The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-07-30

dltions in society-delighted Mt one time
with the resPectabii;y and well. Ioiny of
some OF our mortified ut oiler
times with tue il! doing aud dis.repu,aLle
character Of others. We have no infor.
nation with regard to Mr.. Kerchen's an :.
cestors beyond his immediate parcnts.-
Thomas Kc,chen was The Oldest child of
his parents; there being five sisters and
brother besides himself The brother
resides in Glasgow, and two of the maiden
sisters still occupy the fathers old house
IN llowga,e. One Of the married sisters
is dead. The subject of this memoir was
born In The little village of Howgate, in
The county OF Midlothian, 10 miles South
OF Edinburgh, in She mouth Of Marcl..
itS0, Lut whether on the 3rd or 9Th OF
that month It is difficult to decipher from
the slightly ettaced or obIiteratei Rerisre er
o. o'p''Sn's for the llowgate cession, The
lhe Rer. Mr.. Duncan, She present minis
ter OF llowgate, thinks that ,hc date NAV
he the Slh of March. Acco ,dn to these
figures, Mr.. keicbcn was 60 vears, @
months, and lS days old at his Death
Y appears from the above Recist.r tha,
lug MAS baptized the 2Glh Of tue month in
whish he was born, 10y Mr.. Bunyan, minis
ter At that time Of llowga,e. lie receiv-
ed i'is English education in his native viii
i"ge. When about eleven years of age
he served rs II shepherd boy to a neiyj,.
boring farmer some two or th,ee summers
The writer has heard him frequently al.
iu"e to the numerous little incidents con.
necled with his pastoral life, and remem.
oers well the romantic interest With Which
that subject was lpyestSd Ly Mr.. Kerch
ens natrAtpp apd description Of the pas.
toral occupation. About ,hrt time he
and Robert Cranston ''were in compunv
each alternate day" and formed a frieni.
ship which continued unin,eriup,cd until
the death oi Mr.. Ke,chen. To a letter
dated Nov. 80, 1855, written by this en-.
cradle man and graduate Of the Univer.
Sly OF Edinburgh, are we indebted for
valuable information, and for p.easiup
testimony tq The WORTH. Of our d, parted
friend. The friendship that berun in tho
pastures South Of Edinburgh between
these men continued long after they were
separated 10y Oceans, and was nurtured
by an epistolary correspondence rs long
AS they lived. When Mr.. Ke,chcn was
shepherd lie attended Sabbath school
at llowgate, which Wa ,uperintended by
Kew. MrEwen, minister of lhs, church.
The venerable Cranston hears testimony
IN his letter TO the faithful attention f,Le
deceased to the duties Of that school
when near fifteen years Of age, he went
IN the employ Of another farmer as q
shepherd. Atter finishing his engage.
ments in that place, it is probable that he
worked with his father in The TAILORING
business. 1t is certain that his father was
tailor and that the son had hy some
insa.ps acquired knowledge Of The trade.
IL is supposed that he was about seven
Teen when lo commenced the siuJv of
the Latin language in company with his
friend Robert Crarsion, at a school aLou,
SIX miles south OF Edinburgh, conducted
hy MIR. Blair, student Of divinity in
the Anti Burgber Synod, and made such
progress in his studies that he was pre-
pared for College in three years. h his
twentieth year, he entered the University
oi Edinburgh, where we suppose he had
all the facilities for an extensive and fin
lshed education. Of his literary course
IN Edinburgh we know nothing, but that
he was dlligent ip bis stpdjes ahd secured
IRON pr. Nicol, the professor of Ma,he.
maiics, encomiun, that he was "a first
rate mathematician" After au ending the
University three Sessions, which we sun.
pose was equivolent 10 three yeas, Le cd i.
tered the Dwiuity Hall Of The Anti Bury.
her or General Associate Synod, under
Professor Paxton, who is well known 10
the theological world as the author of
"tbe Illustrations OF the iioiy Scriptures"
IN two volumes, and rs an eloquent di.
vine. Mr. Ketcben's regard for his Pro-
lessor almost was uHboupded, lie WAS
accustomed even in old age 10 quote Pro.
lessor Paxton as being among the best Of
uninspiTed authorities on those subjects
upon which his opinion had been adj.
vaaced. The ministers of the First Pres.
hytery OF th6 Associate Reformed SYNOD
Of the South, are familiar will, these quo.
lions and will, the defence with which
ilic 6aInc OF DR.. Paxton was always re.
satdsa, by. Qgh deceased friend. lie mus,
have spent sege 9ge or six years ia the
Divinity Hall, IL the information concern
ing his University course is correct---for
he was not licensed until the 10Th OF July
1918, when hs was twenty nine years Of
age.
w" may ~, wsll,siop. al this point to
say that he was sometimes occupied as a
teaeber. of schools. The only information
we have is. hat Le taught at Howgate,
Mt q place, the name Of which is not legi-
bic, 0 miles distant from Howgaic, aud
at Edinburgh, bat how long at each place,
and at what time in his life, our docu.
ments do MT say. The presumption is
that he lid his teaching during the long
vacations ia the theological Seminary--ii
being the custom, especially Of indigent
studeais both in Scotland and iu lis country
10 employ themselves in this way, in the