DECEMBER.

"JOHNNY CAMPBELL."

He was not a man of culture-perhaps he under valued it but he had a warm heart and a ready hand, and a wonderfully persevering and laborious habit, with a marvellous amount of sagacity and common sense, and that quick perception of how things may best be done that devises new methods that are often scoffed at at first, but in the end approved and adopted.

THE FOUNDER OF THE TRACT AND BOOK SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND. BOUT the end of last | and labours of love. During the last century, in the Grass- half, he was minister of Kingsland Chapel market of Edinburgh, in London, but was very far from conwhere so many martyrs fining himself to the work of the pastorate, of the Covenant had being full of activity to the end, and passed to heaven in always ready for every good work. former days in the chariot of fire, an assortment of pots and pans, spades and rakes, and other such implements, piled about a shop door, served to indicate the establishment of a humble ironmonger, who was at the same time the friend and correspondent of the Rev. John Newton, of William Wilberforce, of the Countess of Leven, and many others, and who was personally one of the most remarkable men of his day. He was very small of stature, rugged of countenance, with short limbs and a large head, and among his friends was known invariably as Johnny Campbell," or simply "Johnny." His father had come from the Highlands of Perthshire, not far from the parish where Alexander Duff, the missionary, was born; and Johnny had seen the best Christian example, and grew up with a deep sense of the awful claims of religion. At the High School of Edinburgh he was a pupil of Willie Nicoll, the boon companion of Robert Burns, and also a class fellow of Sir Walter Scott, close to whom, too, he used to sit in Dr. John Erskine's church. After passing through long religious groping, he at last got such a view of the cross of Christ and the glorious fulness of His grace as both filled and transported his heart; and for half a century after, his one great aim of life was to spread the knowledge of the Saviour, and draw others to the feast that had been so precious to his own soul.

66

Until middle life Mr. Campbell continued in his worldly calling, toiling all the while in numberless works of faith

He was the first in modern times to print and distribute tracts in Edinburgh, and he was one of the founders of an institution, which still flourishes, now called the Book and Tract Society of Scotland. What led him to begin was this. Looking over a bookstall, he found a little brochure of eight pages, with a blue cover called 'The Life and Experience of F. S. (Fanny Sydney),' which he bought for twopence. On reading it he was so pleased with it, that he got an edition printed, part of which was sold and the rest circulated gratis. Falling in soon afterwards in London with the story 'Poor Joseph,' he had it too printed and circulated on his return to Scotland. His next publications were the yearly poems of Rev. John Newton, on the successive anniversaries of the death of his wife. In 1789 steps were taken to form the Tract and Book Society of Edinburgh, which was instituted, we think, in 1793, some years earlier than the society of London. Its object is, "by the circulation of religious tracts and books, to diffuse a pure and religious literature among all classes of the people." Unlike the Religious Tract Society of 1 Vide Report for 1884.

London, it does not produce religious literature, it only distributes it. It obtains large assistance from the London Society. A free grant of 2007. worth of tracts is made every year by the Committee of the Religious Tract Society, London, to the Edinburgh Society. Further special assistance is given to every new colporteur when he enters on his work.

The Scotch Society has had its ups and downs in life, but it was placed on a new footing more than twenty years ago, through the addition of a colportage department, and it never was in a more prosperous condition than it is now. Some two hundred colporteurs are employed in connection with it, mostly in Scotland, and partly in England, from whose hands. every day of the year tracts are scattered in every direction, to say nothing of the supplies circulated by private individuals, missionaries, Bible women, and others, whom the society is ever ready to encourage. Had "Johnny Campbell" done no other work than help to lay the foundation of this society, he would not have lived in vain.

familiar work; he and the late Mr. James Haldane having on one occasion made arrangements for instituting sixty in a single week.

Literature for the young was another thing that seemed to Mr. Campbell to need much change. His method of procedure was this: Taking a well-disposed little girl he found that to read through an Address to the Young' was more than she could achieve. So he set to work on a more attractive plan, and writing the first life in his book 'Worlds Displayed' he gave it to the same girl, and found that she not only could get through it, but asked for more. a new era in books for the young.

It was

In the villages round Edinburgh it was. not only the children that needed schools, the grown-up people were often as ignorant of the gospel as the young. Mr. Campbell originated the scheme of villagepreaching. In those days, for a layman to open his lips in a religious meeting was utterly unknown. And "the universal priesthood" of believers was so little acted on, that some of the godly ministers But many another enterprise did he shook their heads, and a story is told of engage in. In those days there were no a zealous tradesman who prayed on. Sabbath Schools. Mr. Campbell longed Sunday mornings at family worship" that to see the young gathered under godly a redhot poker might be stuck into Johnny teachers, to have the great truths of the Campbell's throat that day if he presumed Gospel taught them; and in his case to to minister in word or doctrine." After long for a thing was to try to achieve it. the work of Robert and James Haldane, His first experiment was to hire a hall lay preaching occupied a very different in the southern suburbs of Edinburgh, place. But Campbell did not quite go in. called the Archers' Hall-it is still there with the Haldanes; he thought they -and get a good man to teach the were not always wise; and his going to children. Then he got another hall London seemed to have been partly similarly provided. But he felt he ought caused by difficulties with reference to men to do something himself. So, knowing with whom he could not always agree, that Loanhead, a mining village five miles but with whom he would never quarrel. away, was woefully neglected, he got a place of meeting for a school, and rode out to open it. It is difficult to say whether he was most frightened to get on horseback or to open his mouth in public. Both dangers, however, were surmounted, and ere long the planting of Sunday Schools became common and

Another institution which he founded before leaving Edinburgh was the Magdalene Institution. His first coadjutors here were two working men, a baker and a cutler, who had made some attempts to reclaim some of the wretched. women in their neighbourhood, but had found the necessity of doing the thing.

on a larger scale. Mr. Campbell threw his soul into the work, and was highly successful both at Edinburgh and Glasgow. At first the institution was called "The Philanthropic," but people could not get their tongues round the word, and the name was changed to "The Magdalene." The same disgust at their life, yet impossibility of leaving it, was found then among the degraded girls as it is often found still. The blessing of many a one that was ready to perish came upon Campbell; and yet how sad it is to think, after so many years of Christian and not unsuccessful labour, that the putrid stream of sensuality flows with a current nearly as deep and as loathsome as ever! In going about the country with the Haldanes, Mr.Campbell learned to preach. A couple of years' study under Dr. Wardlaw, of Glasgow, gave him the training

for an Independent minister. He had been willing to go as a missionary to India with Mr. Robert Haldane, but that enterprise was not carried out. For seven-and-thirty years he filled the important sphere of minister of Kingsland Chapel, London. Twice during that time the London Missionary Society sent him to the south of Africa, to visit their missions in that wide region. All that work he did diligently and well. Perhaps the chief extraneous work of his latter years was to write little books for the young. It cannot be said now that that department is neglected. During his long life Mr. Campbell began many a good work, and placed it on a solid foundation; he laboured in season and out of season, and, with no ambition but to be useful, did much to extend and build up the kingdom of God.

BUNYAN'S DEATH-BED.

NE wet night in August | Progress.'

For it was John Bunyan (1688) there rode up who had come to be the guest of his to the house of Deacon friend, John Strudwick, on Snow Hill. Strudwick, on Snow Hill, The most striking thing about that visit a man of some fifty-nine to Mr. Strudwick's house was that Bunyan years, whose clothes were had gone there to die. In little more soaking with wet. The than a week the "Immortal Dreamer,' greeting between the two who had rode up to his friend's door, men proved they were old dripping wet, was carried out of it for acquaintances, and that a burial. That ride in the rain proved bond of more than ordinary friendship fatal to him. The cold that supervened existed between them. The stranger's turning to fever, which became the face was that of a man of undaunted chariot of fire in which Bunyan was resolution, yet there was a dreaminess carried upward to the Celestial City. about the expression of the eye that be- We may imagine the concern of the tokened a religious enthusiast. His hair household at the illness of their guest, was iron grey, and there was a certain and of their awe as it became evident yielding of the frame, as of a man who had that it would prove fatal. He lingered long passed the prime of his days. Since but a few days, waiting "for the good this man did duty as a soldier at the horse," when the post should come to siege of Leicester he had passed twelve bid him ascend. During this season he years in prison, and the chief product of talked from time to time with his host that imprisonment was the Pilgrim's and other friends who visited him upon

such subjects as "sin, affliction, repent- not the public worship of God, lest God ance, and coming to Christ, prayer, and forsake thee, not only in public, but in the heavenly state." Fragments of private.' these conversations were committed to writing by Strudwick, and afterwards published. A few of his last words may be here reproduced.