Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-03
BY MALCOLM MACDONALD.

BY MALCOLM MACDONALD.
LONDON, June Sit is curious, but
due. suppose, to my fathers influence.
that I seem to be re-enacting a good
deal of his life as he lived it when he
was my age.
l was born where my father was
born before me, in the widest and
loveliest part of the highlands, the lit
tie fishing village of Lossiemouth. Every
stick and stone, every tree was familiar
to my father. It was my great treat as
a little fellow to go for rambles with
him and listen to his tales about people
and things.
Even then, could realize that usually
some social evil that the story disclosed
was my fathers real interest in it, al
though I don't think I knew what the
word politics" meant.
Very often it would be tale of some
unhappy peasant who had been driven
from the land.
Inherent Love Of Experimenting.
Malcolm. if only there had been a
law to protect him." my father would
say, and then, remembering my age,
would stop short and continue, in re-
spouse to my urgent, Go on. Dad.
What happened next?" with the facts
told knowingly as in my opinion at least,
only he could tell these.
Then my father became member
of Parliament and we moved to London.
Mr.. fathers inherent love Of expert
menting has certainly influenced my
entire life and character.
Instead Of being sent to the ordinary
preparatory school. my father sent me
to the co-educational school. Bedales.
now very well known and of high stand
ing. In those days 1t was attractive
only to the most daring and unconven-
tional Of parents.
I think what appealed to my father
most was that at Bedales there was a
school parliament run along the same
lines as the house.
From the first loved debates. and
smile now as recollect that used to
tackle subjects Of which knew little or
nothing. I used to send hurried letters
to my father asking for information on
this or that point that I could use in
parliamentary debate"
Always Got Prompt Reply.
A man who is a great thinker, phi
lOSopher, student and who is an execu-
tive too, like my father, has much to
attend to and accomplish to succeed in
getting through the days work. But he
never failed to let me have q prompt
reply.
Sometimes it meant quite good deal
of research work to answer my ques-
tons, especially when I became older
1t made no matter. Somehow, he man
aged 1t.
From Bedales I went to oxford. Al
though had been vitality interested in
politics at school. with the new possibil-
tiles discovered at oxford that interest
Waned.
Quite subconsciously. here was re-
living my fathers past, as boy, just
as had relived 1t in my childhood. For
/ felt the call of literary career as
Ramsay Macdonald had felt it before
Mccullough 1 did not know then that
he had been torn between his natural
inclination to devote his life to writing
and rnissionary-like zeal to reform the
social system.
My fathers influence was all the
stronger because he did not attempt to
interfere or direct me in any way.
After I came down from oxford I
went through a period when was able
to view my father effectively, weigh up
the value of the work he had done as
against that of the personal satisfac-
ton he might have gained by following
his own inclinations and my unbound
ed admiration for him decided me.
Made Father Happy by Decision.
I would go into politics.
I knew that my father had a secret
wish that either my brother Alastair
or I would follow in his footsteps
Selfishly, had hoped that it would be
Alastair. But he showed signs of real
inspiration as an architect, and as I
had always been the more interested of
the two in politics, it seemed to me
that to disappoint my father was out
Of the question.
When my decision was made known
to him he was a much happier man.
Meanwhile, had been given the OBJ
portunity Of travelling around the world
on the oxford debating tour with
Woodruff, who afterward wrote ''plato's
American Republic" and it was a val
liable experience. I had been too long
under my fathers influence to be any
thing other than keenly interested in
social conditions everywhere, and dur
ing the tour I came to the conclusion
that until I was at least 40 politics
must be the be-all and end-all Of nv
existence.
After that I hope to have some leisure
in which to write. But until then I
consider whatever brain power I NAV
PStSSoS
And all this time my father doomed
largest OF all things on my horizon. I
saw him as statesman, as a thinker,
as man bod and brave enough to
dare take the responsibility of in
fluencing the destinies of nations, and
sufficiently strong to bear criticism
without resentment and, indeed, learn
from 1t If possible.
Admired Great Statesman"
My boyish hero-worship was trans
formed into the admiration Of the small
politician for the great statesman, Of
the follower for the leader. And during
all this time I was enjoying O man.to-
man companionship with Ramsay Mac
Donald which had nothing to do with
the relation of father and son.
My father was the more sympathetic,