Pastor and Parish.
The uncertainty as to whether he was to be the permanent leader of the
Red River Presbyterians remained for years in the mind of John Black.
Five years at least after his arrival we find him wondering whether the
committee intended to recall him or not. This arose from a strain in his
nature which rendered him liable to depression, and also from a deep
desire to see the spiritual development of the people, which he
determined should not be hindered by his personal defects. He was a man
of intense humility. In the year after the Red River flood (1853), when
he saw the church building fairly under way, he returned to Canada,
undoubtedly to allow a substitute to be sent if such were possible. The
impression made by the pioneer missionary during his year and a half of
labor had been so marked that the people of Red River were determined
that he should not be replaced.
The Hudson's Bay Company, as before stated, had been averse to another
denomination entering Rupert's Land until they saw that the
Presbyterians could not be refused. Then Sir George Simpson, with a
stroke of diplomacy, allowed the privilege in his letter to Rev. Mr.
Rintoul, of Montreal. The company's attitude was still for various
reasons one of caution. Mr. Black had been exceedingly wise and politic.
In one of his letters he states that at times when his inclination had
impelled him to interfere yet he had studiously refrained from taking
sides in the struggle which was beginning between the company and the
people. He had a strong sense of the fact that he was an ambassador of
peace. That he had succeeded well is shown by an extract from a letter
written him by Sheriff Ross on his first return to Toronto.
SIR GEORGE SIMPSON WON OVER.
"Colony Gardens, Red River, June 29th, 1853.
"I have just had an interview with Sir George Simpson, the
Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land, who regrets very much he had not
been in time to see you before you left the settlement, and desires me
to write immediately and intimate to you, that he would be most happy to
see you in passing through Toronto.
"Sir George has expressed himself in a very kind and friendly manner,
and says that from the high sense the committee in London entertains of
your moderation, zeal, and peace-working ministrations, while in the
colony, he is authorized to convey to you a sense of its esteem for your
character and to grant you a certain sum annually from the company as
minister of the Presbyterian congregation in Red River, and adds, 'If I
had been here I should not have consented to Mr. Black's leaving the
settlement at this time.'
"In connection with what has been said, I must further observe that the
offer Sir George is prepared to make to you, on the part of the company
as already stated is not to be considered to be made to any Presbyterian
clergyman that may come to labor in Red River, no, _but to you_,
distinctly intended for you, for the great satisfaction you have given
and the high esteem you are held in by all classes in the colony. This
high and flattering opinion of the company at home will, we trust, be an
additional motive for your return to resume your duties among us. We all
look for it, will expect it, if God spare your health."
THE PIONEER RETURNS.
After an absence of five months the longed for pastor returned. The
committee had not succeeded in finding one to replace him, and, indeed,
do not seem to have striven hard to do so. In a spirit of submission he
turned northwestward, though immediately on his arrival he wrote to his
aged father: "Whether the Canadian Church will allow me to stay here or
not I do not yet know. I am perfectly willing to return if they get some
one to supply the place. For some reasons I would wish it to be so. We
shall see." His return to Red River on this occasion was one that even
he confessed to be "tedious and toilsome." He actually took forty-nine
days to reach his destination, starting from Galena, on the Mississippi
river. On his northward journey he reached the establishment of the
Presbyterian missionaries at Red Lake, in Minnesota. Supplied by these
kind friends with pemican, bread, and flour, Mr. Black and his voyageur,
about the end of October, pushed through Red Lake in their birch bark
canoe, the missionary having to paddle as well as the boatman. On the
third day, on account of the ice, the canoe could proceed no further.
Unwillingly the travellers retraced their course and reached again the
shelter of their missionary friends. In the following week the start was
again made, but again to be interrupted by ice. The party then camped on
the shore for several days, until the ice would bear their weight, when
they proceeded on their slippery way. They walked over the ice for forty
miles, until having obtained a horse and cart they reached by land
carriage, in four and a half days, Pembina, a fort on the boundary line.
At the Pembina trading post a good Presbyterian fur trader named Murray
supplied the pioneers with a conveyance, and the journey was again
resumed to Fort Garry. The horse was weak and the weather cold, and so
Mr. Black trudged most of the way and reached the Ross mansion, near
Fort Garry, at the close of his last day's walk of forty miles. Surely
it needs a man of iron frame for frontier mission work! And yet Mr.
Black writes of this journey with a cheerful heart: "During all these
hardships and toils and disappointments, sleeping in the open air in
northern frosts, I have reason to bless God I have enjoyed the most
vigorous health and have not as much as caught a cold."
THE CURE OF SOULS.
With the new Church now almost ready the pastor settled down to regular
work. His parish proper was his kingdom. He regarded every parishioner
as worthy of his attention and most anxious thought. Years after it was
a well-known sight to behold the faithful pastor, staff in hand, a gray
checked plaid thrown over one shoulder, and with light moccasined feet
tripping along the banks of Red River on his errand of mercy. On account
of the settlement of Red River, being like that of the French Canadians
along the St. Lawrence, his parish was an example of length without
breadth. The Kildonan houses were in two rows, facing each other from
each side of the river, and made a continuous village along each bank.
The writer has heard the announcement from Kildonan pulpit that the
pastor, during the coming week, would visit from the house of Mr. Donald
Matheson to that of Mr. Samuel Matheson. On another occasion from Mr.
Harper's to Mr. Gunn's, and the like. These visits were very thorough.
All the children expected the minister; all the housewives had their
houses swept and garnished; even the men, on the day of the expected
visit, laid aside their working garb, and the godly pastor emulated, in
many ways, Goldsmith's "village preacher." As everyone knows, every
preacher has not the faculty of successful visitation of the sick. This
was, however, an especially strong feature of the Kildonan pastor. His
sympathy, deep feeling, and wise regard for the condition of the
invalid, are spoken of to this day. In cases of severe illness his
visits were daily and unremitting.
"In his duty prompt at every call
He watched, wept, prayed, and felt for all."
THE PARISH SCHOOL.
To a man brought up in the parish schools of his native land, and so
impressed with the value of education, the parish school of Scotland was
the model. The conditions in Red River settlement were favorable for it.
John Knox's ideal of the parish church and manse and parish school were
easily realizable; and so church and school went up side by side. Even
before the church was built we find the following entry (1852) in a
letter by the pioneer: "The York Factory boats have just come and
brought the annual supply of goods. They have brought in the box of
school books which we had ordered all safe. We have, among other things,
ten large wall maps. Our school will now be the best furnished in the
settlement."
The Kildonan parish school always retained its pre-eminence on the Red
River. The government of the country under the Hudson's Bay Company gave
no aid. The Church of England and Catholics had their schools supported
by private effort, and the Kildonan parish school was of the same kind.
Even after the transfer of the Red River country to Canada the writer
remembers being present at a Kildonan school meeting when it was decided
still to continue the support of the school by voluntary subscriptions.
Mr. Black was soon instrumental in sending three Kildonan young men to
Toronto to complete their education. Donald Fraser, a youth of great
promise, who died early; Alex. Matheson, afterwards a minister of the
Church, and now a resident of his native parish of Kildonan; and James
Ross, son of Sheriff Ross, a young man who was afterwards on the
editorial staff of the Toronto _Globe_. The pastor afterwards at times
helped studious boys privately with their Latin and Greek, and did his
best to encourage good education in the parish.
THE PREACHER.
But great as John Black was as a pastor and as an educator, he was not
less noted as a preacher. He always retained the dialect of the Scottish
south country, but this was modified somewhat by a pronunciation, said
to have arisen from his use of French in his mission work. He pronounced
the letter a broad in such words as "grace," "congregation," and the
like. His manner was very free and natural, though in voice he was
possibly a little louder than some would have desired. He was, however,
regarded all over the country as an excellent preacher. The writer
remembers his first opportunity of hearing John Black, and this more
than a quarter of a century ago. Kildonan Church was plain, even to
severity. On the right hand, as you entered the church, was a small
vestry under the stair. Here the pastor entered, and waited for the
signal from the ringing bell, as it called the worshippers from all
parts of the parish. It was the custom always to use the Geneva gown. On
the morning referred to, Mr. Black came forth, gowned, as the bell
ceased, and ascended the high pulpit. In accordance with the custom of
the country at that time, the pastor was shod with moccasins, which gave
the quick, lively motion which so characterized him. The psalm was given
out with rapid movement and much impressiveness, the prayer was purely
extempore, and entered with considerable minuteness into the needs of
his people, and marked a man of unmistakable devotion. The lessons were
read with perhaps a want of variety. When the preacher began his sermon
it was evident, from the attitude assumed by his auditors, that they
regarded this as the chief part of the service, and that they waited
with expectancy for its development. Mr. Black always wrote his sermons
in full, and had the sermon before him in the pulpit. Like Dr. Chalmers,
however, he was not hampered by his "manuscript." As the preacher opened
his subject, it was plain to see that his method was textual and
expository, and showed intimate acquaintance with Scripture. As the
sermon progressed the speaker became more and more animated, and
frequently rose to the heights of eloquence. His denunciation of sin and
wrong-doing were fearless, and at times reminded one of the fervor of
the Hebrew prophets. He was, however, very tender, and frequently was
moved to tears, and his appeals to sinners were most touching and
effective. In Mr. Black's preaching there was much variety of subject,
though there was little of dealing with popular questions of the day.
Congregation and preacher alike had very strict views as to what was
dignified and suitable to the house of God. As a result of the high
standard of preaching of the pioneer, the Kildonan people became
excellent judges of sermonizing, and after hearing many preachers in the
later part of Mr. Black's ministry and since that time, are of opinion
that Mr. Black was the greatest of them all.
HABITS OF STUDY.
That Mr. Black was able to maintain himself in the same congregation for
thirty years as an interesting preacher arose, no doubt, from his
systematic method of study. In writing during his earlier ministry to
his brother, who was also a minister, and had been settled in Caledonia,
Upper Canada, Mr. Black says: "How do you get along with study? What is
your plan in preparing sermons? Do you write fully and commit, or how?
What are your general studies? How many hours a day can you spend? Tell
me all about it--your Hebrew, Greek, philosophy, theology, etc. How are
you in natural science and astronomy, geology, etc.? These and such like
branches we would need to study nowadays if we would not be despised by
everyone with a smattering of knowledge. My much travelling and my long
separation from my books have inflicted an injury upon me that I will
never recover I suppose in this world. I am trying to study four hours a
day four days in the week--the other two are devoted to sermon-making.
My subjects are Greek Testament, Hebrew Bible, systematic or
philosophical theology, and practical theology, and an hour to Biblical
interpretation. Of course I indulge to some extent also in general
reading. The work that has attracted my mind most of late in the
theological department is McCosh's 'Divine Government,' which I esteem
about the noblest performance that ever I read. I lay out my time
regularly, but am constantly getting into debt and becoming a literary
bankrupt, failing to carry out my plans. And so I have almost given up
hope of ever being anything more than a third or fourth-rate man."
Such words as these show the aspiration of the true student, and show
Mr. Black to have been a man well qualified to shine in the highest
walks of Church and scholarly life.
DOMESTIC LIFE.
On the return of Mr. Black from his first visit to Canada the longing of
his heart for domestic sympathy shewed itself. Indeed it was a necessity
of his life that he should be surrounded by friends and companions. That
he needed the cheering influence of friends was shown all through his
career. No one ever loved his friends more strongly, delighted more to
sit and spend hour after hour in a social chat, and loved home life more
tenderly than he. The house of Sheriff Ross had been his home from the
first day of his arrival in Red River Settlement. It was not strange
that his heart should incline to Henrietta Ross, one of the tall and
handsome daughters found in the numerous family of his Highland host.
Miss Ross was, it is true, one of the daughters of the land, being, as
we have seen, on the mother's side, related to the Okanagan Indians of
the Rocky Mountains. This attachment created, indeed, a ripple of
excitement among the Scottish settlers, who were somewhat exclusive in
their notions, but Miss Ross was attractive in appearance, well
educated, having had the advantages of the excellent "McCallum School"
at St. John's, and was distinguished for Christian character and worth.
So the pastor was married and the establishment seemed to Mr. Black
complete--church, school, manse, and the last now with the appearance
and tone of home. In this home there grew to manhood and womanhood three
sons and three daughters, all living to-day in different places in the
valley of Red River. One of the family the pastor named after the father
of the Red River Mission, Robert Burns. In the collection of letters is
a most pathetic account of the death by accident of this promising
little boy, and the sore bereavement seems to have for years cast a deep
shadow over the Kildonan manse. The home thus founded was the very abode
of hospitality. The circumstances of Red River were such that suitable
accommodation for visitors or newcomers was very hard to obtain. The
bountiful table at the manse was rarely without visitors, and the
writer, a quarter of a century after enjoying such hospitality, still
remembers the kind-hearted and noble mistress of the manse. The home at
Kildonan was plunged into the deepest gloom by the death of Mrs. Black
in 1873. The day of the funeral is still remembered as one of the
coldest and fiercest days of the cold years of the early seventies. It
was long before the desolated hearts of the husband and children
recovered from the terrible stroke. Dr. Black some years after married
Miss Bannatyne, a lady connected with one of the leading families of
the country. She was a mother indeed to the motherless children, and
still lives in the family home in Kildonan.
PUBLIC DUTIES.
With a sympathy for every good work Mr. Black was identified with every
moral movement in Red River Settlement. Coming as he did to people who
had had for forty years an unfortunate religious experience, he had
naturally to take a firm stand against evil of every kind. The Highland
ideal of church discipline is very high, and Mr. Black seemed equally
solicitous with his people to suppress aggravated forms of sin. It would
neither be interesting nor expedient to detail the session cases which
came up as the years rolled on. There was one thing always to be said,
that the moderator never flinched in his duty, but it is plain to see
that he rather aimed at the reclamation of the wrongdoer, than took
satisfaction in meting out punishment to the offender. He associated
himself very heartily with the ministers of the Church of England, who
welcomed his assistance in joint meetings for prayer and temperance
reform throughout the parishes. He was instrumental in carrying out the
work of the Bible Society. He was also very anxious to gain the
acquaintance of the officers and men of the Hudson's Bay Company--many
of them his countrymen--scattered over the Northwest. With these men he
kept up a correspondence, and hardly a chief factor or trader from the
interior visited Fort Garry, who did not think it a duty and a pleasure
to take the five miles journey from the Fort to Kildonan manse to visit
the representative of the church of his fathers. So strong did this
feeling become that in 1862 Governor Dallas invited Mr. Black to hold
service at Fort Garry, and this was undertaken with the approval of
Kildonan session, and thus was begun the first Presbyterian service on
the site of the city of Winnipeg, which has become one of the
strongholds of the Presbyterian Church in Canada to-day. In every good
thing the Kildonan pastor was a leader, and while his sympathetic nature
encouraged many a confidence, and many a sad story that caused him
trouble and anxiety, yet he was full of resource, and thought nothing of
pain and trouble and expense if he might be helpful to the vicious, or
lead the young into wisdom's ways,
"As a bird each fond endearment tries
To tempt its new-fledg'd offspring to the skies,
He tried each art, reprov'd each dull delay,
Allur'd to brighter worlds, and led the way!"
[Illustration: REV. JAMES NISBET,
Presbyterian Pioneer Indian Missionary, 1866.]