Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-05-10
Death Of "Ian MaeIaren."

Rev. DIR. John Watson clan Mac
laren') died Monday in Mt. Pleasant Ia,
from blood poisoning resulting from ton
silitis He went to Mt. Pleasant April %
to lecture to the students of Iowa Wes-
leyan university and was i'll on his ar
rival so that the lecture was cancelled.
He was born in Essex, England, of Scot
fish parentage Nov. 8, 1850, his father
being at that time a collector of inland
revenue. He went with his parents to
Scotland at an early age and was edu-
Gated at Edinburg university, where he
was fellow student of DR.. Stalker, Prof.
Henry DrummOnd and DIR. George Adam
Smith. Robert Louis Stevenson was at
tending the English literature class at
the time. DR.. Watson also studied in
Germany.
He was ordained in 1875, and was sue
cessively minister at Logiealmond, Perth
shire, at Free st. Matthews, Glasgow
and in 1880 was called to Seton Park
Presbyterian church, Liverpool, where he
was pastor until 1905.
DR.. Watson's success as a writer of
fiction came to him suddenly and without
previous literary effort, when he was
about A years old. DR.. Robertson Nicoll
editor of the British Weekly, heard Dr.
Watson give a talk on Scottish life and
urged him to write some sketches on the
same subject. After a good deal of cor
respondence between the pastor and the
editor the little stories that were later
gathered together in Beside the Bonnie
Brier Bush" began to appear in the Brit
ish Weekly and at once attracted notice
on their publication in a separate volume
In 1894, the book had a large sale in Eng
land and America, and was followed by
THE Days of Aud Lang Syne," Kate
Carnegie and Those Minister'S" and sew
eral other works
Logiealmond, the little clachan under
the shadow of the Grampian Hills, which
was the authors first ministerial charge
is the Drumtochty of his stories but he
always declared that the characters were
original creations. and not portraits Of
individuals. His personal observations in
this little parish were helped by his early
experiences on the Perthshire farm of an
uncle, where he came in daily contact
with much the same types of people.
DIR. Watson's success as Ian Maclaren"
caused him to turn his attention to writ
ing of more serious purpose, and over
his own name he wrote THE Upper
Room" THE Mind of the Master"
THE Cure of Souls" his Yale lectures
on practical Theology" 1.-The Potters
Wheel" Companions of the sorrowful
Way" Church Folks" THE Life of the
Master" The Homely Virtues and
THE Inspiration of Faith"
DR.. Watson's theology, as expressed in
the foregoing works, proved to be of
hberality that gave rise to no little crit
icism by the stricter members of his COM
munion, both in Great Britain and Amer
lea, and in 1897 charges of heresy against
him were presented to the synod in Lon
don, but were dismissed by that body,
which three years later further vindi-
Gated him by appointing him its mod
orator.
DIR. Watson had made two earlier trips
to America, He came in 1896, at the in
vitation of Yale university, to deliver
the Lyman Beecher lectures for that
year, and afterward he went on a lecture
tour through the United States and Can
ada. He came again to fill another Sc
ries of lecture engagements in 1899. His
present trip was taken at the instance of
the Western Theological seminary of
Pittsburg, to be its lecturer extraordinary
for 1897.