Mr. Cathcart in personal appearance was an excellent presentation of an old country squire, the fine old country gentleman, all of the olden time. He was robust looking, strongly built, and his face in every lineament expressed open-heartness, kindness, and generosity. No more generous person ever lived. That was a trait in his character no one could appeal to in vain, and, as might be expected, he was often victimized by cunning and designing suppliants. He was even tempered and good natured, although if exasperated beyond a certain point, particularly if unfairly accused of a mean or dishonest action, his resentment was sudden and emphatic, and usually had the effect of moderating the statements of his opponent. Blanshard never had, perhaps, a public man who enjoyed more the confidence of the people throughout his whole public career than did Mr. Cathcart. He had not obtained this goodwill by pandering to any party or clique, as most politicians usually do. Neither did he know the art of blazoning the failings and shortcomings of his opponents continually before the people and religiously keeping back any good qualities they might possess, and thereby raising himself into prominence on the wreck and ruin of other men's reputations. His position as a public man was particularly his own, and arose from that noble appreciation by all men of genuine honesty and integrity of heart. As a public speaker he was not more than average, but what he did say was clear, forcible, and to the point. As an illustration of this, on one occasion when a political contest was being held previous to a parliamentary election, one of the candidates made a long speech, at the close of which an elector jumped up and said that two minutes from Cathcart would have had more effect than all his long harangue. He has been a life-long and uncompromising Conservative, but is neither blatant nor offensive in advocacy of those principles which he believed were for the best interest of his adopted country. He has always been a consistent supporter of the Methodist Church, although he has never taken a very prominent part in the management of ecclesiastical affairs. He was not pharasaical in his mode of living, and did not occupy the highest seat in the synagogue, thanking God that he was not as other men are. He never preached religion - he did better, he lived it.

Mr. Cathcart might, if he had been desirous, have had a much larger share of this world's goods; but saving money was not his forte. Indeed had he come to this country with a fortune it is doubtful if he would have kept it. The whole disposition of the man was clearly against the hoarding of money. His kindly social feeling prompted him to spend freely; and during nearly a half century of active life I have never known that he at any time had recourse to harsh measures for the collection of a debt.

His tastes were simple. About his work on the farm, he was very methodical. In his intercourse with men he was affable and kind. Nothing gave him so much pleasure as to have his friends and neighbors share his hospitality. Away back in the forties, when the township about where he lived was a wilderness, many a poor, hungry family found food and shelter in his shanty for the night. He was always amply rewarded in such cases by the happiness suffusing the hearts of the poor pioneers when they left in the morning to pursue their way through the dark forest to some quiet, lonely spot, there to make a home. He was always neat in his attire, but never gaudy. His manner was simplicity itself. Affectation he had none; what he appeared to be he was in reality. He was fond of a good house, and, as a natural consequence, took considerable pride in driving a fine animal.

The old gentleman has long since passed the allotted span of three score years and ten; nay he has long passed that period which some by reason of mere strength are said to attain. Those men with whom he labored are nearly all gone, and he stands, at the age of ninety-three years, all alone, a relic of the past generation.

Mr. Cathcart had a family of nine, of whom three are deceased. James died in Ireland; Helen, (Mrs. Bobier) in Blanshard; and Frances Ann, (Mrs. Pratt) in Winnipeg. The surviving members are Henry, residing on the 8th concession Blanshard; Catherine, (Mrs. Somerville) of Brussels; Elizabeth, (Mrs. Bobier) in Manitoba; David, in British Columbia; Margaret, (Mrs. St. John) St. Marys; and John W., of the Garnet House, St. Marys.