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Our thanks to Norman A.
Rattray, a relation of Mr W. J. Rattray, for sending in this
information.
The
Toronto Mail, Friday, September 28, 1883
Death of Mr W.J. Rattray
We have this morning to announce, with a
regret which words are weak to express, the death of Mr. W. J. Rattray,
the author of "The Scot in British North America", and one of
the most valued members of THE MAIL staff. Mr. Rattray's health has been
for some years weak, but with care he has been able to do very brilliant
work, on his book and in these columns. Within a few weeks, however, his
system rapidly gave way, and after a week of prostration he died on
Wednesday night at half-past ten.
We have very little hesitation in saying
that Mr. Rattray possessed, if not the best, one of the best equipped
minds in this country. The brilliancy of his scholarship was familiar to
a generation of men and scholars now arrived at middle age. His
University career was unusually brilliant. He entered Toronto University
in the same year as the late Chief Justice Moss, in, we think, 1854 or
thereabouts. Between these two they divided all the prizes and
fellowships of their year. The University lists show that in the earlier
years of his course Mr. Rattray devoted himself chiefly to classics,
English history, and logic, and that subsequently he took up metaphysics
and ethics and natural science, obtaining on graduation the gold medal
in Mental Science. He was Prize Speaker and President of the Literary
Society, which has always contained the most brilliant young men of
their time, and the old members for years took pleasure in reading his
brilliant essays and hearing his logical speeches.
As a student, we are informed by those who
knew him well, he was remarkable not only for the breadth of his
knowledge but its depth. His insight into metaphysical questions was
extraordinary. Indeed in that department he may be said to have been
largely self-taught. Like all men or original minds, he early had his
own system of philosophy, from which he was not compelled to depart
much, if at all, in after-years, himself in accord with the soundest
thinkers on the subject. He was to the last interested in the fortunes
of the University, and ready at all times to devote his talents to its
service. Mr Rattray's book, "The
Scot in British North America," is a mine of valuable historical and
genealogical knowledge, presented in a style equalled by no other
Canadian writer in that field. It should be a monument to his memory
which Scotsmen should enthusiastically hold in esteem. His work on the
Canadian Monthly, in its early days, was well-known. The Current
Events were very finished and scholarly criticisms and invariably
attracted wide interest. His work on The Mail, has been for some years a
daily task, which was also a daily pleasure to him. The range of his
contributions was extensive. His knowledge of history and foreign
politics was unsurpassed, and he applied truly conservative intellect to
every question he discussed. His conservatism was not an affair of
current politics, but of history, philosophy, and logic, in which all
things make for conservatism in thought and principle. There was never,
or seldom, any doubt as to how Mr. Rattray would look at any given
question. He was quite certain to apply an orthodox faith and logical
conservative opinion to any subject of discussion; and all that was
required by him was the mention of the topic, the treatment of it could
be predicted beforehand with almost unerring certainty. His mind had the
quality of certitude in a high degree; but his modesty never allowed
that facility to become overbearing. As a general rule there was no
reply possible to those articles in which Mr. Rattray grappled with the
facts, say of the Boundary question or the Streams Bill. His treatment
of such topics was overwhelmingly strong. The feebleness of his body
never once interfered with the vigorous grasp of his mind on certain
premises and logical conclusions.
We need not say with what extraordinary measure of favour his articles
(which appeared in The Mail every Saturday), in assault of the
agnosticism of the day were received by all the intelligent and
thoughtful people in the country. There was probably no other man in
Canada so fully equipped for such a warfare, no other that we know of
who could have continued for so long a time to pour forth such a series
of brilliant, thoughtful papers on questions of so such moment to the
religious mind of this country. The clergy of the country, of this
province in particular, were to a man the friends of the writer of those
articles. For our own
part we find language weak to express the sense of the loss sustained in
the death of Mr. Rattray. The regularity with which his work was done
was a source of constant wonder. The reluctance he always exhibited to
being allowed freedom from work; the industry with which he signalized
his return from his yearly vacation; his modesty, his wit, his
cheerfulness and his high sense of honour were qualities which endeared
him to us all. It was at his return from his summer vacation that the
death of Mr. Elder, of St. John, was announced. He wrote at once asking
to have the topic of that very sad occurrence reserved for his
treatment. He had but a few days before parted company with Mr. Elder at
St. John, and the New Brunswick Liberal had been, as was his kindly
wont, most cordial to his Conservative confrere from Ontario. Mr
Rattray's tribute to Mr. Elder was, as some of our readers may remember,
a very touching and eloquent one.
He said, among other things: "The writer
bade him farewell only a fortnight since, and can understand, in part,
the bitterness of more intimate sorrow. Singularly enough our
conversation turned upon sudden death. The subject was suggested by
the drowning of young Mr. Burpee, for whom the flags of St. John and its
harbour were at half-mast. No shadow of the future had cast its
premonitory gloom over Mr. Elder. It is not unnatural, therefore, that
the unprosaged tidings of his death should strike one who grasped his
hand so lately in the apparent possession of health, and certainly in
the full tide of honest courtesy to a brother journalist, albeit a
Conservative, and professionally, therefore, an opponent."
Now both are gone; Mr. Elder dying suddenly
in his home, Mr. Rattray sinking with alarming swiftness into the valley
of the shadow, lingering for a day or two in unconsciousness, unbroken
to the end. The last article from his pen published in these columns was
the weekly religious article published last Saturday-week, September
15th, on "Christian Union," an article which drew from the venerable
Bishop of Niagara a testimony to its merits which the author was not
destined to acknowledge in any way. The previous article had been on the
general question of Christianity vs. Comtism, and these were the closing
sentances: "The
morality of Comtism is inherited from Christianity, and without it would
never have been. Its immortality, as we have seen, is a cruel mockery.
Beside it let us place the consoling words of the Saviour, 'I am the
resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live.' This is the real apex of time, not immortality
through eternal death and the faith which proclaims it is the true
religion of humanity."
In that belief he who had preached it so
often from the week day pulpit died. After the writing of the article on
"Christian Union" on Friday night, September 14th, Mr Rattray began
swiftly to decline. A brief hope was entertained that a rest would
restore him. But the arrow had reached him, and he was stricken to
death. His weakness became unconsciousness and after lingering two days
he died on Wednesday night. He carries away with him a rare fund of
scholarship and ability. He leaves behind him a name unstained by a
dishonourable act or an untruthful word. |
