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Connection
BOOK REVIEW
A Review of From Sword to Pen
presbyterian.ca
FALL 2024
PRESBYTERIAN
37
By Maj. the Rev. Dr. Tom Hamilton. Tom serves in team-ministry with the Rev. Paula Hamilton at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, P.E.I. He is also
a military historian with the Directorate of History and Heritage and is military chaplain to the Prince Edward Island Regiment.
From Sword to Pen: the Life and Works of the Honourable Cyrus J. MacMillan (1878–1953) Written by Kathleen M. MacMillan Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Penumbra Press, 2023
Can you think of a polymath within The Presbyterian Church in Can- ada? A polymath is synonymous with “universal genius”: someone who has a voracious intellect, whose knowledge embraces vari- ous studies, and who has contrib- uted meaningful accomplish- ments across multiple disciplines.
There have been Presbyteri- ans from Prince Edward Island who have achieved noteworthy recognition in singular, dual and even multiple occupations: Lucy Maud Montgomery (author); Sir Andrew Macphail (doctor, mili- tary officer, professor, author); and the Honourable Angus Ma- cLean (decorated RCAF Officer, Federal Cabinet Minister, Premier of P.E.I.). But there was another Island Presbyterian whose life’s work embodied most of these ac- complishments and even more.
The Honourable Cyrus John MacMillan, Ph.D., was an au- thor, professor, academic dean, commissioner on three Royal Commissions, Parliamentarian,
Federal Cabinet Minister, soldier, newspaper editor and ardent ad- vocate for the PCC. MacMillan had significant influence at the national and provincial (P.E.I.) levels; he interacted with prime ministers, presidents, premiers and members of the Royal Family.
In her book From Sword to Pen: the Life and Works of the Honourable Cyrus J. MacMillan (1878–1953), Kathleen M. Mac- Millan illuminates the extraordinary accomplishments of a person who might be described as a Canadian Presbyterian polymath. The au- thor’s monograph is grounded in the personal papers of Cyrus Mac- Millan that are held in the McGill University Archives. Particular attention is given to MacMillan’s own diary, and to the letters he sent to his wife, Margaret (Eaton Brower), during the first world war. The author is a distant relative to MacMillan (a first cousin four times removed) and weaves into her narrative interesting details connected to the MacMillan line- age. Most of all, she brings to life a Presbyterian leader who deserves to be liberated from oblivion.
Cyrus John MacMillan was born in Wood Islands, P.E.I., on Septem- ber 12, 1877 (conflicting sources list his bir th year between 1877 and 1883). MacMillan’s education began in Wood Islands in the one room schoolhouse that still exists. In fact, the inspiration for this book came from the author reading a faded copy of MacMillan’s obitu- ary on a wall of the old school- house. MacMillan’s education continued at Prince of Wales Col- lege in Charlottetown, McGill Uni-
versity (BA 1900; MA 1903) and Harvard University (Ph.D. 1909). MacMillan’s doctoral disser tation, “The Folksongs of Canada,” and his subsequent writings (includ- ing Canadian Wonder Tales, 1918; McGill and Its Story, 1821–1921, 1921; and Canadian Fairy Tales, 1922) exemplified his love of Ca- nadian folklore, history and poetry. In 1909, MacMillan began a distin- guished teaching career at McGill University that star ted as an as- sociate professor and extended for 38 years (chair of the English de- par tment, 1923; Dean of the Fac- ulty of Ar ts and Sciences, 1940).
During the first world war, MacMillan enrolled as an artil- lery officer and served with the 7th Siege Battery and 6th Siege Battery in Canada, England and France. MacMillan saw action during the attack at Vimy Ridge (Battle of Arras), and in the Battle of Hill 70.
An ardent defender of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, MacMillan spoke against church union and was a pivotal voice on the international stage, success- fully arguing on the floor of the General Assembly in Edinburgh, Scotland, for the Church of Scot- land to recognize the continuing Presbyterians as The Presbyte- rian Church in Canada.
MacMillan served in public of- fice on three Royal Commissions (Duncan Commission, 1926; Roy- al Commission on Eastern Fisher- ies, 1928; and Royal Commission on Education in Prince Edward Island, 1928). He also served briefly as Federal Minister of Fish- eries (1930). He suffered electoral
defeat in 1930 but was elected as one of two Parliamentarians for the seat of Queens (P.E.I.) and he served one term (he was de- feated in 1945). In office he was Parliamentary assistant to Charles Power, Minister of Defence for Air during the second world war.
In 1947, MacMillan retired from teaching at McGill University. He and Margaret settled full-time into their beloved Arden Cottage, Fortune, P.E.I. MacMillan passed away suddenly on June 29, 1953.
Kathleen MacMillan’s mono- graph is rich in detail and filled with numerous first-person accounts from Cyrus’s diary, personal cor- respondence and writings. Her narrative follows a general chro- nology of MacMillan’s life, but fre- quently moves between different decades to line up with her chapter themes. At times, this approach can feel slightly awkward and disjointed, and there are a few military, historical inaccuracies.
The author’s description of MacMillan’s literary writings and publications is exception- ally strong. In the first half of the twentieth century, MacMillan was one of Canada’s foremost authors of Canadian folklore that encompassed English-Canadian, French-Canadian and Indigenous traditions. The author provides sensitivity and perspective to this complex subject.
In penning an in-depth over- view of the life of MacMillan, the author has also provided the means for ongoing reflection, and study—particularly given the unique status of MacMillan’s political, academic and religious
influence. For instance, how did the numerous social interactions of MacMillan (and Margaret) with notable dignitaries influence government or denominational policy? As well, during the church union crisis, did MacMillan’s unique voice and talents directly impact congregational voting in favour of the continuance of The Presbyterian Church in Canada? Also, as Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National De- fence for Air during the second world war, did MacMillan’s ex- perience and expertise influence military policy?
Kathleen MacMillan’s mono- graph admirably illuminates the life of Cyrus MacMillan. It rep- resents an important place in Canadian Presbyterian historiog- raphy and will be of interest to a wide range of readers. Kathleen MacMillan has elevated Cyrus MacMillan from relative obscurity to a position of someone who is worthy of recognition and should perhaps even be considered a Canadian Presbyterian polymath.
A Review of Becoming Lily Kaltyk
Becoming Lily Kaltyk
A novel by Dorothy Brown Henderson
Lily Kaltyk is a late bloomer. Nearly forty, she still lives at home with her Ukrainian-Canadi- an mother in the small town of Emerson, Manitoba, where she has spent her whole life. She doesn’t have a driver’s license, or a romantic par tner, or the career as an architect she once secretly imagined. Instead, she’s a supply teacher and plays the organ at the local Presbyterian
church—a job that excited her as a teenager but has lost its lus- tre over time. She feels trapped, lonely and unfulfilled.
The new minister at the Pres- byterian church turns out to be the unlikely catalyst for change, but the oppor tunities in a new life bring stresses and chal- lenges that push Lily out of her comfort zone. In a series of rapid plot twists, the story confronts her with even more choices and tantalizing possibilities.
Other characters, including an eccentric next-door neighbour,
a troubled teenager and even a ghost bring their own touch of drama and mystery, but in a less developed way. As the title sug- gests, this story of self-discovery is ultimately about Lily. Seeing her timidity and fearfulness gradually give way to a new kind of confi- dence is satisfying, especially for those who identify with her emo- tional and spiritual struggles. The process of trying on new identi- ties unfolds at breakneck speed, and some feel more plausible than others, but a sympathetic reader can’t help but cheer for
Lily as, for the first time in her life, she seeks to tune out the static of other people’s expectations and assumptions and listen for her own inner wisdom.
Readers looking for neatly tied- off endings and clear decisions will have to be content with un- certainty. But perhaps that’s the point. Becoming is a process, not a destination. In the end, we don’t know what’s next for Lily. But it is fun to imagine.
To order a copy of the book, email Dorothy at dorothybrown [email protected].
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