Western Worthies: A Gallery of Biographical and Critical Sketches of West of Scotland CelebritiesJeans, J. Stephen (James Stephen)
History
Western Worthies: A Gallery of Biographical and Critical Sketches of West of Scotland Celebrities
Jeans, J. Stephen (James Stephen)
Scotland -- Biography
After a very promising career as a divinity student, Dr. Norman Macleod
was at an early age ordained a minister of the Church of Scotland. His
first parish was Loudoun, in Ayrshire, from whence, in 1843, he was
translated to Dalkeith. He laboured with much acceptance in the latter
charge for a period of eleven years, and in 1851 he succeeded the late
Dr. Black as the minister of the Barony Parish of Glasgow--a position
which he still continues to fill. It is related of the doctor that,
while at Dalkeith, he happened one day to be strolling in the
"kirkyard," and met the sexton, a man of venerable years, who took quite
a pleasure in pointing out to the new minister the more notable graves
in the little God's acre. "This," he said, "is where Mr. So-and-So (the
former clergyman of the parish) is buried, and here--pointing to a still
unoccupied lair--is whaur ye'll lie, gin ye be spared!" It is worth
while mentioning that whereas the population of the Barony Parish in
1755 was only about 5000, it had increased in 1850 to 130,000, and at
the present time it is estimated at 200,000, so that Dr. Macleod's
parochial duties and responsibilities have been greatly multiplied since
he entered upon his present important charge.
Dr. Macleod has taken the most active interest in everything relating to
the welfare of the city, while the affairs of his own parish have
afforded him a source of unremitting care and anxiety. With every
movement projected for the purposes of Church extension or the
development of missions in Glasgow he has been closely identified; and
at the present time he is at the front of an association promoted some
eighteen months ago, with the view of providing additional churches in
certain neglected districts of the city. As the result of this
association's efforts, several new churches are now in course of
erection, one of them having been undertaken at Dr. Macleod's express
request. Closely allied to the means of grace are the facilities for the
acquisition of education, and of this important adjunct to the work of
the ministry Dr. Macleod has never for a moment lost sight. No less than
five large schools have been opened in connection with the Barony Church
since he entered upon his parochial duties; and several preaching or
mission stations, at each of which divine service is conducted every
Sunday, have also been opened up, with the most successful results.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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