THE most beautiful and romantic spots to be found anywhere in the township of Blanshard are found in the valley of the river Thames. From the bed of the stream, on either side, here and there in its tortuous course, rise precipitous banks to which cling, as of old, some of the ancient forest trees, throwing deep, dark shadows over the rippling water. From the highest elevations which mark its path a beautiful view can be obtained of the pretty town of St. Marys, nestling among what appears at a distance to be a dense mass of foliage. At other points the landscape gradually recedes back from the river until it reaches the height where stretches away in all directions the great plain of which the township is composed. In some places the land is cultivated to the very bed of the stream, and with the numerous farm houses dotted here and there in the valley, presents in the summer a pleasing and beautiful picture. To one of the most picturesque sections on the Thames came, in the fifties, Mr. Forsyth, the subject of this sketch.

Mathew Forsyth, as the name would denote, is a son of the heather, and was born at Greenlaw, in Berwickshire, on January 9th, 1822. His father, who was

MATHEW FORSYTH

a farmer in that part of Scotland, was a typical Scot in so far as the training of his family was concerned. His circumstances were not such as to enable him to give his children an education above what could be obtained in the schools of the place where he resided. Such as their schools could afford he was determined they should obtain. Mr. Forsyth accordingly attended the parish school in Berwick until his sixteenth year. He also had a full share of attention given to his religious training. The great principles laid down in the Confession of Faith and the Shorter Catechism were duly expounded to him in the family circle. His mind, therefore, was early imbued with a reverence for sacred things, and an abiding love for the dogmas peculiar to that faith in which he lived, and for which many of his countrymen have struggled and fought to the death to maintain. He is preeminently a Scotchman in his manner, in his appearance, in his trend of thought, and in his conduct. His industry and thrift have brought him a competence for his old age. His skill and taste in the management of his farm has placed him in the front ranks of Blanshard’s ablest men. We think it is Goldsmith that has said that “one business will generally be found enough for one man to follow,” and we believe the intelligent prosecution of any calling will always bring its reward to the efforts of youth, and a pleasure in the quiet evening hours of old age.

Having completed his education at the parish school, he was indentured as an apprentice to a carpenter for three years for the purpose of acquiring a trade. On his part he carried out his agreement to the letter, and worked the three years without remuneration of any kind, which was the custom in Scotland with young apprentices. His father in the meantime having (lied, he was deprived of his best counsellor and friend. He therefore returned to the farm to assist in its labors and maintain a home for his mother and the family. He resided at home till he reached his twenty-eighth year, when he resolved to push his fortune in Canada.

Leaving home in the spring of 1850, he sailed for New York, and at once came on till he reached Cobourg in Upper Canada. Here he began farming for himself, renting 200 acres. On this farm he laid the foundations of his future success. A combination of circumstances were in his favor. Shortly after coming into possession of his new venture the Russian war broke out in Europe, in which were involved several of the great powers. The great Western States of America and other sections of the continent had not yet been opened up for settlement. Railroads had not been built to cany produce to the seaboard, and provisions rose to great prices. Such a boom had never been seen in Canada, and extraordinary values were realized for the various articles produced on the farm. Wheat was sold for two dollars and twenty-five cents per bushel, and other goods, products of the soil, sold for proportionately high prices. During three years of prosperity many men made fortunes, and many who speculated recklessly were ruined. Amongst the former we find Mr. Forsyth. With the canny, careful management peculiar, it is said, to his countrymen, he was not carried away by the whirl of excitement that pervaded all classes at that period; and at the expiration of his lease he was able to move to the township of Blanshard and purchase one of the best locations in the beautiful valley of the Thames.

In December, 1854, he married Miss Margaret Mason, the daughter of a neighboring farmer. She was a kind and worthy helpmate, and did her duty nobly and well in the care of her household and training of their children. To them were born six of a family—Agnes, (Mrs. Crosbie) of Blanshard; Mary, (Mrs Thomson) of Manitoba; William, in Blanshard; James, on the old homestead; Isabella, (Mrs. Riddell) in Blanshard; and George Edmond, at home. Mr. Forsyth is happy, having his family grown up around him, industrious and thrifty, respectable citizens of our great Dominion.

In a municipality such as the one of which we are writing, blessed with good water and a fruitful soil, it is but natural to suppose that within her borders would be found able men who stand at the very head of the agricultural class. Many of these men are broad and liberal in their views regarding the management of their estates, and spare neither time nor money in carrying out the most advanced ideas in the prosecution of their calling. When this is the case it will generally be found to be followed by the best rewards. The farmer who is miserly in his dealings will be, as a rule, miserly in the treatment of his farm. The farm in almost every case becomes like its owner, and will give back its returns in a stunted and half-hearted way. Kind treatment is the great sesame which will unlock the hearts and the stores of the universe, and will find an everflowing response in the inanimate acres manipulated by the tiller of the soil. Indeed the farm may always be relied upon to respond to the kind attention of its owner. Gratitude in men is an unknown quantity, and, it is said, is a feeling engendered in the heart for favors yet to be received, and not for those which may already have been given. Gratitude in the old farm is not an unknown quantity. To the care and attention of its owner it will always respond. As sure as the spring will come, and the fields in the old place have adorned themselves with the garments of summer, so sure will the old farm repay, with full barns, the care and kind treatment which has been extended to her in times that have gone by. Unfortunately, with many a short-sighted agriculturist, this great truth is disregarded. He draws on the bank until the funds are exhausted, leaves the business and his independent mode of life, and too often lowers his position by becoming a hireling of hirelings in the neighboring town.

In the course of our daily lives we meet many men who appear to spend a great portion of their time condemning the business of farming as unprofitable and unfitted for such exalted intellects as they feel heaven has bestowed on them. Such men have always been unfortunate in having very poor land that, in spite of their best efforts, would produce nothing. Sometimes, too, dark hints are thrown out that some ancestor, an old pioneer, did not know anything or he would not have settled in such a wretched spot. If we enquire into the character of such men we will generally find they are of that numerous class that expect to reap where they have not sowed, and gather where they have not planted. The dear old farm is always truthful. She is always responsive to the affection of her master, and will often give lavish returns in spite of the most harsh and cruel treatment. The subject of our sketch is one of those men who understand their business well. He does not belong to the class that expect to reap where they have not sowed, nor gather where they have not planted. He does not complain about the toil and the hard lot of the tiller of the soil. He does not find his returns altogether inadequate to recompense him for his ingenuity and labor. He does not complain about the old place being “played out.” He is the very opposite of all that. Knowing his business well, and doing it, he has made farming a success. The old place under his treatment is more productive, and his affection for this little corner of mother earth is reciprocated by full barns and ample stores of her choicest gifts. We know of no farm kept in better condition than Mr. Forsyth’s. Everything is clean. Weeds are not allowed to exhaust the soil of its fertile qualities. The fences are well kept and the barns will repay a visit from anyone who has any concern at all about the farming interests. There is a place for everything on the farm, and everything will be found in its place. In the byres, in the stables, in the pens, the various animals seem happy, sleek, and fat. Cleanliness is the order of the day in every department, and so everything is healthy and thrifty looking. Mr. Forsyth may be said to be the first pioneer who gave his attention to the improvement of stock in the township of Blanshard. Mr. William Laing, of Downie, and Mr. Hugh Thompson, of Nissouri, had already good herds. With characteristic forethought and enterprise he embarked in the same line in the township of Blanshard. The course he had marked out for himself then he has adhered to ever since. He appears always to act on the principle that whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. The operations of Mr. Laing, Mr. Thompson, and himself have been of great advantage to the several sections where they resided in the improvement of their stock. It is true that many others of the farmers in this municipality have carried on the work so well begun. Mr. John Hooper, Mr. David Creighton, Mr. McCullough, have all in later years contributed much to the progress, and enhanced the profits on the farm by their enterprise and skill in this direction.

Mr. Forsyth also took an active part in establishing the agricultural show in South Perth. Of this institution, in the early days, he was president, and for many years a director. Though possessed of the qualities that lead to success as a public man, he has steadily refused to take a prominent position in the management of public affairs. He has been more than once solicited to take office in the township, but always declined. He preferred to give his support in those matters to men whom he thought better qualified to act in that capacity than himself. As might be expected from his early training, he took an active part in the management of the affairs of the church to which he belonged. He contributed to the erection of the old Presbyterian Church that stood east of the Mitchell road, in the 10th concession of Blanshard, and of which he was a trustee. After the division of that congregation between Granton and Nissouri stations, he became a member of the Nissouri congregation. In this church he is also a trustee. With the strong predilections of many of his countrymen, he has an abiding faith in the doctrine of Presbyterianism, and is a consistent worker in the Reform party. From the nature of his disposition he does not put himself forward prominently in either, but his convictions are as fixed and immovable as the hills of his native country. In 1885 he met the greatest misfortune of his life, in the loss of her who had been his companion for over thirty years. Mr. Forsyth is a person of most kindly disposition. He is most honorable in his dealing with his fellowmen, and one of whom it may be said, his word is as good as his bond. In closing this brief sketch we desire to say that if any of our readers in the course of their peregrinations chance to wander into the beautiful valley of the Thames, in its course through Blanshard, they will find a kindly welcome and abundance of good entertainment under the hospitable roof of the “Auld Laird” of Greenside.