| Show I J. J Ramsey MacDonald Typical Lincoln in Overcoming Big Odds le left t and MacDonald l daughters ol of the new prime minister who WIlO will take a leading part in whatever social functions arc given at No 10 Downing street the famous old house inhabited by British premiers I II I i er I II I II I I I I i I i t 4 t i t rv r k 7 New Premier Is Familiar With Almost Every Corner Corner Cor Cor- ner ncr of Empire LONDON Jan 26 The The first Socialist Labor-Socialist prime minister of Great Britain would of itself be enough to give James Tames Ramsay Macdonald l a sur sure Place in the hIstory history history his hIs- tory of his country But he has r I other things too that make him unique in the long line of British prem premiers lens rs I He is the first chief officer of ot the crown crown sprung from a family of ot I 1 humble farm laborers I He is the poorest man who has I ever held the office j I He is the first teetotaler who has hasI I ever eVIe h held the ev office c studied He has traveled to and to-and an and studied on Ithe the spot more portions of the British Brit Brit- I ish empl empire e than any prime any prime minister in history I So it will be gathered that thai a very I interesting very ery human figure has suddenly emerged Into the full Cull blaze of or publicity and attention over here S Macdonald's career is something like bike that of our own presidents He had no al royal road to preferment His parents had to work hard for fora a living and the boy had to take takei i I hi his share of ot the hardships I I At 12 he IH knew what it was to labor on the poor stony soil of a a. aI I Scotch farm tarm But he had all the I j Intense desire of the Scot for I learning and the intense firm will of the Scot to obtain It It I He got out of the free schools of I I Ix Lossiemouth where he was born seven fifty seven years ears ago all the book knowledge available to him He I burned he the candle At t night Before he tie attained his his his' majority he blosI blossomed blos bios corned out as as atypical young Scotch I school teacher He lIe had left the plow and the tIle scythe behind him hint I and placed his foot on the first rung J of the ladder that led I j ENTERS POLITICS s. s I He fell under the notice of Tom Tomi i i Lough a well known Liberal memI member mem- mem I ber bel of ot parliament and was apI ap ap- api i pointed his secretary As such he came into touch with parliamentary 1 II Ufe and began to study national q Questions The more he read the themore themore more he became convinced con the two I I old political parties carried no mesI message mes mes- t sage o of ot hope and advancement to toI I I the workmen of ot Great Britain He lie joined the Labor party and became t I a convinced Socialist In 1900 he was made secretary of I the Labor party part a position he held heldI I for tor eleven years jears In the meantime I I also an organization known as the i Independent Labor party party famous famous 1 in British politics as the I L. L P P. P was was' was formed and antI Macdonald was made Its chairman from front 1906 to 1909 inclusive He lIe was made the theS S leader of the Labor party from 1911 I to 1911 1914 At the same time his life i had been full in other ways An able abl writer a student of ot economics economics eco ceo I he had written a regular I library of ot books on Socialism i I among others rs being Socialism and Society Labor and the Empire I Socialism and Government The Socialist Movement Io He lie also alo wrote two books bools on India and Its i problems He lie was ele elected ted to parI par- par I j from the city of Leicester In 1906 and represented it for fori i i twelve twel years i m Just before the great gre-at war broke lout I out he showed d the the- stuff of which I f f he was made when he took his political political po po- po- po life Ufe in his hands and opposed the currents which were rapidly J taking his country Into the war He lIe championed peace by negotiation STOOD FAST Howled at in some public meetIngs meetings meetings meet meet- ings denounced in some of ot the vituperated by demagogues demagogues dema derna- he held serenely to his course It was to cost him his seat In parliament and netted him two defeats the word pacifist having hayIng bt been en pinned to him He broke the hoodoo about a year ago o when he was elected from a Welsh elsh constituency and triumphantly triumphantly triumph triumph- antly reelected jn December 6 last Upon his reappearance In parliament parliament parliament parlia parlia- ment about a a. year ago he was made the leader of his party part which made him the formal leader of his majesty's opposition A great event in the life lite of this mart man was his marriage to Margaret ret Ethel Gladstone daughter of ot Dr DI J. J II Jr Gladstone and a kinswoman of the famous prime minister A cultured cultured cultured cul cul- cul- cul woman of the world a a. student student student stu- stu stu stu- dent of men nten and events she too wrote bool books s about the labor movement movement move move- ment meat especially as it applied to women Theirs was a a. love ro romance romance romance ro- ro mance broken off only in 1911 when she died The bereaved hus hus- band wrote a beautiful and moving biography of his wife HAS LITTLE MONEY In his busy life Ufe Macdonald has had neither time nor opportunity to tomake tomake tomake make much money He is the kind kindI I of man who really doesn't care doesn't-care care for forI it Neither Lloyd George nor II It H. H Asquith are rich men Inca but they are I comfortably well off oft compared to him and Premier ex-Premier Baldwin and andI I the late Bonar Law were rich by byi i comparison Macdonald laC lonald lives in a plain little I home out in the Hampstead section of ot London He also owns o a small farmhouse t type pe of ot home at his 1 I birthplace Lossiemouth Scotland j I His tast tastes s are of or almost spartan J I simplicity lIe He drink liquor liquorI I at all He Is a nonsmoker except In times of great stress when he heI heis heis I is sometimes seen to puff purr at a cig- cig aret He Is no gourmand Plain I Scotch fare is to be found on his table J His favorite amusements are golf as one would expect of a Scot and t walking Accompanied by one of Itis LJ sons he he loves lo to to take long longI tramps His favorite indoor amusement amusement amusement amuse amuse- I ment is reading He Ife is surrounded by books The They are everywhere Inthe in inthe inthe the house He both reads and speaks French and so knows vs the best of two literatures f fHe He is charming and genial in conversation and he hes Is a a. clean talker because he Is a clean thinker LIKE ROOSEVELT For some years he made a living by reviewing new books From Prom this he got a d trick that Roosevelt had had had- that of getting all the best out of ofa ofa ofa a book In a very ery rapid reading by knowing how to skip the I One of his old friends told me he also had a Napoleonic gift The The j famous emperor had devoted friends I in every company in every ery regiment regiment regi- regi ment of his armies because of oC his I memory for names and I faces He lIe would step up to a a. line I of grenadiers and pat some man manon manon manon on the shoulder affectionately re reminding reminding re- re I minding him of some deed he had done that had fallen Callen under his emperors em em emperors emperor's I I em eye So Macdonald l has t tie the e trick of remembering good political work that simple private members of the party organization have done I Supplementing his reading ho has also traveled widel widely He lie has been to India Australia New Kew Zealand South Africa and Palestine as well as almost every country In Europe He lie has never ne been on American soil |
