|
Fitch describes the vision of John Gilmour and Newton
Bosworth in seeing the need for and actually starting the "In 1834, Rev Newton
Bosworth, who had settled near
Cooper [J. I. Cooper, An Old-Time Rival of McGill, "Gilmour grasped the immense advantage a Canadian-trained ministry would possess; hence his enthusiasm for education among what he quaintly termed the 'natives'."
Bosworth was one of the founding members of the Ottawa Baptist Association: "The Ottawa Baptist
Association was formed at
Thomas Armitage describes the
founding of the “At the first meeting of the
Ottawa Association, in 1836, it resolved unanimously to send a deputation to “In 1838 the Committee of the
London Society sent out Dr. Benjamin Davies to take charge of the Theological
Institution at [Thomas Armitage, A history of the Baptists : traced by their vital principles and practices : from the time of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the year 1889, Chapter 18 “Baptists in British America and Australia”, New York : Bryan, Taylor, 1890, online at the Fundamental Baptist Institute, Shelby, NC, site: Armitage, Chapter 18
Cooper has Bosworth opening the
The governing body of the college was the
Canada Baptist Missionary Society (CBMS), founded in
Presidents of the college were Dr Benjamin Davies (Sept 1838 to October 1843), Dr Robert A. Fyfe (1843-1844) and Dr J.M. Cramp (1844-1849).
The Rev Dr Benjamin Davies (1814-1875), received his Ph.D. from
In October, 1843, Dr Davies was
recalled to
The Rev Dr Robert Alexander Fyfe attended Hamilton
Literary and Theological Institute (later
The Rev Dr John Mocket Cramp, DD
(1796-1881), was appointed the next president of the College, by the Baptist
Colonial Missionary Society in
Rev. F. Bosworth, A. M., was the Professor of Oriental
Languages, Classical Literature, and Natural Science at the college. He become a student at the
In May, 1840, the college "removed to another house, which is calculated to hold from ten to twelve students, making one family, under the domestic care of a matronly housekeeper, who acts under the direction of a Committee" [Second Annual Report, Missionary Register, Vol 4, No 2 (Aug 1840), p41].
The students at the college studied Latin, Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Greek,
Mathematics (Algebra, Geometry), Logic, Ethics, and Geography, paying
particular attention to countries, places &c. mentioned in the Bible [The
Fourth Annual Report, The Register, Vol 1,
No 13, July 13, 1842, 2nd page, col 2; Sixth Annual
Report, The Register, Montreal Thur June 6,
1844, v3, No 23, 2nd page, col 2]. Beside the above
branches of literary discipline, each student was required to hand in a Sketch
of a Sermon weekly, and a Discourse
every three weeks, for examination and correction by the Tutor. A course of private
reading was also recommended to each
student, for acquiring the kind of information which seemed most needed, as
well as for sustaining piety. In addition, particularly during the
At a meeting on
In January, 1845, it was announced: "The members of the Canada Baptist Missionary Society, and the denomination at large, will be glad to hear that arrangements are now in progress for the erection of the new college. It will be built on the elevated part of the ground purchased by Messrs Try and Thomson, and most liberally placed by them at the disposal of this Society. The advantageous sales of the lower portion of the ground, effected in November last, have been already reported. The House at present occupied by the students is still unsold, and will be held by the Society till the new building is ready. The college about to be erected will be a handsome building of cut stone, with a frontage of one hundred and twenty feet, and fifty-six in depth. There will be a massive portico in the centre, supported by six pillars, and flanked by pilasters. The situation is admirable, commanding an extensive and beautiful prospect, and the building will unquestionably be a great ornament to the city. The contract for the mason's work has been obtained by Messrs Hutchison and Morrison, who have commenced operations by conveying stone to the ground." [The Register, Montreal, Thursday, January 16, 1845, Vol IV, No 3, p2, col5]
This lot, purchased by John Try and James Thomson, was on
the west side of "The first College was a large two story stone house situated at the angle of Guy and Dorchester Streets. Attached, was a considerable property which formed the campus. Contemporaries considered it ' . . . very far out of the city, among the green fields and farms . . .' Be this as it may, the site was
exceedingly promising. It lay on the crest of the lofty terrace which extends
westward from Beaver Hall Hill. It commanded therefore, all Since this "first College" is described by Cooper as being 2-story, not the 4-story structure that was built in 1845, this first building must have been one of the existing buildings on the site.
On the 17th March, 1845, the Canada Baptist Missionary Society received Royal Assent for the act of Parliament making it a corporation [Montreal Register V.4, No 13, Thur March 27, 1845].
In the rare second edition of Hochelaga Depicta, published by RWS MacKay in 1846, Bosworth includes the architect's drawing showing the front of the building, 
and describes it [pp19-20] : "The first stone of this building, which was designed by J. H. Springle, Esq., architect, was laid on the 7th of May, 1845, by John Try, Esq., (a liberal Contributor towards its erection,) and it will be completed in the month of August, of the present year (1846); it is situated in the Western part of St. Antoine Suburb, on one of the most commanding sites in that vicinity, and will be seen to great advantage from all the South eastern parts of the city. The building is 120 feet long, and 57 feet wide, (exclusive of the portico which projects 13 feet, and is recessed into the building 3 feet 6 inches,) it is 4 stories high, including the basement story. The principal front is finished with Ionic pilasters, 6 of which are insulated and form the portico. The windows and doors of the principal story are finished with pilasters, trusses, and cornices, and all the other windows with plain pilasters. On the principal floor is the College Hall, 52 x 25, and 14 feet 6 inches high, with Library, class rooms, and complete suites of apartments for the Principal of the College. The basement contains the College dining room, 36 x 20, with kitchens, laundries, bath rooms, and every other convenience of the most complete description. The second and third stories contain separate studies, and bed-rooms for 32 students, with additional bed-rooms for visitors. The whole cost of the building, exclusive of the ground, will be £7,000, and will be defrayed by voluntary contribution. This College is erected for the education of young men for the Christian ministry, in the Baptist Denomination, and for general education.
Rev. J. M. Cramp, A. M., President, and Professor of Theology, Ecclesiastical History, and Moral Science. Rev. F. Bosworth, A. M., Professor of Oriental Languages, Classical Literature, and Natural Science."
The laying of the corner stone for the new
The actual opening occurred on Thursday August 20, 1846, with a Soiree held in the college on Friday Augsut 21, 1846, the program being described in the Montreal Register [Montreal Register, Thursday August 20th, 1846, No 34], and the actual proceedings being described in great detail in a long four column article, with picture, in the following issue [Montreal Register, Thursday August 27th, 1846, No 35].
Writing in 1848, Benedict [Benedict, David, 1779-1874, A
general history of the Baptist denomination in "This now flourishing literary establishment grew out of the incipient movements of the B.M. Society, one of whose objects was the promotion of ministerial education. A private dweling of good capacity and in a favorable location was first purchased by the Society, in which the rising seminary was conducted until the college building was prepared, to which it was removed a short time since. This substantial and well-finished edifice is located on an elevated site, and the whole establishment promises much for the future in favor of our Canadian brethren. Rev. J.M. Cramp, M.A., from Rev. F. Bosworth, M.A., is one of the principal professors. . . . . " In his 1850 editon, page 904, David Benedict adds: Rev. Dr Davies was one of the principal managers in
getting up this institution. He was called home to take charge of the In a footnote [Benedict, 1850 edn., p904, footnote 7], he quotes from his journal made probably in the fall of 1845, when the new building was not completed (see footnote 4): "In Montreal I spent a good
portion of my time in the Baptist College, whose internal affairs are managed
mostly by Rev Messrs Cramp, its president, and Bosworth, one of its principal
professors, both natives of England. Their library is probably moreextensive and valuable than that of any baptist institution in And he continues the note, (not quoted from his journal): Large additions I see have since been made to this collecton, mostly from their baptist friends in England, who from the beginning have been the principal donors to this institution from abroad, both in pecuniary and biblical contributions. Albert Henry Newman described the background leading up to
the forming of the “The first anniversary
of the formation of the Canada Baptist Missionary Society was held in
connection with the Ottawa Association at Breadalbane,
"And now,
brethren, do not our missionary and educational operations bear on this? Some
say, yes; our missionary operations do -- not so sure of the educational
department. Yet in conversing with all of you, I find you wish to have a good
minister and a good preacher. Now, dear brethren, I exhort, beseech, and
entreat you, by the love of your country -- your kinsmen -- your denomination
-- your Saviour Christ -- to be steadfast and
unmovable. Meanwhile, to encourage in this work, I hereby offer to take two
young men under my roof at my own expense; and will take two more at your
expense; and do what I can to aid them, in their studies until a tutor
arrive. When he arrives, they will be placed under his charge. I shall, in
that case, should I remain in my present situation, give one-hundred dollars
per annum, as my annual subscription." “The Swiss
missionaries as a result of the rebellion were driven from their field and
required extraordinary assistance, which was cheerfully given them by the
Society and its friends. Slanderous reports were circulated in “During the year 1838
there were great ingatherings in many communities and
from this time onward the denomination enjoyed a rapid growth. Calls for
missionaries came to the Society from all quarters. Mr
Gilmour occupied much of his time, as agent of the Society, in collecting
funds for the permanent establishment of the Swiss Mission. Robert A. Fyfe
was sustained as a student at “Rev Benjamin Davies,
who had just received the degree of Ph.D. from the University of Leipzic, and who, although only twenty-four years of age,
was already an eminent Orientalist and Biblical
scholar and enjoyed the friendship of Tholuck, Gesenius, Roediger and other
leading German scholars, was appointed by the London committee Principal of
the projected College, and arrived in Montreal September 5, 1838. The [Albert Henry Newman, D.D., LL.D. (McMaster University),
Sketch of the Baptists of Ontario and Quebec to 1851, in D.M. Mihell (ed), The Baptist Year Book, 1900, published in
London, Ontario: by The Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, 1901;
pp86-88]. There is a drawing of the new college building by John Henry Walker, titled "Montreal Baptist College", 1850-1885 [McCord Museum, M930.50.8.346]. See Documents\Family History\Canada Baptist College\Pictures
There is a photograph of Marianopolis College, showing the older part of the building which was the Canada Baptist College as it looked 100 years later, in the article: Frances Kirwan, C.N.D, "Marianopolis - City of Mary, the early years - 1908-1945", monograph, number 31 in the Heritage Series, published in Montreal: Congregation of Notre Dame, Dec 1998.
Cramp tried to be neutral within the college on the Communion question. But when in 1847, following the breakaway of 40 members of First Baptist Church, he and Dr Davies formed an Open Communion Church [Theo T Gibson, Robert Alexander Fyfe, his contemporaries and his influence, Welch Publishing, Burlington, Ontario, 1988, p244], it must have become obvious on which side Cramp stood. But Frederick Bosworth continued to defend Cramp against accusations that he encouraged the open-communion viewpoint within the college, see Bosworth’s 1848 letters in the Montreal Register, “The Communion Question in the Baptist College” [Montreal Register, V.7, No 32, Thur, Aug 10, 1848, p2, col 4].
Two years later, in 1849, the college closed.
Armitage described the end as follows: “Rev. Robert A. Fyfe had charge of the Montreal Institution in 1843-44, and was succeeded by the Rev. J. M. Cramp; but in an evil hour a costly edifice was built, and its debts were so heavy that in 1849 it succumbed; the library and property were sold and it was discontinued. While it was in operation it did an excellent work; and many of its students of high character are a blessing to the Churches still; its managers and supporters were liberal and large hearted and its tutors were able men. But its location was 400 miles east of the principal center of Canadian Baptist population, its sympathies and methods were not sufficiently American, it was thought to cherish open communion sentiments, and at that time there was little love amongst the Baptists of Canada West for an educated ministry; all of which causes contributed to its downfall. Since this unhappy failure no further attempt has been made to establish a Baptist institution of learning in Lower Canada.” [Thomas Armitage, A history of the Baptists : traced by their vital principles and practices : from the time of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the year 1889, Chapter 18 “Baptists in British America and Australia”, New York : Bryan, Taylor, 1890]
The building survived until a fire in 1945.
J. I. Cooper wrote his article about Canada Baptist College, after the destruction of the 100 year old building by fire in 1945. It includes an engraving of the architect's drawing taken from Newton Bosworth's book, Hochelaga Depicta [J. I. Cooper, An Old-Time Rival of McGill, Montreal: McGill News, v.27, #1, (Autumn, 1945), pp 7-9, 59]. It is the most detailed description of the history of the college found todate.
He makes an interesting comparison between the Canada Baptist College and the original McGill College, the Faculty of Arts building, which was built five years later. When the Baptist College opened, it had two students, McGill had three. The new Baptist College building built in 1845 was "rather larger than the original Arts Building of McGill." Both contained residence for students and staff, as well as classrooms and a library.
George Campbell wrote an excellent paper on the history of the Canada Baptist College. [George W. Campbell, B.A., B.D., Canada Baptist College, 1838 - 1849, The Generation and Demise of a Pioneering Dream in Canadian Theological Education, Master of Theology thesis, Knox College, May 1974]. In his chapter 6, he discusses the reasons that Higgins gave for the cause of the closing of the college: 1) the college was too far from the centre of Baptist population; 2) an unjust and foolish prejudice, or perhaps fear, prevailed. I refer to the apprehension that the influence of the college, would unsettle the Denomination in the Communion question; 3) the Baptists of Canada were not, in those days, as a body sufficiently enlightened to appreciate and sustain such an institution as was needed; 4) there was not the spirit of enlightened liberality which has been awakened since, nor was there the amount of wealth which now prevails; 5) the Baptist Canadian Missionary Society in London, which had been assisting, withdrew their aid. It had been expected that they would furnish at the last £10,000 towards the building fund. Instead of this they contributed nothing. The plan of the home society was changed, confining its efforts to mission work. A heavy debt rested upon the Montreal college. There was a general depression in business in Canada, as well as in other places, from 1846 to 1850. The burden bearers were reduced in circumstances, and the society, through sheer necessity, failed to meet their liability, and the Montreal college, in the beginning of its usefulness, ceased to be. The building was sold during the business depression at a great sacrifice, to pay the debts, and the Canada Baptist Missionary Society was disbanded.
In his Epilogue (ch.7), Campbell summarizes the reasons for the college's failure: "Apart from the failure of British Baptist to recognize the true missionary needs and opportunities of Canada, the main reason that Canada Baptist College had to close appears to have been that is was too far removed from the main body of its constituency. In part this separation from the constituency involved geographical distance, but more important was the distance in matters of belief and practise. As has been seen those responsible for the operation of the college chose to remain neutral on the "communion question", while most Canadian Baptists at that time were "closed communionists". Inasmuch as "open communion" has come to be almost a universal practice among Canadian Baptists today, it would seem that the leaders of Canada Baptist College attempted to lead in the direction of the future. Nonetheless closed communion was of sufficient importance then to many Canadian Baptists to cause them to withhold support, and some to actively oppose the Canada Baptist Missionary Society."
The economy was in bad shape as early as mid 1848. the Baptist Magazine records: “The commercial embarrassments which have been felt extensively in Canada, have seriously affected the comfort and efficiency of the brethren in Montreal who are seeking to promote the welfare of the colony, and they create difficulties which, if it were not for the crippled state of the Baptist Missionary Society, at the present moment, its committee would doubtless feel it incumbent on them to relieve." [Baptist Magazine, June 1848, p342].
Cooper, in 1945, describes the end of the Canada Baptist College: "In 1849, disaster overtook the Canada Baptist College. A year earlier, it had been observed ominously, ". . . the paucity of candidates for the Christian ministry in this Province . . . at present [there] are only three . . ." In the spring of 1849, the last classes were held; thereafter, the College did not open its doors. Nor was this only a temporary setback. The staff was scattered; the magnificent library, broken up; the building and property, seized by the Sheriff. Ruin so sudden and so absolute warrants a more elaborate examination than may be attempted here. Nevertheless, one or two suggestions may be offered. Financially, the College was caught in the great depression of 1848 and 1849, which bankrupt half Montreal's businessmen, and slashed property values over fifty per cent. At this critical moment, the English friends of the College withdrew their promised support, thus throwing the entire burden on the Montrealers at the very time that they were least able to bear it. Politically, the College probably suffered from the rash enthusiasms of its Principal, Dr. Cramp. Undertaking the editorship of the Pilot, the leading Liberal newspaper, hardly recommended him to ultra-Tory, financial Montreal. Punch in Canada, the Conservative gadfly, made most unpleasant puns on his name. Compared to the great events of 1849, the assaults on the Governor General, the firing of the Parliament House, and the agitation for union with the United States, this was tame enough, yet it may well point to general unpopularity. The Principal even irked some of his co-religionists, one of whom wrote acidly, ". . . Dr. Cramp is not the man who will lead the denomination . . . as a general writer he is weak and as a speaker he is perfectly miserable . . ." And this from a letter which opened "Grace, Mercy and Peace be multiplied to you and all your Friends at Mud Lake." In justice to Dr. Cramp it should be added that his later academic life was uniformly successful, as witness, his brilliant record as President of Acadia University. The real cause of disaster lay deeper than politics or personalities. By many Canadians, the College was regarded as British controlled. Hence, its complete inability to attract students from outside the immediate Montreal area, and then only for a few years. The vigorous clergy and laity of the west ridiculed its academic teaching, and the carefully inhibited views of its English-recruited staff. The "west" a century ago meant Ontario, and there United States influence was strong. Accordingly, the westerners declined to countenance what they regarded as an alien institution. Such controversies were not peculiar to the Baptist Church, nor were they fundamentally theological in origin. Rather were they evidences of the inescapable conflict between British and North American points of view. How did the Canada College affect McGill? In the beginning, John Gilmour, the originator of the College, hoped for co-operation. He may have had in mind some such relationship as exists between the University and the modern affiliated theological colleges. Later, intense rivalry developed."
Theo Gibson, in 1988, writes: "The years of Dr Davies' principalship had not been easy. Armed rebellions had upset both Montreal and Toronto in the winter before his arrival, and the tensions were only starting to disappear when financial recession engulfed the business community. Moreover, the Canada Baptist Missionary Society (sic) [actually the London society was called the Baptist Canadian Missionary Society before its name change late in 1838] founded in England expressly to support the College, shortly found itself solicited by Baptists in many parts of the Empire, all with worthy claims; so it changed its name to the Baptist Colonial Missionary Society on December 6th (a) or 3rd (b), 1838, [Canada Baptist Magazine and Missionary Register, (a) Vol 2, No 9 (Feb 1839), pp211, 222; (b): Vol 2, No 11 (April 1839), p257], and in spreading its funds around was able to send only a small fraction to the College in Montreal. "Even this problem, however,
was small in comparison with two other crippling impediments. The first was
location: three-quarters of the Baptists of Canada were far to the west, most
of them from three hundred to six hundred miles away. It was utterly
impossible for their ministerial students to journey that far for their
education, for transportation was primitive, exhausting and costly. John
Girdwood, in recounting his return home from Perth in 1842, told of having to
catch a stage-coach at four A.M., travel over bone-shaking roads for many
hours, then transfer to a river-boat to reach Montreal, the total journey
occupying about thirty-six hours [The Register, November 10, 1842, I/21/3/1].
Ninety to one hundred hours was the usual time for a stage-coach all the way
from “Secondly, the theological
distance between the Montreal Baptists and most of those in "In a later chapter the soul-searchings of a number of sincere advocates of both
positions will be reviewed, with considerable reference to Fyfe's
involvement. For the moment it is sufficient simply to note that the almost
solid phalanx of Regulars in “The College, down to three theological students, was bankrupt, having lavishly overspent on its new building in unrealistic expectation of funds from overseas. The sheriff stepped in and the building was sold at auction. On July 25th [1849] the Montreal Register suddenly ceased publication, RolIo CampbeII having sustained losses of nearly nine hundred pounds during the preceding five years.” “Between June, 1848, and October,
1849, most supporters had already admitted
that the Canada Baptist Union, the Canada Baptist Missionary Society, [Theo T Gibson, Robert Alexander Fyfe, his contemporaries and his influence, Welch Publishing, Burlington, Ontario, 1988, refs 3-22, 3-23 and pp72, 182, 187]
It is probable that the main causes for the failure of the college were as follows: 1) The 1847 breakaway
of half of the 2) The fact that the leaders of the breakaway, Drs Cramp and Davies (who had just returned to Canada), formed an Open Communion Church in the city [T. T. Gibson] must have outed Dr Cramp as an open-communionist and thus closed all monetary support from the majority of Canadian Baptists who were closed-communionist Regular Baptists in Canada West. 3) Likewise, churches
in closed-communionist Canada West would be
reluctant to send students to a college in 4) The diversion of British funds to other Colonial causes, reduced the support for the college from this quarter. 5) The loss of a means
of communication as a result of the closing of their newsletter/newspaper,
the Montreal Register, on 6) Without a mouthpiece and deep in debt, the CBMS closed down, and without a governing body, the inevitable closing of the College followed.
As for the location, the next attempts at starting a Baptist seminary were in the centre of English speaking Canada, at Woodstock, Toronto, and finally in Hamilton.
After the Canada Baptist Union meeting on
In 1852, the Regular Baptist Missionary Society of Canada,
attempted to fund and build what was intended to be "At the annual meeting of the Society, held in Toronto, October 12th, 1852, a committee on ministerial education, consisting of Messrs Gilmour, Inglis, Pyper, Duncan, Miller, and McCord, made a report, in which they recommended that 'steps be immediately taken to procure an endowment for a Theological Institution;' and that Dr Maclay should be requested to undertake a tour of the churches, with a view to procure subscriptions to such an endowment. The Secretary of the Society was instructed to communicate with Dr. Maclay; and a committee was appointed to carry out the recommendation of the report. "The committee appointed to
carry out the recommendations of the Report on Education, met at [Formation of a Theological Institution by the Baptists of Canada; together with the Correspondence in relation to the same, New York: Holman, Gray & C, 1853, Amicus 7629091, microfiche CC-4, No 63541].
The contemporary view in "There has been no
theological institution in Canada since 1849, when, in connexion
with commercial depression, Baptist folly in the province, aided and abetted
I am sorry to say by the Baptist Home Mission in New York, completed the
overthrow of the (Montreal) college established here by the liberality of
brethren in England. Repeated attempts have since been made by the Regular
brethren in
But the next successfull
theological college would be Fyfe's Canada Literary Institute in
The
COLLEGE 100 YEARS OLD
The fire is also described by Frances Kirwan [Frances Kirwan, C.N.D, Marianopolis - City of Mary, the early years - 1908-1945, (monograph, number 31 in the Heritage Series), Montreal: Congregation of Notre Dame, Dec 1998, p16]:
“On “Although most of the sisters on
the other floors of the building were able to escape, yet tragedy could not
be averted: the greatest sorrow of all was that the ruthless flames took the
life of Mother St. Ignatius, an outstanding educator who had been provincial
superior in the “Sisters and resident students
were warmly welcomed at the house of the Grey Nuns, just across the street;
the sisters were soon picked up by cars and taken to the Congregation Mother
House on
Cooper describes what happened to the old "The
remainder to this curious story may be told briefly. In 1852, the property of
the
Sister Anna Mary Breen [Congregation of Notre Dame, former principal of Marianopolis College, now living at the CND retirement residence in Montreal], who, as a young nun, taught at the Mont Ste Marie location of Marianopolis College before the fire of 1945, remembers the old part of the building that used to be the Baptist College from 1846 to 1849. She said that the entrance to the original building was no longer used, but that staff and students would sit under the portico of the old entrance to read etc.
From a report on the work of the Canada Baptist Missionary Society in 1849, which was the last year the college and the society operated: “Since 1837, as many as 26 young men, who are now stated or occasional preachers of the gospel, have been aided more or less in obtaining education.” [Montreal Register, V.8, No 1, Thur
One of Newton Bosworth's first students was
Robert Fyfe, in the
winter of 1836. But Fyfe was so impoverished that he had to end his lessons
with Bosworth in order to go out and earn a livelihood [Theo T Gibson,
Robert Alexander Fyfe, his contemporaries and his influence, Welch
Publishing,
Mr A.J. Gray was compelled to leave the institution from a disease in his eyes [Baptist Reporter, July, 1846, p318].
The names of 23 of the 26 students who graduated, have been discovered from various sources, and are listed below:
1) Rev W. K. Anderson,
D.D. was a Scotchman who moved to
2) The Rev Frederick
Bosworth, A.M., son of Newton Bosworth, while a student at the
3) Mr
Archibald Campbell, completed his studies in
theology at the college in May, 1848 [Montreal Register, v7,
4) Thomas L. Davidson,
D.D., a Scotchman by birth, came to Thomas L. Davidson attended “Several times during the tour - probably during the earlier weeks, of which no record remains - a young lad had traveled considerable distances to listen to the preachers. Fifteen-year-old Tom Davidson, although lacking nothing in emotional warmth, was not the kind to make a lifetime decision in the exciting atmosphere of the meetings: instead he talked with the missioners afterwards and then went home to weigh up what he had heard. By the time he had decided to ask for baptism McPhail and Fyfe had moved on. Nearly forty years later Dr. Thomas L. Davidson, by then long and widely respected as Secretary of the Baptist Convention, when invited to speak at Fyfe's funeral, looked back gratefully to those encounters: ‘I remember when he [Fyfe] came as a student from Newton about the year 1839, in company with the late Rev. Daniel McPhail, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, through the townships of Drummond and Beckwith and Bathurst in the county of Lanark I remember well the deep impressions that were made. . . ‘ [Christian Helper, “Young Tom Davidson was not
baptized until 1842; and then it was by Fyfe, newly arrived in his first
pastorate. Fyfe encouraged Tom to attend
5) Rev John Dempsey , was an Irishman by birth. He was reared a
Presbyterian, and was bitterly persecuted when he became a Baptist. He was a
graduate of Montreal Baptist College having completed his studies in theology
in May, 1848 [Montreal Register, v7, June 8, 1848], and was pastor of
the old St Andrews Church for 16 years, baptizing over 400 into its
membership. He then went to
6) Mr
John D. Freligh, completed his studies at the
7) Rev Archibald Gillies, was a Scotchman, and was one of the graduates of
the
8) Mr W. Hewson, late of the Baptist
college,
9) Mr Francis N. Jersey, [former student at the
10) Mr Henry Jersey completed his studies in theology at the college
in May, 1848 [Montreal Register, v7,
11) Mr King left the College at Christmas [1843] to preach in the Rear
of Chatham. . [The Register, Montreal Thur
12) Mr William Leech completed his studies in theology at the college
in May, 1848 [Montreal Register, v7,
13) Mr Lorimer completed his studies in 1844, and immediately was engaged in the work of the Ministry. [The Register, Montreal Thur May 30, 1844, v3, No 22, 3rd page, col2; Thur June 6, 1844, v3, No 23, 2nd page, col 2]. In 1845, he went to Kingston, [Montreal Register, Montreal, Thursday, February 13, 1845, Vol IV, No 7, p2, col4, to p3, col1]
14) Mr P. M'Donald was a student at the
college, and was ordained with Frederick
Bosworth on
15) Rev Robert M'Dougall (late of the Canada Baptist College), went to Peterboro', and was married there on 29 Sept, 1842 to Elizabeth Rebecca, daughter of Captain Rodd [The Register, Vol 1, No 19, Wed, October 12, 1842, 3rd page, col 3; Vol 1, No 19, Wed, October 19, 1842 ]
16) Mr John M'Laurin, jun, was a student at the college [Canada Baptist Magazine, Aug 1840; Oct 1840, p102; and v4, No 12 (June 1841), p290]. T.T. Gibson says: "Among the fruitful graduates of the College, most of whose names mean nothing to the reader of a later century, may be found John M'Laurin (as he spelled it), whose namesake a generation later was the illustrious co-founder of the first distinctively Canadian Baptist overseas missionary outreach. The older John, who finished his training in 1841, made many missionary tours in the province and put some of his messages into print, always proud to identify himself as "a former student of Canada Baptist College" [6-28: See "A Discourse on the Love of God to a Ruined World", by John M'Laurin, Late student of the Canada Baptist College; and one of the missionaries of the Canada Baptist Missionary Society of Montreal; Montreal: Rollo Campbell, 1842]." [Gibson, ch6, p72].
17) Rev Allan M'Lean , while a student at the
18) Mr Titus Merriman, one of the students at the Baptist College, Montreal, having completed his studies, a meeting was held at the Baptist Chapel, St Helen Street, on Monday evening last, for the purpose of commending him to the blessing of God, prior to his departure for South Potton, the scene of his future labours. [The Register, Montreal, Vol 1, No 22, Thurs, November 23, 1842, 3rd page, cols 2; Thur May 30, 1844, v3, No 22, 3rd page, col2; Thursday, January 2, 1845, Vol IV, No 1, p2, col5; Thursday, February 13, 1845, Vol IV, No 7, p2, col4, to p3, col1]
19) Mr M'Dougal, [see Fourth Annual Report of the college in The Register, Vol 1, No 13, July 13, 1842].
20) Mr G.B Muir, [Canada Baptist Magazine, Vol 4, No 2 (Aug 1840), p41]
21) Mr Porterfield, [Baptist Reporter, July, 1846, p318]
22) Mr A. Slaght (or Slaught) finished his course of study, and is now settled in spheres of usefulness [Baptist Reporter, July, 1846, p318]. He supplied Rev Jersey's place at Abbott's corner, with Mr M'Lean, on Sunday 23 July, 1843, during their summer vacation [Francis N. Jersey, writing from Stanbridge, July 25, 1843, in The Register, Montreal Thur Aug 3, 1843, v2, No 31, p123, col1]. Slaght being a student at the college is confirmed by Higgins (p101) and by Fitch (p121).
23) Mr Edward Topping, was at the
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