Volume III - ElectricCanadian.com

374 CANADA.JOS.WALTERSPARLING,of Wes-M.A., D.D., Principalley College, Winnipeg, Man.,was born February i4th, 1843, in theTownship of Blanchard, County ofPerth, Ont. His father was Lieut.-Col.John Sparling, who, for years, waschief magistrate of St. Mary's, Ont.,and whose wife was Mary Williams, adescendant of Philip Guier. They werevery worthy people of German-Irishdescent, of the Palatine stock of historicnote, in connection with the introductionof Methodism into the UnitedStates and Canada. Dr. Sparling waseducated at St. Mary's High School,under the principalship of Dr. McLellan,at Victoria University, Cobourg,and at Garrett Biblical Institute, of theNorth-Western University,111. Hereceived the degree of B.A. from VictoriaUniversity in May, 1871, and thedegree of B.D. in June following, fromGarrett Biblical Institute;M.A. threeyears later, and D.D. from his " AlmaMater" in 1889. In June, 1871, thedoctor was ordained as a Methodistminister, at Belleville, Ont., by theRev. William Morley Puncheon, LL.D.He has filled the following appointmentswith much acceptance, viz.: Belmont,Lloydtown, Chicago, 111., Monttreal(twice), Ayliner, P.Q.,Quebec, Ottawa and Kingston.In 1888, Dr. Sparlingwas selected to fill his presentresponsible position,and the remarkable progressand brilliant success of thecollege are at once a tributeto its Principal, and to thewisdom of the choice. Hepossesses, in a marked degree,those qualities of headand heart, so necessary tothe success of the prominentposition which he Hefills.was a delegate to the firstGeneral Conference in 1874,as well as to the GeneralConferences of 1878, 1886and 1890 ;was financialsecretary from 1874 to 1883,and chairman of District in1884-85, and president ofthe Montreal Conferencefrom June, 1888, to June,1889. In 1871, PrincipalSparling was married toSusie Weir, daughter of exaldermanKerr, of Toronto.His family consists of twosons and one daughter,living,and one son deceased.