion, both in life and death As those who surround your person and approach your presence are so far excelled by your superior accomplishments, blended with con- descension, kindness, and generosity, they exert all their faculties to please and obey therefore, life ex- hibits a picture by far too flattering for reality; but this book, my lord, will detect the counterfeit, remove the veil, and present men and things as they are. It speaks equally to the sovereign and the subject. It teaches that each man at his best is wholly vanity; that a man must be born again before he can enter into the Kingdom of God ; that the Son of God is a Saviour, able to save to the uttermost all that come unto Him; that the Holy Spirit is a comforter, sanctifier, and guide to eternal life; that faith and repentance are required of every rational soul who hears the Gospel; and that Heaven, the place of the Divine residence more particularly, is the reward of Letters from Dr. Kidd. 195 all who are found in Christ at last. Such a book, my lord, I presume to offer for your acceptance. Would it not become every nobleman and prince in the four quarters of the globe? " Such blessing as it holds out to the righteous I implore for you; deign to accept of my present and my best wishes. I have the honour to be, my lord, your sincere and humble servant, " JAMES KEDD." To His Excellency JAMES MONROE, Esquire, President of the United States. " May it please your Excellency, The country over which you preside as Chief Magistrate is the country of the happiest days of my life. The re- membrance of it ever has, and always will, draw forth the strongest and most patriotic emotions of my heart. As a testimony of my sincerity, I presume to send herewith, and present to your Excellency, my works on the most important of all subjects, and the most interesting of all sciences. May I entreat your candid perusal of them? I do this in the name of your ancestors, who professed their faith in the doctrines I have endeavoured to develop. I do this also on account of the very humbling consideration of the conduct of the first legislative body of the United States, who have made choice of a Unitarian to be their chaplain. While I entertain the highest respect for that august body, I deeply lament that the rulers of the country I love have done so. It shows an indifference to Christianity, and bids fair to issue in infidelity. I address your Excellency as 196 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. the representative of God, among the many thousands over whom you bear rule, and to whom, in your administration, you are to imitate God, the moral governor of the universe. I presume your Excellency well knows that the origin of infidelity is ignorance of the foundation of the moral law. Most philosophers say this foundation is the human conscience alone, and this is a fatal error. Many Christians say it is an abstract of the ten commandments; this is also a mistake, but not so fatal as the former. The true foundation is the related character of the Moral Governor and the moral subject, together with the manifestations which the Moral Governor makes of Himself to the moral subject, and the benefits He confers on him, so that the moral obligations are con- stituted by His providence and grace. " If you trace the history of the English infidels you will find that scepticism on this point was the rock on which Hobbes, Bolingbroke, Hume, and Gibbon split. How contrary were the sentiments of Milton, Locke, Addison, Clarke, and Newton. If you look back on the history of your own happy country you will find that the inhabitants who effected the Revolution were the well-informed descendants of pious ancestors and not infidels. Just so in France of late; your Excellency may well re- member that in Britain the American Revolution was called a Presbyterian Revolution. "And may I venture to say your great country is in danger of nothing so much as infidelity. I hope I may also add that a chief magistrate, who is indeed the representative of God, can never be such a blessing Letters from Dr. Kidd. 197 to those over whom he rules as when he supports justice in the State and religion in the Church of Christ. This is representing the Great Almighty, moral governor of the universe, who rules both in justice and mercy. The churches of New England resemble the churches of lesser Asia. They have departed far from their original purity. Nor is there a stain on the character of the famous statesman, John Adams, except that of Unitarianism. Alas! that they knew so much of human policy and so little of the Book of God. Unitarianism and infidelity are the same in nature, though distinct in name. Surely, most excellent sir, you cannot suppose that natural philosophy and chemistry, and all other sciences, should have their difficulties, and the science of theology, the deepest of them all, should be without its mysteries. We are puzzled beyond measure and uncertain how we came by the knowledge of duration and space; and are we to know the deep things of God without long and patient study and research? If ever the United States fall, they will fall by infi- delity, of which the first step is Unitarianism. The greatest friend of the United States is the man that promotes true religion most. I am no persecutor, and am for full liberty of conscience. I am, however, a great advocate for vital Christianity, which has for eighteen hundred yeais been the basis of all real liberty, and will be so till the end of time. A few of our king-ridden, sceptical, deistical men would soon overturn your free institutions. Unitarianism in New England would do it much sooner. To prevent all this, the only thing in my power is to present you, 198 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. excellent sir, with the accompanying volume, and at the same time to wish and to pray that your valuable life may be long spared as a blessing to your family and as the benefactor of your country, and that the United States may enjoy liberty until the last trumpet blow. I have the honour to be, most ex- cellent sir, your sincere, humble servant, " JAMES KIDD." To Rev. LEWIS ROSE, Nigg. " ABERDEEN, 7th April, 1826. " REVEREND AND DEAR SIR, I offer you the impression of my best thanks for your kind letter of the 19th May. God send you to us full of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since reading yours it has occurred to me that you might call at my house in passing to the Assembly and spend what time you can. It also occurred to me to say that, if you could know of any of your brethren going to the Assembly or coming to Aberdeen about the first Sabbath of July, it would relieve us of some fatigue if you could prevail with such a brother to come and stay in my house and give us some assistance at our solemnity. Think of this and let me know as you pass. But be sure, take no lodgings but my manse in passing both to and from the Assembly. May the tender mercies of our covenant God for ever rest on your person, and family, and flock. I am, dear sir, your sincere humble servant, " JAMES KIDD. " Rev. Lewis Rose." Letters from Dr. Kidd. 199 (To the Same.) "ABERDEEN, 15th March, 1828. "VERY DEAR SIR, Mrs. Rose has informed me of a young man who goes home from the Old Town College by your house. I take the opportunity to write by him, and the first piece of news I give you is that the Secretary of the United Associate Synod has introduced the Rev. Thomas Morrice very con- spicuously in page 72-73. I have this moment written to him to that effect. Mrs. Kidd has been very dangerously ill, but is now a little recovering. If the Lord will, we all expect you on the first Sabbath of July next. I hope God is doing something among my flock; I think I see His hand among the young. I shall be glad to hear from you at leisure. You have no doubt heard that Mr. Elder is going to Bressa in Shetland. We expect Mr. M'Donald in the Gaelic Chapel in the first Sabbath of next month. I am, dear sir, your sincere humble servant, " JAMES KIDD. " The Rev. Lewis Rose, Nigg." To Mrs. SMITH (Daughter of Dr. Adam Clarke). "PALATINE HOUSE, 25th August, 1828. " MADAM AND PUPDL, I avail myself of a moment to contemplate yourself, your husband, and family. As far as I can perceive, tranquility reigns both in the heart and the home of all the family. This is what I 200 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. ever wished; your happiness in life was ever dear to me, and it is so still. " I look upon your rising little ones, and I look forward with great anxiety ; you cannot give grace, and your dear infants need it. This will bring you often to the Throne of Grace, and while you have the pledge of the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost upon yourself and upon your dear infants, you have still a warrant to plead with God ; and God is a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God. The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble ; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee, send thee help from the Sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifice; grant this according to thine own heart and fulfil all thy counsel. Ever yours, " JAMES KIDD." (To the Same.) " ABERDEEN, 25th May, 1833. "VERY DEAR MADAM AND PUPDL, After very long and deep silence, I venture once more to speak and to say that it is with a trembling hand and a sorrowful heart I sympathise and lament with you the death of the Rev. Dr. Adam Clarke. At first I did not write, believing that you and all the family would be quite absorbed in mourning. May the Lord in mercy support you all. You can have no belief of the powerful effect the mournful tidings had upon my Letters from Dr. Kidd. 201 mind our birth was at nearly the same time then, say I, my days are at an end, and a voice cried ' Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh ; your friend, your fellow labourer is now gone, and the place which knows him now shall know him no more.' " And since the removal of the worthy head of the Methodist communion, Dr. M'Leod of New York is gone, and the Rev. Rowland Hill and Samuel Drew are gone; and I look across the Atlantic, I review a period of forty years, I look to the graveyard, I look toward the Eternal World, I look to myself, and say this is not the place of my rest. O, how solemn to give an account for a family, and for a flock, and for time, and for the Bible, and for the Sabbath, and for the office of the ministry, and for preaching Christ. " My trials have been many, and my sins more. My oldest daughter has been lately left with six of a family. For some time past I have given up all public meetings and public interviews of every kind, except official duty, so that I am become an obscure individual, yet I have great cause to be thankful that I have omitted no part of duty, either in the college or the church. I think, also, that God, in mercy, is countenancing my labours. I perceive several marks of his kindness among my flock. It will give me much satisfaction to learn that your dear mother and all concerned are enabled to submit patiently to the divine will. " JAMES KIDD. " Mrs. Mary Ann Smith." 202 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. (To the Same.) " ABERDEEN, 4th July, 1834. "VERY DEAR MADAM AND PUPIL, When your letter came with the news of your kindness and success in behalf of my little grand-daughter Agnes [Oswald], I intended to thank you immediately, but I found myself unable, for want of expressions suitable to your goodness and my obligation. I said, ' I shall defer until I recollect some sentiments of gratitude more ample than I now feel ' ; and the longer I waited the task became the more difficult. And I must just say now what I might have said at first I most sincerely thank you, madam. I never was able to compete with you either in conversation, or in writ- ing, or in beneficence. And it is just at present, what it has always been, I am unable to meet your benevolence either in word or deed. I entertain a deep sense of my obligation to Mr. Smith. I hope God is supporting your mother and yourself under the calamitous dispensation in the death of your worthy father you feel much, the Church and Chris- tianity feel much also, but he feels none of this. This should be your consolation. May it be so. " I see myself on the borders of the Eternal world, and am looking to the hour appointed for all living. Best wishes to Mr. Smith and your dear mother. Ever yours, " JAMES KIDD. "Mrs. Smith." The Reformer at Work. 203 CHAPTER XXL THE REFORMER AT WORK. DR. KIDD'S first stroke in the field of reform showed him to be a doughty champion of the people, but a swordsman who was untried, and somewhat reckless in the use of his weapon. In 1816 the country was suffering from the deple- tion of resources caused by the long-continued and expensive European wars, and there was great distress, which was felt most acutely by the classes who were near the bottom of the social scale, and had the narrowest margin of earthly estate to fall back upon. Trade was dull, food was scarce, prices were high, and in many places the poor, in desperation, were making demonstrations which threatened disturbance. Aberdeen was also feeling the paralysis of trade and incipient famine. The Gilcomston shepherd evidently thought that the grain merchants and meal dealers of the town were, in some selfish way, combining to keep up the prices. Coming among the people every day, and seeing, as no other public man did, their straitened condition, his heart went out to them, and against the men whom he regarded as their oppressors. The probability is the dealers were not nearly so 204 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. much, to blame as lie supposed, though such a thing has been known in our world as men profiting by the distresses of their fellows. At all events, the Doctor felt it his duty to rebuke those men from the pulpit, which he did in no measured terms. From the archives of a legal firm in the town we have obtained a document containing evi- dence that was gathered regarding Dr. Kidd's utterances on this subject. Some of his co-pres- byters were so scandalised at the violence of the language used in the sedate, law-abiding town of Aberdeen, that they evidently intended to pro- ceed in some way against the Doctor, and were collecting material for that purpose. We print part of the contents of this document : "John Manson, Tacksman of the Mill of Ferry- hill, informs that on a Sunday, about a month ago, he was present at divine service in the Chapel of Ease, Gilcomston, both in the forenoon and afternoon ; that the Rev. James Kidd, minister of that Chapel, preached both in the forenoon and afternoon; that both in the forenoon and afternoon Mr. Kidd took occasion in his sermon to censure dealers in grain and meal as extortioners and persons who ground the faces of the poor; and in his prayers he prayed for their destruction at the hands of God and man. And in the afternoon, just before the blessing, he said there were men sitting before him who dealt in grain and meal who ought to be excluded from the Lord's The Reformer at Work 205 Table and be driven out among society, and added that, if he had the law in his own. hands, he would slit their noses and their ears to let them be known, and to carry the mark of it to their graves. " Aberdeen, 17th October, 1816." The sting of it all, however, it would appear, lay not so much in what Dr. Kidd himself said as in the observations the aggrieved persons' acquaintances felt themselves at liberty to make : " That the informant, on the Sunday, was not out of the Chapel door until the people were crying to him, 'The minister had given him it to-day ' ; and there has scarcely a day passed since, that the informant has not had it cast up to him, and been advised to take care of his nose ! " That advice, " To take care of his nose " given to him every day, too must have hastened the crisis, and brought the Doctor's in- vective beyond the point of endurance. Other witnesses give similar testimony. One says, " He understood Mr. Kidd's observations ap- plicable to grain and meal dealers were generally approved of by the congregation, except in so far as he spoke of slitting their noses, which the people thought was going too far." They knew, however, that Dr. Kidd did not really mean harm to anyone's nose. To speak in that fashion was just a way that he had, a touch of Oriental pro- fusion that seems to be natural to the natives 206 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. of that occidental island from which he had migrated. Further on in life the Doctor became more self -restrained, but not less zealous in his efforts on behalf of the people. Veteran politicians in the north speak of Dr. Kidd as the man who gave the first impetus to the great modern popular movement in this part of the country, the force of which will not be spent for years to come. He was far removed from the profes- sional or partizan politician. He did not care a pin point for politics, except as a means to the improvement of the condition of the people ; but every measure that was likely to benefit them was sure to have his blessing and his push. The three letters which follow are evidently answers to communications from himself, and are interesting from various points of view. The first is from Joseph Hume, a name that is held in honour wherever sterling integrity and con- stancy in the service of the people are valued : "BRYANSTON SQUARE, 21st February, 1827. " MY DEAR SIR, I had the pleasure to receive your note yesterday, and on presenting your petition last night, I stated the fact of 600 being fed from the public kitchen as an argument for promoting a change in the laws respecting com. I concurred entirely in the prayer of the petition, and supported it in pre- senting it. I am, yours sincerely, " JOSEPH HUME. " Dr. Kidd." The Reformer at Work. 207 The second is from Mr. Bannerman, who represented the city, and did valiant service on its behalf: " LONDON, 15th June, 1834. " DEAR SIR, I yesterday forwarded you a copy of the Bill, which will be read a third time to-morrow evening (Monday) in the House of Lords. From the tenor of your former letter, I fear you are but ill in- formed by your friends of what passes here, of the share which the Government took in this measure, or of the sensation it created in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and from many other places which have sent depu- tations to London. In short, I think the whole of your church affairs are placed in the hands of well- meaning but injudicious men, who would puzzle and perplex a Government of angels. I wish you were all safely hi the hands of the Tories again, although I see little prospect of it. There will yet be tune to present your petition to the House of Commons if you wish it, and I will be guided by circumstances, after speaking to some of your friends here. I remain, dear sir, yours truly, "AL. BANNERMAN." The third letter, from the Bishop of London of that day, does credit to him who gave and also to him who received it : " LONDON, 20th May, 1834. " REVEREND SIR, I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, and beg to assure you that I 208 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. take a lively interest in the success of Mr. Colquhoun's Bill. I have had some communication with that gentleman on the subject, and have endeavoured to interest the Earl of Rosebery in the measure. I shall do all in my power to promote its adoption. I thank you sincerely for the assurance of your prayers. As the servants of one Master, contending for one faith, we may assist one another in this way at least. Believe me, reverend sir, your faithful servant, " C. J. LONDON." The Doctor in his old age became a temper- ance reformer. The cause was then in its infancy, and the steps that were taken by him, and most of those associated with him, were cautious and tentative. In the year 1830, a Temperance, not a Total Abstinence, Society was formed in Aber- deen, with which Dr. Kidd became associated, as one who deeply deplored the vice and misery which he daily saw in the train of the prevailing drunkenness. On the evening of 16th February, 1832, " a soiree or evening's entertainment," as it was called, took place in the Trades Hall. They met at five o'clock in the afternoon, Dr. Kidd being in the chair. The " Aberdeen Magazine," for March, 1832, gives a rather satirical account of the proceedings. There were some present who were certainly not the sons of temperance, and had not come to further its interests. Their intention evidently was to introduce confusion, The Reformer at Work. 209 and bring ridicule upon the budding cause. They shouted and whistled, and tried to drown the voice of every speaker. The Doctor, as chairman, was not the man to allow such wanton distur- bance to pass with impunity. " Some of you," he exclaimed, " are half drunk. It was expected that all who came here would behave like gentle- men, instead of which many of you are conduct- ing yourselves like ruffians." The Doctor brought forward a proposal that a deputation should be appointed to wait upon the Magistrates, urging them to deprive all publicans of their licences in whose houses any persons were found in a state of intoxication. Soon, thereafter, a brickbat was thrown through one of the windows ; and, amidst the wildest confusion, the meeting was broken up. But such violence only brought the cause of temperance still more prominently before the public eye, and made Dr. Kidd and others more decided in their action. Many stories are told of what the Doctor did on behalf of drunkards. We close this chapter with a specimen. A poor woman received a penny from the Doctor on the street, and he, curious to know what she would do with it, fol- lowed her till she came to a public-house. The Doctor, going right into the shop, before the woman had time to leave it, said to the publican, who was a strong young man " What did you give that poor woman?" The reply was "She p 210 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. got a pennyworth of whisky." The Doctor at once said " Give her back her penny. I wanted to give her food, and you have given her poison. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, sir, to spend your life standing in a place like this selling whisky to poor wretches. You ought to go and carry a hod, sir go and carry a hod, and be a useful, honest man." Lectures on Political Economy. 211 CHAPTER XXII. LECTURES ON POLITICAL ECONOMY. DR. EJDD'S political economy was the offspring of a warm heart, shaped by a strong intellect. He, as the minister of Gilcomston, was brought into close and daily contact with the poor, and he was impressed with the necessity for a better distribution of the good things of life, and a more general participation in the benefits of an advancing civilization. Moreover, his own inde- pendent and unconventional mind, the freshness of which remained unspoiled to the end, gave him a high appreciation of the worth of man as man, and the justice of his claim to all the pre- rogatives of manhood. His residence in America doubtless opened his eyes to a few things not so clearly seen in an old country, where unjust laws and effete institutions are often viewed through the transfiguring haze of patriotic sentiment. He was also impressed with the fact that the poor could do much by their own exertions to improve their condition. He felt that the poor, as well as the rich, needed to have explained to them the great laws which regulate the creation and distribution of wealth. Having added the subject of political 212 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. economy to the studies lie carried on, he deter- mined to give the benefit of his knowledge to the public. He arranged for a course of lectures on that subject on week days. The Aberdeen Observer gives a report of Dr. Kidd's introductory lecture delivered in the Mechanics' Hall : " Political Economy was not a science of specular tion but of fact ; the beneficial results of its operation were not the result of any legislative enactment, but arose from the individual desire which each man had to rise in the world, and which desire, aided by a true knowledge, led to the most happy results. The business of the political economist was with man in the aggregate, not with what would interest only a few, with States, not with families, with the passions of the whole human race, not with that of any solitary individual. Nothing was more common than to hear great men broaching and acting on speculations at variance with facts ; this conduct certainly did enrich a few, as monopolies generally would, but when it could be proved that it was against the nation at large, it was a bad course which was pursued; de- cidedly against monopoly he certainly was, and would so continue, until it could be shown that what was put into the pockets of a few was not taken out of those of the whole nation. The passion for accumulation was far more prevalent among the human race than that for prodigality, witness the forests which had been cultivated, the marshes which had been drained, the roads which have been made out, the bridges erected, and the cities which have been built, all Lectures on Political Economy. 213 arising out of that passion for wealth, and of the force of the accumulating principle. The wealth of a nation did not so much depend on the salubrity of its climate, or the richness of its soil, but on the skill, judgment, and perseverance of its inhabitants, which could overcome every effect of a bad climate or soil, and could make an apparently uninhabitable and barren country rich and luxuriant ; while, on the other hand, a nation without these principles would, in a country blessed with all the gifts of nature, wander about in hordes, spectacles of ignorance, want, and wretchedness. The Doctor next referred to the neces- sary connection between capitalists and labourers; without capitalists we could have no implements, no machinery by which to obey the divine command and till the ground, labour could not be carried on, and we would of necessity live on the scanty and unassisted bounties of nature. The Doctor then went into the principle of combinations, stating that if it could be proved that they eventually led to a depression in- stead of a permanent advance of wages, and curtailed the resources, and cramped the exertions of the capitalist, they ought to be abolished, quoting a passage froih Mr. Hume's speech at Glasgow to the operatives, to prove that combinations did so, and Mr. Hume was the best friend the people ever had seen in Parliament (cheers and hisses). Many a mechanic at the present day was a much greater adept in politi- cal economy than many legislators at the beginning of the present century (cheers) and in the heart of England, where M'Culloch had lectured, they would find a journeyman mechanic rise up in any large 214 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. assembly, and discuss the most abstruse points in this science, with such depth of thought, force, and elo- quence, that the orations of Pitt and Fox were fairly outshone (cheers). No man without careful obser- vation would believe the march of mind which had taken place since the suicide of Londonderry (loud cheering). After explaining the system he meant to pursue in his ensuing lectures, the Doctor said that they would be worth the attention of the mercantile speculator, as they would give him a knowledge of foreign trade in all its bearings with this country ; political economy was to him a polar star to guide him in his speculations. The tallow monopolists seemed lately not to have acted on this science, they had bought up all that they could find of that article, and now they would soon be bankrupts with making good bargains (laughter). Referring to the benefits of the cultivation of intellect, the Doctor said he might quote the beautiful passage of Dr. O. Gregory, and ask what was Arkwright? a barber. Ferguson? a peasant. Herschell? a pipe and tabor player. Watt? a mathematical instrument maker. Brindley? a millwright. Nelson? a cabin boy. Ramage? a currier (loud cheers). These benefits exalted nations as well as individuals. What made William IV. the greatest monarch who now sat on a throne? Not the extent of his territories, not his army, not his navy, but because he reigned over a free, edu- cated, thinking, and inquisitive people (cheers). Ignorance of their rights had once been cried up as the best way to make an obedient people; but the days were gone by for having the book of knowledge Lectures on Political Economy. 215 sealed, and education now ennobled the very lowest in degree of the human race into men ! ' Many a clown who stands in dumb and seemingly stupid gaze at the majesty of a full moon rising through a hazy horizon in an autumnal evening, or at the flash of the forked lightning, or at the fantastic shape of a transient cloud edged with gold by the gleams of a descending sun, who listens with ignorant but keen attention to the rolling thunder through the stupendous vault of the " overhanging firmament," or whistles as he returns from his daily task in sympathy with the minstrels of the grove, would, had he the benefit of education to brighten the rough diamond, and give scope to the " genial current of the soul," shine forth a Watt or an Arkwright in mechanics a Washington or a Wellington in arms a Nelson or a Cochrane on the wave a Fox or a Canning in the cabinet a Sheridan or a Mackintosh in the senate a Chalmers or a Thomson in the pulpit a Jeffrey at the bar, or a Brougham on the woolsack ' (cheers)." There is a pile of carefully-written MSS. among his papers, in which, from the headings of the chapters, it is evident that he presented the various aspects of political economy as it was then taught. In those lectures there was the gathered result of an enormous amount of well-digested reading put into popular form. There are some who might say that a man who has been in this world for nearly threescore years and ten should have been thinking of another economy than that which, is needed for 216 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. the present scene. But Dr. Kidd was too realistic and matter of fact for sentiment of that kind. He was not prosaic, but he was full of strong sense and healthy feeling ; and he was of opinion that as heaven, a place, was not yet before him as the earth was, it was his business, as long as he was here, to do his utmost to make a heaven of the present world. Is it not wisdom, as well as piety, to stand by the post of duty till the time of release comes ? At the close of his course of lectures the Doctor was presented with ten volumes of Locke's works, beautifully bound in morocco. They are now in the possession of Dr. Robertson Nicoll, who has kindly furnished us with a copy of the inscription, which is tastefully done in copperplate, except the name, which is printed. It is as follows : " Presented to the Eev. Dr. KIDD By the gentlemen who attended his Lectures on Political Economy in 1824-5, as an expression of their gratitude for the instruction received, and of their high esteem for his superior talents." Controversy with Priest Fraser. 217 CHAPTER XXIII. CONTROVERSY WITH PRIEST FRASER. HAVING an active mind that delighted in in- tellectual exercise for its own sake, along with a keen sense of responsibility that was alert to catch the call to arms, though it was not sounded with trumpet tones, he was ready for single combat with Papist, Infidel, or any other modern Goliath who entered the lists against Evan- gelical doctrine. Priest Fraser, of the Roman Catholic Church, Aberdeen, in the year 1830, delivered a course of lectures, on Sabbath even- ings, which were largely attended by Protestants as well as by the persons who regularly went to the chapel. In those lectures Mr. Fraser took up some of the leading points of the controversy between the Roman and the Reformed Churches, and, of course, drove home the arguments as forcibly as he could in favour of his own creed. Dr. Kidd was not the man to allow such an in- dustrious sowing of tares in the field for which he was so largely responsible to go unchallenged. His upbringing as a staunch Presbyterian in the north of Ireland, had begotten in him a horror of the doctrines of the Church of Rome, which subsequent study and observation had not 218 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. diminished, and he felt he could not allow this poison to be distilled in the minds of the citizens of Aberdeen, without an attempt at supplying the needed antidote. Accordingly, he chal- lenged the Eev. Charles Fraser to public debate on the questions raised in the lectures. Mr. Fraser's reply, which, in some of its per- sonal allusions, and its general tone and temper, was quite unworthy of him, indicated that he could not agree to a public discussion, but he was willing to debate the points at issue in the Latin tongue, and before professors of the Uni- versity ! In his second letter, Dr. Kidd replied that, as he had in view public instruction and edification in proposing a discussion, it should be before the people, and in a language they could understand. This drew forth another scornful effusion. Dr. Kidd did not lose his temper, but conducted his part of the corres- pondence like a Christian gentleman, who did not stoop to personalities, but was so intent upon the furtherance of public interests as to treat with dignified silence what was meant to wound, but had nothing to do with the business on hand. As this correspondence was one of the memorable incidents in Dr. Kidd's life, and excited an interest in the town, of which certain peppery pamphlets, still to be found in old libraries, are the witnesses, we give the letters which passed between priest and presbyter : Controversy with Priest Fraser. 219 Dr. Kidd's First Letter. " To the Rev. Mr. Fraser, Roman Catholic Priest. " SIR, You have, in your Sabbath Evening Lectures on ' Purgatory, and Invocation of Saints/ advocated tenets which I maintain to be contrary to the Word of God in the Old and New Testaments. " I therefore invite you to a discussion of these and the other doctrines of the Church of Rome, re- specting which Protestants and Roman Catholics are at issue. " I propose that we shall carry on our discussions before a general audience in one of the public halls of this city. " Respectfully requesting to be favoured with your reply to this letter on or before Monday, the 15th instant, I am, reverend sir, your obedient humble servant, "JAMES KJDD, D.D. " Chapel Street, Aberdeen, " 9th November, 1830." Mr. Fraser's Reply. " Doctori Kidd, Carolus Fraser salut. plur. dicit. " Accepi, non sine voluptate, tuas, et non, tuas litteras; a te nimirum subscriptas, sed alia prorsus exaratas manu. " 'Siquis,' ait Divus Paulus, ' domui suse prseesse nescit, quomodo Ecclesise Dei diligentiam habebit?' 220 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Hoc Apostoli effatum iterum iterumque acri judicio perpendas velim; neque per inordinatum captandi vulgus amorem 'maculam atque execrationem tuae senectuti conquiras ' ' nam qui amat periculum peribit in ilia' " Cseterum ad. controversiam, te inter et me, quod attinet, libentissime signa conferam : non equidem in in [sic in MS.] concessu [consessu] inscitse plebeculse, neque sermone vernaculo, sed coram professoribus Universitatis, coram tuis superioribus, coram Sacro- sanctae Romanae Ecclesise sacerdotibus, atque lingua ut Theologos decet latina. Turn enim vero in corona ilia hominum eruditissimorum, quid tu, Doctor, ni fallor. Transatlanticus effeceris; quid ve egomet in- dignissimus Ecclesiae sacerdos, apis more modoque operosus fingam, palam net. " Praeterea, quoniam tantus decertandi te tenet amor, adest in prsesentiarum amicus mihi conjunc- tissimus, qui triginta omnino annos est in plagis Orientalibus versatus, qui tecum de Sacra Scriptui*a linguis orientalibus disputabit: quique plurimos jam jam libros hisce de rebus vulgavit. " Hae conditiones an tibi placeant nee ne, certum me facias velim, et quam primum. Vale. " IVto Ante Idus Novembres, A. 1830." Translation of tJte above Letter. (AS PUBLISHED BY DR. KIDD.) "Charles Fraser to Dr. Kidd, with best wishes. " I had the pleasure of receiving your letter, if indeed it can be called yours ; for it is subscribed by you, but written in quite a different hand. Controversy with Priest Fraser. 221 " ' If a man,' says St. Paul, ' know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God?' This maxim of the Apostle I would have you to consider over and over again with the most serious atten- tion, and not, through an inordinate desire of alluring the multitude, ' get a stain and a curse to your old age ' ; ' for he who loveth danger shall perish therein.' " In regard, however, to a discussion between you and me, I have to say that I shall most cheerfully enter the lists; not, indeed, in a meeting of the ignorant rabble, nor in the vernacular tongue, but in presence of the Professors of the University, in presence of your superiors, in presence of the Priests of the holy Roman Church, and, as becomes Theologians, in the Latin language. " Then, indeed, in that assembly of most learned men, will it be known what you, a Transatlantic doctor, if I mistake not, have accomplished ; or what I, a most un- worthy priest of the Church, like the bee 5 laboriously produce. " In addition to this, as you have such a desire for controversy, there is here at present a very intimate friend of mine, who has resided just thirty years in eastern countries, who will dispute with you on the Sacred Scriptures, in the Oriental languages, and who has already published a great many books on these subjects. " I will thank you to let me know, as soon as possible, whether or not these proposals meet with your appro- fa ation . Farewell . " 10th November, 1830." Dr. Kidd's Second Letter. " To the Rev. Mr. Fraser, Roman Catholic Priest. " SIR, My object in proposing a discussion with you, on the points at issue between Protestants and 222 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Eomanists, is public instruction and edification in the establishment of the truth as it is in Jesus. " The use of the Latin language in our discussions would effectually prevent general instruction and edification. " You promulgate your religious tenets in the English language before a general audience; and I call upon you, in like manner, to maintain them. " If you do not accede to my proposal, I shall conclude that you are either ashamed or afraid publicly to defend the Roman Catholic system in your mother tongue ; and I shall feel myself at liberty to publish our correspondence. " I decline offering any comment on the first paragraph of your letter. " A discussion in the Oriental languages would neither instruct nor edify the public. " May you and I be led to search into the truth with a single eye to God's glory and the good of immortal souls; and ever to contend for truth, in the spirit of meekness, and of love, and of a sound mind. I am, reverend sir, your obedient humble servant, "JAMES KIDD, D.D. " Chapel Street, Aberdeen, " 12th November, 1830." Mr. Fraser's Reply. " Doctori Kidd, Carolus Fraser, salutem plurimam dicit. " Pervenerunt iterum ad me litterse cujusdam ignoti, tua tamen, de more, subscript Dr. Kidd is reported, in the Aberdeen Journal, as having said " that Jesus Christ has all along acted as the sole Patron, Head, and Lawgiver of the Church. The Rev. Doctor pointed out the reasonableness of what was claimed by the Society. If liberty were enjoyed in the choice of a physician or a lawyer, why not in the choice of a minister? He also showed that it was the mind of Christ. The Doctor held it clear from the light of both reason and revelation that whatever is devoted to God cannot in whole or in part be retained at the same time by devoter, either by himself or offspring." But long before that date his mind was exer- cised on the subject, as the subjoined letter shows : 230 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. "ABERDEEN, 21st October, 1824. " DEAR SIR, A pamphlet has fallen into my hands entitled ' An Appeal to All Classes on the Subject of Church Patronage in Scotland/ &c. "This pamphlet is very defective in information concerning the steps to be taken, either how to get the right out of the hands of patrons, or how to proceed to get a Chapel of Ease on the Establishment. Towards this latter object please permit me to turn your attention. Should security be gotten to the Court of Tiends for a stipend to the minister of a Chapel of Ease, which may be put on the Establish- ment? Can the patron of the parish claim the patronage of this new church in the parish? Can he do so by law, or will the law give it to him? I wish all the legal information which the publishers of the foresaid pamphlet can give, and as soon as possible. Your kind attention to this will be a great favour, as the place where I officiate is a Chapel of Ease, and as there is a motion in Aberdeen to put the Chapel of Ease on the Establishment, and mine being in the neighbourhood of the city, I wish to use all means lawful to put my Chapel on the Establishment. In answering this as soon as possible you will greatly oblige, dear sir, your sincere and humble servant, " JAMES KIDD." "Please address Dr. Kidd, Aberdeen." The following, from his bosom friend, the minister of Nigg, bears upon the same subject, and gives a glimpse of Dr. Kidd's movements : Tlie Anti-Patronage Battle. 231 " MANSE OF NIGG, BY PARKHILL, " 9th January, 1827. " MY VERY DEAR FRIEND, .... I in- tend, Grod willing, to be with you on the first Sabbath of July, and if anything interferes to pre- vent me you shall, of course, have timeous notice. Previously to my receiving your letter, I had seen, in the Edinburgh Observer newspaper, a most humorous account of your Anti-Patronage Society meeting in Edinburgh, in which your speech was not represented as more ridiculous than the speeches of the other orators. Your potent auxiliary, Mr. Simpson, was said to have failed in everything but one, viz., his having convinced his audience that his tongue was too large for his mouth. These squibs, however, will do good. Their extravagance will prove their antidote, and their weight will be only that of pebbles on the shield of Hercules. The hissing of the old serpent may be still looked for by the seed of the woman; and, in the present case, it is a sufficient proof that the Society in question is viewed by the serpent as inimical to his interests. Having said thus much in favour of the Society's object, I must now give you my opinion of its plan and probable success. As to its plan, I think it, like all human devices, objection- able. It would require, however, more space and time than I can afford to specify all my objections. Suffice it to say, that the idea of giving to all the male communicants, or heads of families in a parish, the choice of their minister is, in the first place, too strong a temptation to unworthy people's becoming 232 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. communicants; and, in the second place, a manifest deviation from the original constitution of the Church of Scotland. The choice of a minister ought to be vested in the kirk-session and such resident heritors as are communicants. And if this were the case, your opponents could not deny you credit for endeavouring to restore the law to what it was in the best and purest state of the Church. " As to the probable success of the Society, I am sanguine in the measure contemplated and published by its original founders. And it would be vain to expect from it anything more. The Society, however, will do more good indirectly, and by influencing public opinion, than directly. By the by, if I were concerned in the management of the Society, I would have opposed the purchase of Colinton and Dairsie, and recommended rather the purchase of some parishes in Aberdeensliire, Berwickshire, Argyllshire, &c., where the patronage would not be so expensive, and where the benefit would be much greater. The strongholds of moderation ought to be first attacked. " As to my instituting an auxiliary Society in this parish, the thing is impossible. The parish is small, and poor, and divided, so that nothing can be ex- pected," .... Dr. Gustavus Aird, of Creich, tells of scenes in connection with the anti-patronage battle in the Highlands, in which Dr. Kidd took part : " So far as known to me, the first time Dr. Kidd was in Ross-shire was about 1817, but I scarcely The Anti-Patronage Battle. 233 remember it. In the parish of Kiltearn, in the Pres- bytery of Dingwall, a sad intrusion was perpetrated about 1816; few of the parishioners ever entered the parish church during the incumbency of the intruder, and refused to acknowledge him as a minister in any way. Dr. Kidd felt much sympathy for the people ; came to Kiltearn and tried to effect a reconciliation. A large number of children were unbaptised. It was at length arranged, with the intruder's consent, that Mr. Macdonald, Ferintosh, should preach in Gaelic and Dr. Kidd in English on a week day, in the open air, at a part of the parish called Drummond, and baptise the children. Such of the parents as under- stood Gaelic stood on one side, and those who under- stood English stood on the other side ; a passage inter- vened. There must have been upwards of a hundred children ; some of them were four or five years of age and could speak, and gave utterance to their dis- pleasure at the sprinkling of the water reaching their new clothes, exclaiming in Gaelic ' Fliuch, fliuch, chuir an duine uisge orm " ; English : ' Wet, wet, the man has put water on me.' " The Doctor preached for one or two Sabbaths there, did all in his power to effect an adjustment, but all his efforts were in vain. In the month of July, 1830, he assisted at the Communion in the parish of Nigg, Presbytery of Tain, during the late Mr. L. Rose's time there, and also during the following week in Rosskeen, where Mr. Garment was minister. Large crowds were present, and many of the Lord's people were edified, comforted, and delighted. The first time I heard and saw him was in Nigg, Ross-shire, on 234 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. Saturday all day from Revelation xxi. 16-27; on Sabbath from Genesis iii. 15, the first promise; and on Monday all day from I. John i. 3 all of them very remarkable and precious sermons." The following letter from the Rev. Donald Mackenzie to the Rev. Dr. George Morrison, Banchory-Devenick, which we lighted upon through the good offices of the late Dr. Edmond of Kingswells, describes the Kiltearn scenes from another standpoint: "MARYFIELD, 13th December, 1817. " MY DEAR SIR, " I have for several weeks proposed writing to you respecting the conduct of your Great Apostle among us. With great satisfaction I there- fore embrace the opportunity you have given me of stating the facts of this case. The account you saw in the Times, was written by a member of our Church who preached for me on the preceding Sunday, accompanied me to Alness, and witnessed the scene he describes. Notwithstanding the humorous strain in which that paragraph is given, I can assure you that every fact related in it you may rely on as correct. Mr. Kidd's visit to Ross-shire was as unexpected and entirely unsolicited by the minister of Kiltearn or any individual known to him, or to any of his friends as the present destination of the Algerine squadron, said to be infested with the plague, and accompanied with evils of nearly equal magnitude, to him and to every lover of peace and order in our corner of the The Anti-Patronage Battle. 235 country yet with an arrogant and self-assumed degree of importance which it requires all the effrontery of that gentleman to justify " To you, who can form some idea of the temper of many of our parishioners, and of the incalculable evils that must arise from fomenting and encouraging such measures as I have described, I trust it is unnecessary to enforce the necessity of fostering some strong and decisive constitutional measure for punishing past transgressors of laws so essentially connected with the peace, discipline, and best interests of our Church, and to prevent the repetition of these disorders that have disgraced those who sanctioned them, and been a source of so much vexation and distress to all peaceable and orderly Christians among us. To the Presbytery of Aberdeen we look with confidence as the steady and well-tried friends of our Church con- stitution, and the liberal supporters of a very few individuals who are willing to sacrifice many objects extremely desirable in themselves to the suppressing of these tumultuary measures so prevalent among us. My dear sir, sincerely yours, &c., " (Signed) DONALD MACKENZIE. "The Rev. George Morrison, Minister of the Gospel at N. Banchory, by Aberdeen." 236 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. CHAPTER XXV. DOMESTIC LIFE. MRS. KIDD was a quiet, gentle woman, whose sphere was home. She did her unobtrusive part as a dutiful wife, and served the public by ministering to the comfort of her husband, and attending to the wants of her children. She never shrank from her share of the not incon- siderable household burden which her husband's exacting conscience and exuberant generosity imposed. The children she bore who reached maturity were three daughters and two sons. The daugh- ters were Agnes, who became Mrs. Oswald ; Jane, who died in 1824 ; and Christiana Little (after his first American friend James Little), who was married to George Thompson of Pit- medden, at one time Lord Provost and M.P. for Aberdeen. William Campbell, the elder son, was educated for the ministry, and entered upon a charge in London. He was a singularly gifted and promising man, but died prematurely. Benjamin (after Dr. Benjamin Bush) studied medicine, and took his degree; he also was a youth of brilliant parts; he died in Aberdeen in 1840. Domestic Life. 237 Dr. Kidd, like many other good and able men, had very heavy family trials. Here is the utterance of his heart about the death of his daughter Jane : "ABERDEEN, llth August, 1824. " This has been one of the most sorrowful days of my life. My daughter Jane was in the lowest state of existence, labouring under weakness, which has affected her for three years. All day her distress has been very great; she has submitted all along with much patience and resignation. As soon as I ap- peared, she began the 23rd verse of 73rd Psalm her- self. Her voice seems as if from the grave, yet clear, collected, and distinct ; we sang this Psalm to the end. She then began the 63rd, then the 23rd, then the last paraphrase, next the 100th Psalm, in long metre; we sang these as she desired. I then began to converse with her about Heaven, its angels, its spirits of just men made perfect, about Christ and the happiness of Heaven, and all the views of the future world, in all which she joined with the utmost readiness, and with a cheerfulness that was quite surprising and most comforting to all present, and soon afterwards she passed away." Dr. Kidd's household was increased in a way that was quite characteristic, though some might call it romantic, if not indeed quixotic. He often urged heads of families to show their love for Christ and humanity by taking in, housing, and schooling fatherless children. He main- tained that charity which took that form was the 238 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. highest and most useful example of Christian benevolence. What the Doctor preached he tried to practise. Among the many criminals that Dr. Kidd took a friendly and helpful in- terest in was one Peter Young, a gipsy, who, before his execution, was humbled before God, and professed to be a changed man. He left two legacies, one a piece of ingeniously carved work of his own to the Doctor ; and " the only legacy," he said, " he had to give to his son was the 102nd Psalm in long metre, and he prayed earnestly he might believe in the Lord and lead a good life, instead of the wicked one his father had done." Dr. Kidd took the boy into his own house, clothed him, and sent him to school. Once or twice he disappeared, and on his return told his guardians that his father's tribe was determined to get him back to their wild, lawless life. They lay in wait for him, and frequently, when he went out, there was some one at hand to entice him or seize him by force, so that it had to be arranged that a member of the household should always accompany him as he went to and from school. But in spite of all the precautions of the Kidd household he disappeared and could not be found, though diligent search was made for him. Years passed, and towards the close of the Doctor's life a handsome soldier called at the manse, who was closeted with him for a long Domestic Life. time. He was the long lost gipsy boy turned into a rising man in His Majesty's service. He had been captured at last by the tribe, taken to England, closely watched ; but he never could forget his father's legacy and the Doctor's home, and he intensely disliked the life he had to live. At last he enlisted under an assumed name, con- ducted himself with propriety, and had risen to the rank of sergeant. He was passing through Aberdeen with his regiment, and it was a great joy to him to have the opportunity of expressing his indebtedness for what was done for him when he was a castaway. In Dr. Kidd's old age his son-in-law, Captain James Oswald, died, and the widow, with her two boys and two girls, were in the minister's house for some time. Nothing could exceed the warmth of the enthusiasm of the grandson, from whose journal we have already quoted, when describing the domestic life of the Doctor. He writes : " On Saturdays my brother James and I went with him, one on each side, up Chapel Street and on to the toll of B-ubislaw and home. During our walk he would direct our attention to some object of interest and instruction, some- times to what was lying on our path, some- times to the books we were reading, or the passing events of the times, always making it a pleasure for us to listen. We felt our minds opened out to view the subjects, whatever they 240 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. were, in a new and fresh light. We went regularly to him at a certain hour on the same day, when he drilled us in the Shorter Catechism, asking us the questions from the beginning to the First Commandment one week, and the next from the First Commandment to the end. He never had a Catechism before him, but knew every question and answer accurately in its order, word for word, as if he were reading them. Here is a gleam from the past in that journal: "On returning from church, the household assembled, and each read a portion of Scripture in order." The Doctor, who did so much for others, was not without his little material tokens of popular appreciation. His people presented him with the house in Chapel Street, where he resided for years. A sideboard came from an unknown donor to put into it, which was supposed to be from an opponent whose heart was softened. The young men of the congregation gave him a large Bible, which was used at family worship. People delighted to honour him in their own way, and according to their taste and means. An old gillie of Lochiel gave him a stick pre- sented by " Prince Charlie," which was, unfor- tunately, lost or stolen. The Doctor must have inwardly grinned when a painter drew in oil colours the coat of arms appropriate to the name of Kidd. Another member of his congregation Domestic Life. 241 very sensibly handed him a pair of silver spec- tacles when the eye was becoming dim with years. One thing was set over against another in the Doctor's life, the bitter never being far re- moved from the sweet. A prisoner on the Bass Eock said quaintly, "I dwell at ease and live securely. The upper springs flowed liberally and sweetly when the nether springs were em- bittered." In like manner Dr. Kidd knew where to go for consolation when earthly sources of gladness were dried up. This is how he relieved his heart in writing when his wife was evidently nearing the gates of the other world: " 10th May, 1829. " The foregoing sermon on Hebrews ii. 12-15, and the following, I. Corinthians xv. 26, were delivered while Mrs. Kidd was lying on her deathbed. I cannot describe my feelings on both Sabbaths during delivery. May God bless them to my family and my flock. I bless God I was supported all day ; may I be humble and thankful. My dear wife has been ailing and very low, and I have been greatly troubled about her." And he adds : " 7th June. " I have had great distress this week. Mrs. Kidd died on 14th May, and the variety of emotions and experiences of my mind I cannot describe. May God in mercy bless this sad event to myself and my children, and may all things work together for good to me." 242 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. On the Sabbath after Mrs. Kidd's death, and while her body was lying in the manse waiting interment, Dr. Kidd preached in the Chapel as usual, only with an added pathos and solemnity. Some of the elders remonstrated with him in vain. "What good could I do," he replied, characteristically, "sitting beside a dead body, when my people are waiting to hear (rod's message from my lips ? " That home which was now breaking up, had not been without its helpful testimony. It had been the abode, not of angels, but of human beings, with many of their frailties and some of their sorrows ; and yet the people of Aberdeen felt that God was in it. Dr. Paul, in his " Past and Present of Aber- deenshire," says: "In my early days family worship was, in this quarter, much neglected, even among the clergy : among the laity it was seldom heard of." In agreement with that state- ment, Dr. Kidd found that his house, for years after he came to Aberdeen, was a centre of wondering interest to the neighbourhood, when, in the course of family worship, the psalm was sung. People gathered round the door to hear the unfamiliar sounds on a week day, and in a private house. With characteristic hospitality and readiness to seize any opportunity that came in his way of doing good, Mr. Kidd opened the door and invited them to come in. The Gilcomston Pastor from Home. 243 CHAPTER XXVI. THE GILCOMSTON PASTOR FROM HOME. IT is surely superfluous to observe that the above heading is not meant to convey the impression that the Gilcomston pastor was ever from home in Gilcomston Chapel. No king who believed in the divine rights of his order was ever more firmly seated upon his throne, and no father in his armchair among his children was more at home than Dr. Kidd in the "chapel of ease." It was his place, if ever a man had one in this world. He was not at all times equally at ease, nor was he uniformly felicitous in his address, for, like other mortals, he had his moods ; but, for better or for worse, the place and the man were one as long as there was breath in his body. A brother minister once asked his advice as to whether he should accept the opportunity of translation to another sphere. The answer was promptly given " I consider that no field is so worthy of being cultivated as the one where my master saw fit to place me. I have often been urged to higher worldly posts, but here I stay while I can do His work, and you should do the same." Moreover, as a worker, Dr. Kidd believed in 244 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. concentration, and therefore was not addicted to gadding about, dissipating energy over a wide surface. But, while a faithful " keeper at home," he was too generous-hearted a man to close his ear and heart against all the numerous invita- tions which were urgently given to come and help elsewhere. In the early days of his ministry he found it exceedingly hard to resist the demand for his services, as in this place the need at that time was so great. In a city one of the leading ministers of which regarded " prayer meetings as nurseries for spiritual pride," it can easily be supposed that Dr. Kidd sometimes wished he could overcome the laws which condition physi- cal bodies and be in twenty places at the same time. He, with a few of the members of his church, established a Sabbath School in Old Aberdeen, and some of them were stoned for their pains. He had numerous meeting-places throughout the town, one of them being in that part which is now called Holburn Street, where, according to the testimony of one who occasionally attended, the Doctor had sometimes to be precentor as well as preacher. But he had not the same affluence of resource in the one department of duty as in the other. Indeed, he was rather poverty-stricken when he came out as a leader in song, for, whatever the psalm, the fitness of The Gilcomston Pastor from Home. 245 things, as determined by Dr. Kidd's abilities, made it imperative that the sacred words should be wedded to the ancient tune of " Blackburn," the merits of which have not, I believe, been recognised by modern compilers of tune-books. Alas ! too, for the limitations of humanity even in its noblest developments, no single specimen combining in himself all the talents and attain- ments, living witnesses bear evidence to the fact that the execution did more credit to the hearti- ness of his feeling and the strength of his lungs than to the tunefulness of his voice and ear. Dr. Kidd had no desire to displace the precentor : he believed in division of labour. When a psalmody leader was present at a comparatively small meeting, the Doctor joined in lustily, and was so loyal in his support as to be a positive embarrassment. It would be difficult to say what part in music he took. The sound was a kind of accompaniment not unlike what the intermittent and distant mutterings of thunder may be supposed to be to the songsters of the grove. In the big assembly of Gilcomston Chapel, it was not possible even for him to " drown " the other voices ; but in smaller gatherings for him to come in as an ally was to bring all the other singers into captivity, not certainly by the skill of his tactics, but solely by the overpowering vehemence of his onset. From the Brig o' Balgownie to the old Bridge 246 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. of Dee, he was to be heard from time to time in different places speaking on behalf of righteous- ness and Christ. Dr. Anderson, of the Gym- nasium, some years before he died, gave this witness: ""When I came to Old Aberdeen I had a strong prejudice against Dr. Kidd, but in going about the people, I found that most of the true Christians of a certain age, whom I met, traced their conversion to the instrumentality of Dr. Kidd, so that I have changed my opinion of him, and now venerate his memory." The Doctor was often asked to bring his warm heart and eloquent tongue to the service of any good cause or benevolent institution need- ing pecuniary support. He begged with an importunity and success which no other man in Aberdeen could rival. He, on more than one occasion, anticipated the biting sarcasm of the modern preacher who remarked that when he surveyed his audience he wondered where the poor were, and when he looked upon the collec- tion he was equally at a loss to know where the rich were; for Dr. Kidd protested against the costly dresses and jewellery worn by professing Christians, when God's cause was languishing for lack of support, until some of the ladies present were seen to blush and furtively cover the too patent proofs of selfish extravagance and pride which they carried about with them. Some were known, under the spell of Dr. Kidd's The Gilcomston Pastor from Home. 247 thrilling eloquence, to have put rings and other expensive articles of ornament and attire into the plate. He once preached in the West Church on behalf of the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society, and no less a sum than 100 was the result, which was an extraordinary one for the time. Dr. G. Aird of Creich writes : " A railing was erected around the Gaelic Chapel. The Doctor was asked to preach on a Sabbath after- noon for raising a collection to defray the ex- pense. He took for his subject the contributions given for erecting the Tabernacle. Towards the conclusion of the sermon he exhorted them to contribute liberally. ' Perhaps,' said he, ' you may say, " What did you yourself give ? " Well, you all know James Kidd is not a rich man, but he gave a little, and in order that you may give more Beadle, get the plate ' ! when he threw into it a crown piece, and then exhorted them to do likewise. He exhorted a lady who had a fine muff to put it into the plate, another to put her silk mantle into the plate, and another lady to put her boa into the plate ; and, addressing a gentleman, ' G C , you have a fine gold watch and chain and a number of gold seals ; put the whole into the plate. And you, E M (one of the elders), you have I know not how many houses, and none to leave them to but a wife as old as yourself ; put one of them into the plate." Had the exhortation 248 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. been complied with, ere all was over, the plate would have contained what might well help to repair the church. It was not often that the Doctor was in circumstances to avail himself of the privileges of hearer, and when he did so he usually mingled a little speaking with the hearing, as we now proceed to show. Dr. Macdonald, of Ferintosh, was a life-long friend of Dr. Kidd, and one of his great favourites as a preacher. When the "Apostle of the North" came to Aberdeen, which he did once a year or so, to preach in the Gaelic Church, Dr. Kidd went occasionally, with as many of his congregation as could be accom- modated, to the evening service. One Fast-day evening when Dr. Macdonald was preaching in the Gaelic Church, Mr. Mackenzie, son of the minister at that time, tells us that Dr. Kidd was a hearer. Five minutes before the hour of ser- vice Dr. Kidd was seen to enter the church, and go into the minister's seat (then immediately below the pulpit). Several times during the five minutes that had to elapse before the hour, Dr. Kidd was seen to look round to the clock. The beadle (a character in his way, as all beadles were in those days), came in with the Bible and psalm-book, and while passing the minister's seat on his way to the pulpit, was accosted by Dr. Kidd " Donald, is the minister not coming yet?" to which Donald replied, with becoming The Gilcomston Pastor from Home. 249 dignity of manner, " He'll come at his ain time, sir." Dr. Kidd again looks round to the clock : two minutes from the hour. At last the clock strikes the hour ; Dr. Kidd's patience is ex- hausted : up he rises and goes to the pulpit and gives out the psalm. During the singing of the psalm, Dr. Macdonald and Mr. Mackenzie are seen coming in from the vestry, by the side door. Dr. Macdonald, seeing that the pulpit is occu- pied, is for following Mr. Mackenzie into his seat, but Dr. Kidd is all the time observing everything from the pulpit, and, leaning over it, signs upon Dr. Macdonald to come up higher. Dr. Kidd, after the singing was over, engaged in prayer, and then Dr. Macdonald rose up and gave out his text, Dr. Kidd remaining seated in the pulpit until the end of the service. The discourse was a powerful one (as all Dr. Macdonald's usually were), and on this particu- lar evening he was dealing out the terrors of the law to his hearers, and while doing so, Dr. Kidd, who was sitting at his back, took hold of his coat tails and, giving them tug after tug, called out audibly to the congregation, " Give it to them, John, every villain of them ; many a time have I told them, but they would not believe me." Sage, in his Memorabilia Domestica, gives us this additional incident in connection with the Gaelic Church : One Sabbath evening Dr. Kidd and his people, with many others, had come to 250 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. the Gaelic Chapel doors a little before six o'clock and found them shut. The crowd was immense, and the crush to get in was likely to be serious, as the numbers outside were increasing. Dr. Kidd demanded why the doors were not opened, and receiving no answer, called out "If they are not opened instantly, break them open." The elders were, as might be supposed, greatly scandalised at this unseemly violence on a Sabbath day, and sent a deputation of their number to Dr. Kidd to remonstrate. He apologised to the Gaelic elders by saying that, being a native of Ireland, he was suddenly seized with an Irish fit, but that he had no sooner uttered the words than he repented of his rash- ness and felt that he had spoken unadvisedly. In one of the rare visits which he paid to the Metropolis, he went to hear the great Edward Irving, who has, perhaps, as good a claim to the epithet " a misguided archangel " as any one of past or present times. That wonderful and lovable man was then in the zenith of his glory as a popular preacher, who, by the splendour of his genius, could attract statesmen and members of the aristocracy in London to a Presbyterian Church. But Dr. Kidd was not satisfied with what he heard. He thought dishonour was done to Christ by something that was said about His nature and work, and he refused, at the close of the service, to shake hands with a man who The Gilcomston Pastor from Home. 251 could so speak of Jesus Christ. There was not, to the public eye, the most distant premonition then of the coming storm in Regent Square, but Dr. Kidd discerned tendencies which soon ob- tained fuller and flagrant development. The Rev. D. K. Auchterlonie, of Craigdam, tells us of a visit Dr. Kidd paid to Arbroath : " An uncle of mine, John Wannan, worked for some time at his trade at Arbroath, and he often spoke of a memorable scene of which he was a witness, and in which Dr. Kidd was chief actor. Dr. Kidd was in the habit of preaching once a year or so in one of the parish churches in the town of Arbroath, and on one of the occasions in which he visited that town my uncle was a hearer in the church in which he preached. The service got on prosperously till it came to the time for the Doctor to give out his text. At this stage he seemed to be in a state of consider- able annoyance and confusion. He turned over the leaves of the old pulpit Bible from Genesis to the Revelation. Then he took the Bible up and shook out all the numerous stray leaves on to the floor of the pulpit. He took up the stray leaves one by one and examined them carefully ; he crammed them back into the Bible again, he shut it, and gave it a violent knock with his fist, saying, ' Do you call that a Bible ? My text is not to be found in it ! ' Then to a man in the nearest pew ' Here, sir ; give me the loan of your Bible.' 252 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. "And thus, under difficulties, he started his sermon, and was well on, and in the full flood of his eloquence, when suddenly he hitched up, saying, ' I don't know how long I have preached ; you have no clock in the front of the gallery, as you should have, to admonish me, and I have nothing (pulling it out) but this old rattle-trap of a watch, which goes an hour fast one day and an hour slow the next.' Then (raising his voice) ' I'll tell you what, my friends ; I'm coming back next year, and if by that time you don't have a new Bible on this desk, and a new clock in the front of that gallery, I'll let you hear about it on the deafest side of your heads.' My uncle testified that the new Bible and clock were both in their appropriate places long before Dr. Kidd's next visit ! " On one occasion the Doctor was in Dundee to preach in a certain church on Sabbath even- ing. He was present at the morning service, when it was intimated that Dr. Kidd from Aber- deen was to preach there in the evening at a quarter past six o'clock. He could not bear to begin a service so many minutes after an hour. " No, no," said the Doctor from the pew in which he was sitting ; " I'll have no trifling with time : I'll preach here at six o'clock precisely." Regarding one of his visits, the Doctor has left it on record " On leaving Dundee, where I had been called to assist at the dispensation of The Gilcomston Pastor from Home. 253 the Lord's Supper, Mr. Kirkcaldy gave me ' Pearse on the Best Match,' and I have received more knowledge and experience of the heart work of faith from that than ever I did from any book except the Scriptures, and I have had great comfort ever since. ' Owen on the Person and Glory of Christ' for the general knowledge of Christ, and ' Pearse ' for the experimental knowledge of Christ, are the best uninspired books I have read on the subject." One Saturday evening he arrived in Rhynie, being engaged to preach in the Parish Church on the following day. Before going to bed he took a walk in the outskirts of the village, and he met a man, to whom he put the question, " Do you pray to God ? " The man replied that he could not truthfully say that he did. " "Well," rejoined the Doctor, putting his hand into his pocket and taking out half a crown, "take you that if you'll promise to me never in your life to pray." The man immediately took the money, and went away dumfo under ed. He had not taken many steps, however, till he felt he had sold his soul for half a crown, and, coming back, he said " Here's your money : I winna hae't." But what happened made him think and think till he became a changed man. 254 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. CHAPTER XXVII. KIDDIANA. MOST public men, notably ministers of religion, who have reached a high place in popular favour, and gained a reputation for racy humour and free, quaint speech, have many witticisms and funny stories laid to their credit, some of which are evidently, from their character, worthy of all rejection as spurious. Rowland Hill and Spurgeon, like Dr. Kidd, besides the numerous and veritable offspring of their own facetious genius, have to bear the imputed paternity of vagrant and questionable jokes, which have been doing service from time immemorial. It is rather a delicate task to attempt to draw a dividing line between what is genuine and what popular rumour has made them adopt. It is all the more difficult when it is remembered that even saintly men occasionally, in moments of exuberant spirit and fancy, not to say touchy temper, affirm more than is befitting the " old man " who is struggling to keep his hold. When such occur, we have to remember the Chinese proverb " Better a diamond with a flaw, than a pebble without it." Too many know Dr. Kidd only by the laughter-provoking stories which are Kiddiana. 255 fathered upon him with more or less truthful- ness ; but to know Dr. Kidd in that way is to know a stream only by the froth it casts up. We have been at pains to verify the " Kiddiana " in these pages by a reference to the judgment of those who, from their family connection, or from special information, were able to discriminate. On the occasion of the accession of George IV. to the throne, Dr. Kidd prayed openly for him in this wise " Grant, Lord, that he may be a better King than he has been a Prince Regent," and when called to account by the local authorities for this utterance, the Doctor non- plussed them by asking " And where' s the man that cant improve ? " He went into the shop of one of his members, who, with bent head, was absorbed in some piece of work. As he was not expecting to see the Doctor at the time, his face could not but express surprise when he looked up. Ever ready to im- prove the occasion, the Doctor, gazing earnestly upon him and grasping his hand, said, " Did you expect to see me ? " " No." " What if it had been death 1 " Whereupon he stepped out. One Sabbath morning, Dr. Kidd hurriedly entered the pulpit, and, without sitting down, he looked all round the church, and in stentorian 256 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. tones exclaimed, " Go to hell ! Go to hell ! Go to hell ! " The people were, of course, greatly surprised at the use of such language by their revered pastor, but were soon relieved when he addressed them as follows: "These awful words, my brethren, I heard used by one young man to another a few minutes ago on the street, as I was walking along towards this church. Is this the fruit of all my labours among you for the last twenty years? Is this my reward for going in and out among you all that time, will- ing to spend and to be spent for you, that I should, within my own parish, and almost within a stone-throw of this sacred place, have my ears profaned by such dreadful language, and that, too, on the morning of the Lord's Day? I pray that I may never again have such a startling and painful experience while I am spared to stand in this pulpit." One Sabbath he was annoyed by a man coughing repeatedly during the sermon, without any attempt being made to suppress it, and, un- able to endure it any longer, he exclaimed : " Give over that coughing, sir ; you're disturb- ing me. Do you cough that way all the week ? It's my opinion that a number of people come here once a week just to clear their throats ! " A man who had on a very noticeable red Kiddiana. 257 waistcoat was sitting, one warm Sabbath day in summer, directly under the minister's eye. He began to nod his head, giving thereby clear indi- cation that, if not asleep, he was on the verge of that condition, which roused the wrath of the Gilcomston pastor. "Waken that man," thundered out the voice from the pulpit. He was pinched and roused by his neighbour. But he awoke only to fall asleep again. " I say, waken that red-breasted sinner there," pointing with his finger to the unfortunate culprit. But all efforts were of no avail, again he was over. At last, patience exhausted, the Doctor seized a small pocket Bible lying at his hand on the pulpit cushion, and sending it with unerring aim, struck the sleeper on the side of the head, adding, " Now, sir, if you will not hear the word of God, you shall feel it ! " While preaching on a Sabbath evening, his eye caught a showily-dressed youth, who was looking in every direction but that of the pulpit. But, after wandering all over the place, his eyes always settled with an evident complacency upon his articles of attire, more especially upon a very attractive white vest, and a fashionable hat and cane. " Young man sitting in the breast gallery," cried Dr. Kidd, pointing in his direction, " your hat and stick will do very well, and your waist- coat is exceedingly nice ; and you and I being s 258 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. now quite satisfied on these points, perhaps you will be able to give me a little of your atten- tion." Dr. Kidd had a strong dislike to people who spoke of " hopes " only, in regard to religious prospects. On one occasion, while visiting an aged woman in illness, he asked her of her sal- vation ; and, being roused by the frequent repetition of her " hopes " that she was safe, the Doctor lectured her soundly on her want of true grounds of assurance. When the Doctor had finished, the old woman raised herself from her sick-bed, and in piteous and earnest tones ex- claimed, laying her hand on the Doctor's arm " Eh ! puir man, have ye nae hope ? " Dr. Kidd could be very kind and neighbourly to individual Roman Catholics, but Popery, as a system, was to him what the red rag is to the bull. In the year 1832 or thereabout, one of the many failures of the harvest in Ireland took place. Amongst other efforts to relieve the dis- tressed, there was a musical performance given in the Roman Catholic Chapel in Aberdeen. Dr. Kidd took his own way of rendering help. He got a box made with a slit in it, placed at his garden gate, labelled, " Dr. Kidd's charity box for the poor Irish ! " After a week's exposure, he announced from the pulpit the amount Kiddiana. 259 collected, about 21, which he gratefully acknowledged. He could not refrain from ex- pressing his " satisfaction that his little box had produced more money than all the fiddling and whistling in the chapel in Justice Port ! " In Dr. Kidd's " Book of Skeletons of Lectures on Prophecy," the following striking marginal note is inserted : "A.D. 1848 : This year Europe may republicize." Again : " France in revolu- tion most likely one of the family of Buona- parte will, after a time, ascend the throne of his great ancestor." Let it not be forgotten that this forecast was made by a man who died in 1834. A lady reports that, after the solemnities of a communion season, she and a friend were walking along Union Terrace behind the Doctor and several of his brethren who had been assist- ing, when they heard him say " Can you tell me how it is that though I can bear great troubles as well as most men, the petty annoy- ances of life irritate me so that I say things which cause me much grief and shame after- wards, bring discredit on my Saviour's cause, and give the enemy cause to blaspheme." The answer came from Mr. Rose, of 2ugg "Yes, brother ; you carry your great trials to God, but the little ones you try to manage for yourself, 260 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. and so fail." " Aye, aye ; that is the true cause, I believe." Seek Him, Then. In pressing home the necessity for instant religious decision, the Doctor's patience was often tried by answers which were meant to be regarded as humble and pious, but which were, in fact, only evasive. In the course of his personal visitation he met a man whom he could not move in one way or another. He could not elicit any confession from him more satisfactory than the general observation " Oh, yes, God is good if we seek Him." "Well, seek Him, then," urged Dr. Kidd ; and taking out his watch, said, "I am a busy man, but I am willing to wait a whole hour here till you seek and find Him." One Sabbath morning when entering upon the last part of his discourse, which dealt with the tender mercy of God, he observed an old woman rise from her seat and go towards the door. As his eye caught the retreating figure, he, full of the surpassing interest of his theme, and throbbing with desire that his hearers might feel it, called out, " Come back ! come back ! and hear of the mercy of God." When she persisted in going out, he turned to his audience, with a wondering and pitying expression, and remarked, "Is she not a strange old woman to run away Kiddiana. 261 from the mercy of God ? " From that circum- stance he proceeded to make a most thrilling and solemn appeal to those before him not to despise the mercy of God. He was very fond of interpreting the pro- phecies, particularly as relating to coming events, as the downfall of Antichrist, the in- bringing of the Jews, the Millennium, &c. He had an idea that something very particular happened every seventh year, and when the seventh year came round, he would find some striking event in it, and say, I do not profess to be a prophet, but I have always observed that something of special importance happens every seventh year. He used frequently to attack the errors of the Roman Church, and would say that Xapoleon was the best missionary that was ever sent out against her. In proof of the deep and wide interest which Dr. Kidd awakened, not only in the city of Aberdeen, but in surrounding districts, it may be mentioned that persons came great distances from Skene, Inverurie, and other parts to hear him on Sabbath. The Rev. James Johnstone, of Belhelvie, says that a late office-bearer of the Free Church in that parish, Mr. Robert Harvie, was accustomed to walk from his farm at White- cairns every Sabbath, a distance of about eight miles from Gilcomston Chapel. 262 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. CHAPTER XXVIII. MORE KIDDIANA. IN his usual reading of Scripture one Sabbath day, the passage selected being from the eighth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, Dr. Kidd came upon the sentence, " And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid and sick of a fever." After he had read the verse, he lifted his eyes suddenly from the Bible before him as if he had made a discovery, and, looking at the people, exclaimed, " What ! Peter, the great head of the Church with a mother-in-law ! The thing is impossible. I am sure our Romish friends will join me in saying so. There must surely be a mistake. Let us read the passage again. Yes ; there it is, in my Bible at least. Is it so in yours?" The Rev. D. K. Auchterlonie, of Craigdam, writes : "An aged friend, a great admirer of Dr. Kidd's, happened to be present at an ordination within the bounds of the Presbytery of Aberdeen, at which Dr. Kidd gave the charge to the young minister. The majority of the ministers present More Kiddiana. 263 were Moderates, and Dr. Kidd's charge was a prolonged satire directed at the typical Moderate clergymen of the day. My informant indicated that it was perfectly evident from the restive conduct of the ministers present that they were conscious of the fact that they were the persons alluded to. Dr. Kidd's remarks were somewhat in the following strain : ' My young brother, you have now been set apart to the office of the holy ministry. Whatever you do, be sure that you don't overwork yourself. Why should you die before your time ? There are some foolish people, as you may be aware, who go in for Sabbath schools, prayer meetings, and Bible classes ; but, my beloved young brother, I counsel you carefully to avoid all that sort of nonsense. And then there are other simple-minded ministers who are so far left to themselves that they will preach three long sermons on one Sabbath day. Could there be more preposterous folly than that? My brother, you may consider that you do well if you preach one sermon a week. And on no account let it be longer than twenty-five minutes. Indeed, the visitors and the gentry will be better pleased if it is only twenty minutes long. And, now, here's an important word of advice when- ever you pronounce the benediction, hurry away down among the people, shake hands with all the heritors, and salute the principal farmers cordially, and ask them " how's nowte." In this 264 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. way you will become a very popular and a very successful minister of the gospel.' " Owen's works had a high place in the appre- ciation of the Doctor. He once said publicly "I read Owen on 'Communion with God' once a month ; Owen on the ' Person and Glory of Christ ' once a quarter ; and Owen on the ' Spirit ' once a year. Were I left on a desolate island with the Bible and these three books, I would seek no more and could get no better." Dr. Gustavus Aird, of Creich, tells us of the curious and characteristic account which Dr. Kidd himself gave of the beginning of his acquaintance with Owen's works. In dealing at his evening service with the question " What is the misery of that estate into which man fell ? " he found that he must speak on the sub- ject of communion with God, and he was not satisfied with what he himself knew of the sub- ject. He told the congregation that on the following Sabbath they would revise the ground they had gone over, so as to make sure work of it. Next day he went to all the booksellers in Aber- deen, making enquiry for a book on communion with God. At last, in the Gallowgate, he en- tered the shop of a man who sold old books, an old-light Seceder, father of Dr. Knight, Professor of Natural Philosophy in Marischal College, who More Kiddiana. 265 presented him with a second-hand copy of Owen on " Communion with God." And, the Doctor added, " to prove that I have perused it well, this is the third binding it has got since it came into my possession." The Rev. Duncan Grant, of the Gaelic Chapel, and Dr. Kidd, spending a social evening with some friends, happened to refer to Edwards' work on " Divine Sovereignty." They could not agree on a sentence that was quoted, and both men being remarkable for tenacious memories, the one would not yield to the other. By-and- bye the company separated, Mr. Grant going home to his bed and Dr. Kidd to his library, searching for the disputed passage. At last, finding it to be as he had said it was, he, in a very jubilant frame of mind, at once went to Mr. Grant's house. It being late, the door was locked and everybody in bed. The Doctor knocked loudly, and to the question put by Mr. Grant's brother "Who is there?" there came the answer "Is the Pope in?" Mr. Grant was told there was a man at the door who must be a madman, as he is asking if the Pope was in. " It must be Dr. Kidd," was the reply, " go down and bring him up." Up Dr. Kidd marched and into the bedroom with Edwards under his arm. The volume was placed in Mr. Grant's hands as he lay in bed, and he was asked, to his own 266 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. discomfiture, to read the sentence and acknow- ledge he was wrong. The Doctor then left him to his slumbers with this parting shot " Never again to contradict a man so strenuously who is older than yourself." When the late much-respected Dr. A. Dyce Davidson was presented to the South Parish Church, Dr. Kidd came up to him on the street and gave him his hearty congratulations. It was quite fashionable in those days for young men to take snuff, students and ministers not being behind others in that respect, and Mr. Davidson was just in the act of transferring a pinch from between his fingers to its destination, when the Doctor seized the defaulting hand and said, u Let an old man give you three good advices Don't be in a hurry to marry, else you will fall into debt ; don't be much out of your own pulpit if you expect your congregation to stick to you ; and, lastly, let snuff be kept in some other place than where you are about to put it." The Gilcomston pastor was present at a private baptism in the house of one of his mem- bers at Woodside, where there were friends present belonging to other churches. Being the friend of all evangelical denominations, he, in his usual open and hearty way, asked the various persons present what was their church More Kiddiana. 267 connection. In passing the question from one to another, he took no notice of a rather showy, consequential young man in the company. Piqued at this want of attention, the youth asserted himself by remarking " You have not asked me, Doctor, what I am ; I am a free- thinker ! " cocking his head at the same time as if proud of the distinction. The minister, eyeing the conceited youth, and measuring him at the same time, replied " Free-thinker ! is that all the length you have got ? I know a young fellow in Aberdeen who says he is an atheist." The Doctor had no love for the " pipe," and when he saw young people indulging in that way he never failed to remonstrate as only the paternal despot of Aberdeen could do. He dashed the pipe from their mouths, at the same time uttering the maxim, " Young smokers make old beggars." Not unfrequently the young rascals took their revenge, when they were a safe enough distance away from the Gilcomston pastor, by shouting, " Mealy pouches ! mealy pouches ! " referring to the appearance of his coat pockets, into which were often stuffed bread and oat cakes, with which to meet the wants of any hungry ones he might meet. The Doctor had a great horror of debt. When parting with a friend whom he did not Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. expect to see for some time, he would exhort him to " Fear God, and keep out of debt." He had the savings of the greater part of a life-time locked up on deposit receipt in Maberly's bank. On the Sabbath after the failure of that bank he referred to the suffering and ruin which had followed in the train of the catastrophe. The amount of defalcation in Aberdeen was 62,000. He said " Sixty- two thousand cries from Aber- deen ! When a robber attacks your house with intent to steal, you may have the opportunity of meeting force with force ; but when a genteel thief, with smooth words and fair promises, gets hold of your property, you are disarmed and wholly at his mercy." Out of consideration for the weaker brethren, who, from exposure to the open air or other causes, felt drowsiness creeping upon them when seated in church, it was understood that any were at liberty to stand up for a few minutes during the service, that by a change of posture they might succeed in mastering the inclination to fall asleep. As many as thirty or forty on a summer day might have been seen at once in different parts of Gilcomston Chapel standing up in acknowledgment of the sincerity of their desire to do all that could be done to insure wakefulness. Some of them, however, abused the privilege, by remaining longer upon their More Kiddiana. 269 legs than was necessary, and gazing about in a way which indicated wandering thoughts. The Doctor noticed this one day, just as he was reading that part of Scripture in which the Pharisees were rebuked by our Lord for seeking the chief seats in the synagogue. He paused and then said " My friends, there are modern Pharisees, both in back seats and in front seats, who stand up and stare like statues." The late Dr. R. Simpson, of Kintore, once took the opportunity of gently remonstrating with the Doctor for speaking with such severity against Roman Catholicism. " Ah ! " replied the redoubtable Ulsterman, " you have not seen Popery as I have ; you have never lived in Ireland; you have never felt the whisk of the cow's tail." The Rev. James Sutherland, of Turriff, re- members being at a meeting in Old Trinity Church where the controversial feeling was very strong. An enthusiastic Roman Catholic in the gallery was doing his best for his party, by occasional interjections, which had a most dis- turbing effect upon the speakers. The Doctor, who was on the platform, submitted to the interruptions till they became intolerable, and, at last, standing up with umbrella in hand, he, pointing to the delinquent, shouted in stentorian 270 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. tones "Put out the dog; put out the Papist dog ! " A menagerie came to the town, and it was advertised on the bills that working men would be admitted at half-price. The Doctor presented himself at the door for those who paid only half- price. The proprietor, looking at him, objected, and said he must pay the full fare. The Doctor, pointing to the bill, said, " There is riot any one in Aberdeen more of a working man than I am, from three in the morning till eight at night." Like every genuine lover of humour Dr. Kidd could enjoy a joke, though it went against himself. In calling upon one of the members of his church who kept a grocery shop, he met a woman who was also one of his congregation. In addition to buying bread and other neces- saries, this woman, standing before the counter like himself, ordered in his hearing an ounce of tobacco. " Tobacco ! " exclaimed the minister, "why spend your money on that?" "It's the only luxury we have," was the defence. " Luxury ! what need have you or I for luxuries? If we get the plain necessaries of life let us be thank- ful." "Weel, Doctor," the good woman drily remarked, at the same time glancing significantly at the Doctor's portly frame, " the ' plain neces- saries ' of life have done mair for you than for More Kiddiana. 271 me." The Doctor looked upon the thin, scraggy figure with a beaming countenance, and, as he left the shop, laughingly said, " Good, very good." Dr. Kidd had a cat which had been in the house for years, and for which he had a strong affection. On going out one morning it met a neighbour's dog in the back yard and was worried. When the body of his favourite cat was brought into the house, and he was told how it had been killed, he was speechless with rage. He rushed out of the house to the owner of the offending animal and demanded, in no measured terms, why he kept such a ferocious brute. He threatened legal proceedings, and almost made his neighbour feel as if he had been a murderer, and not merely the owner of a dog which had behaved as dogs usually do. When the two separated it almost looked as if a wall of im- placable and eternal enmity lay between them. But before the day was done the Doctor came back with a different expression on his face. He said, " I have come to express regret for having used such strong language in the morning. The dog was only following its instincts ; and it is written that we are not to allow the sun to go down upon our wrath." The late Mr. Hogg, a native of Woodside, and formerly well known as a missionary in Glasgow, 272 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. bore witness to the following incident: Pass- ing down Hutcheon Street one day the Doctor came upon a little group of women gathered round an old body who had just been evicted by a cruel landlord. As she lay upon the pavement, the Doctor asked the wives if none of them had a place they could take her into. A cellar in the back yard was the only available offer, so the Doctor lifted the feeble old woman in his arms and carried her in there. As he bent down try- ing to soothe and comfort her, a strong hand was laid upon his shoulder, and a nautical voice dis- turbed his kind ministrations " Avast, there ! Avast, sir ! that's my mither." The woman's sailor son had just returned from a long voyage. Taking in the situation at once, and reading the filial affection in the youth's manner, the Doctor was deeply moved, and turning his face upwards as he knelt beside the woman, he exclaimed, "Take off the tiles! take off the tiles! there must be angels looking down." The Doctor was a lusty singer himself, and liked to hear a " loud noise " made in the worship of the sanctuary. He was accustomed to say that " the praises of God should be like the roaring of the ocean's wave." He could not bear to see people with their lips closed when a psalm was being sung. It looked to him like an affront to Jehovah to remain silent when the call came More Kiddiana. 273 to join in praise. One Sabbath he was preach- ing in the parish church of Leslie, where the psalmody was exceedingly spiritless. The Doctor was fretted with the dull, lifeless way in which the praises of God were being sung. An old woman, rather dull in hearing, was, according to the custom of the times, seated on her stool at the head of the pulpit stairs. She, like too many in the congregation, had the psalm book in her hand without emitting any sound. She was sitting quite close to the minister, and yet did not seem to catch any of his demonstrative enthusiasm at the psalm-singing. One who was in church that day reports that the Doctor, out of patience with what he regarded as an unseemly silence, caught the old dame's arm, and shouted into her ear, " Sing, sing ; you old sinner ! " Intent upon his business as a spiritual shep- herd, and ever alert to catch wandering, or thrust forward slothful, sheep, he could not bear to see people standing at the church door when they ought to be inside. An old man tells us that when he was a youth he had occasion one Sabbath to wait at the church steps for a friend. The minister, who was later than usual that day, came upon him, and without waiting to get a word of explanation, collared him, and said, " Are you waiting till the plate is taken away. Go in at once and put in your bawbee." T 274 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. The late Rev. Wm. Mitchell, of Free Holburn Church, was accustomed to tell of a friend who, on passing the minister's house very early one Saturday morning, heard a night watchman being severely scolded by Dr. Kidd for making a noise opposite his study, and interrupting him in his preparation for the Sabbath. The watch- man had been doing nothing but what was usual in those days, telling the hour of the morning and the kind of morning as, for example, " Half-past five o'clock, and a fine morning ! " Perhaps, as Mr. Mitchell suggested, the Doctor had not been going forward very successfully in the preparation of his sermon ; and that may have accounted for his extreme irritation in running out upon the watchman, and, with con- siderable demonstration of manner, pressing the question " What right have you, sir, to come opposite my study and disturb me in my pre- paration for Sabbath ? " The poor watchman was able at last timidly to stammer out an excuse or vindication of his conduct. " Please, sir, I've nae allooance to dae aitherwise, because the Magis- trates wish it daen." " Well, then, sir,", rejoined the Doctor, conscious that he had rushed into a strait place, and was desirous of getting out of it as nimbly as possible, " if it must be done, let it be done properly;" and the poor man stood speechless before the Doctor, as he put him through his " facings," criticising severely his More Kiddiana. 275 defective articulation, and making him. attend to correct pronunciation, and then finishing his gratuitous and much-needed elocutionary lesson by the order, " Now, say it after me, sir. ' Half- past five o'clock ,' " the stentorian voice awakening not a few of the sleepers of Gil- comston. A woman came out of her house, chasing her boy, and when the little fellow was out-running his mother, she in her rage called after him, " Come back, you devil." The Doctor, who was passing at the time, said to her, "Woman, if that be the devil, run the other way; don't go near him I " On sacramental fast- days he often began the service himself with prayer ; and on one occa- sion, when confessing the sins and short-comings of the congregation, he referred specially to the elders thus: "God have mercy on the elders; for they are a set of inefficient men, as they seem to think when they manage to gather the pence at the church door on the Sabbath, they have discharged their whole duty: God have mercy on the elders." The Eev. James Johnstone, of Belhelvie, tells of an elder of his church, long deceased, who was present in Gilcomston Chapel when the 276 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. following occurred : On a fast-day, while sit- ting in the elders' seat in front of the pulpit, the Doctor, as the minister assisting for the occasion was preaching, observed a man in his neigh- bourhood sleeping with head on book-board. Seizing his large umbrella and quietly reaching across the seats, he gave a poke to the sleeper, saying aloud, " Sit up, sit up, sir." This startled the preacher in the pulpit and he stopped. " Go on, sir," said the Doctor, and added, having an eye to a proper division of labour in the circumstances, " Go you on ; I'll keep the fellow awake." The Doctor believed thoroughly in the acti- vity of the prince of the power of the air, and was not ignorant of his devices. In one of the passages of his church there were pegs for per- sons hanging their hats upon. A sudden gust of wind on one occasion burst open the door and sent the hats rattling along the floor, making a great noise, and diverting the attention of the congregation just as the Doctor was making a very earnest appeal. " Oh, never mind ! " he interjected, " take no notice of it. I know who has done that; never mind, he wants to withdraw your attention from this solemn truth." A man was taking home in a barrow from More Kiddiana. 277 the brewery two sacks full of " draff " for his cow, but having drunk too freely before he started, he could not get along in a very straightforward manner. The Doctor, passing along the street, saw the man's predicament, and volunteered to take his place for a little. But the man becoming utterly helpless as they went along, he pitched him on the barrow above the sacks, and went on with the heavy load. At last arriving at the door of the house, out of breath and a little out of temper, the Doctor said to the man's wife, " Come out and take in your brute ! " The Doctor often said that all he had bap- tised and admitted to the Lord's table he would follow with his prayers as long as he lived. To a person asking baptism for his child, regarding whom Dr. Kidd was doubtful, he said, " Now, tell me, man, that you are not to pray for this child, and I'll not bind you in ; for if I bind you in, and you do not do it, you perjure yourself. I have great doubts of you, man, and that makes me speak as I do." A man lying drunk was accosted by Dr. Kidd, who asked him what he was and why he was lying there. " Do you not know me, Doctor? I am ane o' your converts," was the reply. " Very like my handiwork," rejoined the Doctor ; 278 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. " for if God had converted you, you wouldn't be where you are." Occasionally he stationed himself at the door of the passage to observe the ways and manners of the people as they entered in. One day he saw a man stalking along the passage with his hat on. The Doctor was soon at his heels with the command, " Take off your hat, man ; coming into God's house with your hat on ; your Maker and you are surely on very familiar terms ! " Another day he saw a number of people stand- ing at the church door. " Walk in, walk in to the house of God," he said, " and not serve the devil at my church door." " I was looking for my wife," mildly interposed one. " Sir, walk you in, and I'll be caution for your wife." It was his practice to go poking about in all sorts of places. One morning he went to the harbour, and was able to act as the unexpected champion of a servant girl who had been sent to buy fish from the boat as it came in. A scoundrel who was loitering about took some of the fish from her, and when she cried out, slapped her on the face, saying as he did the unmanly deed, " Take you that." " And take you that," was the rejoinder of the Doctor, scarcely seen in the grey morning, as he de- livered a blow which sent the fellow staggering in dangerous proximity to the water. More Kiddiana. 279 When the man was executed for sheep- stealing, referred to in another page, it is said that Dr. Kidd, who attended him during his imprisonment, stood by while the hangman was adjusting the rope, and, observing the rough way in which he was doing it, he severely re- buked him, and actually did it himself, and in a very gentle manner. Professor Masson speaks of the Doctor having been seen with a poor woman just out of a fever leaning on his arm in a mean neighbourhood of the city, making a round of the shops ! Eraser of Kirkhill, grandfather of Donald Fraser, of Inverness and London, was once preaching in the Gaelic Church, Aberdeen, in the hearing of Dr. Kidd. The Highland minister was of gentlemanly appearance, and bestowed more pains upon his toilet than Dr. Kidd did. But beneath the neatly-combed hair was a good head and a warm heart, as was abundantly shown in his preaching. The Doctor was overjoyed, and his groundless prejudice melt- ing away, he could not help ejaculating, " Well done. I'll never judge a man by his hair again ! " 280 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. CHAPTER XXIX. OLD AGE. OLD age is usually associated with decay. Often, too, the decline which is perceptible in the body is only too well reflected in a man's outward activities and interests. Along with the length- ening shadows there is a chill in the surround- ing atmosphere. A man begins to feel that he is of less account than he once was, that he is not reckoned as in the days of yore among the forces of society ; the men who stood alongside of him in the prime of his manhood have dropped away one by one, and a generation has sprung up that does not look in his direction when choosing its leaders. The tide of practical efficiency and use- fulness is ebbing. The humbling feeling comes home to a man that he is spent. The instru- ment that is blunted with long use is laid aside. The bitterness of death is experienced before the end comes, and even the Christian man needs all his faith and patience to gain the victory over pride which is not content with its " day." But it was not so with Dr. Kidd. It could not be said of him as it was of old King Lear " He but usurped his life." To the end of his days he maintained his position of usefulness in Aber- Old Age. 281 deen. His popularity was undiminislied, and activity can scarcely be said to have slackened till he had passed the allotted threescore years and ten. He did not become an " extinct vol- cano " in the city, for the moral and religious in- terest of which he had laboured so assiduously. This perennial freshness of interest was due partly to his splendid physical constitution. Sound, and even robust, in every part, regular in his habits, of a contented and cheerful disposi- tion, he was able to carry a measure of youthful buoyancy into his old age. Another most im- portant contributing factor to his sustained popularity and usefulness was the alertness of his mind. He was alive every day to all that was going on in public life and the world of literature. Too many men, when they reach a certain age, become " fossils," in the sense that their shrunken sympathies are wholly with the thoughts and things of the past. The most in- timate companions of their brooding minds are shades and memories. They do not keep their souls sensitive to the touch of the times. Pass- ing events are to them the shadows, and the recollections of times gone by are the realities. Can it be wondered at that such persons lose their hold of the rising generation, and are, therefore, practically dead before their time? "When a new book was being cut up by Dr. Kidd, he did say, a year or two before his death, 282 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. " It is not for me, at my age, to spend my time this way ; " still, we are told that he wished to have any publication that was recommended. In one respect his old age was a decided im- provement upon previous stages of his life. He became wonderfully mellowed. The flame of his piety was more clear and pure, and had less smoke and fewer sparks. He mourned over the indiscretions into which he had fallen, and laboured hard to bring his mercurial spirit under subjection. Some of the entries in his journal indicate the severity of the struggle he often had with his own nature, and the depth of his sorrow when temper was to him what a runaway horse is to the driver : " I bless God for the help of the Sabbath, and though I felt a little of my own spirit, yet I trust God overruled it, and will bless my labours : " "I felt greatly uneasy for speaking to a man sleeping. I afterwards thought this unbecoming in one who had been so lately at the Lord's Table. May God forgive me : " "I was somewhat unwatchful in my pro- cedure, and I pray that I may be forgiven." As at the beginning, so towards the close of his ministry, Dr. Kidd put upon paper his self- communings. We give part of the later journal, which has been preserved : " llth March, 1827. I have great cause to bless God for His gracious assistance all day, but in Old Age. 283 particular in the afternoon. God's name for ever be blessed for the effect which the sermon had upon ; it appears to have savingly awakened her to God for the first time, notwithstanding that she has heard me all her life." "July, 1831. God appears to have been very gracious to me and my flock. Outward things were comfortably conducted, and I have just cause to bless Him for health and strength, for inward composure and rejoicing, and for calm serenity of mind, and, I trust, real communion with the Father and with Jesus Christ His Son. May my covenant engagements be ratified for ever that God may be my God, and I may be His son. Amen." "27th July, 1832. This is Monday, and until Saturday last I never understood fully the real mean- ing or nature of the Gospel as glad tidings of great joy to all people. In reading ' Colquhoun on the Law and the Gospel,' his view of the doctrines, the promises, the offers, the invitations of the Gospel all so free, so gracious, so merciful, so suitable, with- out command, without threatening astonished me much, and, notwithstanding that I had read the book before, I did not see the Gospel so clearly, and not- withstanding I had endeavoured to preach the Gospel from the day I was licensed, yet I never saw or per- ceived what the Gospel is so clearly. Blessed be God ! I hope I do now understand it in some degree. Oh, what a mercy the Gospel is ! How precious ! How sweet ! All free grace ! All free gifts ! " "July, 1832. I thank God from my heart for the gracious countenance shown to my people and 284 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. myself on this solemn occasion. The weather was fine cool and dry the assistance of the ministers season- able and suitable, the arrangements of the tables more regular and composed, the appearance of the communicants was grave, solemn, and devout. As far as man could see, the time was a time of love, and life and soul satisfaction. As for myself, many things call for thanks and praise. I found ease and readi- ness, and, I hope, Divine assistance; my labour did not over-fatigue me, and my spirits were supported; yet, on several occasions, I had presentiments of approaching separation from the services of the house below, and I look forward to this with a degree of desire and patience. Years and failing strength, with ' a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better,' all unite in declaring ' that here I have no continuing city.' May I be prepared for the ' City which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.' " "January, 1834. I have been mercifully assisted in many ways since the last record I made at the end of my sermons. My views of Christ have been more clear, ardent, and satisfactory. The object of Faith has been more direct and steadfast, and I have more joy in believing." " April, 1834. I avail myself of a moment's leisure, and of the vacant place in this book, to record, for my own sake and for all near and dear to me, the great advantage of studying Christ constantly. I have tried the study many years, and find it pro- gressively experimental. My views of Christ at first were ardent and elevated, but rather uncertain and Old Age. 285 confused ; but from time to time I have had gracious and enlarged views and experiences, and still re- ceive more light, more life, more strength and satisfaction. I would not part with my knowledge and impressions of Christ to-day for all the world. Oh, what a blessing to have fellowship with Christ Jesus ! J. K." "May, 1834. This day, and at this time, I re- volve in my mind 33 years of my ministry. And I know not where to begin, where to pause, or where to stop, nor hardly what to say. Have I been faithful ? Not so much as I ought to have been. Have I been successful ? God only knows. During all the time sin has had a very strong hold, and yet I am not without some gleams of grace. I must at present, as when I began, leave the matter in Christ's hand. Oh, my Lord, in mercy help and pity me and my flock. I am conscious of much sin in conduct, but not error in doctrine. I have to lament many grievous falls, and yet I must say I have never been altogether deserted. My poor sinful heart has betrayed me many a time, and my God has still spared me and carried me through. Were I called into judgment I must con- demn myself, but I trust I would not let Christ go. Every view I get of Him, by faith, supports me more and more so precious is Christ to the downcast soul. Let me be ever near Him, ever be with Him, in union and communion. Amen." The letters we now give to the public have much autobiographical value: 286 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. To Mrs. SMITH (Daughter of Dr. Adam Clarke). " ABERDEEN, 26th September, 1833. " VERY DEAR MADAM AND PUPIL, I have had a busy time since I received the Life of your worthy and venerable father. It is one of the most useful memoirs that has been published for several centuries past. Gratitude, diligence, piety, and love to God and man appear displayed as far as human imperfection could go. At the same time modesty, humility, bene- volence, and Christian zeal operate in wonderful uniformity. Few men have raised themselves in the scale of society by mere personal efforts. All the family and all the connections of the late Dr. Adam Clarke must read the Life with sound satisfaction and pure approbation; the name of Adam Clarke will adorn the works of the Wesleyan Methodist body as long as men read; and the same name will dignify the annals of his posterity. May the Lord give grace to all concerned to improve the warning and the call. You will not feel the loss so severely as your dear mother, and the reason is your home, Mr. Smith, and your family. I shall be under the necessity of writing to Mr. Smith to prevent your exertions, if you do not promise to spare yourself. I am sure no woman can stand the fatigues of a family, and make the other exertions you do. I pray you, my dear pupil, consider what I say. I fancy I see Mr. Smith in tears, and your dear infants looking for their mother. O, you little know what would be the state of your dear family without you. " When I imagine I see your bustle in your family, Old Age. 287 your midnight hours in writing the life of your father, your engagements in society at different meetings I say my dear pupil cannot stand all this ; her vigorous imagination, her ardent, zeal to do good, her natural womanly genius will weary her beyond what nature can bear, her strength will fail, and, unless she retire, she must sink. Say, my dear pupil, does Mr. Smith ever speak to you in longings like the above? if not, he must be blind, and if he do, for my sake, for his sake, for your children's sake, and for your own sake, give in to your affectionate tutor ! Please cause Mr. Smith to read this but I doubt you will be afraid and ask Him what he thinks of it. He will answer, it is just what I have been saying to you. I write only by my own impressions without ever having heard what Mr. Smith says, but strongly believe I am right. That God may spare you long is my earnest wish. " With best wishes for Mr. Smith, and most sincere prayers for the eternal welfare of yourself and dear children, I ever am, very dear madam and pupil, your sincere and affectionate humble servant, " JAMES Knm " Mrs. Smith. " P.S. May I ask a line when you can." (To the Same.) " ABERDEEN, 15th November, 1834. " VERY DEAR MADAM AND PUPIL, I embrace the opportunity of my son-in-law going to your city to ask 288 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. how you do, and how is your husband, and how are your children, and how is your mother? I have no news worth mentioning, everything here is stationary ; the political aspect of Europe is clouded, and a storm is gathering. I shall be glad to hear that my dear little Agnes is pleasing you. I am much concerned about her, spiritually and corporeally. Little Robert is his mother's pet, and the union between them is indissoluble. He was in his arms when his father died and became his substitute ; therefore the endear- ment is inexpressible. You know a parent's heart. Long may you be exempted from a parent's trials. " I perceive from your letter that you are con- stantly engaged. Pray do not forget God ! The devil has lost his moral purity, but none of his natural capacity and power, which, according to the Scrip- tures, appear to be very great. May God keep you ! You know my affection for you and your family. Forgive my freedom. I have laid aside all study and all books but my Bible. I am preparing to leave the world. May the God of all grace, very dear madam and pupil, bless you and yours. Ever yours, " JAMES KIDD. " Mrs. Mary Ann Smith." The End. CHAPTER XXX. THE END. DR. KIDD'S attitude of mind, towards the close of his earthly career, was a remarkable illustra- tion of the power of that Christian faith which can so grasp the unseen and spiritual as to make them more real than the passing things of time. " The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger." Death was not to him one of those facts for which no place is found in the general scheme of life. "What if I had been death?" was the question he put to one of his members as he stepped into his shop, and evidently took him by surprise. That readiness to go when the call came, which he urged his people to seek, he himself possessed. For some time before the end came, and while attending most assiduously upon daily duty, for which he had a wonderful measure of strength, he felt like a sentinel at the post of duty who might very soon be relieved by his superior officer. Dr. Kidd died as he had lived, thinking not of himself, nor of anything else but the duty of the hour. He felt that strength was given to him to be used, and as long as he could crawl U 290 Dr. Ridd of Aberdeen. to the desk or the pulpit he would. Ease to him was inglorious. Life was nothing if it did not mean service. What was he but an instrument, and what was it for but use? The resolute, onward spirit which did so much for him at the beginning, did not desert him at the close of his earthly career. His daughter, Mrs. Oswald, tells us he did not rise at his usual early hour on the morning of 19th December, 1834, as he had been seized with a faintness or stupor on attempting to leave his bed ; but, on next day, Saturday, his medical attendant found him writing, in preparation for his Sabbath duties. The doctor told him he- ought to be in bed, and on no account was he to think of preaching next day. Dr. Kidd pleaded hard for permission to appear among his people. " To-morrow," he said, " is our collection day for our Sick Man's Friendly Society, and surely a sick man pleading for sick people would have good effect." But the physician was inflexible. " Well, doctor," he said, " I have a high opinion of your skill, and much esteem for yourself: I obey, but there is not another man in Aberdeen would keep me from my pulpit." The courageous, soldierly spirit which could brook no surrender, carried him on, and the poor declining body was obliged to do its part, until it actually fell down from sheer exhaustion. " To please the doctor," he lay in bed on Monday The End. 291 after his "silent Sabbath." On Tuesday, the day preceding his death, much against the earnest wishes of his family, he insisted upon going to Marischal College to meet his students. He was obliged to stop by the way and call a conveyance to reach the classroom. The students were awed by the death-like pallor on his face, and the subdued pathos of his opening prayer. It came to them with the solemn effect almost of a voice from the other world, as their professor was evidently at the very border-land. He translated with them the first chapter of the book of Job, and made some remarks upon the general contents and character of the book. He went on to offer some observa- tions of a practical nature to the young men before him as aspirants to the ministry. He maintained that every one could make a great deal of life by constant application, and he cited Poole, the author of the " Synopsis," as an ex- ample of diligence worthy of imitation. He also said some things, which the circumstances made specially striking and memorable, about the necessity of an inward and spiritual change, in order to the real possession of religion. He then gave out the lesson for next day, pronounced the benediction, and went home with great difficulty. He came back saying he thought he was better by going out ; but he had not been in the 292 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. house ten minutes before lie was seized with apoplexy, and in other ten minutes he lost all consciousness. Next day he passed away quietly at half-past one o'clock, surrounded by his sor- rowing family and several of his most intimate friends. He did not have to linger long at the threshold. He was spared what might have been irksome to one like him, who was stronger on the active than on the passive side of his nature, and was better able to go forward than to sit still ; so the end of his usefulness here was the beginning of the higher activities of the other world. He died on 24th December, 1834, and was buried in St. Nicholas Churchyard. The absence of his strong and vivid person- ality was keenly felt by all old and young. An old man, still amongst us, remembers well what a feeling of loneliness came over his spirit when he, as a boy, heard that Dr. Kidd, who had often " blessed " him, was gone. It was as if a dominating height, familiar, yet grand, had suddenly, as by a stroke, been effaced from the landscape. On his funeral day, work was suspended in the city ; the inhabitants of Aberdeen constituted the mourners. The professors and students of the University ; the members of the Town Council, and representatives of all the churches and institutions of the city were present. A little incident connected with the funeral, reveals The End. 293 more than could pages of the most elaborate description, and one that does credit to all con- cerned. As the minister of St. Paul's Episcopal Church was going to take his place in the funeral procession, he saw two old women trudg- ing along King Street Road ; he stopped his carriage, saying " I am sure you are going to the funeral," and, finding his surmise correct, he took them in beside him, and placed them down at a convenient spot in the town, where they could see the long procession as it passed. At one of the services in Gilcomston Chapel on the Sabbath after the funeral, the following " Farewell," found among Dr. Kidd's papers, was read. Never was such a scene witnessed in a church in Aberdeen, as sentence after sentence of it fell upon their ears. The place was a Bochim. For once the people broke through their natural reserve, and, as they heard this voice from the dead, a wail of lamentation came from the vast multitude. We bring this book to an end by giving the "Farewell" as it was penned by Dr. Kidd: " ABERDEEN, 3rd October, 1833. "I feel myself advancing fast to the grave, and upon a back look of past life I can say, in truth, that God has been very merciful to me, and now I leave my testimony to His providential care of me, from my infancy hitherto. He has given my heart's desire 294 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. to me in my standing in society, and I bless and praise Him for all, and am willing to lay down my Professorship and my Ministry when He may please to call me to do so. " I now bid adieu to the Universe, and to all things beneath the Sun. Farewell, ye Sun, Moon, and Stars, which have guided my wanderings in this valley of tears, to you I acknowledge much assistance in all my attainments. " Farewell, thou Atmosphere, with thy clouds, and thy rains, and thy dews, thy hail, and snow, and different breezes, which contributed so much to my life and comfort. " Farewell, ye Earth and Sea, which have borne me from place to place, where Providence has ordered my lot, and with your productions have supported my bodily wants so often and so long. " Ye Summers and Winters, adieu ! "Farewell, my native Country, and every place where I have had my abode. Adieu, Aberdeen! May peace and prosperity for ever be in you; to all your Inhabitants I bid farewell. " Farewell, Marischal College and University, in which I have had the honour of a Chair so long, may Learning and true Religion nourish in you till the latest posterity. Adieu, ye Members of the Senatus Academicus, may ye enjoy many years of health, peace, and prosperity. " Farewell, all ye who studied under my care, may you be useful, faithful, and successful Ministers of the Gospel. " Farewell, Chapel of Ease. May peace be within The End. 295 thy walls ; for my friends' and brethren's sake, Peace be in thee, I say. " Adieu, ye Eldership, ye Heads of Families, ye Young. May the Lord in tender mercy bless all I have baptised, and all I have admitted to the Lord's Table for the first time. I follow all with my most earnest prayers as long as I live. " Farewell, ye little children in general all around, whom I have so often met in kindness, and saluted with my best wishes for your good. May all good be your portion in this world and the next. " My own Children, I commit you to God in life and in death. May He fulfil to you the promise, Psal. xxvii., ver. 10. With mixed distress I leave you under the care of Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the pre- sence of His Glory with exceeding joy. Farewell ! " I bid adieu to my Library, and to my Bible, which has been my companion from my earliest days. I leave the Volume, but I carry with me, as the ground of my sure hope, the contents found in Psal. Ixxiii., ver. 23-28 ; John xiv., ver. 3 ; Psal. cxxxviii., ver. 7 and 8 ; and Psal. xxiii. These I take before GOD as my dying support and comfort. " Farewell Time ! Welcome Eternity ! Farewell Earth ! Welcome Heaven ! Amen, and Amen. " (Signed) JAMES KIDD." Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. APPENDIX. DR. BAIN'S* RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. KIDD. MY recollections of Dr. Kidd date from the earliest moment that I could be supposed to take any notice of what was going on around me. I was baptised by him, and attended his church with my father till I was about ten years of age. During the last two or three of those years I can distinctly remember his appearance and behaviour in the pulpit, but not any passages of his discourses. At the same time I per- fectly remember the talk about him and his ways that went on among his congregation. My father ceased to attend him, although still preferring him to everybody else, because he could not find accommo- dation for his growing family. For a year or two after that time I was doomed to listen to the driest of the dry among his contemporaries. But about 1830 or 1831 I went back to him on my own account, and was in close attendance on his church till his death. From those years I am able to recall a good deal of his discourses and ways. Of course, I have a very vivid remembrance of his strong, burly figure, although then in a very advanced age. He was slow in his gait, and not much given to out>of-door exercise. But his power of endurance showed itself in the Alexander Bain, LL.D., Emeritus Professor of Logic, and Ex-Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen. Appendix. 297 astonishing capability of keeping up three discourses every Sunday till within ten days of his death. Not satisfied with his pulpit work, he used to give twenty minutes before the morning service to wind up a class in the schoolhouse, and then took possession of the pulpit a quarter before the regular time. At five minutes to eleven punctually he rose to open the service, with a view, he said, of being very punctual in the dismissal of the congregation at 12.30. He did the same in the afternoon. In the evening he mounted the pulpit at a quarter to six, and began the service immediately, so as to observe the same punctuality of dismissal. Having only two psalm-singings the be- ginning and end of the service he stood on his feet continuously during the opening prayer, the sermon, and the closing prayer. He declined wearing the pulpit gown, having only the bands, which he assumed before leaving home. His costume was characteristic and unchangeable. His broad-tailed dress coat and knee breeches were coupled with a broad-brimmed hat, and, only in bad weather, a very slight overcoat. In fact, weather seemed to have affected him very little. Having in my early days attended the Gil- comston day school for three years, I was very familiar with his transit on the way to Marischal College by the corner of Skene Terrace, and, of course, remember the usage of the boys in going up to him with bare heads to have his benediction. I think it is incorrect to say, of his later years at least, that he was in the practice of visiting his enormous congre- gation at their houses. I have no doubt this may have been the case in his early years, but certainly 298 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. not in the period when I remember "him I know he occasionally gave out from the pulpit that he was to have a certain day of visiting the members of the congregation in a particular street, but I am quite sure that he never was in my father's house, although he had been at least ten or twelve years a member of his congregation. Nor did he often attend funerals if he could get some licentiate to take his place. Baptisms, of course, were all in the church, and the size of his congregation made these of weekly occur- rence, both in the morning and in the afternoon service. I cannot pretend to enter into a minute analysis of his preaching style and manner. These told upon a whole generation so effectually, that tradition suffi- ciently represents them. His choice of strictly reli- gious topics was sufficiently wide, but I should say that he was singular in the degree that he dwelt upon the function of the Holy Ghost in the work of redemp- tion. His preaching of Christ was necessarily the leading theme, and was sustained with every possible variety of illustration and circumstance. But the matter of his discourses was not so much the charac- teristic part of him as the manner in other words, the language and the delivery. He had a wonderful command of the choicest English vocabulary, so far as serving for simplicity and pathos, and the effect was aided by a remarkably fine voice and well- modulated delivery. The first occasion when I resumed attending his church, after the experience that I have mentioned, I was taken all of a heap with listening to his first prayer. The easy flow of Appendix. language, the choiceness of the topics, and the brevity of the whole, came upon me like a new revelation, and from that hour I stuck to his church. I can only choose a few illustrative points which have clung to my memory. His baptismal prayer was fixed into a set form, but yet the touches it contained seemed never to tire by repetition. Two passages in par- ticular I am able to quote. The first was returning thanks to God " for His goodness to the mother in the time of nature's sorrow," with a petition to perfect her recovery. More striking still was the passage where he prayed for " all who have ever been bap- tised in this place," adding, " Wherever they are, by sea or by land, we follow them with our prayers, that none of them may be lost on the morning of the great day." The preservation of some copies of his prayers would be even more interesting than his published sermons. It was understood that he made a point of meditating and choosing the topics, so as to vary them from one Sunday to another. In the time that I speak of, many minds were engaged upon the great problem of the plan of salva- tion, with a view to reconcile grace and free will. Dr. Kidd, of course, knew the difficulty, but, by his strong language, rather aggravated than eased the solution. He was never afraid of pushing a thing to its utmost extreme in the view of rhetorical effect, and, if he had been taken literally, he would have landed thoughtful persons in serious difficulties. But to satisfy the understanding never was any part of his aim, and, indeed, it did not lie within the com- pass of his mind. His amazing power consisted in 300 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. keeping up the interest of a congregation for so long a period under such frequency of services. He was not unaware of the necessity of varying his topics, and one well-known resource was to enter largely into the exposition of prophecy. This led him into a quantity of historical matter, which, coming upon the fresh curiosity of youth, was interesting enough. He gave, after a time, a series of discourses upon the two great prophetic books Daniel and Revelation. He had settled the date of the commencement of the millennium as 1864, to be followed by 1000 years of the reign of Christ, and a subsequent interval of about 300 years, when Satan would be in the ascendant, which was to bring us to the day of judgment. Although mainly devoted to the New Testament for his topics of discourse, and for the exhibition of the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit, he had strong sympathies with what was peculiar to the Old Testa- ment, and lectured through the historical and pro- phetic books, a chapter at a time, in his forenoon discourses. He could dwell upon the Old Testament characters with especial unction. It was one of his peculiarities to go through the Psalms consecutively in the forenoon service at the first singing. In so doing he expended a few minutes in an exposition of each, which he was able to sustain with a wonderful degree of interest. His choice of Psalms (he abhorred paraphrases and hymns) at the other diets was ex- tremely limited in fact, it was the recurrence of a very small number of passages from a small number of Psalms. Much is said about the extent of his studies at Appendix. 301 home. I have no doubt that his reading was very various, but I cannot undertake to specify it more particularly. He did not confine himself to theo- logical literature, although he probably knew the best thoughts of the best theologians of the old school. Among the heavy prolixities of John Owen, I remem- ber his lighting upon one book as a kind of oasis, and recommending it from the pulpit, the work entitled " The Person and Glory of Christ." Another of his book recommendations was somewhat more peculiar. I can recall the time when Gait's novel " Ringan Gilhaize " made its appearance, and from the interest- ing picture that it gave of the Covenanters, he en- joined his congregation to read it, which a great many of them did as soon as they could get a copy into their hands. Novel-reading in general, of course, he did not encourage, and it was probably unknown to the generality of his hearers. One of his distinctive usages consisted in assiduous attendance upon condemned criminals during the six weeks between sentence and execution. Almost every day of that period he went to jail and communed with them, in the view of bringing about a frame of mind suited for their fate. The Sunday evening after an execution he gave a discourse to improve the occasion. This, however, he managed very delicately, and re- frained from entertaining the audience with the secret confession of the unhappy beings. As a very great deal is made of Kidd's eccentri- cities, I may give some authentic references to a few of these. One of his most noted peculiarities was his habit of wakening sleepers at church. This was a 302 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. matter of fact, but I think the frequency of the practice was very much exaggerated. In a period of between three and four years, I can recall only three occasions of his wakening anyone at church. One was a woman who had caught his eye at a distant part of the building, his exclamation to her being, " Madam ! wake up ! " with nothing farther of an energetic accompaniment. The second occasion was an old man, the retired schoolmaster of the Gilcomston School, who usually sat on the seat at the bottom of the pulpit. This old man he caught dozing one afternoon, and ordered him to waken up with the somewhat odd remark, " If it were not for my respect for you I would expose you," as if he had not done so sufficiently already. The third took place on a hot summer day just before the communion, whether man or woman I cannot say, but the Doctor's remark was, " If I knew your name I would refuse you a token" an illustration of his very small respect for either law or justice in dealing out church censures. The only other instance that I can produce was not in church, but in an address to a Sunday School, I myself being the subject. It was during the summer play, when he went the round of the Sunday Schools and gave an evening address to each, the pupils being duly assembled for the purpose. It so happened that on the day that I had to attend him at Gilcomston School, I had been out for a long excursion in the country, and, of course, fell asleep during the service. The Doctor soon caught me, and in his deep, energetic tones broke out, " Rouse him up like an old cat, the little monkey; why do you let him sleep before me? " Appendix. 303 Whoever had charge of me must have been sufficiently uncomfortable, but, for my part, I was rather proud of his attention than otherwise. In distributing the tokens to the communion he made a point of presenting them in his own person, an elder standing by with the communion roll. If anyone came up that he knew to have become dis- reputable, he put his hand to his shoulder and shoved him on. The communion being only once a year, at midsummer, it assumed a character of more than ordinary interest and solemnity. The number of communicants exceeded the number of sitters in the church. There were ten table services, with not less than two hundred at each set of tables. The services began at nine in the morning, and lasted till between five and six, with merely a half-hour's interval to the evening sermon. Kidd's own discourse on the occasion was usually of a very solemn character. At one time I do not know for how long he was accustomed to put to fathers who came to him for the baptism of a child this question " What good do you think baptism has done yourself ? " This, of course, was a poser, and it was not likely that any of them could answer it off-hand. He then added a second query " Why do you come to me for baptism to your child when you do not know that it has been of any use to yourself ? " His usage having become known, an attempt was made to concoct a reply that would extricate the applicants from the fix. One form that this reply took I can remember to be that " it was the means of introducing them to member- ship of the Church, and, when completed by admission 304 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. to the Lord's Table, they were put upon the line of the Christian life, and humbly trusted that they were properly desirous of fulfilling its duties." Some such formula, I was given to understand, was received as satisfactory, none of the applicants having either the ability or the courage to give the proper answer that it was not left to them to judge of what was a Christian duty. My next remarks relate to Dr. Kidd's career as Professor of Hebrew at Marischal College, an office that he held for forty years. His Chair gave him a personal interest in the students of Divinity, and one mode of displaying this interest was to devote an evening service annually to addressing them in a special discourse. He obtained for them on the occasion the front pews of the end and side galleries, which they generally filled. His usual plan was to select a special topic, which he handled for their edification. As far as I can remember, his last dis- course took the form of a compendious view of the plan of salvation as a whole, and the handling struck me as in his very best manner, combining expository skill with rhetorical point. The last year of his life saw his admission into the church courts, by the action of the General Assembly in taking in ministers quoad sacra. He sat in one Synod, and attended the usual Synod dinner at the close of the sittings. The young minister of Dyce ventured to single him out for a chaffing toast. He ought to have known better. The Doctor retorted in a parallel toast, which made the future Principal come off second best. There was no malice on either side. Appendix. 305 Extract from the records of Marischal College relative to Dr. Kidd's family : " Agnes, born 18th January, 1785; Janet, born 20th January, 1791 (said Janet's death, 18th Sep- tember, 1794); miliam Campbell, born 2nd October, 1795; Benjamin Rush, born 31st December, 1799; Jane Allan, born 17th June, 1802 ; James Little, born 15th November, 1804 (said James died 16th Sep- tember, 1805) ; Christiana Little, born 12th September, 1806; said Agnes was married 14th February, 1814, to Mr. James Oswald, shipmaster, Aberdeen; said Jane Allan died llth August, 1824; said William Campbell died 1st August, 1825; said Jane Boyd, spouse, died 4th June, 1829; said Christiana Little married 12th July, 1830; said Dr. James Kidd died 24th December, 1834." Mr. Thomas Kyd tells of the impression Dr. Kidd left by his occasional visits to Dundee : "Forty years after Dr. Kidd's death, my father, Mr. David Kyd, was stopped by an elderly woman as he was walking in the neighbourhood of Rose Street, Dundee. She wore an apron, under which she seemed to carry a parcel. This she took from its hiding place just as my father and she met each other. It was a little portrait in a paltry frame, the same likeness of Dr. Kidd that does duty as a frontispiece of some of his books. 'You'll mind wha that is, Mr. Kyd,' said she. My father looked at the engraving, and replied that he well remembered the Doctor. ' I 'm but a 306 Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen. puir body,' continued the woman, ' I get aff the Buird ' (the Parochial Board), ' but I saw the pictur' a while syne in a broker's shop it was ninepence, and I saved up till I was able to buy it.' And then she told how the Doctor used to preach in the Chapelshade Kirk on fast days or communion Sabbaths when she was a lassie, and how much spiritual good she had got from his ministrations there, few and far between as his appearances must have been. ' I sometimes think,' added she, that I can hear his voice reading in the Revelations yet.'" Dr. William Alexander has favoured us with the following extracts from MS. of Dr. James Foote, East Free Church : " I attended Professor Kidd, of Marischal College, two sessions for Hebrew. As a Professor he was lively and zealous ; and as a minister (for he became minister of Gilcomston Chapel of Ease) he was inde- fatigable in his preaching, and characterised by a natural Irish eloquence, amounting often to eccen- tricity. [About A.D. 1801-3.] " After being present, towards the end of October, in Marischal College at the prescribing of the exer- cises for the competition for the bursaries in the fore- noon, I returned along with the Professors to the examination of the exercises at five o'clock p.m., and sat in the old Divinity Hall a small room with a very large fire hardly ever rising from my seat for upwards of twelve hours. When we left the Hall, Appendix. 307 between five and six o'clock in the morning, it was a sharp frost. I returned home, walking very slowly, in consequence of having Dr. Kidd, then becoming infirm from age, leaning on my arm. The result was that next day I was seized with rheumatism." The attack became severe, developing into fever, and he was not able to enter his pulpit for the next sixteen Sabbaths. The year was 1828. In 1831 the Popish controversy was being some- what vehemently carried on, and on 9th December of that year, Dr. Foote received what he termed "a characteristic letter " from Dr. Kidd, addressed to him as secretary of the Aberdeen Auxiliary of the Reformation Society, and bearing on that Society's alleged slackness in dealing with certain " heresies," &c. He had been about to draw up a remonstrance to the Society when the receipt of certain official communications had altered the complexion of affairs : and, says he, "you will perceive that there is yet hope of our friends in Exeter Hall adhering to the truth. Thanks to the uncompromising promptitude of the Institution's best friends, its Directors have been awakened to a sense of the impending danger. Still it strikes me that an auxiliary, seeing auxiliary it is, ought to communicate with the parent Society, expressing satisfaction with the decision come to, and earnestly beseeching that the embryo ulterior measures relative to these agents may be broadly stamped with a veto and a ban anent the pro- mulgation of Irvingism, and every other ism opposed to the principles of the Reformation. I feel delighted 308 Dr. Kidd of A berdecn . that the special meeting has done its duty. Yet it is evident that part at least of the committee are tainted with heresy. The first vote seems to me decisive on this point. Latet anguis in herba ; therefore, let us watch and warn," &c. ..." Let the world know that the Aberdeen Auxiliary Society's committee will give no countenance to the heretical whim-whams of deluded visionaries." INDEX. Aberdeen, description of town, 29 ; ministers of, 31 ; news- papers, 32 ; temperance society formed, 208. Aird, Dr. G., of Creich, 247, 264. Arbroath, Dr. Kidd at, 251. Auchterlonie, Rev. D. K., of Craigdam, 262. Bain, Dr. Alex., impressions of Dr. Kidd, 103, 296 ; member of Gilcomston, 105. Bannerman, Alexander, M.P., 204. Beattie, Dr., 48. Belfast, 11. Birnie, James, gardener, 73. Bisset, John, 77. Boyd, Robert, of Carnlea, 12. Broughshane, County Antrim, 5, 7, 55. Brown, Rev. Dr. Laurence, 64, 137. Brown, John, of Haddington, 19, 22. Brown, Rev. John, 143. Burns, visit to Aberdeen, 32. Burton, John Hill, historian, 105. Campbell, Dr. George, Prineipal, 50, 136. Candlish, Dr., estimation of Kidd, 176. Cant, Andrew, 75. Carnlea, near Ballymena, 12. Clarke, Dr. Adam, 179, 197, 200, 256. Davidson, Dr. A. Dyce, 266. Davidson, James, professor, 16. Decatur, Commodore, 14. Donaldson, Professor, Aberdeen, 28. 310 Index. Dun, Dr. Patrick, 42. Duncan, Admiral, victory over Dutch fleet, 70. Duncan, Dr. John, theologian, 105, 185. Drew, Samuel, 183. Edinburgh, University of, 19. Ewing, John, Provost of College of Pennsylvania, 16. Foote, Rev. Dr. James, extracts from MS. of, 306. Forbes, Mrs., Banchory Lodge, 145. Fraser, Priest, 217. Gerard, Dr., 137. Gilchrist, Mr. Gordon, 225. Gordon, Duke of, 157. Gordon, Priest, 144. Goethe, saying of, 8. Grant, Rev. Duncan, 265. Gray, Rev. Andrew, Woodside, 114. Hebrew, foundation of Chair in Marischal College, 42. Hill, Dr. John, Professor of Humanity, 26, 41, 42. Hogg, Mr., missionary, 271. Hume, David, 23. Hume, Joseph, letter from, 206. Hunter, A. , professor, 27. Huntly, Marquis of, 193. Johnson, Dr., 32, 136. Johnstone, Rev. James, 275. Keith, Field-Marshal, 36. Kidd, Dr., popularity of, 3 ; early life in Ireland, 5 ; starts teaching, 11 ; marries, 12 ; goes to America, 13 ; opens a classical academy, 14 ; studies at the College of Penn- sylvania, 15 ; leaves America, 19 ; resumes his studies at Edinburgh University, 26 ; appointment as Professor of Oriental Languages in Aberdeen, 28 ; Lecturer in Trinity Chapel, 50, 53 ; licensed by the Presbytery, 51 ; Index. 311 Kidd, Dr. (Continued) his diary, 1796-97, 61 ; call to Gilcomston Chapel, 72 ; the people's preacher, 82; a Sabbath in Gilcomston Chapel, 96; persecutions, 115; personal habits, 125; contemporaries in Aberdeen, 136; shepherding, 146; theological authorship, 176; made D.D., 177; letters, 193, 230 ; the reformer at work, 203 ; lectures on poli- tical economy, 211 ; controversy with Priest Fraser, 217 ; domestic life, 236 ; death of Mrs. Kidd, 241 ; from home, 243 ; Kiddiana, 85, 86, 254 ; old age, 280 ; death, 289 ; farewell address, 293 ; recollections of, by Dr. Alexander Bain, 103, 296 ; family, 305. Kidd, Dr. Benjamin Rush, 236. Kidd, William Campbell, 236. Kildownie, 11. Knight, Professor, 264. Kyd, Mr. Thomas, impressions of Dr. Kidd, 305. Leslie, Patrick, provost, 42. Little, James, schoolmaster, 13, 14, 236. London, Bishop of, 207. Loughbrickland, County Down, birthplace of Dr. Kidd, 5. Macdonald, Dr., of Ferintosh, 131, 233, 248. Macdonald, Rev. John, 97. Mackenzie, Rev. Mr., Gaelic Church, 69. Mackenzie, Rev. Donald, 234. Manson, John, Ferryhill Mill, 201. Marischal, George, 5th earl, 35. Marischal College, Aberdeen, 28, 34, 304, 305. Mason, James M. , letter from, 25. Masson, Professor, sketch of Dr. Kidd, 88, 94, 102, 279; member of Gilcomston, 105. Mathieson, George, 109. Mayor, Samuel, professor, 16. Menzies of Pitfodels, 145. Middleton, William, schoolmaster, 73. Milne, Rev. John, Perth, 46. 312 Index. Milne, W., 134. Mitchell, Rev. William, 274. Monroe, James, President of the United States, 195. Morrice, Rev. Thomas, 196. Morrison, Dr. George, 234. Morrison, Dr. Robert, 131, 133. New Jersey, 14. Oswald, Captain James, 239. Oswald, Homy, 128, 130. Oswald, Mrs. H., 118, 236. Paterson, Robert, professor, 16. Paul, Dr., 242. Pennsylvania, College of, 15. Philadelphia, 13. Philip, Rev. John, 142. Phillip, John, painter, 105. Pirie, Principal, 304. Ramsay, Sir Alexander, of Balmain, 28, 42. Ramsay, Rev. Gilbert, 42. Reid, Thomas, professor, 137. Ritchie, James, early friend of Kidd, 9. Robertson, Professor, of Edinburgh, 16, 28. Rose, Rev. Lewis, Nigg, 198, 199. Rowe, Mr. John, minister, 42. Rush, Dr. Benjamin, 18 ; letter from, 25, 26. Rutherford, Samuel, 78. Sage, Donald, 34, 226. Scott, Sir Walter, 27, 34, 118, 131. Shirreffs, Dr., West Church, 65, 122. Shirrefts, Alexander, advocate, 73. Simpson, Dr. R., Kintore, 269. Sinclair, Sir George, 131. Smith, Dr. Walter, minister-poet, 105. Smith, Mrs. Mary Ann, 199, 200, 201, 286. Index. 313 Spalding, Andrew, clerk, Hi. Spence, Rev. James, 226. Stewart, Dugald, professor, 27. Sutherland, Rev. James, Turrifl', 269. Templeton, Rev. James, 140. Thomson, Rev. Alexander, 143. Thompson, George, of Pitmodden, 236. Thorburn, Rev. Joseph, 188. Waugh, Dr., 185. Wesley, John, visit to Aberdeen, 123. Young, Peter, gipsy, 238. A 000029434 8