Edinburgh, Sat. Feb. 13th
1869
My Dear Mamma,
Your letter reached me this morning from which I am tempted to conclude that there has been snow somewhere in the course of the railway.
However to get to business. I am sorry that you have no more favourable account of the children. I hope Lucy and Bertie have got over their Earache. I am afraid I can do nothing about the Income tax as it is not paid directly to one by the Queen’s Remembrancer but to Tait on my behalf — of course Tait gives me the order which any bank will cash; but really the money is payable to Tait.
I send my Essay. I had my talk with McGregor today. I think he went so far as to admit that I did know my own mind on the subject which he at first doubted. But he and I got on some points that ran much farther than the Essay itself and we had some vigorous discussion of the and at length drifted off the subject altogether. I had a rather pleasant conversation on the whole. McG. is not the man to stand in his authority on an argument but he is rather slow in allowing men to be talking sense if they take up a position different from his own.
We have had two great New College events since I last wrote. Last night came the sequel of the Reid row in the Theological. On the motion for deleting all allusion to Reid’s motion from the minutes a violent attack upon me was made by Siddie who said that I had used quite illegitimate language on the previous night [and that] in fact had for some time been persecuting Reid. I defended myself in a temperate way saying that I did not mean to be personal and withdrew anything personal that I might have said in the heat of debate but adhering to the position that Reid’s accusations of Contempt to Scripture showed that he was quite incompetent as to Theological Knowledge to speak on the subject.
This Explanation clearly satisfied the Society. However the motion for deletion was thrown out — tho’ most men took as their ground for this that Reid’s motion tho’ absurd out ought to be left in the Minute-Book and in fact hit Reid harder than the opposite side had done. However R. took this as a victory and asked leave to make some personal explanations which took the form of abuse of me so virulent that he had repeatedly to be called to order and even told by the Chairman that he had laid himself open to be fined. Reid ended by saying that he would allow no man to question his Theological attainments and that if the Society did not call on me to retract he must resign.
However I sat still at the advice of my neighbours and the society distinctly declined i.e. several members among the men who had at first shown sympathy for Reid declared amidst general approbation that my Explanation early in the Evening was ample and that they would not allow me to make any further explanation. Then it was proposed that the whole matter should drop and the meeting adjourn. Others thought a vote of confidence in me as Secretary should be passed; in fact no one exactly said what we were to do in the fix into which Reid’s remarks had brought us as it seemed unnecessary to repeat these remarks in some way.
Kippen however rose and said there was a clear issue before us — we must call upon Reid either to accept my previous declaration viz.: — that I had no wish to be personal but still adhered to my assertion of Reid’s intellectual inability on the point (this was rather stronger even than I had put it, but Kippen was determined that Reid should swallow it) or fulfil his promise to resign. This was carried nem.con. and in such a spirit as really to involve [sic][2] that the Society homologated what I had said, not merely admitted that I had the right to speak so of course Reid refused to accept my explanation. Now, says Kippen, Mr Reid is guilty of something like contumacy and a motion that he should be expelled would have been at once brought forward had not Reid handed in his resignation. The Resignation cannot be accepted till next night — Kippen still threatens to substitute expulsion but this I must prevent if possible.
One other great event is the application of the University Mis[sionary] Ass[ociation] to send delegates to our Missionary Society as they do to the UP’s. Black had given notice of a motion simply to agree; but as some men felt a little difficulty as to whether in doing so we might seem to give up F.C. principles I framed an amendment to which Black gave way instructing the Secretary to explain that we felt that we could cordially agree to the proposed intercourse without at all entering into the historical questions which has so long separated the Society and which we were still far from indifferent to [and] we should meet simply on the ground of common love as two Evangelical Miss. Societies representing the University and N.C. respectively and having at heart alike God’s Glory and the promotion of Xt.’s Kingdom on Earth. This motion gave general satisfaction; but a small lot of 4 or 5 men headed by Ross our Missionary got up and assailed us in the most passionate manner calling the Established Church almost infidel and their Association little better (the best of it is that said Association is not an exclusively Established Church one tho’ of course most of the members are established Churchmen). The tone of these men was painfully like that of Begg. Of course such an assault made many men anxious to speak and at length we were forced to adjourn the meeting. There is no doubt that my notion must be carried by a large majority but the row is serious in intensity if only one or two men are really involved in it.
I don’t think there is anything I am needing from home. I am quite well, and am
Your Aff. Son,
Wm Robertson Smith