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Show A VALIANT SCOTCH CATHOLIC. Captain John MacDonald, Laird of Glengarry, Leader of the Clan. Though Scotland, on the whole, was apparently an easy victim to the Protestant Pro-testant Reformation, yet there were T-Tirhlan,l clans, nowerful ones, too. who resisted it, and preserved the ancient an-cient faith in its purity. Prominent among these is the clan of the Mac-Donalds, Mac-Donalds, to which, in later years, the new world became indebted. A modern hero of this clan. Captain John MacDonald, laird of Glenaladale and Glenfinnan, and leader of the Scotch Catholic exodus to America, is the subject of a biograph sketch by Miss Anna MacDonald of Boston in the .Messenger of the Sacred Heart for January, entitled. "A Knight Errant of the Eighteenth Century." The MacDonalds were, as we have noted, loyal Catholics. They were also devoted adherents of the house of Stewart., Young John MacDonald. in dearth of suitable schools at home, was sent to the Jesuit university at Ratisbon, Germany, Ger-many, in 1754, being then 12 years of age. He took his degree at Ratisbon, having made an especial success as a linguist. He married in due time a daughter of the famous Gordon family, was made "Cashmer" or guardian of his clan, and settled down to a useful and beneficent life on his estates. But the misdeeds of a degenerate kinsman provided a greater career for him. This man, Alexander MacDonald of Boisdale, married a Protestant and forsook the faith. He went further, and tried to coerce his tenants into apostacy. As Miss MacDonald puts it: "One of his fatherly acts was to drive his people by a vigorous plying of nis stout yellow cudgel to the Protestant church." Failing with the adults, he was dexterous dex-terous in his attemot on the children's faith. He offered for them the privilege privi-lege of instruction from the tutor of i his own sons, and the education loving Scotch people eagerly availed themselves them-selves of the opportunity. But they soon saw what this affected bounty meant, and withdrew their children. The apostate landlord, in revenge, sent home their priest, Father Wynne, to his native Ireland. Then, as the inter- : esting chronicle before us relates: 'U n V.o n.mur w-vitlon in their own ' ' ' ' nu . C 1 1 " 1 ' 1 v " Gaelic tongue read to his assembled tenants. To sign this document meant an absoltue retraction of their religion and a promise under oath never again to have any dealings whatever with a Catholic priest; to refuse was to lose everything, homes and land, and to bring direct ruin upon themselves. There are countless heroes and martyrs mar-tyrs little known, and surely these noble no-ble people deserve to be numbered among the glorious army who have suffered for their faith. Not one faltered, fal-tered, all declaring they, would endure any hardship rather than accept such infamous conditions. Dispersing, they returned home to prepare for the journey jour-ney into the unknown world, whither they were forced to go to seek "freedom "free-dom to worship God." Baffled at this, Boisdale agreed to leave his tenants in peace if they would, consent to have their children brought up Protestants. This proposition received the indignant reply from the Islanders, that "their children's souls were as dear to them as their own." The example of the Lord of Boisdale stirred up other landlords against their Catholic tenants: and so bitter was the persecution that Bishop Grant, vicar apostolic of the Highlands, and other eminent churchmen, urged on by the faithful John MacDonald, locally "Glenaladale," decided that to save these poor Catholics, immigration was the only resource. They proceeded to raise money, Captain MacDonald also raising money on his own estates and taking charge of the exodus. He bought a large estate on what is now Prince Edward island, and in 1772 the persecuted Catholic tenants sailed for their new home. The next year Captain Cap-tain MacDonald joined them and cast his lot with them for good. He was never able to redeem his Scotch estatesthey es-tatesthey fell into the hands of the kinsman who had advanced the money nor even to develop his Prince Edward Ed-ward island property; he died comparatively compara-tively poor. He lived till 1S11, long enough to put his colony on a firm footing and to set the example of an ideal landlord. He gave all those who settled on his estate all the advantages of a lease of 999 years. Devotion to religion and disinterested generosity to his fellow men were the shinintr traits in the character of this noble High- lander. I The colony which he brought to the New World multiplied, prospered and kept the faith. The name of MacDonald MacDon-ald is in veneration among the people, not only for their brave leader's sake, but also for those of his blood who today bear it worthily in Church and state on both sides of the Atlantic. Miss MacDonald of Boston, who, by the way, is making a name in literature, litera-ture, received the facts of Captain MacDonald's career from an aged clansman, while shewas visiting her ancestors' home in Scand, and has certainly fulfilled his expectation of presenting them in forcible and graceful grace-ful style. Boston Pilot. |