George Murray Reith (b.1863, Aberdeen, Scotland – d.1948, February 27, Edinburgh) was a minister at the local Presbyterian church. He is better known as the author of Handbook to Singapore, one of the country’s earliest tourist guidebooks, first published in 1892.
Early life
The eldest son of Dr Archibald Reith, George Murray Reith obtained his Master of Arts degree at Aberdeen University in 1884 and furthered his education at New College, Edinburgh. He assisted at Dundee McCheyne Memorial before being ordained at the London Free Church Presbytery. He was subsequently posted to Singapore in 1889 where he was made minister of the local Presbyterian Church in Singapore where he served from 1889 to 1896.
Presbyterian minister
He was the eighth minister appointed to the Presbyterian Church since the founding of the local church in 1856. It came under the jurisdiction of the Presbytery of London (North) in 1872 as many of the Singapore merchants would retire to London. The Presbyterian Church, however, was closely linked to the Scots who had formed the first congregation. The church building at Stamford Road had been completed more than a decade earlier in 1878 when the young Reith had arrived.
Ministers usually stayed between four to six years so Reith’s term of about seven years was considered long. He preached at the Presbyterian Church as well as the Boustead Institute each Sunday. Besides this, he also offered monthly lectures on its history and Biblical Criticism along with special classes on Scotland.
He was unafraid to engage the authorities in controversial matters such as labouring on Sundays and the problems associated with gambling at the races. Nicknamed the Presbyterian padre, likely after his publication A padre in partibus (1897), he was succeeded by Reverend S. Stephen Walker in 1896 after which Reith returned to Scotland, Edinburgh.
Community contributions
The community in Singapore gave him a silver inkstand as a parting gift – a considerable show of their appreciation for his contribution. Besides serving as preacher and minister, he was also founder and the first secretary-treasurer of the Straits Philosophical Society, which was established in 1893. He was also a committee member of the Straits Settlements Association as well as the Straits Asiatic Society, the Raffles Institution and the Raffles Library.
In addition, he gave direction to the local Theological Society which held monthly meetings. He remained active in the community even after he had left Singapore by contributing to the local press with writings on the Scottish community, which continued well into 1910. He is best known for his publication, Handbook to Singapore, which was first published in 1892 and subsequently revised by Walter Makepeace and republished in 1907. The latter was republished in 1985 by Oxford Press almost a century later.
Life in Scotland
Upon his return to Scotland, he was appointed minister to St Cuthbert’s United Free Church, Edinburgh in 1898. He continued writing and published a photographic survey and description of the Scottish highlands, The breezy Pentlands in 1910. He also served as editor of the Proceedings and Debates of the Free Church General Assembly in Great Britain from 1900.
His poor health led to his resignation from St. Cuthbert in 1911. Between 1916 and 1917, he served as minister to Cumbernauld Baird United Free Church in Glasgow.
Published Works
Books
1892: Handbook to Singapore
1897: A padre in partibus: being notes and impressions of a brief holiday tour through Java, the eastern archipelago and Siam
1901: The Chinese crisis from within
1910: The breezy Pentlands
1933: Reminiscences of the United Free Church General Assembly (1900 – 1929)
Article
1893: The opium problem in the Straits Settlements (in Transactions of the Straits Philosophical Society)
Family
Father: Dr. Archibald Reith, Aberdeen
Sister: Mary Reith, eldest sister (b.1865? – d. 1947, March 25). She had married the learned theologian, James Moffatt who became well known for his translation of the Bible
Wife: May McNeill Bowie (m. 1907), daughter of Rev. John Sharp Bowie.
Sons: He had four sons.
Author
Bonny Tan
References
Deaths. (1947, March 26), The Times, p. 1. (Retrieved December, 20, 2009 from InfoTrac).
Deaths. (1948, March 1). The Times, p. 1 (Retrieved December 20, 2009, from InfoTrac)
Ecclesiastical intelligence. (1901, May 11). The Times, p. 10 (Retrieved December, 20, 2009 from InfoTrac).
Hoe, I. (1985, August 10) [Microfilm: NL15122]. Fascinating flaws. The Straits Times, p. 2
H. T. S. (1960, October 1) [Microfilm: NL4148]. Padre’s guide to Singapore was the first ever. The Straits Times, p. 6.
Inventory Acc 3564 – Papers of the Rev George M. Reith. National Library of Scotland. http://www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/cnmi/inventories/acc3564.pdf
Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol. 2, pp. 262 -263, 287, 307). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE
NA8646 George Murray Reith. Single person record details. Scottish Archive Network. Retrieved January 2, 2010 from http://195.153.34.9/catalogue/person.aspx?code=NA8646&
The new Presbyterian minister. (1896, April 25) [Microfilm: NL3158]. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 2.
Obituary – Rev. Dr. J. Moffatt. (1944, June 29). The Times, p. 7. Retrieved December, 20, 2009 from InfoTrac.
The Presbyterian Church. (1889, July 4) [Microfilm: NL 5054]. The Straits Times, p. 2.
The Presbyterian Church. (1896, April 27) [Microfilm: NL3158]. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 2.
The Presbyterian Church – celebration of 50 years of work. (1928, March 2) [Microfilm: NL564]. The Straits Times, p. 11.
The Presbyterian Church Singapore. (1893, March 2) [Microfilm: NL 5055]. The Straits Times, p. 3.
Personalia 275. (1915, November). The Aberdeen University Review, Vol. 3, No. 7, p. 275
http://www.archive.org/stream/aberdeenuniversi03univuoft/aberdeenuniversi03univuoft_djvu.txt
Reith, G. M. (1892). Handbook to Singapore (pp. 14 – 15, 65). Singapore: Singapore and Straits Printing Office.
Call no.: RRARE 959.57 REI [Microfilm: NL7522]
Reith, G. M. (1985). Handbook to Singapore (p. ix). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Call no.: RSING 959.57 REI
Reith, G. M. (1897). A padre in partibus: being notes and impressions of a brief holiday tour through Java, the eastern archipelago and Siam. Singapore: Singapore and Straits Print. Off.
Call no.: RRARE 959.8022 REI [Microfilm no.: NL5829]
The Rev. G. M. Reith. (1896, February 28) [Microfilm: NL3158]. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 3.
The Rev. G. M. Reith. (1896, February 21) [Microfilm: NL3158]. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p. 2.
The Rev. Mr. Reith. (1897, August 30) [Microfilm: NL 341]. The Straits Times, p. 2.
The Rev. Mr. Reith on gambling. (1891, October 19) [Microfilm: NL 331]. The Straits Times, p. 3.
The Rev. Mr. Reith - Sunday Labour. (1891, September 21) [Microfilm: NL331]. The Straits Times, p. 2.
