what went on there as often as fresh provocation arose; and therefore he
writes to young Gordon to put off a piece of his fiery anger every day.
'Let no complaining tenants, let no insulting letter, let no stupid or
disobedient servant, let no sudden outburst of your father, let no
peevish complaint of your wife make you angry. Remember every day that
sudden and savage anger is one of your besetting sins: and watch against
it, and put a piece of it off every day. Determine not to speak back to
your father even if he is wrong and is doing a wrong to you and to your
mother; your anger will not make matters better: hold your peace, till
you can with decency leave the house, and go out to your horses and dogs
till your heart is again quiet.'

Rutherford was not writing religious commonplaces when he wrote to
Cardoness Castle; if he had, we would not have been reading his letters
here to-night. He wrote with his eye and his heart set on his
correspondents. And thus it is that 'night-drinking' occurs again and
again in his letters to young Gordon. The Cardoness bill to Dumfries for
drink was a heavy one; but it seems never to have occurred, even to the
otherwise good people of those days, that strong drink was such a costly
as well as such a dangerous luxury. It distresses and shocks us to read
about 'midnight drinking' in Cardoness Castle, and in the houses round
about, after all they had come through, but there it is, and we must not
eviscerate Rutherford's outspoken letters. The time is not so far past
yet with ourselves when we still went on drinking, though we were in debt
for the necessaries of life, and though our sons reeled home from company
we had made them early acquainted with. If you will not even yet pass
the wine altogether, take a little less every day, and the good
conscience it will give you will make up for the forbidden bouquet; till,
as Rutherford said to Gordon, 'You will more easily master the remainder
of your corruptions.'