Cape Breton's Magazine

Children, Children, Look to Yourselves; for the World is Mad Letters of Rev. Norman McLeod, 1835-51 st Ann's Cape Breton 31st Deer 1835 Dear Friends Your letter dated 1st Septr. came to hand in due course. It would be ungrateful in me not to feel sincerely glad for the account you gave of the state of our kind friends in that quarter....There is no particular change among us, but that two of our Set? tlers have lately gone to see Canada, in hopes of meeting some encouragement for settling in that country. The individuals are Norman McDonald & Alexr. Munro both sons-in-law to Duncan Munro Caraboo. This settlement would indeed be better of want? ing these men with their families, & a few other persons that will be apt to accora- pany them, in case they may find places elsewhere any way suitable to their wishes. You know that McDonald has been for many years dissatisfied, on religious accounts, and for a long time promised himself to gain a strong party to strengthen his fool? ish pretensions; but by degrees failing of success, and more desparately of late, he thought proper at last to abandon this quarter. As to Munro his discontent ori? ginated & ripened mainly frora dire misun? derstanding arising and existing between hiis family & some of his nearest relations around him; especially for dexterous deceit & falsehood in his children, supported by their mother, & neither acknowledged nor corrected by him, till he tired the pa? tience of his dearest neighbours and best friends, so that his own very brothers, who peirhaps have been too indulgent & patient to him, were notwithstanding obliged to en? gage another Schoolmaster, even a mere new emigrant, in his stead, before he left this plkce. We were since a long time desirous to be rid of such malcontents as these in question, whenever it would fall out in the course of providence. Other friendly people arie glad to purchase their Lots, & settle in their places. Dond Fraser from vfest Branch bought McDonald's land which you know is opposite the point of mine. Little do they conceive what mercies & privileges they exchange for wild Canada, where, ac? cording to a late calculation, there are ten Romanists to every Protestant, and the latter too frequently also of indifferent characters and various persuations, besides many other exceptions, were there no fata? lity or demerit in sin but what is incurred thro the influence thereof, even in this life it would be indeed alarming to any en? lightened mind. St. Ann's C.B. 15th June, 1839 I do not see reason to trouble you or my? self in detailing secular concerns of no great importance, especially since the bear? er can inform you of any such matters. And what shall I say of religious subjects, since the times are so fearfully dark & deadl And if your souls felt the dangers of such dreadful signs as are now visible in the religious world, it would be like? ly to make you break silence in some man? ner or other; especially, as your quarter of the Country seems to be in as deplor? able a condition on that ground, as any part around. It is likely you are, at best, but weakly affected for the Lord's manifest and fearful withdrawings of his spiritual communications from communities & indivi- du's. This judgement, my friends, is the most direful & dangerous in the world; and yet generally the least lamented among al? most all mankind; and particularly those more deeply under its destructive power. A degree of mere morality, or formal devo? tion will not exempt Societies, or parti? cular members from this fatal frown of Hea? ven. 0, ray correspondents, what can I write on this most solemn & interesting themeI The Sovereign Lord & Governor of the Uni? verse has left men under the power of de? lusive opinions, & deadly sleep on this CONTINUED PAGE 23