miles of their residence. I have often heard the
old residents of the steep and rough country road they used to take for
a short cut when nearing home tell how impressed they have been by the
sight of the worthy couple and their family wending their way along in
the dark winter Sabbath evenings by the light of a hand-lantern. Our
parents continued the connection with the same body of worshippers in
Glasgow as long as they resided in Cathkin, being members of Dr. Ralph
Wardlaw's church. It was under his earnest eloquence, and by his wise
pastoral care, we were trained.

'The distance of our home from the place of worship did not admit of our
attending as children any other than the regular Sabbath services; but
we were not neglected in this respect at home, so far as it lay in our
parents' ability to help us. We regularly gathered around our mother's
knee, reading the impressive little stories found in such illustrated
booklets as the _Teacher's Offering_, the _Child's Companion_, the
_Children's Missionary Record_ (Church of Scotland), the _Tract
Magazine_, and Watts' _Divine Songs for Children_. These readings were
always accompanied with touching serious comments on them by mother,
which tended very considerably to impress the lessons contained in them
on our young hearts. I remember how she used to add: "Wouldn't it be
fine if some of you, when you grow up, should be able to write such nice
little stories as these for children, and do some good in the world in
that way!" I have always had an idea that James' love of contributing
short articles from China and Mongolia to the children's missionary
magazines at home was due to these early impressions instilled into his
mind by his mother. Father, too, on Sabbath evenings, generally placed
the "big" Bible (Scott and Henry's) on the table, and read aloud the
comments therein upon some portion of Scripture for our edification and
entertainment. During the winter week-nights some part of the evening
was often spent in reading aloud popular books then current, such as
_Uncle Tom's Cabin_.

'Family worship, morning and evening, was also a most regular and sacred
observance in our house, and consisted of first, asking a blessing;
second, singing twelve lines of a psalm or paraphrase, or a hymn from
Wardlaw's Hymn-book; third, reading a chapter from the Old Testament in
the mornings, and from the New in the evenings; and fourth, prayer. The
chapters read were taken day by day