She "cudna thole yon godless loon" or his theories or his works.
Malcolm had grown somewhat sick of Marx since the war.

Indeed, the war had seriously disturbed the foundations of Malcolm's economic faith, and he was seeking a readjustment of his opinion and convictions, which were rather at loose ends.

In this state of mind he found little comfort from his shrewd old mother.
"Y'e have nae anchor, laddie, and ilka woof of air and ilka turn o' the tide and awa' ye go." As for her anchor, she made no bones of announcing that she had been brought up on the Shorter Catechism and the Confession and in consequence found a place for every theory of hers, Social and Economic as well as Ethical and Religious, within the four corners of the mighty fabric of the Calvinistic system of Philosophy and Faith.
One of the keen joys of her life since coming to the new country she found in her discussions with the Rev.Murdo Matheson, whom, after some considerable hesitation, she had finally chosen to "sit under." The Rev.
Murdo's theology was a little narrow for her.

She had been trained in the schools of the Higher Critics of the Free Kirk leaders at home.
She talked familiarly of George Adam Smith, whom she affectionately designated as "George Adam." She would wax wrathful over the memory of the treatment meted out to Robertson Smith by a former generation of Free Kirk heresy hunters.

Hence she regarded with pity the hesitation with which her Minister accepted some of the positions of the Higher Critics.