MR MACDONALD'S STORY.

Waikato Times, Volume 99, Issue 16545, 14 July 1925, Page 9

MR MACDONALD'S STORY.

HE AND A FRIEND HAD 4d.

There was a representative gathering at the Hotel Great Central, Marylebone, London, at the complimentary and non-political dinner-given to Mr Ramsay MacDonald by Mr T. P. O'Connor, M.P., in recognition <of the ex-Premier's "high personal and political character and his great gifts as a writer and speaker." Mr T. P. O'Connor, who presided, said that few men in history had a more striking example of the vicissitudes of fortune than Mr MacDonald, Avho had realised at once all the abysses and all the exaltations of which human life was capable. It was because of his spotless personal and political integrity that they joined to do honour to him.

Mr MacDonald, replying, said he took no pride in his early poverty. I happened one night to be in rather a '■ gorgeous assembly. A man'Came in of magnificent appearance. During the whole of the evening my eyes were upon him. Very much to my surprise, he came up to rae after- , wards and said, "You have forgotten "me." I said, "I am very sorry 1 apparently have." "Why," he said, do not yon remember about 30 years ago I was a student and you and I were sitting together, and after supper we walked away and we wanted to take a 'bus to our respective lodgings and we put our common pocket together and we discovered that between us we had 4d.? (Laughter.) I shall not tell you who my friend was. Voices: "F. E."?

I will tell you a secret Barrie and I had the same schoolmaster. He had him for an hour. (Laughter.) I don't know what happened to Barrie. (Sir James Barrie (in an undertone). "I don't know either." He left or he ran away or he was taken away or something.