# History of Knox Church Dunedin/Chapter 21

CHAPTER XXI.
In Memoriam: Mr A. Rennie—Dr W. Macdonald—Mr J. Wilkie, jun.—Mr W. N. Blair—Mr H. Kirkpatrick—Mr W. Douglas.
SEVERAL prominent office-bearers and workers of Knox Church have been called away from their earthly labours since Dr Stuart's return from the Home Country in December, 1888. Among these was the late Mr Alexander Eennie, who passed away on the morning of Sabbath, June 2, 1889, at his residence in Dunedin, in the 79th year of his age. For about eight months he had been suffering from heart disease, which prevented him from taking an active part in business of any kind, and at last terminated fatally.
Alexander Rennie was born near Reith, Banffshire, Scotland, in 1810, where he received his education, and served his apprenticeship. He afterwards removed to Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, and there entered on business as a tailor and draper. He then married, but his young wife died in giving birth to twin-daughters, who both survived. Eight years afterwards he emigrated to Otago, which he reached by the ship "Phœbe Dunbar," in November 1850. He worked at his trade for some time, and then opened a store at the corner of Princes and Rattray streets, now known as "Hardie's Corner." By his upright dealings he secured the confidence and esteem of his fellow-townsmen, and, in 1853, when the Otago Provincial Council was constituted, he was elected one of the members for Dunedin. He served as a member of the Council till 1866, and held the position of Speaker for two years. Having married a sister of the late Mr James Wilkie, sen., Mr Rennie took up his residence at his farm on the banks of the Taieri River, near West Taieri, which he improved and cultivated with considerable success. In 1866 he let his farm and left for the Home Country with his wife and daughters. He returned to Otago after an absence of three years, and, having sold his farm, settled down in Dunedin, and began that course of active benevolence for which he was so much distinguished, and in which he continued until his last illness laid him aside. In temperance work he was an enthusiast. ​Few things seemed to him of more importance than the spread of total abstinence principles, and he devoted himself most earnestly and untiringly to their advocacy. Mr Rennie took a very active part in the management of the Otago Benevolent Institution, of which he was chairman for many years. During the latter years of his life this Institution absorbed a large part of his time and thought, and was the one to which he chiefly devoted his energies. On the occasion of Mr Rennie's retirement, the present chairman of the Institution bore the following testimony:—"He has done his work with a degree of care, vigour, and conscientiousness that I can find no language strong enough to describe. During the last few years it has been my privilege to work side by side with Mr Rennie, and I have always found him ready to do any quantity of work, and to sacrifice any amount of time in order that the affairs of the Institution might be judiciously and economically managed, and justice done to the poor who needed to ask for charitable aid."
To Mr Rennie's valuable services as an office-bearer of Knox Church the following minute of the Session bears emphatic testimony:—"The Session record their high appreciation of the many valuable services rendered to the congregation by the late Mr Alexander Rennie, who departed this life on the 2nd day of June, 1889. As a member from his admission in 1869, as a deacon elected the same year, and as an elder chosen in 1871, he took a personal and active interest in every department of congregational work, and specially in the weekly prayer meeting, the outfield, the advocacy of Christian temperance, and the ministry to the poor and afflicted. He did good work as a member of Synod, and served for many years as joint-convener of the committee having charge of the Synod's Widows' and Orphans' Fund and its Aged and Infirm Ministers' Fund. The Session further recognise his Christian and patriotic conduct as a settler, and as an advocate of education, temperance, and religion, and also his services as a member or chairman of the committee of the Benevolent Institution for twenty years. The Session assure Mrs Rennie and the family of their prayers, and commend them to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ."
Following upon Mr Rennie's removal by death was that of Dr ​William Macdonald, another elder of Knox Church, which took place on May 16, 1890, at the comparatively early age of 50 years. This sad event excited a very general feeling of regret that the services of one so richly endowed with qualities of the highest order should have been so soon lost to his family, the church, the school, and the community.
William Macdonald was born in Edinburgh in 1840. At the age of thirteen years he was articled as a pupil-teacher in the Free St. George's District School, in his native city, where he continued during the full period of his apprenticeship, and laid the foundation of that wide scholarship and practical skill that won for him, ere he completed his thirty-eighth year, the highest academical distinction, and a very high place in his profession. On the completion of his apprenticeship he taught for two years in Larchfield Academy, Helensburgh, after which he returned to Edinburgh to prosecute his studies at the University. He highly distinguished himself in his various classes, and so favourably was Professor Blackie impressed with his scholarship and his strong personal influence, that he appointed him his class assistant at the early age of 24 years. In 1867 he graduated M.A., and in the same year he was appointed classical master in the Royal High School of Edinburgh. In this position he achieved conspicuous success; but his remarkable energy and his capacity for work could not be confined to the mere routine duties of the classroom. His abundant labours in connection with the Educational Institute of Scotland and the editorship of the Educational News, together with his valuable and multifarious services to the cause of education, soon rendered him one of the foremost men of his profession. In 1877 the Otago High Schools Board appointed Sir Julius Vogel (then Agent-General), Dr Abbott, of the City of London School, and Dr Morrison, of the Glasgow Academy, Commissioners to select in the Home Country a rector for the Otago Boys' High School in the room of Mr William Norrie. Dr Macdonald's wide knowledge of men, his great tact, his sound learning, and his fame as a successful teacher becoming known to the Commissioners, they formed the decided opinion that he was a man pre-eminently fitted for the rectorship of the Otago Boys' High School. They pressed the appointment upon him, and after mature consideration he signified his acceptance. The news of Dr Macdonald's decision was received with ​wide-spread feelings of regret, and before his departure for Dunedin many leading men of his native country united in doing him honour. The University of Edinburgh conferred upon him the degree of LL.D., and two public farewell dinners were given him, one by his professional brethren, the other by a large company of the more eminent friends of education in Scotland, the latter being presided over by the Right Honourable Sir Lyon Playfair, M.P.
Dr Macdonald arrived in Dunedin on November 7, 1878, and at once entered on the duties of the rectorship. He threw himself with characteristic zeal and energy into his work, with such beneficial results to the school that in 1883—five years after his arrival—the attendance had increased to nearly 300 pupils. But, as in Edinburgh, his efforts and influence soon extended beyond the limits of the schoolroom. Almost immediately on his arrival he became a member of Knox Church congregation, and took a warm and active interest in its welfare. He was elected a member of the Session in 1880, and his wise counsels and rare gifts soon made themselves felt. In the same year he was prevailed upon to accept the office of supermtendent of the main Sabbath School, but the state of his health compelled him in 1883 to relinquish a position for which he was in all respects preeminently fitted, and in which he rendered noble service. He took part occasionally in the congregational and prayer meeting services, and those who enjoyed the privilege of listening to him on such occasions still speak in the warmest terms of the remarkable unction that characterised his prayers and his reading of the Scriptures. His reading of the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians at the conclusion of the communion services is described as having been most impressive. His gift of oratory was of a high order, and more than once speeches made by him on public occasions in Dunedin electrified his audience, and created a profound impression. He had that personal presence and magnetic influence which at once inspire confidence; and those who came in contact with him were made quickly to recognise his power. It was not merely in connection with secondary education and as an office-bearer and member of the church that Dr Macdonald held an honourable place. He was a useful member of the University Council, and held a seat on an important commission appointed by the Government to inquire into the state of the higher education in New Zealand. The public school-masters learned how warm and ​sympathetic an interest he took in primary education, and unanimously appointed him the first president of the New Zealand Institute.
But, when the public had fully recognised Dr Macdonald's great value and worth, and when a brilliant career of public usefulness and influence seemed awaiting him, he was in 1883 struck down by a fell disease; and, "although he rallied from the first attack of illness, he never became quite his old self. Other attacks followed, necessitating change of scene, and consequently prolonged absences from school. At length, after hoping against hope for his permanent recovery, the Board of Governors found themselves reluctantly compelled to take steps to appoint a successor, and Dr Macdonald retired from the rectorship of the High School in the early part of 1885. The prolongation of Dr Macdonald's life to a period beyond what could have been expected from the severity and frequency of the shocks to which his health was subject, was no doubt owing in a large measure to the skilful, careful, and affectionate attendance he had during his retirement."
The following is the minute unanimously adopted by the Session of Knox Church on the occasion of Dr Macdonald's death:—"The Court desires to place on record the great esteem and appreciation in which they held their late brother and fellow-elder, Dr William Macdonald. Wise in counsel, unusually gifted with understanding and knowledge, yet humble in spirit, he was one who carried out to the measure of his ability the duties pertaining to his position as a member and elder of this congregation. There was no one who took a warmer interest in its welfare, or was more ready to spend himself in its service; and, though it pleased God in His wisdom and mercy to visit him with a grievous trial, to which he at last succumbed, yet as long as he could he manifested a keen interest in the church and all connected with it. In thanking their Heavenly Father for the good he was enabled to do and the clear light of truth which he was privileged to uphold, the Court would commend to His care and keeping his widow and family, and would express the hope that the bright example left by the husband and father may long be cherished in their memories, and followed by them."
Knox Church has recently sustained another loss in the sudden ​and unexpected removal by death of Mr James Wilkie, a deacon of the congregation, and only son of the late Mr James Wilkie, sen., one of the founders and first-elected elders of Knox Church. Mr Wilkie's death occurred at his residence, Roslyn, on April 29, 1891, after a very brief illness, at the early age of 42 years. The news came as a shock upon the office-bearers and members of the congregation and his numerous friends throughout the community.
James Wilkie, jun., was born in Scotland in the year 1849, and was only a child of about three years old when he arrived with his parents at Dunedin some 39 years ago. After attending West Taieri District School—then in charge of Mr R. S. Gardner—for about five years, he entered the Dunedin High School as a pupil on its opening in August, 1863. He was there distinguished for his ability and his diligent application to the school work, and stood very high in the estimation of the rector (Mr Simmons) and the other masters. While he displayed marked proficiency in the subjects of instruction generally, his favourite study was mathematics, in which he invariably took a foremost place.
His natural bias would have led him to adopt the profession of architect or engineer, but a slight weakness of sight compelled him to abandon the idea. The same cause prevented his following the legal profession, and eventually his fondness for literature and the fine arts led him to begin the business of bookseller and stationer in company with Mr John Reith. In the course of a few years he visited Europe with his young wife, and on his return he resumed the business of stationer, to which he afterwards added that of printing, lithographing, &c. Mr Wilkie was quiet and unobtrusive in manner, and as a man of business was greatly esteemed.
The following minute adopted by the office-bearers of Knox Church bears testimony to Mr Wilkie's character and worth, and to his services to the congregation:—"Mr James Wilkie died at his residence, Roslyn, on April 29, 1891, aged 42 years, after a few days' illness. As the son of one of the wisest and most generous of the founders of Knox Church, he grew up among surroundings favourable to religion. He passed through such church institutions as the Sabbath School and Bible Class, and was in due course received into the membership, and subsequently into the deaconship. The duties of his church relations he kindly and faithfully discharged, and commended ​himself to the esteem of his fellow-members and office-bearers. His death has deprived the community of an enterprising citizen, and his family of a kind husband and loving father. The office-bearers record their sympathy with his widow and children in their bereavement."
Within a year of Dr Macdonald's death he was followed by his intimate friend, Mr W. N. Blair, who was called away to his rest on May 4, 1891, in the 50th year of his age, after a prolonged and painful illness, which he bore with much Christian resignation and fortitude. He had left Dunedin for a number of years, but his memory will be long preserved by members of Knox Church and by many friends, on account of the eminent services rendered by him to the congregation, his great personal worth, and his most genial disposition.
William Newsham Blair was born on the island of Islay, Argyleshire, in the year 1841. He was educated at the parish school situated at Ballygrant, his teacher being Mr Hector McLean, widely known and much respected as a school-master of ability and merit. On leaving school at the age of 16 or 17 years, he was articled to Mr McIntosh, a surveyor and civil engineer at Oban, a town of rising importance on the mainland. On the expiry of his apprenticeship he obtained employment in the office of Mr (afterwards Sir) Thomas Bouch, an engineer of eminence. He was afterwards employed for a time in survey work in his native island. He then resolved to emigrate to New Zealand, and reached Dunedin by the ship "Daniel Rankin" in the beginning of 1863. Soon after landing he received an appointment in the Provincial Engineer's office under the late Mr Thomas Paterson, who was afterwards drowned (Dec. 1869) when crossing the Kakanui River, at that time in high flood. Mr Blair carried on the work of his former chief for a short time, and was then taken over by the Colonial Public Works Department. His high professional skill and his unremitting and faithful performance of duty ultimately won for him the important position of Engineer-in-Chief of the colony as successor to Mr Blackett. Although Mr Blair's time and energies were mainly devoted to his official duties, yet, like his friend Dr Macdonald, he found spare time for much useful work outside his strictly professional sphere, and his published essays and reports on various subjects give evidence of literary abihty and powers of observation and description of a very high order.
​Mr Blair's official duties necessitated his removal from Dunedin to Wellington in 1884, where he resided with his family until his death. Within a comparatively short period after his promotion to the post of Engineer-in-Chief he was laid prostrate by serious illness—disease of the kidneys—to which he succumbed at the end of about eight months. His remains were brought to Dunedin for interment in the Northern Cemetery. The funeral service was held in Knox Church (to which place the body had been removed), and was attended by a large number of friends and the general public. The following address, delivered on the occasion by Dr Stuart, his former pastor and much attached friend, will be read with interest:—"Mr Blair, whose mortal remains we are to accompany to their last resting-place, arrived in the colony 27 years ago, and shortly afterwards attached himself to Knox Church. He showed his interest in religion by his unfailing attendance on its services. After some years of quiet work and testimony he was called to the deaconship. In that office his voice and vote were ever on the side of progress. He was a warm supporter of the Sustentation Fund as an efficient plan for taking the glorious Gospel to the sparsely-peopled districts. I often heard him remark on the pulse of joy which the sight of school or kirk in the remote settlements excited in his bosom. In the final arrangements for the building of this church he was appointed chairman of the Building Committee. The undertaking was great, but in due time it was completed. Great as was the joy of the congregation and the Building Committee, that of its chairman was far greater when this beautiful and convenient church was opened for public worship. Some of us will never forget Mr Blair's short speech at the soiree in commemoration of the opening. When I was spending a few days with him last month, the story of the church, with its incidents, was rehearsed, and he said, 'If God spare me, I mean to be with you to join in your joy at the cancellation of the debt; but, with the record of the last seven months behind me, I dare not count on to-morrow. But, whether I am with you or not, there will be—some eight months hence at the longest—great joy when you announce that our beautiful church is now a free offering to the preaching of the Gospel. I am sure you will not forget that many have a stone in our cairn who do not statedly worship with us.' It is my prayer that God may give the churches friends and workers after the type of Mr Blair in head and ​heart. Allow me to say that our departed friend was a good colonist, a steady friend of education, and in his profession facile princeps." The funeral procession was witnessed by a dense crowd of spectators, and the remains were followed to their last resting-place by a very large number of the leading citizens of Dunedin. Mr Blair, who was married in 1867, leaves a widow and six children—four sons and two daughters.
The following tribute to Mr Blair's worth is recorded in the minutes of Knox Church Session:—"Mr W. N. Blair arrived in Otago in 1863, and shortly thereafter attached himself to Knox Church. For over a score of years, as a member and office-bearer, he loyally identified himself with its varied works. When the financial arrangements for proceeding with the erection of the new church were settled, he was appointed convener of the Building Committee. In this position he worked most wisely, and in due course handed over to the congregation a temple as perfectly adapted for Divine worship as its architecture is beautiful. In doing so he fully acknowledged the constant and efficient assistance he received from his committee. In all his church relations Mr Blair manifested a truly Christian spirit, rejoicing with the happy, sympathising with the sorrowful, and always ready to help the brotherhood as he had opportunity. The Session desire to record their satisfaction with the promotion which rewarded his professional ability, and in time raised him to the position of Chief Engineer of the colony; and above all with his character as a man of honour and of Christian worth and wisdom. The Session record their sympathy with Mrs Blair and the family in their sore bereavement, and the delight with which they shall receive tidings of their well-being and well-doing, and direct their clerk to forward a copy of this minute to Mrs Blair."
Yet another recent removal of an office-bearer of Knox Church has to be recorded—that of Mr Hugh Kirkpatrick, who died at his residence, Closeburn Station, on July 11, 1891, in the 72nd year of his age, leaving a widow, eight children, and three grand-children to mourn his loss.
Hugh Kirkpatrick was born in Dumfries-shire in 1819, and received a good general education in the school of his native parish. ​Soon after completing his apprenticeship to the business of draper, he emigrated to Victoria, where he became the subject of strong religious convictions, and underwent the great change which gave shape and direction to his whole future life. He returned to his native country towards the close of the "fifties," and married soon afterwards. Induced probably by the favourable accounts sent Home by his brothers-in-law, the Messrs Shennan, he emigrated to Otago soon after the discovery of gold at Tuapeka, intending to engage in agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Mr Kirkpatrick, however, found business prospects so encouraging on account of the activity induced by the opening up of the goldfields, that he decided to remain in Dunedin and enter on his original calling. He accordingly established the firm of "Hugh Kirkpatrick & Co.," so well known in Dunedin and throughout Otago for many years.
Soon after settling in Dunedin Mr Kirkpatrick and his wife joined the membership of Knox Church, and in 1862 he was elected to the eldership. He discharged the duties of this office quietly and efficiently. A man of few words, he ever gave his vote and influence in favour of the church's progress in usefulness and the extension of Christian work in the congregation and the outfield. He was noted for the regularity of his attendance on ordinances, as well as at the many meetings of Session which the exigencies of the early days rendered necessary. Some years ago Mr Kirkpatrick gave up business in Dunedin, and subsequently removed to his sheep station at Closeburn, in the Mount Ida district. Of late years he and Mrs Kirkpatrick have only occasionally resided in Dunedin.
Upon the settlement of the family in the country, Mr and Mrs Kirkpatrick resolved to have Sabbath services conducted at their station as often as possible for the benefit of their family and neighbours, and Mrs Kirkpatrick successfully interested herself in procuring a harmonium and a supply of hymn-books for the service of praise. The following extract is taken from a notice of Mr Kirkpatrick, from the pen of the Rev. J. McCosh Smith, of Naseby, which appeared in the Mount Ida Chronicle:—"On the day of his death he was up and about, and was livelier than he had been for weeks. In the evening he took an interest in the conversation till 8 o'clock, when he retired, bidding them all 'good night.' Between 10 and 11 his wife, going into the room, found him dead. It was seen that he had ​died in his sleep—his head and hands and body just in the position of sleep which was usual with him. The death was not unexpected, yet it was sudden, and the shock—which all felt, especially Mrs Kirkpatrick—was great. But one consolation, and that not a small one, remained: that he was ready as a Christian is ready—prepared as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is prepared. His life had been given to God, and in his old age the Lord had not left him. The text of Scripture most in his mind was this: 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him ' (1 Cor. ii. 9). His old Bible is a study, all marked and fingered, showing how much it had been used; and no one could come into contact with him without feeling that he was a Christian indeed. Often he was seen to look as into some far-away land. In that land he now is: home now with God."
The Session adopted the following minute on the occasion of Mr Kirkpatrick's death:—"Mr Hugh Kirkpatrick, who served our congregation as member and elder for nigh thirty years, fell asleep in Jesus on July 11th at Closeburn Station, where he took up his residence two years ago. While prosecuting his business in Australia the glorious Gospel came home to him with a power which gave a new direction to the current of his thoughts and life. Though a comparatively silent member in the Church Courts, he earnestly supported every forward movement for taking Christian ordinances to the outfield. He supported the occasional religious service in the Gimmerburn school-house, and gave accommodation and hospitality to the ministers who came that way. He showed special gladness on the Rev. J. McCosh Smith, M.A., of Naseby, arranging for his holding stated services in the district, though at considerable intervals. In his house and in his business Mr Kirkpatrick never forgot the privilege and the obligation of the Christian. His unfailing presence at public worship and his hearty support of the institutions of the congregation cheered and encouraged those whose duty requires them to occupy the more prominent positions. The Session direct their clerk in forwarding this minute to his widow to express their sympathy with herself and her family on their bereavement."
It devolves upon the writer, before concluding this History, to ​record the removal of yet another highly esteemed elder of Knox Church—Mr William Douglas—who died on August 7, 1891, at the ripe age of 77 years, after an illness extending almost uninterruptedly over the long period of five years and upwards.
William Douglas was born in the parish of Hounam, near Kelso, Roxburghshire, on August 27, 1814. After receiving a good education in the schools of his native district, he removed to Edinburgh for a time, and qualified for the profession of schoolmaster. He was afterwards appointed to the charge of a Presbyterian Church school at Cullercoats, a village situated several miles from Newcastle-on-Tyne. He occupied this position for a considerable number of years, until the school was transferred to the Church of England authorities, and, as he was unable to sever his connection with the Presbyterian communion, he was compelled to resign his charge of the school. He thereupon removed to Newcastle, where he obtained employment in a large place of business. While in England he married and had a family of four sons and three daughters, six of whom died when comparatively young. Mrs Douglas died at Newcastle in June 1870, and a few years afterwards he resolved to emigrate to New Zealand.
Mr Douglas arrived in Dunedin with his only surviving daughter, Sarah, in the latter part of 1878, and joined the fellowship of Knox Church in March 1879. Miss Douglas, who had been trained as a teacher in the Home Country, obtained an appointment in the Girls' High School, Dunedin, which she held with much credit to herself and advantage to her pupils till four days before her death, which occurred on July 6, 1891, only about one month before that of her father. Mr Douglas obtained employment in Dunedin for a time, and his amiable disposition and his consistent Christian life gained for him the respect and esteem of those who knew him intimately. So high an opinion was formed of him by his fellow members of Knox Church that he was elected an elder of the congregation in April 1884. But in the course of two years his health failed him to such an extent as to lay him aside from active duty; and, after an illness of fully five years, which he bore with exemplary patience and resignation, he at last found release in death.
The following tribute to Mr Douglas's worth is embodied in the minutes of Knox Church Session:—"Mr William Douglas, who departed this life on Aug. 7th, 1891, joined Knox Church on his arrival ​in the colony, on a certificate from the Session of Trinity Church, Newcastle-on-Tyne, which bore testimony to his great personal worth and his many services to the congregation as an elder, and commended him as a brother greatly beloved to the Christian congregation he might be led to join in the land of his adoption. While his health permitted, he was earnest in works of faith and labours of love. In the district of his eldership he was welcomed by its families as a neighbour, friend, and adviser. He was exemplary in his attendance on ordinances, and at the Session and the prayer meeting. During his illness he often mentioned to the ministers the unremitting kindness he received from his fellow-elders, Messrs Gordon and E. Smith, and from Mr Aikman, of Mornington. In death he was only separated from his daughter, companion, and friend, by a month."
* ↑ Otago Daily Times, June 3, 1889.
* ↑ Otago Daily Times, May 17, 1890.
* ↑ Otago Daily Times, May 8, 1891.