THE AUTHOR’S NATIVE VILLAGE. ii 
my own efforts, had not some friends advised my joining 
the London Missionary Society, on account of its perfectly 
Unsectarian character. It “sends neither Episcopacy, nor 
Presbyterianism, nor Independency, but the gospel of 
Christ, to the heathen.” This exactly agreed with my 
ideas of what a missionary society ought to do ; but it was 
not without a pang that I offered myself, for it was not 
quite agreeable to one accustomed to work his own way 
to become in a measure dependent on others; and I would 
not have been much put about though my offer had been 
rejected. 
Looking back now on that life of toil, I cannot but feel 
thankful that it formed such a material part of my early 
education; and, were it possible, I should like to begin life 
over again in the same lowly style, and to pass through 
the same hardy training. 
Time and travel have not effaced the feelings of respect 
I imbibed for the humble inhabitants of my’ native village. 
For morality, honesty’, and intelligence, they wore, in 
general, good specimens of the Scottish poor. In a popu- 
lation of more than two thousand souls, wo had, of course, 
a variety’ of character. In addition to the common run 
of men, there were some characters of sterling worth and 
ability, who exerted a most beneficial influence on the chil- 
dren and youth of the place by imparting gratuitous reli- 
gious instruction.* Much intelligent interest was felt by the 
villagers in all public questions, and they furnished a proof 
that the possession of the means of education did not render 
them an unsafe portion of the population. They felt kindly 
* The reader will pardon my mentioning the names of two of these 
most worthy men, — David Hogg, who addressed mo on bis death-bed with 
the words, “Now, lad, make religion the every-day business of your 
life, and not a thing of fits and starts : for if you do not, temptation and 
other things will get the better of you and Thomas Burke, an old 
Forty-Second Peninsula soldier, who has been inoessnnt and never weary 
in good works for about forty years. I was delighted to find him still 
alive • men like these are an honor to their country and profession. 
