Evening star., 1933-07-30
6Y SARAH G.BOWERMAN
WiH Dnramt Writes Of '7he Tragedy of
Russia, John BuchanS MeeU Book, and
Several Summer Novels.

last possible moment and the chief Ct the
Macdonalds of Glencoe, through series OF
accidents, was too late. His enemies seized
this opportunity to effect his ruin and. IN spite
Ct certificate explaining the circumstances.
secured an order from King william to "extir-
pate that sect of thieves" History has not
- excused either the insufficient inquiry before
the order or the treachery with which 1t was
carried out The soldiers sent to the glen
lived companionably with the clansnen until
all the passes were secured and then. in the
darkness Of the Winters night. fell upon their
hosts and shot or stabbed all but few. who
escaped only to perish from cold and hunger
John Buci1an, historian. biographer. novelist,
is especially well fitted to write about Scottish
history, for he belongs to an old Border family
connected with the family Of Sir Walter Scott,
q life Of whom he has recently written. He
calls his small volume on the Infamous massacre
an essay in reconstruction" and says that the
only liberty he has taken with facts is occa-
sionaIly to state boldly fact what should
strictly be qualified by a probably He opens
his tragic historical picture with . scene In
the Governors room In the Fort Of nverlochy
(Fort WHfam). where Col. John Hill, lean.
tired old man. crippled by rheumatism. Is at
one moment pitymg himself because he Is on
active duty in this Wild cold spot instead Of
being pensioned with knighthood and sinecure.
and the next moment brooding anxiously over
the fact that the small branch Of Clan Mac
donald living in Glencoe has not yet made its
submission to King William. To him arrives
MacIan himself chief of Glencoe He was
very tall, nearly 81. feet. but so broadly made
that his massiveness rather than his height
was what first caught the eye. He had the
dark wild eyes of Clan Donald and a fierce
nose like the beak CT galley. His white haE
fell almost to his shoulders and two great
mustachios like bucks hcFns gave him the air
of Morse sea king. His age was nearer 70
liz Sk> Tn,
his bonnet was bunch Of faded heather, the
Macdonald badge"
Through ignorance of the legal procedure he
has come to the Governor of Inverlochy to
take the oath of submission. He must go on
to Inveraray to take the oath before civil
officer, and . northwest snowstorm Is raging
over Loeb Lnnhe and through the mountain
passes. As he leaves the fort Col. Hill mutters
to himself. IF he does not perish IN drift
he viii be . week late" The scene Ct Mr..
Buchans story now shifts to Kensington, where
Sir John Dahymple, master OF Stair; John
Campbell, First Earl of Breadalbane and Archl-
bald Campbell First Duke Of Argyll, plotting
together. secure the signature OF King William
to the order for the extnpation Of the Clan Of
Glencoe. in spite OF the fact that the civil
onicer at InveraTay has accepted MacIans
submission six days late and has written to
his chief. Argyll, in London. explaining the
circumstances and asking for clemency.
Breadalbane has little matter Of cattle steal
ing against MacIan; the master Of Stair Is q
Lcwlander Of orderly virtues and detests the
Hehlanders as barbarous wild men who trouble
the peace Of Scotland and Jacobites into the
bargain; Argyll like Bxeadalbane. has great
domains adjoining the retreats Of the Highland
clans and subject TO their disorder. So as
political expedient, to give an example to other
clans tempted to disorder and Jacobitisun. TO
satisfy personal enmities of three Scottish
heCo tIo n Glencoe
to shut of from the outside country, the
massacre Of its small clan Is decreed. Mr..
Buchan's description Of Glencoe. a cash like
a sword-cut among the loftiest and widest OF
the Highland hills" is graphic and impressive,
and his account of the massacre IS high tragic
drama At the end Glencoe was left to the
peace Ct death and soon the snow shrouded the
charred roof-trees and the bloody hearth
stones
THE NAME AND NATURE OF POETRY. By
A. E. Housman New York: The Macnnil-
Ian Co.
S long as no can define poetry so that
n the definition will be generally accepted
just so long will wouldbe poets continue to write
what pleases them, with or without rhyme
meter rhythm and insist ON labelling it poetry.
Mr. Housman Kennedy professor of Latin in
the University of Cambridge and author of that
unique poem, "A Shropshire Lad" is too modest
to attempt to dictate definitions to place re-
strictiors on verse writer's In this Leslie
Stephen lecture delivered at Cambridge May 9,
1888, he disclaims any tone Of authority. I'm
order to hear Jehovah laundering out of Zion.
or little Bethel. you must 60 elsewhere" But
he delights in discussing, reasonably. the nature
Of poetry and in showing that there Is . diff
ference (noe defnable, but to be felt BY those
Of Understandings between poetry and mere
verse. Sham poetry u "a counterfeit delber-
ately manufactured and offered as . suhsti-
tute" In English literature the best example
Of sham poetry as the dominent versi6cation OF
an age Il thAt of the eighteenth century. when
Dryden was ct first the most potent influence,
then Pope Mr.. Housman gives much attention