The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-21
.tL0YDIGORGE'S STORY
British Premier Writes Pithy
but illuminating Au-
photography.

for M. A. p" a London weekly, and
reprinted by Tit Bits" as a unique
chapter of autobiography written by
n british prime minister.
My father was a schoolmaster and
"a Unitarian, and he left Wales to fol
low his profession in England He
was stationed at Manchester and I.iv.
Ierpool. In Liverpool he was master OF
the HOPE Street school: the manager
"f tho school was the Rev. Dr. Mar.
tircau and so this great divine was
one OF III" early Influences IN many
ways on my life md that of my rco.
pie. He was friend of my father
and We have several memorials of their
friendship.
Il was born in Manchester in 1869.
MY father dicil when i was hut two
years old. Hc left asvory small fortune
to my mother ard She had to make n
hard. struggle to bring mp her children.
She was a finc charactcr--ecntlc, nm
selfish and courageous. She never
complained and mover spoke of her
struggles. II WAS not till long after
that her. children fully appreciated how
much they owed to her. ant, how fine
her spirit had been in tho hard task
OF bringing up her fathcrlcss family.
Moves to Wales.
THE death Of my father ended all
| our ties with England and my mother
instinctively turned to our home in
Wales, where her brother lived. This
was the village of Lanystamdwy.
South Carnarvon. II was a typical
Welsh village, both physically and so
eially. II was the center of an amphi-
theater of hills, had the sea in the
near distance. a:ld abundant woods.
was picturesque. beautiful and inspir-
ing.
Socially. it was at that period of my
boyhood entirely undc" TIC yoke of the
village squire and of the village par
son. The land was strictly preserved
which lid not prevent us youngsters
from having our Joyous daNs In the
woods, searching for nuts and cherries.
Whenever we were on one OF these
marauding expeditions we used to have
some of our companies to keep watch
lest we should he caught by the keep
ers. Our dread of the keeper was not
without cause. A boy who had killed
a hare had to be sent away by his
widowed mother from the farm WHICH
she occupied. Ii she had not done so.
she would probably have been turned
out of the farm. Tho other farmers
dared not take the lad in. He left the
village, and, think, he died early.
His uncIe's Coal.
My uncle kept n shoemaker's shop.
His shop was a rendezvous for the vii
lace, the. center of gossip. of disruta-
! tion. of all the conflicts of religious
and political crrcds. He waS himself
"A man of mild and broad temper and
he acted as n mediator among tho COM
hatants when conflict grew too warm.
| II can never tell how much owed
to this good man. His home was com
Portable. but, thrifty and rinchcd. Oul
bread was homemade: we scarcely tc
fresh meat. andI remember that oui
lgreatest@ luxury was: halfsfan,segg 70,
l each child on, sunday mornings.
MY. uncle never married. and hi
fsct himself the task of educating thu
1children, of his sister rs sacred and
supreme duty To that, duty he CAV
4 his time, his energy and all hismoney
There. was no Opportunity, of ,lrarnini
French in the village school. and We
French was necessary. Tho way W,
fgot out of the difficulty was. for m!
poor uncle and myself to sit ,togcthc
for. hours and laboronsly spell out o
$ an old French dictionary and out O
n grammar the rndimcptsj OF. the Ian
guage. 1t was a PAINFUL and difficnl
way of learning n language. but 1t fair
~ succeeded. MY uncle gave me ut al
early age love of literature. The frs
book l remember to have interested m
? outside. of my >schoolbooks was Rollin'
!, Ancient History | also got hold {
Macaulay and read and re-read hi
, pages with rapture
AT IS years Of age | was articlcd a
. | a clerk in a solicitors office. | ha
passed the preliminary examinatio
: (which is necessary before entering o
. the profession when ! was II.
. ut was not an easy matter for me
$ thus start studying for the law. Sma
. sums are big to small people. and tn
. so to 100 pounds ! had to pay for IN
ARTICLES, the money for the Governmer
stamps, the heavy Price Of law book
the expense Of the journey TO Liver
rool for the preliminary eyaminatio
the still greater expense Of the tourne
TO London for the final examination
all these things mounted up to "A lars
sum.
Il was articled to n solicitor at Por
. madoe. and lived with a nice old CO,
pie whose children had all gone o,
into the world in search Of a livelihoO
They were most kind to me, and. II
toA