BEFORE
the passing of the Forbes Mackenzie Act, one of Dr.
Gillan’s members kept a public-house in the Gallowgate, which did a
roaring trade on Sabbath evenings, greatly to the annoyance of the worthy
doctor, who passed the shop every Sabbath evening on his way to his Bible
Class. Resolving to show his displeasure, he one Sabbath evening walked
into the public-house, and found the publican’s wife, Mrs. A—.——, serving
at the counter. In his usual quick, peremptory way, he called for a gill
and a bake. The woman was dumfoundered, and could scarcely believe her own
ears. She managed, however, to go into a back parlour where her husband
was engaged in conversation with a friend.
"Here’s the minister," she said,
"an’ he’s ca’ing for a gill." Equally astonished, Mr. A——- went to the
bar, and on presenting himself, the doctor repeated his demand:
"I want a gill and a bake." No
movement being made to comply with the request, the doctor sharply
observed:
"If you are ashamed to serve your
own minister with a gill at the counter on a Sunday night, you should feel
ashamed to sell it to others;" and so saying he turned on his heel and
left the shop. Mr. A—— afterwards told a friend that he was so rebuked by
Dr. Gillan’s little but effective stratagem, that he never afterwards
opened his shop on Sundays.
