Read Ebook: A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time A Collection of Persons Distinguished in Professional and Political Life Leaders in the Commerce and Industry of Canada and Successful Pioneers by Rose Geo Maclean George Maclean Editor

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"He was a benefactor to his race, a blessing to his country, an ornament to the age in which he lived. He lived not for himself, but for his generation and for generations yet unborn. Fortune, this world's wealth, he sought and won; but lavished it not on personal pleasures or selfish aggrandizement. His time and his means were freely given to the noble cause of securing to the youth of these provinces a sound, liberal, and religious education. His humility equalled his munificence. He thirsted not for fame. But he has left a monument for himself more noble than sculptured stone in the institutions he has reared, and with which his worthy name must be forever associated."

"The relation which Mr. Allison sustained to the institution, and to all who were connected with it, was such as no other individual can ever sustain. His removal is, therefore, to it and to them an irreparable loss. The feeling of sadness and anxiety induced by this event must, therefore, with those who understand the matter, be altogether other than an evanescent one. But although we are sure that we shall find everywhere many to sympathise with us in our abiding sorrow as we think of the deep affliction which befell us and the institution when its father was taken from us, we think it more becoming for us to ask them to rejoice with us in gratefully acknowledging how much he was allowed to accomplish for it whilst he yet lived. Nearly nineteen years were added to his life after he had formed the noble design of founding such an institution, and during all these years he labored and studied and prayed for its prosperity, as its father only could do. The value of the services which he rendered to the institution, 'not grudgingly, as of necessity,' but ever most cheerfully, and, be it remembered, entirely gratuitously, cannot be estimated. Probably if an accurate account had been kept of them, charging for each item its fair business value, they would be found to amount to scarcely less than the sum of his princely money benefactions to the founding and establishing this institution. Certainly it may well be questioned whether the devotion of twice the six or seven thousand pounds, which he gave, would without such personal attention and services, have secured the establishment of such an institution as he has left to perpetuate the blessed memory of his name."

The board of trustees of the institution, at a special meeting held on 6th Jan., 1859, passed the following resolutions, among others:

Resolutions of a similar character were passed by the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of Eastern British America at its next ensuing annual session. See published minutes for the year 1859, pp. 21-22.

Yours sincerely, S. L. TILLEY.

Sir Leonard and Lady Tilley visited Toronto, the Queen City of the West, in May, 1887, and spent a week among their many friends there, who were overjoyed at Sir Leonard's improved health, and while here they took part in the festivities so lavishly bestowed on the Governor-General, Lord Lansdowne, and his party, who, at the time, were enjoying the hospitality of the citizens. Sir Leonard Tilley has been twice married, first to Julia Ann, daughter of James T. Hanford, of St. John, N.B.; and second, in 1867, to Alice, eldest daughter of Z. Chipman, of St. Stephen, N.B. Sir Leonard Tilley's career has been an honour to his country, and one that young men who aim to do well in public life should seek to remember and imitate.

"In social haunts the ever welcome guest, So generous, noble, and of portly mien; 'One of a thousand' has been well expressed-- No finer type of gentleman was seen."

"In private life he is, both by precept and example, all that could be desired. He has an intense love for all that is really good and beautiful, and a true and manly scorn for all that is false, time-serving, or hypocritical; there is no narrow-mindedness, no bigotry in his soul. In the domestic circle, all the warmth in the man's heart--the full flow of genuine feeling and affection--is ever uppermost. He is a thoroughly earnest man, in whose daily walks and conversation as well as in his actions, Longfellow's 'Psalm of Life' is acted out in verity. In his friendship he is sincere; in his dislikes equally so. He is thoroughly Scottish in his leanings. His national love burns with intensity. In poetry, he is not merely zealous, but enthusiastic, and he carries his natural force of character into all he says and does."

Say, Kingston, tell us where is Evan? Thy bard o' pure poetic leaven! And is he still amang the livin'? Or plumed supernal, Has taen a jink and aff to heaven, There sing eternal!

Or if within your bounds you find him, A' bruised and broken, skilfu' bind him; Or sick, or sair, O! carefu' mind him, Thy darling chiel! And dinna lat him look behind him Until he's weel.

But if he's gane, ah, wae's to me! His like we never mair shall see,-- Nae servile, whinging coof was he, Led by a string, But noble, gen'rous, fearless, free, His sang he'd sing.

Hech, sirs! we badly could bide loss him, For should this world vindictive toss him. Or ony hizzie dare to boss him. Clean gyte he'd set her; The deil himsel', he daur'dna cross him, Faith, he ken'd better!

Let any man, o' any station, But wink at fraud, or wrong the nation, E'en gowd, nor place, 'twas nae temptation To sic a chiel,-- He'd shortly settle their oration, And drub them weel.

Or let them say't, be't high or low, Auld Scotia ever met the foe, That laid her in the dust fu' low, Right at them see him! Professor George still rues the blow MacColl did gie him.

Is history in Fiction's grip, Does Falsehood let her bloodhounds slip, Crack goes his castigating whip, With patriot scorn! Macaulay laid upon his hip. Amidst the corn.

Does English critic meanly itch, To cast old Ossian in the ditch, And trail his laurels through the pitch Of mind benighted; Our bardie gies his lugs a twitch And sees it righted.

In a' this warld, there's no a skellum, Nor silly self-conceited blellum, But Evan, lad, wad bravely tell 'em The honest truth; E'en if he kend that they should fell 'im Withouten ruth.

Ye feathered things in mournfu' tune, Come join my waesome, doleful croon; Ye dogs that bay the silver moon, Your sorrow show it; And a' ye tearfu' starns aboon, Bewail our poet.

What though this grasping world, and hard, May barely grant him just reward, Still shall his genius blissful starred, Effulgent shine, And endless ages praise the bard Of fair Loch Fyne.

Mr. MacColl has many admirers in Canada, in proof of which he has lately issued the third edition of his poems here, and they are having a good sale. His Gaelic Lyrics, lately issued in Edinburgh, is also attracting attention among his countrymen on this side of the Atlantic.

In 1871, he received the degree of A.M., from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. After getting through with his college course, he began the study of law in the office of the Hon. Charles N. Skinner, Q.C., now Judge of Probate in St. John; was admitted to practice in 1865, and called to the bar in 1866, since which time he has steadily applied himself to his professional duties, and is now noted for his high legal attainments, and is without doubt an ornament to the bar of New Brunswick. He has been on two occasions president of the St. John Mechanics' Institute, and is a trustee of the St. John School Board. In 1867, Mr. Alward took a tour through Europe, and spent some time in the cities of Rome and Naples. He afterwards wrote for a St. John newspaper some very interesting articles, descriptive of the various places of note he visited on this occasion. He has since then twice visited the old world. He is well versed in general literature, and occasionally takes the platform as a lecturer. Amongst his favourite lectures we may mention: "Our Western Heritage," "A Day in the Heart of England," "The Permanency of British Civilization," and "The Great Administration." In February, 1887, Dr. Alward was elected by acclamation to the legislature of New Brunswick, for the city of St. John. In politics, Mr. Alward is a Liberal, and in religious matters, he belongs to the Baptist denomination. On October 12th, 1869, he was married to Emilie, daughter of Peter Wickwire, of Nova Scotia, and sister of Dr. Wickwire, of Halifax. Mrs. Alward died in 1879, leaving no children.

"MONTREAL, 30th September, 1869.

BROCK.

"'Tis true our province faces heavy odds: Of regulars but fifteen hundred men To guard a frontier of a thousand miles; Of volunteers what aidance we can draw From seventy thousand widely scattered souls. A meagre showing 'gainst the enemy's, If numbers be the test. But odds lie not In numbers only, but in spirit too-- Witness the might of England's little isle! And what made England great will keep her so-- The free soul and the valour of her sons; And what exalts her will sustain you now, If you contain her courage and her faith. So not the odds so much are to be feared As private disaffection, treachery-- Those openers of the door to enemies-- And the poor crouching spirit that gives way Ere it is forced to yield."

"I do most sincerely believe that no person whom I have ever seen could so instantly have infused, under such discouraging circumstances, into the minds of a whole people the spirit which, though it endured long after his fall, was really caught from him. His honesty, firmness, frankness, benevolence, his earnest warmth of feeling, combined with dignity of manner, and his soldier-like appearance and bearing, all united to give him the ascendancy which he held from the first moment to the last of his command. It seemed to be impressed upon all, and at once, that there could be no hesitation in obeying his call, and that while he lived all was safe. The affection with which the memory of General Brock has ever been regarded in this province is as strong as the feeling of admiration, and these feelings still pervade the whole population."

DR. A. M. ROSS.

For his steadfast strength and courage In a dark and evil time, When the Golden Rule was treason, And to feed the hungry, crime.

For the poor slave's hope and refuge, When the hound was on his track, And saint and sinner, state and church, Joined hands to send him back.

No, friend Ross! thou art not old; A heart so true, so kind, so bold, As in thy bosom throbs to-day, Never! never! will decay.

Some I know, but half thy years, Are quite deaf to all that cheers; They are dumb when they should speak, And blind to all the poor and weak.

There are none I know, in sooth, Who part so slowly with their youth, As men like thee, who take delight In helping others to live right.

LUCRETIA JENKS. Rhode Island, 22, 11mo., 1885.

When Dr. Ross had attained his fiftieth birthday, he was the recipient of many tokens of regard and congratulations from friends and co-workers. From the poet Whittier the following:--

DEAR FRIEND--Thy fifty years have not been idle ones, but filled with good works; I hope another half century may be added to them.

From Wendell Phillips:--

MY DEAR ROSS--Measured by the good you have done in your fifty years, you have already lived a century.

From Harriet Beecher Stowe:--

DEAR DR. ROSS--As you look back over your fifty years, what a comfort to you must be the reflection that you have saved so many from the horrors of slavery.

During the small-pox epidemic in Montreal in 1885 Dr. Ross was a prominent opponent of vaccination, declaring that it was not only useless as a preventive of small-pox, but that it propagated the disease when practised during the existence of an epidemic. In place of vaccination, he strongly advocates the strict enforcement of sanitation and isolation. He maintains that personal and municipal cleanliness is the only scientific safeguard against zymotic diseases. When the authorities attempted to enforce vaccination by fines and imprisonment, Dr. Ross organized the Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League, and successfully resisted what he considered an outrage on human rights. Dr. Ross is a radical reformer in religion, medicine, politics, sociology and dietetics, and a total abstainer from intoxicants and tobacco. He is a graduate of the allopathic, hydropathic, eclectic and botanic systems of medicine, and a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.

DEAR BROTHER,--The members of the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Conference, assembled in annual session, desire to express to you their hearty congratulations upon the completion of FIFTY YEARS in the honourable work of your ministry. We also express our gratitude to GOD, that he has so long spared you to see the growth, prosperity, and influence of the church to whose interests you have given such rich qualities of learning, wisdom, and piety.

We rejoice that through all these years your moral and ministerial character has been preserved without a stain. We are profoundly conscious of the far-reaching influence of your life in our ACADEMIC AND COLLEGE WORK. The ministry of this and other churches, as well as the business and professional life of our provinces, have been enriched by the ripe scholarship and godly zeal of those who owe much to you for their culture and their ability in their callings. We are not unmindful that other departments of our church work have been benefited by your consecrated zeal and wisdom. As early life directs and tinges the thoughts of advanced age, we fail not to discern in you the earnestness of purpose, the singleness of aim that mark the years of the early itinerant. Your company has almost gone before, and while with the few venerable men whom we lovingly call FATHERS, you wait the summons of the Master, you say--

"In peace and cheerful hope I wait, On life's last verge quite free from fears, And watch the opening of the gate, Which leads to the eternal years."

We desire that your day, as it draws to its close, may be brightened by the glory of the sunset, full of the golden promise of the eternity of light.

Signed by order of the Conference,

Marysville, N.B., June, 1887.

Mr. Pickard was twice married, first at Boston, on October 2nd, 1841, to the daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah M. Thompson, by whom he had two children--Edward Dwight and Charles F. Allison, who died in early childhood and infancy. Mrs. Pickard died at Sackville, the 11th of March, 1844. She was a lady of superior ability, and much literary talent, her memoirs and selections from her writings were published at Boston, by the Rev. Edward Otheman, A.M., in a duodecimo volume of upwards of 300 pages, in 1845, which is now out of print. He was married again on the 5th of September, 1846, to Mary Rowe Carr, who was born at Portland, Maine, United States, the daughter of John and Avis Preble Carr. This second wife bore him two daughters, the first, Mary Emarancy, is the wife of Andrew M. Bell, hardware merchant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the mother of two boys, Winthrop P. and Ralph P. The second, Amelia Elizabeth, is the wife of A. A. Stockton, D.C.L., M.P.P., of St. John, New Brunswick, and mother of six living children, three daughters and three sons. The second Mrs. Pickard died on the 24th of January, 1887, in the 77th year of her age.

"Seek the best where'er 'tis found, On Christian earth or pagan ground."

Yet he is not an eclectic in the narrow sense of the word, which is now practically synonymous with homoeopath. A thorough knowledge of anatomy, a complete acquaintance with the physiological effect of every drug or remedy, a no less complete acquaintance with pathology, and a virility of character sufficient to elevate the mind above the crude ideas of past generations, whether sanctioned by usage or made sacred by great names, must in future, he contends, be characteristics of the successful medical practitioner. A determined opponent of everything irrational or unintelligent in medicine, Dr. Gaynor has ever raised his voice against that hit-or-miss method, facetiously yet correctly styled "shot-gun practice," which combines, for example, in one prescription three, four, or six different remedies, with the hope that if one misses some of the others will touch the target. He is, by consequence, a strong believer in the single remedy in every prescription. Dr. Gaynor is also a specialist in gynecology, his practice in St. John being almost limited to this department of his profession. He resides at number 2 Germain street.

We take leave of our worthy hero, in the words of an English song-writer:--

"God speed the stalwart pioneer! Give strength to thy strong right hand! And aid thee in thy brave intent To clear and till the land. 'Tis men like thee that make us proud Of the stubborn Saxon race: And while old England bears such fruit We'll pluck up heart of grace."

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, St. Petersburg, Feb. 14th, 1877.

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