"I Climb the Rainbow Through the Rain" George Matheson, II.

As we saw last time, George Matheson the future hymn-writer was brought up in a godly Church of Scotland household. A 'bonnie lad', as the Scots put it, it was discovered at the age of eighteen months that there was something wrong with his eyes. A specialist was consulted, and the specialist told the parents that he could do nothing. He reassured them that there was nothing seriously wrong with the lad's eyes, and there was no reason why he should not see perfectly all the years of his life. Other specialists, when second opinions were sought, agreed.
But they were sadly mistaken in their diagnoses. Slowly, but inexorably, George Matheson's eyesight gave way. During his schooldays he was, by the grace of God, able to see well enough to read, though finally only with the help of very powerful glasses and large-type books. But by the time he enterede university George Matheson was completely dependent on others to read aloud to him.
George Matheson was never totally blind, but what vision he had was so blurred and distorted as to be of no practical use to him at all. Sometimes, it is recorded by his biographer, Matheson had moments of vision, when he could just make out what was written on the sign-boards of the Glasgow shops. Sometimes he was able to make out some part of the features of those with whom he was conversing - but only for brief moments.
The loss of his eyesight deeply affected Matheson. Indeed, it almost overwhelmed him. As a boy he had been able to join in the games of others, but blind he felt separated from the rest of mankind, overcome by a terrible catastrophe. Friends said that the echoes of that catastrophe could be heard in his preaching on the book of Job. The matter of suffering in the world was no mere academic problem to him, it was a great fact of his life.

Next time, God willing, we shall observe Matheson's university life.