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The Blind Boy who Became Poet, Preacher and Author · Stories of Grit

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  Chapter one of Stories of Grit. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
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  recording are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Stephie Stories of Grit by Archer Wallace.
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  The blind boy who became poet, preacher and author, George Madison was born
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  in Glasgow, Scotland, on March twenty seven, eighteen forty two. When
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  he was only eighteen months old, his mother made the melancholy discovery that his
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  eyesight was defective. He had inflammation at the back of the eyes. Several
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  specialists were consulted, but little hope was held out to the boy's parents.
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  The failure of his eyesight was gradual. For several years he could see fairly
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  well. During the greater part of his school life, he could read and
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  write by using powerful eyeglasses and large type. He was permitted to sit near
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  the window so that he might get the full benefit of the sunlight. In
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  spite of the serious difficulties which faced him during those years, George Mattison took
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  high standing in his class. He managed to learn French, German, Latin
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  and Greek, and in some subjects he led his class. He was ever
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  hoping that his eyesight would improve. It was the custom of his family to
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  spend most of their summer holidays at one of the seaside resorts on the Furt
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  of Clyde, and George took great delight in watching the steamboats as they plied
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  up and down the river. It was there that he spent many anxious hours
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  testing his own sight. He would stand on the pier and watch the boats
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  in the distance. He would try to make out how many funnels each had,
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  and as they drew nearer, what their names were. At times he
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  thought that his eyes were improving, but at last he had to admit to
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  himself that they were gradually getting worse. For the greater part of his life
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  he was largely dependent upon other people. His lessons at college were read to
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  him, and thanks to a marvelous memory, he learned with amazing toroughness.
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  He had a wonderfully cheerful disposition. To become blind when so young would have
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  been sufficient to crush all brightness out of most lives, but not so with
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  George Matheson. He rose above his terrible calamity and showed himself a real hero
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  when only eleven he was admitted to the Glasgow Academy. He took his place
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  alongside other pupils, studied the same subjects and sat for the same examinations.
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  When it came to marking his exams paper, no favors whatever were granted to
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  him, and yet his four years at the Academy were years of unbroken distinction.
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  In his first year he gained the prize for History and Religious Knowledge.
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  In his second year he gained prizes in Latin History, geography and English composition.
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  In his third and fourth years he won nearly all the special prizes and
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  finished with a wonderfully high record. He matriculated for Glasgow University in eighteen fifty
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  seven when he was only fifteen. During his term there, his eyesight became
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  gradually worse, until by that time he was eighteen, he was practically blind.
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  When this terrible handicap is taken into consideration, George Matheson's record at the
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  university stands as a wonderful example of perseverance and pluck. In all his classes
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  he stood high, and especially shown in debates and oratorical contests. He received
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  his BA degree in eighteen sixty one with honorable distinction in philosophy and his may
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  degree. One year later, in eighteen sixty two, he entered Divinity Hall
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  to study for the ministry For four years. He gave himself to the most
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  careful preparation for that calling, and in eighteen sixty six, after nine years
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  spent in Glasgow University, he was licensed to preach. In January eighteen six,
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  George Mathison became the assistant minister at Saint Bernard's Parish in Glasgow. He
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  preached regularly to large congregations and prepared his sermons with much care. When he
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  stood up to preach, people forgot all about his blindness. He committed the
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  whole service to memory, hymns, lessons and sermons, and such was his
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  splendid memory that he never seemed at loss for anything to say. After a
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  year at Saint Bernard's he was appointed minister of the Inellant Church, where he
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  remained for several years and preached and ministered to a very large congregation. In
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  Ellen, because of its beautiful situation and bracing hair, had become a favorite
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  summer resort, and to these attractions was added George Madison's fame as a preacher.
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  People came from far and near to hear him, and none ever went
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  away disappointed. What a picture it is to think of that blind man standing
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  there in his pulpit, instructing and comforting people who had perfect eyes, sight,
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  and seemed more favored than any. Yet in all his sermons and in
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  his conversation there was cheerfulness and gratitude to God. No one ever heard him
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  murmur or complain. And when he stood up and offered prayer or read the
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  Psalms in his clear, ringing voice, everyone realized that his whole heart was
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  in the service. He became known as Matthieson of Inellan, and many people
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  went there summer after summer in order to hear him preach. In eighteen eighty
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  six, George Mathieson was called to Saint Bernard's Church, Edinburgh. In May
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  of that year. He began his work as minister to that congregation and remained
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  for thirteen years. It was a very large congregation. There were nearly fifteen
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  hundred members, in addition to hundreds of others who were simply attendants. Doctor
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  Mattison resolved that he would not only preach to his people, but would visit
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  them in their homes. His sister was deeply attached to him and accompanied him
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  wherever he went. Before he had been six months at Edinburgh, he had
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  visited six hundred families, beside calling upon the sick, the aged, the
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  infirm, and the dying. In addition to all this, he was preparing
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  sermons of rare quality and working in close sympathy with all the associations of his
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  church. The visit he made upon his people were occasions long to be remembered.
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  He was so warm hearted and full of sympathy that every person he met
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  realized that it was no formal visit. Doctor Mathieson kept up this method of
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  visitation throughout his whole ministry. His church grew until there were nearly eighteen hundred
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  members. Yet he made a determined effort to keep in close touch with them
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  all, and blind though he was, he succeeded much better than most men
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  would have done who had perfect vision, Like Henry Fawcett, the blind Postmaster
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  General of England. Doctor Mathieson at a marvelous memory, no doubt, the
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  lust of ey sight thus much to quick end the faculty of memory. Often
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  after he had preached, the vestry would be besieged with people who were anxious
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  to speak with him. Many of these people had known him before, and
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  it was a source of amazement to them to have the blind preacher called them
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  by name. Almost immediately after hearing them speak. Visitors from a distance whom
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  he had not seen for many years would say, you'll not remember me,
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  doctor, Perhaps a puzzled look would cross his face. Then he would say,
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  yes, I do. You're a Mackintosh. Of it would be McIntosh
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  right enough, and Mackintosh would be a very much surprised man. In addition
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  to his preaching and visiting, George Mathison was the author of many fine books.
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  In eighteen eighty two he published a book of meditations with the title My
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  Aspirations. The success of this book was instantaneous, and in a very short
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  time the entire edition was sold out, and several other editions followed. Later,
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  he published many other volumes, among them being Moments on the Mount,
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  Voices of the Spirit, Searching in the silence, times of refreshing leaves for
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  quiet hours, and rests by the River. His books proved helpful to thousands
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  of people from every part of the world. Letters came from people whose lives
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  had been greatly blessed by reading the works of the blind author. What was
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  true of his preaching was also true of his writing. People felt at once
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  the strong, cheerful, grateful heart of the author. Great numbers of people
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  around who's lives heavy clouds had gathered at their heart strengthened and their fate in
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  God renewed as they read George Mathieson's book. In eighteen eighty two, he
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  wrote his famous hymn, now known the world over, O Love that Will
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  Not let Me Go. It would be impossible to tell just what this hymn
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  is meant to thousands of people. The hymn is now found in most yknos
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  and has become a great favorite. George Mathieson gives the following account of how
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  he came to write it. The hymn was composed in the months of Innelan.
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  On the evening of the sixth of June eighteen eighty two, I was
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  at that time alone. It was the day of my sister's marriage, and
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  the rest of the family was staying over night in Glasgow. Something had happened
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  to me which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most
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  severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was
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  the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the
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  impression of having it dictated to me by some hindward voice, rather than of
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  working it out myself. Hi, I am quite sure that the whole work
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  was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received atmehnce any
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  retouching or correction. George Mathison lived to be sixty four years of age and
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  managed to fill every hour with youthful and loving service. To read an account
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  of one day's work in the life of this blind man is sufficient to make
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  most people realize how hard he worked. He was methodical in his habits and
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  careful to leave no duty undone. After breakfast each morning he attended to his
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  correspondence, generally answering letters by return mail. Then it would have read to
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  him the morning papers. He showed a keen interest in everything that was going
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  on. From that he would pass on to his studies in French and German.
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  This would be followed by some study in science, philosophy, history,
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  or theology. Then he would dictate to his secretary something for the press or
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  for his own use, as a speaker added to such work. Of course,
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  there were his extensive labors as pastor and preacher, and it can be
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  truthfully said that he did not fail in anything. Whatever task he put his
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  hand to, he did with all his might. George Matthison died at North
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  Berwick on August twenty eighth, nineteen o six, and was buried at Glasgow
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  a few days later. Tributes of sympathy came to his relatives from all over
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  the world by a strong preaching, and probably still more by his brave,
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  cheerful spirit. As set forth in his books, he had held a very
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  great number of people everywhere. In his Noble Hymn he had written, I
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  thraced the rainbow through the rain That is exactly what he did. Where so
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  many others saw only difficulties, he saw possibilities. And so it came to
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  pass that though he lived in darkness for nearly half a century, he served
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  God and his fellow men with a devotion which will never be forgotten. End
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  of Chapter one