Evening star., 1937-11-10

OF l93l--an action which cost him the
friendship Of virtually ALI his old
Labor and Socialist colleagues.
But his one-time co-workers, who in
1881 had denounced him as deserting
them "for the drawing rooms of the
rich." today praised his work for Labor
before the great split.
Leaders of all parties in the House
OF Commons planned a tribute at
this afternoons session.
Mr.. MacDonalds daughter, Ishbel,
who accompanied him to Washington
in 1929, when he and President Hoover
held their "log-sitting" conference at
Rapidan, said arrangements had not
been completed for the funeral.
The two-room but and ben" (cot-
tage) in which Mr.. Macdonald was
born on October IL, 1866, still stands
in Lossiemouth.
His schooling was scant and ended
when he was H. Thereafter he dug
potatoes until the village schoolmaster
made him pupil teacher.
He devoured every printed page on
which he could lay his hands. fiction
and folk lore, science and religion. A
stray copy of Henry Georges Progress
and Poverty" found its way into the
village at time when agricultural
Scotland was having hard times and
hatred Of landlordism was taking root.
1t planted the seeds that made a So
cialist out Of Mr.. Macdonald.
But while politics always interested
him, his first love was science. In
1888 he turned to politics and for four
years was secretary to Thomas Lough,
a radical candidate for parliament, re-
celging $375 a year. When he left
Lough. Mr.. Macdonald knew the
inside workings of the British political
machinery. was trenchant speaker
and facile writer.
Then he turned to journalism,
Joined the Independent Labor Party
and the Fabian Society and became
right hand man of Keir Hardie.
But that poll brought him romance,
for one of the contributors to his
campaign fund was M E. Glad
stone" Investigation showed this
was Margaret Ethel Gladstone, daugh-
ter of scientist and niece of the fa-
nous Lord Kelvin. She and Mr..
Macdonald were married in 1896
when he was 80.
To Parliament In 1906.
Mr.. Macdonald finally won his first
seat in Parliament in 1906. In 1910
he became parliamentary leader Of
his party.
Then tragedy struck him. In 1911
came the deaths of 6-year-old son,
his mother and his wife. Mrs. Mac
Donald had literally worked out her
life for the poor of Londons slums.
Her passing left her husband with five
children, Alistair, Ishbel, Malcolm,
Joan and Sheila.
Plunging deeper into political life
Mr.. Macdonald warned against
mounting armaments and when the
crash came in 1914 took the step that
dropped him into pit of calumny
There was no election in wartime
England so he held his seat until
1918. Then the hang -the-Kaiser'
election saw his defeat by $4,000 votes
In 1922 came a turn in the tide
and Mr.. Macdonald and 141 other
laborites were sent to the House OF
Commons. Then in 1923 Baldwin's
tariff policies forced another appeal
to the country and the laborite dele
cation was increased to 191.
The conservatives had lost their
majority and when on January "a
1924. Mr. Macdonald moved a vote
Of no confidence" the combined
labor and liberal votes carried it.
Thereupon King George summoned
the Scottish paciflst to Buckingham
Palace and he formed cabinet in
which he was first lord of the treas
ury, foreign minister and prime min
lister.
The next election came in May
1929 and labor won all along the line
Mr.. MacDonald's second labor cabinet
was formed, only this time he con-
fined himself to the duties of primt
minister
BY midsummer Of 1881 the gov.