New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-04-25
THE MAC CALLUM MORE.

The death Of the Duke Of Argyll removes
from British public life one Of its greatest
figures and one of the few that have become
truly historic within the compass of their own
lives. For some years past he had been little
seen or heard in public though on the too few
occasions when he had emerged from self
imposed retirement his voice deserved and
commanded much attention as at any time
In all his active career of threescore years. A
generation ago he was assured of lasting fame
surpassed by that of none of his august line,
and in his later years there lad been no act nor
incident to detract therefrom. There were in
his own generation greater statesmen, more elo-
quent orators, more learned men of letters, more
benefcent phanthropiStS, though few. 1t would
not be easy to name one who in the combination
of all those qualities surpassed even rivalled
The Mac Callum More.
There is an old story, which may well be
true, to the effect that on the wedding day of
the Queens daughter and the Dukes son
Scotch peasant was heard to exclaim, "Eh, mon.
but It's proud woman the Queen should be
this day. That well expressed the esteem, al
most reverence, in which the great head of the
Campbels was held in both Highland and Low
land. Indeed why not? His ancestors at
taned distinguished fame while the Plantage-
nets were still fighting with their barons they
changes of Lancaster and York and Tudor; they
were of ancient lineage when they fought for
the StuartS and crowned one Of them at ScOne,
and the canny Scot might naturally regard ii as
an honor to the House of Hanover to accept an
alliance which had been offered to a Stuart two
centuries before. There is something, too, that
appeals nightly to the imagination in the
thought that in so small and crowded land as
the British Isles this chieftain was owner of an
estate so vast that the entire population of the
world could stand upon 1t without jOstling and
still have room to spare for few visitors from
Mars.
1t is probable, however, that the late Duke
attained his almost unique preeminence not
through any of these things so much as through
his personal qualities, and particularly through
those qualities in which he differed most from
his best known ancestors. For he was above
all an honest and q faithful, steadfast. consist
ent man, and that is more than can say of
some former sons Of the Great Colin. Perhaps
the most conspicuous of them was that first
Marquis who was the antagonist OF Montrose,
who crowned Charles II at Scone, and who
suffered martyrs death at Stuart hands. He
is remembered as a Christian gentleman, and
yet his career was from first to last shifty and
irresolue Nor was his successor, the hero of
Dunbar more constant. Despite the romance
that has gathered round his name, the second
Duke, who, Pope said, destined Ito shake
alike the Senate and the field" and who actu-
ally did win distinction in effecting the Act Of
Union and as Marboroughs lieutenant, was like
wise largely an uncertain quantity But this
later Duke in ali his exceptional career of more
than fifty ducal years, never insincere nor
irresOute nor untrustworthy. He was of crys-
talline character, at once in transparency and in
frmness. And those are the qualities which
most of all enabled him not only to get honor
from but to lend additional honor to the proud
old title of The Mae Callum More.