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for the prevention of intemperance, and the rescue of destitute and 
degraded children, that his name is associated. Though not 
exactly the founder of ragged schools, he was the first to take a 
just estimate of their importance, the first to arouse the com- 
munity in their favour, and the first to organise them formally and 
on an adequate scale ; and to his powerful advocacy and persever- 
ing assiduity and care it is chiefly owing that these institutions are 
now so firmly established throughout the kingdom, where they 
have largely contributed to diminish pauperism, prevent crime, 
and add to the industrial strength of the nation. If his efforts for 
the suppression of intemperance have not met with the same 
success it is not because these were put forth with less zeal, perse- 
verance, and self-denial on his part, but because tbe evil has grown 
to such a gigantic height as to render almost hopeless all attempts 
to remove or cure it. Nor, in referring to his labours for the 
benefit of others, should his great effort to raise money for the 
erection of comfortable residences for his brethren in the ministry 
be overlooked or mention of it omitted, — an effort to which, at a 
great amount of personal sacrifice, he devoted an entire year, 
traversing the country from end to end, visiting family after 
family, ‘‘from Cape Wrath to the Border, and from the German 
to the Atlantic Ocean,” and bringing into the treasury of his 
Church, for the purpose he had in view, upwards of L. 116, 000. It 
was when appearing on the platform, as the advocate of such 
schemes of benevolence, that he came out in all his strength as 
an orator. On such occasions all his faculties had full play, and 
his mastery over his audience was complete — at one time guiding 
their judgments by reasoning and strong good sense, at another, 
bearing them along on the stream of impassioned declamation — 
now melting them to tears by some deep touch of pathos or some 
thrilling tale of sorrow or of suffering, and anon convulsing them 
with laughter by some rich stroke of humour, some amusing 
description, or some ludicrous anecdote. The only weapon of the 
orator which he did not use was sarcasm, for which his kindly 
nature had no taste. 
In recognition of his abilities and valuable public services, the 
University of Edinburgh conferred on him, in 1849, the degree of 
D.D. In May 1862 he was raised to the Moderator’s chair in the 
