of AND INTER-ISLAND ADVERTISER. Onward, Skye! Queen of the West! February, 1952. Price 1 I- No. 13. iW "The Clarion," with the permission of rea­ ders, would li.ke to ad(l anotl1er: - " I.He was a man of feelihg unique." When one listened to DEATH OF THE KING his many speeches during the last war a.ml smce one could not but find il1 his li"imlly words . a Regal anx iety for the welfare of his sub.jects "The Clarion's " Tribute. and unfailing sincerity, accompanied by a hon­ est, u nselfish outloolc Wl•en Ule very sad news of tlte dea.th of His Maje ty, J{iltg George Sixtll, came over the air His family life was a happy one and jnst to the peop.le or Skye on tl1at wild day in Feb­ lil{e any ordinary man, he was fond of l1is own rua.ry, there was a universal sorrow ill the hearts home circle. Kingship was tlu·ust upon him; an honour wllich he did not want. But, when of all Islanders. he d'icl reign as a British Monarch, he adorned the great JlOsition with a siJigleness of mind as "The Clarion's" reference to that event is ever eXJlCrienced in the annals of the British not news to its readers-it is history. Neverthe­ Crown. less, not ill many of the Nation's outposts can one find such a sincere desire to express the As a Christian and a Gentleman, as a Rnler, a sympathy which the sad event demands. The Family 1\'lan and the most-mourned Ring, he will minds of the people of tltis Island go bacl{ to pass on in history as " 'flie Good I\'i11g George." the da.ys in 1935, w11en the late King aceom~ panied by his Duchess, and as Dul{e of Yorl{, he spent happy days moving freely among the To the bereaved Queen Elizabetb, tlai heart people of the Island, and, as guests of the Mac­ of Skye goes forth in great sorrow and syrn­ Leod family of Dunvegan. patby, such as to those who have lost a faith­ ful com,)lanion aml hlisband ill our own Island. The warm-hea·rted feeling that emerged from TI•e icy hand of death does not more lessen his fran!• understanding of ordinary folk, and the paths in the Palace than it does in tlte pea­ foil' that lived out in the rur'a.I districts of the sants' humble cottages under the shadow of the Islam!, will remain with them as a golden mem­ rugged cooliJ1 Hills. To the Gentle Princess ory to pass on to their children- tl1e memory Marga.ret, there is a universal feeling of the of a good, noble Killg .Iillgers longer among ·a great blow that has unJ1appily marred the joy rura.l peasant peopie than in the balls of the of J1er youthful years. great. To our Queen, Her Majesty ~ueen Elizabeth Who of you, my readers in Sl,ye, have not 11., goes the allegiance of the Island peotlle, heard of past good and loved Kings and Queens praying that she will ill the distant future, go of this great nation around the peat flame on down ill history as the Good Queen Bess. the hearth ill days gone by. l\'luch bas been sa.id already in praise of our late King; glow­ ing tributes from an over the world already ap]Jeared ill the public Press-tributes well­ GQD SAVE . THE QUEEN. deserved, and which not the very meanest ctmld deny him. 2 THE CLARION OF SKYE for the com,ing of that new technique of interpreta­ EDITORIAL tion the Indigenous mhabitants might have gone on for ano1ther ten, fifteen or twenty thousand Years, as they had gone on for such period qefore." Anniversary Number. Therefore, may the " Clarion " provide for us the avenue for a new way of thinking; a new wa of fUJrnishing us with the means to an end, Whic~ ·was denied to our fathers, and worthy of the .. The C1arion," which has now been in exist­ natural greatness with which Nature has endewect ence for twelve monoths, has reached far out into our Island home-Skye, Queen of. the West, and Isle foreign lands, carrying wHh it the voice of Skye. of Loy:al Hearts. ~ Yes! , to many ex.jles, <the charm of thei.r Island .· home anew. Thank you, Readers. THE EDITOR. Do not give me any credit for its amazing ex•pansion in that short period. The credit l•ies 11 11 with you, readers. ~ho thro·ugh your support, en­ The Clarion couraged me, in no small degree. During the past few months conti·i•butions fr.om outside have in­ c.rea.sed, and it is a·s well for me to admit now Please note, the Editor antl publishers have that in the first few printed issues, I had to write been forced to increase the price of " The a good many of the articles, etc., which .in any Clarion" to one shilling. It j•s hoped that thio case managed to fill in va'Cant pages, even if they is a temporary measure only, and one greatly were uninteresting. regretted. " The Clarion " has now expanded to twenty pages, as against the original eight. Out of this spade work I truly hope, however, that the " Clarion of Skye " has been established for the good of the Island people. a people from DEATHS. whom a new way of thought is to be expected if they wish to keep pace with the requi:rements of FALCONER.-At Gesto Hospital, on 11th January, modern times. , 1952, Robert Falconer, Pestmaster at Struan, Bracadale, for 53 years, and eldest son of the This change of outlook does n·ot necessa.ri!y late William and Marion Falconer. Post Office, mean sa.crificing the n 01b le traditions o.f the race on Struan, aged 78 years. the a ltar of progress. A great race is kno.wn by the greatness of itls past. as well as by its -Inserted by his friends, the Nicolsons of .Struan prospects for the future. House, with whom he resided for some time. Sadly missed. Our Island at'Dairs cannot be treated as an isolated problem, but must be considered in the l·ight of the general backgro)md. We must have Forget these problems brought to the surface: therefore, Lest We the " Cloarion " has appeared among us, to discuss among ourselves, and foC1r the vision of outsiders, A little time ago I got an invitation, as a our pallcti-cular grievances, each with its o.wn par­ member of the Press, to attend an executi·ve meet­ ti•cul·ar remedy, Wha·t I mean by a new line of ing of the Skye Council of Social Services, at thoughot, can be Ulustrated best by the following Portree, which I gladly accepted. extract from the writings o.£. that f·amous man Sir After hearing the various discussions on sub· Norman Angell:- jects o.f immedia.te concern in this Island, it sud­ '' The North America of the United States and denly dawned upon me that here was a body of Canada which now supports a hundred and fifty men and women (representing every district and million souls at the hi1ghest standard of living ever public service in the I•sland). seeking. a way to achieved for such .a mass of men anywhere in the bring about better conditions in the social and world, or in history, is the same North America, practica·l lives o.f the people. emlbracing the same desents and fores1s, for wbout After reasoning with the characteristi c dour· 20 th~usand years, less than a million primdtive ness in my mind, I could not but admit that pre­ (·some authorities has put ii as low as a quarter o.f a million) found only the means of semi-starvation, viously, my opinion (if it is worth anylthing) of and fought ea ch other in dead.ly wa.rs for the that Council, was not in any great measure an meagre resources of the hun<ting grounds. The enthusiastic one. Happily, now I am fully con- Europeans who replaced the original Indjans, did . vinced that, without any blowing of trumpets and not br.ing a new climate or a new soil, new ex­ beating of drums. they are pressing hard upon the ternal conditions. nor a human brain whi ch differed authorit-ies to bring to boot the Island's many in­ physiologically from that of the Indian. What tricate pro1blems. What is actually needed is to t he European b.rought was a new way o-f thought have every householder in this Island become a in using the soil and the climate as a means of member Olf the a·bove pt'omising Council, where sustenance; new skills in the use of thought as a . one in all stations in life can have his say. t ool fo.r the achievement of •hat end. And but EDITOR. \ THE CLARION OF SKYE 3 . 1n "Skye " outlook in another way, He publishes. Canada Day Skye edits and does much of the writing for a new monthly newspaper " The Clarion of Skye." The fol[owing article, which appeared in " The He was pleased to meet fellow newspapermen Winnipeg Tribtme," .from the._ pen of Mr Andrew because he had just uncovered a new theory about snaddon, Chief, London Bureau, 'has been kindly some island history and was preparing to publish sent to the Editor of " The Clarion " by Mr Snaddon.