THE  stories  about  Mr.  Gilfillan  are  a  large
collection  and  are,  on  the  whole,  not  legendary
in  substance  though  some  of  them  have  gathered  a
little  foliage.  He  had  personal  peculiarities  which
led  naturally  to  anecdotes.  His  indifference  to  social
usage,  his  nai've  confidence  in  every  one  who  seemed
a  friend,  his  loud,  boyish  denunciation  of  a  public
opponent  or  a  disliked  scheme,  the  odd  abruptness  of
his  manner  at  one  time  and  the  royal  superiority  of  it
at  another,  his  habit  of  free  largesse  to  all  applicants
and  as  free  satire  on  whatsoever  excited  his  contempt,
the  mingling  of  rustic  simplicity  and  pure  intellectual
daring  that  marked  him,  the  fine  old-world  stateliness
of  the  outward  man  with  the  picturesque  singularity
of  the  chosen  dress :  in  all  and  every  point  there  was
the  full  measure  of  character  allowable  to  a  man  of
genius.  The  interest  of  anecdotal  matter,  however,  is
confined  pretty  much  to  those  who  knew  Mr.  Gilfillan,
and  they  are  well  acquainted  with  it,  or  easily  can  be.
The  Rev.  David  Macrae's  little  book  is  a  lively  and
pictorial  summary  of  the  personal  items,  given  along
with  a  particular  view  of  Mr.  Gilfillan's  theological
championship.  There  are  others  of  the  lighter  sort
in  private  circulation.  The  way  he  would  suddenly

441


442  GEORGE  GILFILLAN.
