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be kind. Dr. Park and Mr. Hill were sitting together at a Choral Union concert when the former was taken suddenly ill. Mr. Hill went home with him, and stayed with him till midnight, when he passed away. It was heart disease. When Mr. Hill returned to his own house, he said, "When the town wakes up there will be sorrow in St. Andrews. Ah! well, in like manner I shall go, I feel it here," and he laid his hand on his heart. And so it was. Equally sudden was the call; and equally great the sorrow. Eleven years in Kilsyth, fourteen years in St. Andrews, that was the length of his ministry.

On the 11th January, 1875, the St. Andrews Session passed the following minute :

"The Kirk Session having this day met, it was moved, seconded, and unanimously resolved, to enter upon their minutes their deep regret on account of the loss they have sustained through the sudden death of the Reverend Alexander Hill, Minister of the Second Charge of this Parish, whose kindly and genial manner to all classes of the Parishioners, and whose sound and faithful preaching of the Gospel of Christ, combined with diligence in pastoral duty, and the care of the sick, the aged, and the young, gained for him the regard and esteem of the community.

(Signed) A. K. H. BOYD, D.D., Moderator."

CHAPTER XXII.

THE METHODISTS-Succession of Preachers-New Church-The CONGREGATIONALISTS Clerical Succession - The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH-Canon Murphy-REV. Alex. Speirs— Lochwinnoch--Dr. Watson, Dundee--Dr. Graham, Kilbarchan -The Gorbals-"A Congregation without a Church❞—Inducted to Kilsyth Personal Appearance REV. ROBERT HOPE BROWN-Author of "Life of Allan Cunningham❞—Ordained to St. Andrew's Parish, Dundee—Inducted to Kilsyth—“He did it unto me"-PROFESSOR JEFFRAY-Appointed to Anatomy Chair-Rev. R. H. Stevenson, D.D.-Rob Roy-Pulpit Power -Overwork-Moderator-Dr. Archibald Scott.

THE Relief Church, now the United Presbyterian Church, and the Free Church were direct offshoots from the parish church. These two denominations are representatives of two great crises in the history of the Church of Scotland. The other churches in the town of Kilsyth are the Methodist, the Congregational, and the Roman Catholic. These, again, have no connection with the National Church, but have histories that are peculiar to themselves.

A Methodist congregation was first formed in Kilsyth by a few brethren who gathered together for worship in the Old Market Street Hall. In 1847, they erected a chapel at the end of Church Street on the site now occupied by their present building. The church was small and dingy, and for a time it seemed as if the life of the little struggling congregation would come to an end. At

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first it was incorporated with Airdrie Circuit. In 1869, however, it was joined to the Wallacetown district. minister from these places visited the congregation every two or three weeks. Kilsyth, however, having always had a large number of laymen who could conduct public Christian services with propriety, to these the ministry of the chapel was chiefly left. Methodism has never taken any real grip of the Scottish people; but when, in 1871, Kilsyth received a regular ministry and was united to a circuit of which Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld were parts, better days seemed in store for the little community. The Rev. Samuel Millett was the first minister appointed to the charge. His successors were, Rev. George Hack, 1872-74; Rev. T. A. Seed, 1875-77; Rev. George Parker, 1878-79; Rev. Thomas Lawson, 1880-82; Rev. William S. Tomlinson, 1883-84; Rev. William Milligan, 1885-86; Rev. William Earl, 1887-89; Rev. William Talbot. Mr. Lawson had spent a large part of his life in the West Indies and had seen much of the world. During his kindly and genial ministry the Methodist Church reached the height of its prosperity. Since he left there has been a gradual decline. It was during the ministry of the Rev. William Tomlinson the old chapel was destroyed and the new chapel built. The foundation stone was laid by Sir James King, afterwards Lord Provost of Glasgow. The Rev. William Earl was elected a member of the Burgh School Board. The present mini ster is the Rev. William Johnston. Our Scottish Presbyterianism is often ludicrously "splitty." The Congregational Church was the result of a division in the Relief Church, on the occasion of the election of the Rev. Robert Anderson, assistant and successor to his father. The malcontents having wished to start another Relief Church, they were discouraged by

the presbytery of the denomination. In the circumstances they built their present chapel and connected themselves with Scottish Congregationalism. The first pastor was the Rev. J. A. Anderson, ordained in 1858. He died after a brief but promising career. His successor was the Rev. J. C. Jago, ordained in March, 1865, who also died, after a short pastorate, in September, 1869. The third minister was the Rev. David Gardner, or dained January, 1870, who was translated to Parkhead Congregational Church, Glasgow, in the spring of 1873. The fourth minister was the Rev. George Rutherford. He was ordained to the charge, August, 1873. He was a man of extraordinary pastoral activity. All his attempts, however, to build up his congregation having failed, he resigned June, 1885. Mr. Rutherford went to Australia, where he died. Mr. Rutherford was succeeded by the Rev. J. C. Hodge. He was translated to Kilsyth from Kirkwall, and inducted November, 1885. Mr. Noble, the present minister, was inducted this year.

The working of the coal and ironstone mines having ! caused a great demand for labour about the middle of this century, there began to flock into the parish and neighbourhood large numbers of Irish. In 1862, the numbers were so considerable that Father Gillan of Campsie instituted a Roman Catholic Mission in Arnot's Hall, Charles Street. The influx of Irish continuing to increase with the development of the staple trade of the parish, a chapel and parsonage were built at a cost of £2000. The chapel was opened for public worship on St. Patrick's Day, 1867. Since that time there has been a succession of five priests. The first was the Rev. John Galvin, from Bathgate. The second, the Rev. Mr. Breck, from Jedburgh. The third, the Rev. Canon John Murphy, from Dundee. The fourth, the Rev. John Lee,

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from Lasswade. The fifth, and present incumbent, is the Rev. Francis James Turner. The ministry of Canon Murphy has been the longest and most faithful. The Catholic population of the parish and immediate district beyond its boundaries is about 1500, and amongst these for seventeen years he worked with great assiduity. His influence increased with the length of his incumbency, and when he was translated to West Calder he received from the people of the parish and district a valuable testimonial. With the exception of the Rev. F. J. Turner, all the other priests have been Irishmen.

Now and again—and it is pleasant to note that the intervals are continually growing longer and longer-there are unseemly exhibitions of ecclesiastical rancour. Upon the whole, however, in a limited field the churches work with as little attrition as will be found in any other similarly constituted parish in Scotland. There are growing manifestations of a kindlier interest in each other's prosperity, and of that love to the brethren which is the witness that the believer has passed from death unto life.

To return to the parochial ministerial succession. The Rev. Alexander Speirs, who succeeded the Rev. Alexander Hill, was a native of Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire. He was one of a goodly number of students of mark who found their way from the parish school of that village to the university, and who took good positions in the ministry of the Church of Scotland, as well as in other walks of life. The late Dr. Archibald

Watson, at one time minister of St. Matthew's parish, Glasgow, and finally of the East Church, Dundee, who, the year before he died-1880-was raised to the Moderatorship of the General Assembly, was a native of this little country village. Dr. Robert Graham, who has

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