USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > An historical catalogue of the St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia, with biographical sketches of deceased members > Part 14
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Mr. Wallace won such recognition from the people of Crawford County that they sent him as their representative to successive Legislatures, although differing from him in political sentiment.
Like his father, Mr. Wallace was an earnest churchman. He was confirmed in St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, by the Right Rev. Bishop White. From 1814 to 1819 he had been a vestryman of Christ Church, Philadelphia. On re- moving to Meadville he was mainly responsible for the estab- lishing there a parish bearing the name of Christ Church, of which he was also a vestryman.
On April 20, 1805, Mr. Wallace married Miss Susan Binney, daughter of Dr. Barnabas Binney, a surgeon of the Revolutionary Army and one of Philadelphia's most eminent physicians.
* Replacing article on page 319, vol. i, "Historical Catalogue The St. Andrew's Society."
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This lady was born February 22, 1778, and was as re- markable a character as her husband. She died on July 8, 1849, and both she and her husband were buried in St. Peter's churchyard, Philadelphia. On her husband's tomb is in- scribed a lengthy eulogy, closing with the words-
In his home he was ever the centre and safe-guard of happiness ; Of commanding stature and elevated mien, Manners gracious and refined. His death was as favored as his life Without pain or sickness. In the calm of peaceful slumber and in the silence of the night, His Spirit was taken to the Paradise of the Just.
JOSHUA MADDOX WALLACE,* member 1804. The elder of two sons of John Wallace, above noted as a founder of the Society, and Mary, his wife. He was born in Philadel- phia, October 4, 1752, and died at Burlington, N. J., May 17, 1819.
He received his primary education at Newark, Dela- ware, and was graduated from the College of Philadelphia, the progenitor of the University of Pennsylvania, in 1767. After graduating he served in the college for a time as tutor, and in 1770 the degree of M.A. was conferred upon him by the College of New Jersey ( Princeton). In the College of Philadelphia he had the benefit of the instructions of the Rev. William Smith, D.D., later President of The St. Andrew's Society.
Mr. Wallace then entered the counting-house of Archi- bald McCall (member 1751), a leading merchant of Phila- delphia, and like himself the son of a native of Scotland.
He remained a resident of Philadelphia until its occu- pation by the British, when he withdrew to Somerset County, New Jersey, where his father still owned property, and here on the Raritan he established a beautiful home, named " Ellerslie," after the early seat of the Wallaces in Scotland, where he resided a number of years. After the close of the
* Replacing sketch, page 350, vol. i, " Historical Catalogue, 1907."
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Died December 4, 1911
Member 1882
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PROFESSOR SHIPPEN WALLACE
Biographies of Deceased Members
Vernon Cemetery. His father, Samuel, and his mother, Lizzie Stuart Wilkie, were both of Scottish birth and train- ing. Mr. Wilkie was educated in Edinburgh, taught school in that city for a while, and came to the United States when eighteen years of age, and after locating in Philadelphia served several years' apprenticeship at cork cutting.
In 1863 he started in the cork manufacturing business for himself, in Philadelphia, and some years later added the carbonic acid gas business to his other activities, and in 1908 erected a factory, since enlarged, which is one of the largest plants of that class in this country.
He was married, June 30, 1870, to Anna Henrietta Kauf- mann, and they had issue seven children.
He was a member of Caledonian Lodge No. 700 I. O. O. F., Washington Lodge No. 59 F. & A. M., Harmony R. A. Chapter No. 52, Philadelphia Commandery No. 2, Caledonian Club, and the Scots' Thistle Society.
Mr. Wilkie was a member of the North Presbyterian Church, and was highly respected and loved by all who knew him.
CAPTAIN JAMES YOUNG, member 1752, Vice-president, 1762. He died in Philadelphia, January 28, 1779, in his fiftieth year, and was buried in the Graeme lot in Christ Church-yard. The Supreme Executive Council of Pennsyl- vania was included in the invitation to the funeral.
It would appear, from the crest used by Captain Young, that he was of the family of Young of Auldbar, Scotland. The date and place of his birth have not been ascertained.
In June, 1756, he was appointed Commissary-General of the Musters of Pennsylvania, and throughout the cam- paigns against the French and Indians of that period he served as paymaster of the troops. The Pennsylvania Archives contain repeated references to Captain Young's activities in the inspection of forts, etc., in the discharge of his military duties.
In 1767 he was commissioned a justice of Philadelphia
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County. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War Captain Young embraced the cause of the Colonies, and in 1776 was appointed captain and afterward Wagon-Master of Pennsylvania, this position having been assigned to him doubtless by reason of his previous experience in the Brad- dock campaign.
He married Mary Jane, a daughter of Dr. Thomas Graeme, a founder and the first President of The St. An- drew's Society. Their oldest son, named after Dr. Graeme, died in infancy, and a daughter, Ann, born November 5, 1756, married William Smith, M.D. (member 1789), pre- viously referred to.
Another son, John, was born in Philadelphia, November 6, 1757, of whom Dr. Rush said, " In literary attainments he had few equals." He refused to follow his father in siding with the Colonies, and in January, 1776, though then less than twenty years of age, with a companion went over to New York and thence to Boston, where he was arrested by the Committee of Safety and sent home under guard. In 1780 he purchased a lieutenancy in the 42nd Foot, in the British service, and died in London, England, April 25, 1794.
[Keith's Prov. Councillors, vol. vii, Pennsylvania Archives.]
HUGH CRAIG, JUNIOR, Life member 1871. Mr. Craig was taken ill while on his accustomed walk from his home to the Armory of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, and died two days later, November 6, 1913. He had been long and actively connected with this troop, and at the time of his decease was Quartermaster and Treasurer. He was buried at Laurel Hill, the First City Troop attending in a body.
As a boy he attended the classical school in Philadelphia of the Rev. Dr. John W. Fairies, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1869.
The portrait of Lieutenant Craig, here given, is from a full-length oil painting in the Armory.
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Photograph by Haessler, Philadelphia
LIEUTENANT HUGH CRAIG, JR. Life member 1871 Died in Philadelphia, November 6, 1913
JAMES MACALISTER, M.A., LL.D. Member 1883 Died December 11, 1913
Biographies of Deceased Members
JAMES FAIRMAN CAMPBELL, member 1900. Born in Davenport, Iowa, May 27, 1872; died in Philadelphia No- vember 26, 1913, after a few days' illness. He was de- scended from the Campbells of Argyleshire. He was a son of James Daniels Campbell, member 1897, and Ada Kather- ine Campbell, both born in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Campbell was highly educated. After attending the Gramercy Park School in New York, he entered the Brook- lyn Polytechnic for special studies, then the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Lehigh University, and in 1895 was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and received the degree of LL.B.
After graduation he practised law in Philadelphia and appeared before the several courts of the State and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Mr. Campbell took an active interest in politics and was for several terms President of the Forty-second Ward Re- publican Club.
He married, on June 28, 1902, Miss Bertie M. Plunkett, of Toronto, Canada, who with a daughter and son survive him.
He was a member of the Sigma Phi Fraternity of New York, University and Manufacturers' Clubs of Philadel- phia, St. Nicholas Club of New York, and the Huntingdon Valley Golf Club. He was connected with the Episcopal Church.
JAMES MACALISTER, M.A., LL.D., member originally 1883, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, April 26, 1840, the son of John MacAlister, of Glasgow, and his wife, Agnes Robertson, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland, both in di- rect descent from the MacAlister and the Robertson clans.
His elementary education was received in his native city. When a small boy he came to this country and a little later entered Brown University. While failing health retarded his educational work, he was graduated from the institution
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at the age of 16. Subsequently the university conferred on him the degree of LL.D.
The MacAlister family moved to Milwaukee. The young man began teaching in that city, but abandoned his work for four years and was graduated from the Albany Law School. Educational work appealed to him and it was not long before he made it his vocation. He was elected superintendent of schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1874, a position he held until 1881. He was a member of the Board of Regents of State Normal Schools in Wiscon- sin, 1878-83. In 1883 he became the first superintendent of schools of Philadelphia and introduced many reforms in the system, notably in the kindergartens and in co-ordination of teaching.
He resigned this position in 1891 to become President of the Drexel Institute, founded by the late Anthony J. Drexel, and the success of that Institute has been attributed largely to his wise judgment.
Johns Hopkins elected Doctor MacAlister a lecturer in 1893. He lectured at several colleges also and served as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania 1885-1897. He was one of the fathers of the Contemporary Club and its first President. He was a member of the Fairmount Park Art Association, the French Academy, the American Philo- sophical Society, the Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity, University Club and the City Club, Philadelphia, and many educational organizations.
As a writer on educational subjects Doctor MacAlister was well known. Among his leading books were, " Manual of Primary Education," 1884, "Manual Training in the Public Schools of Philadelphia." 1890, " Art Education in Public Schools," 1893, and "Manual of Instruction in United States History and Civil Government," 1887.
Doctor MacAlister married Miss Lucretia Brayton, of Atzalan, Wisconsin. She died several years ago. He is survived by four daughters, the Misses Mary Tweedie, Janet Bennie, Agnes Helen, and Julia Clyde MacAlister.
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In June, 1913, Doctor MacAlister, because of failing health, resigned as President of the Drexel Institute to take a well-earned rest. He was on a voyage to Bermuda, ac- companied by two daughters, and his death occurred on the vessel on Thursday, December II. Doctor MacAlister was a genial, cultivated and useful citizen. He had trained hundreds of pupils to high ideals and it has been well said, " These are his monument, and these his legacy to Phila- delphia."
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOURTH ANNIVERSARY
BY reason of St. Andrew's Day, November 30th, occur- ring this year on Sunday, the One Hundred and Sixty- fourth Anniversary of The St. Andrew's Society of Phila- delphia was held on Monday evening, December Ist, at the Bellevue-Stratford. One hundred and seventy-six members and guests participated.
At the opening of the dinner, after grace was said by the Chaplain, Rev. James H. Lamb, D.D., the retiring Presi- dent, Mr. John Gordon Gray, in a few appreciative words introduced as his successor Alexander C. Fergusson, Junior, who feelingly returned his thanks to The St. Andrew's Society for the honor conferred upon him in an election to an office which had been filled during the long career of the Society by so many able and prominent men. After the usual set toasts, Mr. Fergusson said it would be presumptuous in him to attempt to introduce one who was known all over the world, one honored for marvellous deeds of daring in the interest of science, and he would therefore simply name as the first speaker, Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary, U. S. Navy.
The mention of the name of Admiral Peary brought all the members to their feet, and led by members of the Orpheus Club all joined in singing " The Red, White and Blue."
The Admiral on opening his address gave high praise to the hardy mariners of Scotland for their part in the conquest of northern sea lanes. For 275 years Great Britain held the record for farthest north; the honor belonged largely to the Scotch whaling ships and their hardy crews. The Admiral paid a tribute warm and tender to the memory of Captain
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Scott, who sacrificed his life in the quest of the South Pole. This brave officer was a Scot. He cited a number of inter- esting facts in the differences of conditions between the North and the South Pole. The North Pole, he said, was above an ocean two miles deep, whereas the pole at the South was two miles above sea-level on a continent surrounded by water. Many animals were found within 500 miles of the North Pole, yet no such life existed within 2300 miles of the other end of the earth. The ice at the North Pole, continued the speaker, breaks up every year, often leaving open lanes that continue in the coldest weather, while the movement of the great ice floes makes it impossible to store food in caches. In Antarctic regions food depots can be placed upon immovable spots, to be found long thereafter.
The discovery of the poles and the construction of a waterway across the Isthmus, Admiral Peary said, had been the dream of scientists and explorers for 400 years. Yet in the conquest of the frozen zones no enginery of man was available on the last lap, the labor being performed by human beings and Eskimo dogs. In the battle in the north- ern seas many ships had been lost and hundreds of men had been sacrificed; whereas in the southern quest only one ship and a dozen men had gone down to death before finding the object of their search.
The address of Admiral Peary was listened to with the closest attention and he was greeted with hearty cheers at its close.
President Fergusson then notified Admiral Peary that he had been unanimously elected an Honorary member of The St. Andrew's Society and he presented him with a gold emblem, the insignia of the Society.
The' Rev. Clarence E. Macartney, of Newark, N. J., speaking to the toast, " Scotland," told of the accomplish- ment of the men of that race. He said that he made no dis- tinction between the Scot and Scotch-Irish, adding, " for the Scotchman went to Ireland centuries ago and has all that the Scot has and-sometimes more.
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" Henry Clay, Hamilton, Calhoun, Jefferson Davis, James G. Blaine, were some of the statesmen of Scotch in- heritance.
" Princes of finance, such as Stewart, John I. Blair, Car- negie, and Rockefeller, are Scotchmen."
In replying to the toast, "Scotch Characteristics," the Rev. Alexander MacColl, pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, told of the strong traits of the Scots and the severity and strength of their religion. He denounced the author of " When Bunty Pulls the Strings " for making the elder in that play a hypocrite. "The Scottish elder is not a hypo- crite, as every one here knows," he said.
Doctor MacColl regretted that the same author had seen fit to place a scene in his latest play depicting the family prayer. He said that, while the scene was not at all intended to be humorous, it produced laughter from some who saw the play.
Hon. Henry Houck, Secretary of Internal Affairs, spoke on "The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." He paid a tribute to its schools and history, and then regaled the diners with one joke after another. Most of them were about school teachers, as he had spent the greater part of his life as scholar and teacher and deputy superintendent of schools.
While all the addresses were of a high character and were heartily received and responded to by auditors the sensation of the evening occurred when the President called upon one who was not on the printed programme, Mr. John Gribbel, Vice-President of the Public Ledger Company, and of the Curtis Publishing Company.
Mr. Gribbel called attention to the fact that before Robert Burns left Ellisland for Dumfries he had prepared a manuscript volume containing his selected poems finished as he wanted them known to posterity, and another volume containing his manuscript letters, and these he had presented to his very dear friend Laird Riddell, of Glen Riddle.
Through a number of changes these two volumes passed
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into the keeping of the Liverpool Athenaeum, where they re- mained for sixty years.
Mr. Gribbel continued: "During the summer just passed the English reading world was shocked to read in the public press that the authorities of the Liverpool Athe- naeum had sold for money these priceless trusted treasures. Another inheritance sold for a mess of pottage. Another Esau confessing his unfitness for nobility and honor. Hur- ried efforts were made to stop the transfer of the volumes, but the delivery had been made and in the excitement they disappeared with the unknown buyer unhindered.
" Two weeks ago I was astonished beyond measure by having a dealer come to Philadelphia and submit to me for sale the missing manuscripts. Having an aversion to the possession of property of a certain class, I refused to con- sider them as any possible possession of my own, priceless, though they are; but, gentlemen, here they are, sold as mer- chandise in the market place and in my possession, but with a purpose which I am sure you will approve. These manu- scripts, after the death of Burns, were the property of ' Bonnie Jean.' She only lent them to Doctor Currie and those who came after him had no stronger title to them. To whom then do they now belong by right, but to Scotland, whose chief possession now is the glory of her immortal son? Let common justice control.
" Members of the Society of Saint Andrew, here for 15 years and more, by the grace of your generous hospitality have I, who have no drop of Scotch blood in my veins- which I regret-sat at your board, privileged to join in your annual hallowing of the memory of Burns: he who in all British literature is the only one to be ranked with Shakes- peare, the one in any and all literature loved above all other. I loved Burns before I was honored in knowing you, but here at this annual fountain I have drunk inspiration until love of Burns has become enthusiasm.
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" Very largely influenced by my association with you these precious writings go to Scotland to stay therein forever protected by a deed of trust as a gift to the people who gave to the world Robert Burns."
Mr. Gribbel further stated that he had communicated with Lord Roseberry as to the best means for the proper disposition of these precious books to insure their preserva- tion.
At the conclusion of Mr. Gribbel's address, the audience rose as one man and testified their appreciation of his kindly, gracious action by hearty cheers.
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