Evening star., 1941-11-09
THIS WEEK MAGAZINE
THE SCOTS CAN Cook .. hy g.uee 9S.>ses
And this is what we
can learn from them


gray-eyed and distinguished
- looking, Major General John
Hay Beth is an astute, lantern jawed
Scotchman famous as author, play
wright and recent Director of Public
Relations for the British War Office
He has been in this country more than
once and seems to know the United
States inside out, from Wall Street
wizards to jaloppy- driving harvest.
followers, or from rural politicians to
the bigwigs in the inner sanctums at
Washington. He thinks that America
is great country. but that Amer.
cans should know more about it,
And ne threatens that some day he
will write guide book to America for
Americans. including an interesting
chapter on our fine native dishes. and
a special appendix on our not-sO-fine
small-town hotels.
1t is the writer in the man that
makes him so uncannily observant.
Under the name of Ian Hay he has
written some forty books, with sales
close to 5000, 900 in England and the
United States Over here we know him
best for The First Hundred Thou
sand," one of the earliest war novels
published during World War l. 1t was
baasd on first hand experiences of the
Major General - then Captain - on
the Western Front with the Argyll
and Sutherland Highlanders regiment.
Until very recently Major General
Besth and his wife have been living in
. rccmy osd house in London's May
faa. We've had a thin time of it,"
he says. "IeepinG on the ground floor
with osn small domestic staff housed
in the basement There were four
stories above us, so that we weren't
likely to be devastated unless they
scored a direct hit, but all our win
doWs were blown out and the whole
thing was nerve shattering. So closed
the house before l came over here
and my wife has gone to live in new
and modern block of fats. She won't
leave London because her mother,
who is over eighty. lives there and
won't bulge The old lady regards the
whole thing as a personal affront on
the part OF Hitler"
Contrary to what people think, tea
is not scarce in England, according to
Major General Beth. Elaborate teas
at home. with all kinds of accompani-
ments. have gone by the board: but
the refreshing afternoon cup persists.
And in Offices everybody still stops
for tea. in the last two years. while
was in the War Office. tea came
every day, air raid or no. You'd even
90 down to the shelter, preceded by
fifty secretaries. each carrying her
tea." he says.
Over here in America the Major
General stops for his own afternoon
tea. 1t is really one of those things -
as much a part of being English as
the morning cup of coffee is part OF
being American Even the school boys
stop for tea in the British Isles. And
in typical British -schOol-boy fashion
the Major General served his lower
form apprenticeship. in his Scotch
school. as the flag" who lighted the
study fire and made tea and toasted
the soones for an upper form boy. the
youthful Viscount Simon who is now
Lord Chancellor of England.
Two of the four Scotch recipes
which follow are old-time favorite
accompaniments for Scotch tea with
fixings, and their very names suggest
to Major General Beth happy and
peaceful days, when English tea was
ceremony, a delight, and feast
Scotch Ginger Squares
2 cups sifted -four
u teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon cinnamon
teaspoon ginger
u cup molasses
y cup shortening