The Gentle Persuasion: Sketches of Scottish Life — John Shaqi
The Gentle Persuasion: Sketches of Scottish LifeGray, Alan
General
The Gentle Persuasion: Sketches of Scottish Life
Gray, Alan
Church of England -- Clergy; Episcopal Church in Scotland; Scotland -- Social life and customs
The other day I had occasion to make a long and tedious journey across
the snow-covered, frost-bound prairie. There was no wind to speak of;
the air, though keen, was not too cold for comfort; my sleigh was well
equipped, my horses strong and willing; my Jehu, a French Canadian,
could speak very little English, and my French was very rusty; and so as
conversation was denied me, I lay back among the fur robes, and fell
into a reverie. On the previous evening I had been in the company of a
very dear friend, the Rev. Harold Courtney, one of the most devoted and
enthusiastic clergymen in the great Northwest. In the course of
conversation he happened to remark; “I have often wondered, Gray, what
led you, the son of Presbyterian parents, to become an Anglican. You are
not the sort of man that would act in a matter like this without the
strongest convictions. How did it all come about?”
“Well, Courtney, it is too long a story to tell to-night. You are right,
however, in supposing that I could not have made the change without
being fully convinced of the superior claims of the Anglican branch of
the Church. It took me a long time to unlearn what had been so carefully
taught me in my younger days, and to see the defects of the system in
which I had been reared. It meant the severing of many associations that
were very dear to me. Some day, perhaps, I’ll tell you the whole story.”
Doubtless it was the memory of this chat that set my wits awandering,
and called up before my mental vision scenes and incidents of long ago
that had made lasting impressions upon my impressionable nature. How
vividly I could realize those scenes: I can see them clearly still. Let
me tell you all I saw as I dozed in my sleigh that fine January day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account