III.

HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN THE COUNTY OF OXFORD.

BY THE REV. W. T. MCMULLEN, D.D.

The pioneer Presbyterian settlers of a locality were, as a prevalent usage, accustomed to assemble on Sabbath for social worship without Minister or Missionary. This usage was followed in the early days of the settlement in the County of Oxford. In 1833 the Rev. George Romanes, an ordained Minister from the Presbytery of Glasgow, Scotland, visited Canada and preached in Zorra, July 21st, and reported to his presbytery on his return home that he found a log church built, in which regular Sabbath services were held and well attended, though they had no minister. The Rev. Donald McKenzie visited Zorra in 1834, dispensed gospel ordinances there, and in many of the new settlements in this section of the province; and in 1835 he became settled pastor of the Zorra congregation, now known as Knox Church, Embro. From the time of Mr. McKenzie's settlement in Zorra he conducted an occasional service in Woodstock. The Rev. George Murray came from Scotland about the same time as Mr. McKenzie, and settled in the Township of Blenheim. He also conducted an occasional service in Woodstock.

But the planting of Presbyterianism in Woodstock, as in Zorra, must be credited to a "Laymen's Movement" in the strict and proper sense of the expression. Two names stand out prominently in connection with Sabbath services held three or four years before the settlement of a minister in Woodstock. The names are Mr. David White and Mr. John Bain, both of whom came to Woodstock in 1834, and up to a ripe old age served in the office of eldership.

The first Presbyterian minister settled in Woodstock was the Rev. Daniel Allan, who in 1838 became pastor of the united charge of Woodstock and Stratford, but there was at the time no road between the two places, and the journey had to be made on horseback through unbroken forest, with the added difficulties of swamps and quagmires towards Stratford. Mr. Allan preached two Sabbaths in succession in each place and with heroic endurance continued the arrangement for two years, and then resigned Woodstock and confined his labours to Stratford and North Easthope. Those three venerated fathers of the church, Rev. Donald McKenzie, Rev. Daniel Allan and Rev. George Murray, left lasting impress on the religious life of the County of Oxford and rendered unutterably valuable service to the cause of the Presbyterian church, not only within their respective spheres of labour, but throughout Canada, and even beyond the bounds of Canada. It was to Mr. McKenzie's congregation in Zorra the church was indebted for the great foreign Missionary, the Rev. George Leslie McKay, D.D., founder of Oxford College, Formosa, the man whose praise is in all the churches. There is probably no congregation in Canada that has made such a distinguished record as regards the giving of young men to the Gospel Ministry, as Knox

Church, Embro. Some years ago the Ladies' Aid Society of the congregation prepared and had printed a handsome Register in which are entered thirtyeight names of young men of Knox Church, Embro, who devoted themselves to the Gospel Ministry; and since that date eight more at least have to be added, making a total of forty-six.

Oxford College, Formosa, to which reference has been made, takes its name from this County, the Presbyterians of Oxford having provided the funds for the erection of the building. That which inspired the generous giving was the gratification felt in the fact that the great Missionary, Dr. G. L. McKay, was a native of the County. Two other sons of Oxford Presbyterianism, Dr. Robert Chambers and Dr. W. N. Chambers, devoted their lives to foreign Missions, and for the past twenty years or more have laboured in Turkey, under the American Board. The former is now transferred to Constantinople to take oversight of College and Mission work, and the latter is engaged in Mission work at Adana, the scene of the great massacre. If what the County of Oxford has done in the way of giving men and money to Foregn Mission work deserves honourable mention, a like record must be credited to her in connection with Home Missions. The Rev. Dr. James Robertson, the great Home Mission Superintendent, was one of Oxford's sons. He thought big things, aimed at big things, and did big things for the Church of Christ, and for Canada.

Another of her sons is our efficient and devoted Foreign Secretary, the Rev. R. P. McKay, D.D.

Having illustrated the claim that the pioneer fathers of Presbyterianism in the County of Oxford left an impress that has told powerfully on both the Home and Foreign Mission work of the Church, we now resume the local history at the point of digression, viz., Mr. Allan's resignation of Woodstock in 1840. In 1841, the building of St. Andrew's Church on Graham Street was commenced under the brief pastorate of Rev. F. P. Sims, who succeeded Mr. Allan.

The disruption' which took place in Scotland in 1843 extended to Canada in 1844. A large proportion of the Presbyterians of Woodstock took sides with the Free Church, resulting in the formation of the congregation of Knox Church, and the erection of the Old Knox Church on Perry Street in 1849 under the pastorate of the Rev. W. S. Ball, B.A. Chalmers Church was built in 1852, also in connection with the Free Church and for the accommodation of those in Woodstock and vicinity who desired one service on Sabbath in the Gaelic language. It thus came about that in 1860 there were four Presbyterian congregations in Woodstock with settled pastors, viz., Erskine Church connected with the United Presbyterian Church, St. Andrew's Church, and Knox and Chalmers Churches.

But days of union were at hand. The first great union came in 1861 when the United Presbyterian and Free Church formed the Canada Presbyterian Church. The second great union came in 1875, consolidation of all the Presbyterians in Canada and Newfoundland in what is now known as the Presbyterian Church in 'Canada. The local effect of these unions was that the four congregations in Woodstock became consolidated in the two now existing.

In Ingersoll also, as the outcome of the union of 1861 the congregations of Knox Church and Erskine Church united, forming the congregation now

known as St. Paul's Church. Associated with the early history of Presbyterianism in Ingersoll stand the names of Rev. Arch. Cross, Minister of Erskine Church, and Rev. Robert Wallace, Minister of Knox Church from 1849 to 1860. Long pastorates were the rule fifty years ago. The Rev. Donald McKenzie was minister in Zorra 38 years. The pastorate of Rev. Daniel Allan, in North Easthope, covered a like period. The Rev. George Murray made a similar record in Blenheim. The Rev. Wm. Robertson was minister at Chesterfield 32 years. Two other ministers in our Presbytery, Dr. Cochrane in Brantford and Dr. Thompson in Ayr had pastorates of 36 and 40 years respectively. The writer of this sketch was pastor of Knox Church, Woodstock, 46 years and nine months. Oxford and vicinity were not peculiar in this regard. The same permanency in the pastorate prevailed everywhere throughout the Church. In illustration of this it is only necessary to mention as samples, Peterborough, Galt, Fergus, Stratford, London, Chatham, Sarnia. Unsettledness and change have now become the rule, and the long pastorate the rare exception. How has this change come about? This question is more easily asked than answered. In all departments of human life great changes have taken place in the past fifty years. In the main these changes are for the better, however opinions may differ as to certain details and incidental effects. There is in the Church, the permanent and the variable. Fluctuation in the variable is not to be interpreted as a sign, much less accepted as a proof, that "the former days were better than these."

IV.

WOMEN IN PIONEER LIFE.

BY MISS AMELIA POLDON.

It is said that "the Pilgrim Fathers" of New England were the sifted wheat of the pioneer colonists of the United States, so, also the pioneers of Ontario may be termed the sifted wheat of the early colonists of Canada. Many of them were U. E. Loyalists, who emigrated from the United States after the War of Independence, and through their loyalty to the British Government were willing to brave the dangers, and to suffer the hardships and privations incidental to life in the woods of Canada. They left homes of comfort and luxury, were separated from their friends, a long distance from any post office, had to drive many miles to find a store to purchase necessities, or a market for their produce, no doctor nearer than twenty-five or fifty miles, and they had to live on the scantiest fare. The country was an unbroken forest with no roads; only occasionally, a path made by the surveyor, with a few blazed trees to indicate it; this path was called a blazed trail. Wolves, bears, and other wild animals were in abundance, and the wolves especially were a dangerous enemy at night and a few cases were known where they had devoured settlers, and many had narrow escapes from this terrible death.

Sir G. W. Ross said of the early pioneer, "No better stuff climbed the heights of Alma, or charged the Dervishes at Khartoum."

All honour to the brave men and women, who performed heroic deeds in resisting the invaders of Canada; we reverence their memories, we build monuments to commemorate their bravery; books after books have been written and published, so that the generations following and those to come will also honour and revere their names and the nobility of their character and know and remember their great achievements.

But we also owe a great debt to the pioneers of our country, and their names and their persistent efforts, and their bravery in enduring the privations and vicissitudes of the early pioneers of a new country should be remembered; the history and the records of their work should be preserved for the generations to come.

"In the temples they founded, their faith is maintained
Every foot of the soil they bequeathed is still ours,
The graves where they moulder have not been profaned

But we wreathe them with verdure and strew them with flowers."

A pioneer life was certainly a strenuous one. The pioneer's first work was to take his axe and chop down the trees for a space to build a house, then he must build a barn and enclosure to protect his stock. But if the men led a busy life it would seem as though the women lived a busier life if possible, and their privations and difficulties were almost beyond human

endurance, but they trained up a generation of noble men and women. Many of the pioneer women had come from homes of culture and refinement and were accustomed to comfort and luxury. Their first experience was the process of moving, for there were no ways for transportation only by waggons drawn by teams of horses. Mr. Moses Mott wrote a sketch describing their moving trip in the fall of 1810 from Duchess County, New York, to the Township of North Norwich. They had three teams, were twenty-one days on the road, resting on the Sabbath and some rainy days. Mr. and Mrs. Mott brought with them their family of five sons and one daughter. The country was new, very few settlers, roads very bad, several of the small streams had no bridges, and had to be forded, sometimes their waggons were stuck in the mud, would have to be pried out, and it would take two teams to draw them out. They crossed the Niagara River at Black Rock; the craft they crossed in was something like a scow, with four oars and two men at each oar. It took nearly all day to get each team across, one at a time.

When they arrived at the Grand River, they had to ford the river as there was neither bridge nor ferry boat. A man rode a pony ahead as a guide, and the team followed closely behind, the water coming up to the horses' sides some of the way. This experience was common to all who travelled one hundred years ago, and certainly was not comfortable for the womanhood of the company.

The home of a pioneer woman was her kingdom and she presided over it like a queen. It was constructed of logs; some of them had two rooms, one the living room, the other a sleeping room, and an attic above. If only one room, it had to combine both sleeping and living necessities. The sleeping apartment had usually two beds and trundle beds for the younger children, the older boys sleeping in the attic, for in those days there were children in the home, "like olive plants around the table." The heating of the home and the cooking was done by a fireplace. From the top of the chimney a chain was suspended, to which was attached two hooks, on which the busy housewife hung the iron kettles for cooking and for heating water. The bread was baked in a covered iron kettle, the dough was put into the kettle, which was placed upon the hearth and covered with coals, where it remained until the time was sufficient to bake it. After a time an oven would be built outside and in it large batches of bread, cake, and pies could be baked at once. This lessened the tediousness of providing food enough for the family but often storms made it very inconvenient; stoves were introduced later on. Lights were not plentiful, usually a couple of pine knots and the fireplace furnished the light in the evening; a tallow candle was quite a luxury until later years, when there were cattle to kill to provide the tallow. It was no easy matter to keep the family comfortable in such limited circumstances. The mother had to spin the flax and the wool into yarn to weave into cloth to clothe the family. In every neighbourhood there would be a home in which there was a loom and some woman skilled in weaving cloth. The housewife would dye the yarn; the dyes in those days were homemade, not the dye preparations of these days which require so little effort to use them: the pioneer dyes needed days often to complete the colouring. Souvenirs of the dress goods prepared in those days are some of them beautiful and compare favourably with those of to-day, and there were no shoddy goods either. They also fulled the cloth, termed full cloth;