Blotting Paper

One final T. M. Lindsay post. Ministers ought, as you all know no doubt, to exercise rigid economy in order to be able to buy more books for their already over-filled bookshelves. This means watering down ink, writing sermon-notes on the backs of envelopes, that sort of thing: T. M. Lindsay:

"Have I ever told you that I seldom or never buy blotting paper? Generally enough comes in advertisers' specimens to serve me for the year. They generally came about Christmas. None has come this time; I fancy the advertisers have at last discovered that I do not buy. I was seriously thinking of buying when I was saved from the extravagance in a way you would never imagine. A great envelope arrived - directed to Mrs. Lindsay. I opened it. It was an advertisement, twenty-four pages with outlines of women's blouses, petticoats, stockings and combinations, all printed on blotting paper. It is perhaps, rather improper for me - all these details of feminine garments; but I have blotting paper enough for two months at all events; and cling to me pet economy. The page of combinations is already black all over; so the impropriety, if it exists, is vanishing."

Letters of T. M. Lindsay to Janet Ross P. 125

Americans!

Although he enjoyed foreign travel, Principal T. M. Lindsay had one complaint - some of his fellow tourists!

"I should have liked to have seen you entertain those carriages full of American women. I have no doubt that you charmed them; but at what a cost! Why does the average American do two very objectionable things? - Pay one compliments to one's face in the most deliberate way, and also demand categorical answers to conundrums of thought, or what they consider thinking. I went one day to lunch with an American lady and her companion. What do you think of this? "Dr. Lindsay, will you give me in one clear succinct paragraph a summary of your views on the bringing up of children?"
"Certainly, I'll give you them in two words. 'Wholesome Neglect.'" "Oh Maria" (this to the companion) "would not Amelia D. Parkes call that answer perfectly lovely?" What can you do with such people, save resolve to keep as far away from them as possible?
But some Americans, men and women, are the most delightful persons one can meet."

Letters of T. M. Lindsay to Janet Ross Pp. 15-16

Incident at Waterloo Station

Thomas M. Lindsay's biography of Luther has recently been republished by Christian Focus. We thought that Free St. George's readers might enjoy a couple of incidents from the lighter side of Lindsay's life (and perhaps time to recover from 35 Rainy days).

Just to put this first one in context, Lindsay was born in 1843 at Lesmahagow, where his father was Free Church minister. Although he trained for the Free Church ministry, he held no pastorate beyond a short stint as Alexander Whyte's assistant at Free St. George's. He was a brilliant student, and at the age of 29 he was appointed to take the classes of Dogmatics and Church History at the Free Church College, Glasgow. In 1872 he was appointed to the chair of Church History there. He was elected Principal of the now United Free Church College, Glasgow in 1902, a post he held until his death in 1914. Principal Lindsay wrote a number of books, the best-known of which are The Church and the Ministry in the Early Centuries (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1902), A History of the Reformation (Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, vol. 1 1906, vol. 2 1907), Luther and the German Reformation (Edinburgh, T. &. T. Clark, 1908).
The only biographical work of any kind about Lindsay is Letters of Principal T. M. Lindsay to Janet Ross (London, Constable, 1923). It consists of letters that Lindsay sent to a learned lady who lived in Italy. At first she did not realise he was a minister - hence this letter. Now, before I fill a post with Lindsay's biography:

Incident at Waterloo Station

"I really ought to apologise for coming to you as a wolf in sheep's clothing; but I dislike uniform of all kinds, and never wear clerical dress out of Scotland. They are quite a nuisance in travelling. A clerical garb is a sort of placard, 'Enquire here for everything,' especially to ladies, who demand strings, paper, ink and pens, the names of hotels, the proper tips to give, etc. , etc. I remember once at Waterloo station, when I was in uniform, a very ecclesiastical lady accosting me. "Are you a Churchman, Sir?" I naturally said "Yes," forgetting for the moment that I was in a foreign land - then recollecting said: "I am a presbyterian." The poor thing was quite dismayed at contact with a schismatic and gasped out - "Bu- Bu- But perhaps you can tell me the way to the underground railway?" Apostolic succession was not needed to give correct information on that point at least."

Letters of Principal T. M. Lindsay to Janet Ross, P. 1