The San Francisco call., 1910-04-09

1 pdiIddS SeunldS AdcAdHuS pays
tribute to:
'.Inver bay on a harvest day,
An the sun goin, down the sky"
and his is surely the right to do so.
for it was on the shores of Donegars
pretty little gulf that MacManus was
born. His father was a small farmer
and the boy early learned the gospel
of work trudging. after the plow.
There are plowboys and plowboys.
Young Seumas (the word is pronounced
and sometimes spelled Shamus) was a
plowboy OF the Bobby Burns type.
for he managed to whistle merry tunes
most of the day and dream big dreams
during the night. In the evening. when
some of his more rfotous companions
would be engaged in rough and tumble
diversions on the freshly turned fur
rows. Seumas usually hied him to
some neighbor's house. where one Of
the old folks was certain to be found
in a story telling mood. The boy
never tired of hearing stories of the
witches and the fairies and the won
derful goings on in the Irish rebellion.
1t was thus in an unconscious way that
he secured much of the material he has
since incorporated in his books OF Irish
folklore.
He had some schooling, too, and old
Master Gallagher. for 40 years and more
the head of the Inver school, claimed
that Seumas was the star mathemati-
clan of Donegal. 1t was doubtless this
fervent testimonial to his efficiency that
enabled MacManus to take the masters
place and lord it over the Inver school
for something like eight years. The
position brought with it certain So
ciaI prestige not to be despised, and
besides gave the young man an op-
portunity to do some reading and
writing on his own account. Today
the pupils of Seumas McManus are
scattered all over the world. There
are even few OF them in California.
and to them all he is just "Masther
on his periodical lecture tours.
Like most men who later on make
good as authors, MacManus had begun
to scribble early. His first effusions-
being Irish, he Just had TO write poetry
were published in the little country
paper that circulated in Donegal Bit
by bit, after the usual run Of disap-
pointments and partial failures. he Sc
cured a footing in the Dublin weekly
story papers and eventually ins two or
three London magazines. His early
work was signed 'Mac"-a pen name
which pleased his friends and puzzled
the stranger.
In 1898 MacManus determined to de-
vote himself entirely to literary work.
So he turned the key in the school
house door and sat down TO his ink
pot. And then. convinced that he had
about glutted the local literary field. he
made up his mind to invade the United
States and dispose of his stories TO the
American magazines.
He stayed here about six months on
his first visit. He had come over In
the steerage, but he returned first class.
In the interim he had met with unex-
pected success. He discovered that his
simple stories of simple people had a
strong fascination for the American ed
itors. Harper's and the Century bought
generously OF his big pile of manu-
scripts, and the other leading publica-
tions promptly fell in line.
Since then he has visited America
several times. chiefly for the purpose
of going ON lecture tours. which carry
him to all parts of the country. Last
year he gave course of lectures on
literature at Notre Dame university.
and he Is likely to be snapped up again
this year at some educational center.
At home IN Inver MacManus is
general favortte with his townfoIk, es-