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This collection of short stories and articles was published posthumously, in 1923, with a brief foreword by Mrs. Barclay's husband, Rev. Charles W. Barclay. The collection includes The wheels of time, her first published work, on her favourite theme of marital harmony. In it the frivolous and selfish Mary, or 'Flower', learns, through near tragedy, how to become a true wife to her husband. The jewel in the stagecoach is a much more light-hearted affair, revolving round a farcical mistake in the dark interior of the coach. In My heart's right there Mrs. Barclay's message is of patriotism and love of King and country. As Jim, the wounded soldier on leave, tells his wife Polly:
It's a righteous war, my girl; and every man who fears God and honours the King, should be up, and out, and ready to do his share; and every woman who loves her home, must be willing bravely to do her part, by letting her man go. And if she has to hear that he has given his life, she must stand up, brave and true--as a soldier's wife or a soldier's mother--and say: 'God save the King!'
In hoc vince is a strange little anecdote of wartime patriotism, perhaps a little morbid to present-day sensitivities. Walks in Palestine were originally published as short articles specifically for Wolf Cubs, and in them Mrs. Barclay's interest in and knowledge of the Holy Land is displayed in interesting and amusing anecdotes, which were probably more enjoyed by their young readers than her more evangelistic passages.
One more story of tent-dwellers I want you to find in your Bibles--the splendid story of the Rechabites in the 35th chapter of Jeremiah. These sons of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, were called to make special promises and to be specially faithful and obedient. They kept these promises always, in the spirit and to the letter. I am sure the young Rechabites would have been Wolf Cubs, and the older ones Scouts. They had the true Cub and Scout spirit.
The golden censer is what Rev. Barclay refers to in his foreword as a "devotional paper", and is, in Mrs. Barclay's own words, "a careful study of Holy Scripture, on the important matter of intercessory prayer." A notable prisoner is a short but vivid sermon on Barabbas, the prisoner released instead of Christ.
A sample short story A notable prisoner is available on this website.
A further selection from Shorter works can also be read online or downloaded free of charge. It is in XHTML format, like this page. Please note the file size is 248kb and it may take some time to open-up if you choose to read it online. Downloading for reading later may be the preferred option and this can be typically achieved by calling up an option box. If you have a mouse and it is configured for left click to select, right clicking the link may give you this option. Link to a further selection from Shorter works
Page created 25 November 2002 and last
updated 25 November 2002
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