A DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 539, 21 June 1909, Page 3

A DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR

* : — . DEATH OF DR. MARCUS DODS. SKETCH OF A NOTABLE CAREER. Another loader in the ranks of Scottish Ecclesiastics has passed away in tho person of tho Rev. Marcus Dods, Principal of tho United Free Church Collego (says tho "Weekly Scotsman" of May 1). For tho past eighteen months ho had been in failing health, occasioned originally by lung trouble, which'advancing years made it difficult for him to combat, and he passed away on' April 26, in his seventy-sixth year. He is survived by three sons and one daughter, his wife having predeceased him by several years. Principal Dods was born in 1834 at Belford, Northumberland, his father being the llov. Marcus Dods, minister of the Presbyterian Church there from 1811 to 1838. On his death tho family moved to Edinburgh, whero they lived for many years in a houso on'the edge'of the Castle Rock, which was taken much advantage of as a playground— a perilous one at that—and it became tho scene of many an escapado participated in by young Marcus and his companions. After somo time in a preparatory Echool, ho was sent to the Edinburgh Academy,- where, he became an immense favourite with' all- lie came in contact with. In his classes he took several prizes, but did not display any special promiso of his subsequent studious scholarship; and on leaving school ho v was placed undor the care of tho manager in tho National Bank, with tho condition, however, that ho might vacate the post should he choose somo other calling in life. .-!■!-.'' A Luckless Probationer. He apparently soon-had sufficient of this sort of livelihood, for, at the end of two years, ho, threw it up for tho■.ministry— which was at all'times his mother's secretly cherished hopo. Of the motives which led young Dods to this change no one but himself could justly speak, and he was the last to place tho; facts of his inner life before the public/- About this time the scholarly tendency inherited from his father began ,to gain sway: over his mind. Ho graduated Masterof Arts in 1854. So groat.an ascendency by this 'time had the intellectual habit attained in his nature, that when he; emerged from tho ' prolonged .theological course required- for the- Presbyterian ministry, it became a problem with his-friends' whether a man'of his great learning and grave, silent mood would really gain that popular recognition wliich is essential to secure a. place in a church where vacant charges are filled by the vote of the people. That, unfortunately, i, was too well founded; and it has been a rebnko to tho church, and a solace to many an unhappy probationer .since, that, a man like.Dr. Dods should have begged at the 'doors of churches throughout .the length and breadth of Scotland for six long years without finding a people to discover his'-worth. Twenty-three distinct chances of more or less attractive charges were within .his reach, and twentythree, times he lost. His persistent reading of his sermons lost him manv a vote. These years, however, were not wholly unfruitful. Devoted to Literature.. _Dnring his probationcrship,'partly spent in Edinburgh,, he devoted himself in a largo measure ttf literary work. The love of literature, had. been tho one great passion of his life—all books.and all about books: reading books; writing books; reviewing books: editing books—this was to him as meat and drink. 'Notwithstanding this devotion , ■ to 'literature) ho was in no sense a book-worm. That he loved books was true, but ha loved men more. He knew books, but he loved men better.. The world to him was not so mucha place to tliink in as a place to li« in. Henco all his interests were human ' bottom, . arid all his thought and work was dedicated to the service of. man. In 18(54 the pastorate of Ronfield Church, Glasgow, became vacant, and as the result of a visit the congregation elected him' as their mii> istor. Tho call, however, was by no mean* unanimous, a cry ; having got up that h» was unsound on tho Sabbath question. Ho served, thore. for exactly twenty-five years, andduring.that ,timo ho exercised a never failing and. ever-growing influence of an almost unique character. The keynote of his preaching was'its reality, and to make it real ho used no other weapon than tho truth itself. Artifice ho had none. Rhetoric would have spoiled tho kind of work ho did; eloquence in the ordinary senso was beyond his reach; even literary embellishment and ornament, though within his reach as within the reach of few men, he would not often use. He had one outstanding feature, and that was his romarkablo success in preaching to children. .He made the. attempt with the conviction that ho had no gifts for 1 it, but the result told a very, different,tale;-! Young people camo regularly, and in '-large numbers, and sat, as ho himself said, "like young birds waiting for nourishment." .... A Heresy Hunt. ■ It was during his ministry at Ronfield that he preached a. sermon on "Revelation and /Inspiration," .which gave rise to somo controversy in the Presbytery of Glasgow, and was ultimately carried to the Assembly, but ho withdrew it on the understanding that the opinions expressed were to ,ho tolerated in the Free Church. On the occasion when ho celebrated, tho semi-jubilee of his ordination he,was presented with various addresses, a ;cheque for £1000 (besides valuable gifts to Mrs., Dods, whom ho had married in 1871), and a six months' holiday. But tho destiny of a'man of his great scholarship, character, and iliflucnoo was a and in a position of that sort his -exceptional knowledge of the literature and languages of the Bible found their fitting sphere in--1889. By the time of the Assembly in 1890, he was again before the Church Court in the "heresy.hunt," but a large majority the charge was not proceeded with. During these years', however, he was recognised, as a foremost man, not; of a section, butof the whole Church, and,' accordingly, in 1901' ho was nominated to be Moderator of the ensuing General Assembly, but, as he had always-shrunk public honours, he declined, and a few years ago ho was:chosen to succeed Dr. > Rainy as' Principal of the New College' in Edinburgh, wliich post ho' filled with great success and popularity. Dr. Dods was a busy man, but not so busy but that he could iind;tiine,to interest himself-' in sport, and .some' years ago he was a, frequent dttender at the-Rugby football matches at Raeburn Place. All his sons, were keen followers of athletics of one-' kind or another, and two of them, J. H. and F. P.yfplayed for !niany T - years- in 'the Edinburgh Academical football, teams. Both wore Scottish Internationalists, tho elder beI ing Vcapped" '..'eight times and the ■ younger once;,;•'■■ < ;,"; ; ■ ■:)'■-: ; .'■■'■■ .