Page 14 - Presbyterian Connection – Spring 2021
P. 14

Connection
HISTORY
Stellarton’s George Monro Grant
14
PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2021
presbyterian.ca
    Left to right: Stellarton Mayor Danny MacGillivray; Historian/Panel Designer John Ashton; the Rev. Charles MacPherson, First Presbyterian Church in Stellarton; and the Rev. Andrew MacDonald, First Presbyterian Church, New Glasgow.
Left to right: Central Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser; New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks; Pictou Centre M.L.A. Pat Dunn; Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan and his wife, Shawn.
would eventually become the proud town of Stellarton.
Grant’s early days were passed on the little farm near the East River. This is where he acquired both the love of nature, and the practical ability to turn his hand to the need of the moment. He was reported to be very active and inquisitive. This curiosity would cause a life-changing moment for the eight- year-old “Wee Gordie.”
The General Mining Association had just purchased a new hay cut- ter for the coal mine horses. And, as young lads are, George and several of his friends decided to test the op- eration of the new machine. Young George’s job was to feed the straw into the harvester. Unfortunately, the machine clogged, and his right hand was severed just below the thumb. He convalesced for a year and his mind turned from the idea of an active life to one of study.
Speaking at the event, Stellar ton’s Mayor, Danny MacGillivray, stated, “As a community we are fortunate to be home to so many scholarly people who not only give back to the com- munity, but bring their spirit and pride to other parts of the world. The Rev. George Monro Grant was known all over the English-speaking world for his tireless work.”
George M. Grant enrolled at Pic- tou Academy, West River Seminary, and at the age of 18, sailed off to Scotland, where he would go on to attend the University of Glasgow. He was ordained in 1860, returned to Canada and placed in charge of mis- sions in River John, Pictou County and Georgetown, P.E.I. His energy led parishioners to build churches. As the record states, St. George’s Presbyte- rian Church in River John was named accordingly after the Rev. George Monro Grant.
In 1863, he was called to pastoral duties at St. Matthew’s in Halifax. The Rev. Grant was effective in implement- ing typically evangelical solutions to the social problems of Halifax. He was involved in the direction of the School for the Blind, the Halifax School for the Deaf, the Halifax Industrial School, the Halifax Visiting Dispensary, the Young Men’s Christian Association, and oth- ers. A major project during his minis- try at St. Matthew’s was the develop- ment of a theological school to train clergy in Halifax, which eventually became Pine Hill Divinity Hall.
In 1871, the Rev. Grant’s strong be- liefs in a united Canada led to his con- nection with Sir Sanford Fleming. Sir
Stellarton Mayor Danny MacGillivray and Councillor Simon Lewand at the Rev. George M. Grant panel unveiling.
John A. MacDonald was eager to con- nect all of Canada by rail. The Prime Minister hired engineer extraordinaire Sir Sanford to survey and suggest the best possible train route through the Rockies of Western Canada to British Columbia. The Rev. Grant was hired as the recording secretary for the ex- pedition. The mission began with the Rev. Grant leaving Halifax and meeting up with the group in Toronto on July 1, 1871. The small par ty depar ted shortly thereafter and achieved its goal of reaching Victoria, B.C., on Oc- tober 11, having travelled 5,300 miles: 1,000 by rail, 2,185 on horseback, 1,687 by steamer and 485 by canoe.
In 1873, the Rev. George M. Grant would produce one of Canada’s best- selling works in Canadian history, Ocean to Ocean, a day-to-day journal of the hard voyage of the Sir Sanford Fleming Expedition. The Rev. Grant would publish several books through- out his career, including one of the first great tourism guides, Picturesque Canada.
The strong patriotism and pride that the Rev. Grant had for Canada would leave us with our national motto, “A mari usque ad mare,” taken from Psalm 72, meaning “From Sea to Sea.” It was his influence with Sir John A. MacDonald that this slogan was eventually adopted as our na- tion’s slogan.
In 1877, the Rev. Grant was ap- pointed Principal of Queen’s Univer- sity in Kingston, Ont., and over the next 25 years established Queen’s as one of the most prestigious academic institutions in Canada.
In 1872, Grant married Jessie Law- son, who was the granddaughter of the first president of the Bank of Nova Scotia, William Lawson. Among their descendants was their grandson, the philosopher George Parkin Grant; their great-grandson, Michael Ignatieff, served as leader of the Official Oppo- sition, during his term as leader of the Liberal Par ty of Canada.
The Rev. Grant died in 1902 and is buried in Cataraqui Cemetery in King- ston, Ont. In 1937, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada named him as a Historic Person and a memorial plaque is located beside the interpretive panel.
“A Churchless
Sunday is not
a Sermon-
less Sunday.”
Continued from page 13
of heart have crossed many a thresh- old and the sword of anguish has been sheathed in human hopes. The doors of the house of the Lord have been closed and we are as wander- ers outside the folds of faith. But we are not alone. The Lord is with us when we wait upon God. God brings us to the fountain head from which springs the pure streams of courage and strength. Either God will shield us from suffering or God will give us unfailing strength to bear it.”
The following week, on Oct. 26, 1918, the Rev. Clark wrote in the Saskatoon Daily Star. Comparing three kinds of prisoners—prisoners of despair, prisoners of contentment and prisoners of hope—Clark noted:
“Prisoners of hope are alive with the throbbing life of home. No hard- ship can bring despair, and no shad- owy happiness can produce content- ment. The day of escape is coming. They will again set their feet on the homeward road and see once more the land of promise. Each morning as they rise, they exclaim: ‘Shall it be to- day?’ and each night they pray: ‘God grant it shall be tomorrow.’ These days we are in the prison land of war and disease and death, but we are prisoners of hope.”
The pandemic of 1918–1919 and the pandemic of 2020–2021 have both forced ministers to use new forms to communicate the profound truth of God’s presence with human- ity in even the most difficult of times.
The Rev. Leslie Pidgeon, minister, Augustine Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg, Man., 1916–1925. PHOTO CREDIT: ROTARY INTER- NATIONAL
 By John Ashton, historical author and graphic/visual artist, living in Bridgeville, Pictou County, N.S.
A gathering of invited guests and inter- ested observers recently assembled at a park in Stellarton, N.S., to honour one of its own locally born sons, with the unveiling of an interpretive panel for the Rev. George Monro Grant, Presbyterian minister, author, educa- tor, political activist and nation builder.
The Rev. George Monro Grant was called “one of the most impor tant non-political leaders of his times,” and Canada’s First Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, called him a long-time friend.
The Rev. Charles MacPherson of First Presbyterian Church in Stellar ton was the guest speaker and he began with an inspiring prayer and histori- cal perspective of the life of the Rev. Grant, stating, “George Monro Grant
was a true pioneer in the areas of theological education, university de- velopment and mission, as well as having been a very strong force in the suppor t of Confederation. Having laboured in small charges in Nova Scotia and P.E.I., and afterward be- ing called to St. Matthew’s Church in Halifax, he took up the principalship of Dalhousie University. During this time, Dalhousie saw a revival in its life. The University had lapsed, as he said, into ‘a museum, post-office and lumber room!’ He was instrumental in the Union of 1875 which formed The Presbyterian Church in Canada as we know it today.”
George M. Grant had very humble beginnings in his bir thplace of Al- bion Mines (Stellar ton) in 1835. His parents, James and Mary Grant, had emigrated from Banffshire, Scotland, in 1826, taking farmland in the newly developed mining community that
 



























































   12   13   14   15   16