1960-08-18 — Page 6

Page

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1960,

As her husband Just 400 years ago a

ago a fiery, black-bearded preacher tunes up for the

the stirred a nation, angered one Queen, cowed another Would this man have roused

Olympics

How I keep up with

told by

him!

Mrs GORDON PIRIE

To be married to a man who to take up would have become his an obsession with him. That's has devoted the bulk of adult life striving to put one leg the way he is." En front of the other more pro- ficiently than anyone else in the world requires the sort of sta- mira that cannot be measured on a slup walch.

wife

It is very likely that Gordon Pirie will retire from the track this year's Olympic after Games. And for the third time, the Piries are going to try to settle in New Zealand.

IT is the middle of the sixteenth century. A preacher stands on a make- shift rostrum in a square of a small Scottish town. He is shouting revolutionary words-words punishable by being burned alive at the stake. A crowd of excited townspeople listen to his fiery speech.

་

Next to the preacher is a small, wiry man with black, jutting beard

and gleaming dark-blue eyes under bristling eyebrows. In his hand is a

you

today?

huge two-handed sword that he carries as if it were a toy. He glares at mbaned for home; they never in his day, was famous for the he heard of the St Bartholomew the uncertain militia standing by.

Now consider another scene-- 400 wears later:-

A vice reads from his notes at a parish church. In a front pew someone discreetly hides a yawr. Behind the preacher's

monotonous voice, there is the rustling of a bag of sweets.. Rows of empty pews

Kape vacantly back at the vicar as he intones his message.

Sundays,

Upset Thrones

What are today's churchmen fight the really doing spiritual apathy of our time?

Certainly that preacher in the square would have done some

fack 01 thing to stir up our interest in spiritual values.

And so, indeed, would have

.

By BRIAN GARDNER

religion that seemed to him keeping with the teachings the Bible.

in a bitter and moving sermon at of Perth started the revolution. All the religious houses were sacked, rebel army, known as the "Congregation." moved on Edie burgh.

Overpowered

It was at this point that, despite Elizabeth's annoyance with Knox, the English aristoe racy also eager to Aght th

Although be was 511 when Furuch were overpowered and liant young woman, And Knox,

of Protestante la apsined their hold over Scotland way he could sway the hearts massacre

By Ads Dery words, and his and minds of women.

France, he preached a sermon The powerful churchman and so violent that the shrewd diplomacy, this inde

French fatigable man had disturbed the young Queen had a series Ambassador protested. half Europe to get this way. of famous rows. Knox fre- The authorities replied that treaty was signed, in which quently visited the Queer trying they could hardly be expected

her to tears. Convixed he was and the

a foreign king when they could a predominantly Protestant Par- to convert her once reducing to stop Knox preaching against not stop him preaching against Homent was ensured, power of the Scottish Queen encroaching on her powers, she

It was typical of Knox that curtailed. That Parliament first had him charged with treason, themselves.

on his deathbed in 1572 Se met on August 1, 1560. By half- But the nobles who tried Knox way through that month the acquitted him.

Cathole Encouraged by this, Knox calmly made rangements for But it was also whole fabric of the

was swept even preached a bitter sermon his coffin. Church in Scotland

The authority of the against Darniey, Mary's Catholic typical that shortly before he away.

Mery died, when two friends called, abolistext,

Enterated, A new husband. Pope was

tried to get the town council to he opened a hogshead of wine, Church was established.

prohioll Knox from preaching.

Needed now They refused.

Famous rows

Knox worked out a magnifi- rent system of education to make sure there would be a steady supply of well-educated ministers for the new Church. This system of elementary and secondary schools, and universi

fes, gave Scotland the bust edu- cational system in the world. It

arts to this day.

Hounded by the militia from His town to town, the band to which he belonged was at last besieged in St Andrews Castic.

Soon after they had taken the A common enough scene in

By now they were not only up capital, the French came over the 1960's--when few people against the Scottish authorities to support the authorities. Knox seem to think of religion. When but the French as well

fighting reformers, and his a few others go through the The French regarded them- desperately, were driven out of as allies of the city. Although some of the THE loneliness of the long distance runner has modis of a formsently watch serves not simply

watch Scotland but as the custodians nobles led the army, Knox was nothing on the unconvivial lot of his wife.

kindly looking clerics droning of the Roman faith im the the power behind the scenes. on the television set.

country too..

He realised that his loyal but Knox The castle fell.

was ill-equipped men could hardly captured and made a galley succeed against all the might skave in a French ship. For 19 of France, months he sweated and groaned under the lash, chained to his oar. Once, when his ship was he back off the Scottish coast, glimpsed the steeple of St the waves. He Andrews over predicted that he would live to

French-came to his aid preach there. When he

freed, Knox

English troops arrived went to live in London (England

in with was then a Protestant country). Scotland only just in the big sword was destined to There he tried to make the Simultaneously, English ships odebrate Mass.

one of the become

greatest English Church more simple appeared in the Firth of Forth,

French supply By all accounts Mary, Queen of cutting off the religious reformers in history. still. A man of such fervour that he

line. At the Siege of Leith the Scots was a charming and bril- turn was to upset Thrones, Europe upside down, and to go on battering with such vigour that eventually he made all the principles in which he believed dominant in his country exactly 400 years ago.

His name

John Knox, And the anniversary of his

is Gordon was moment of triumph

worth remembering.

Shirley Pirie,

of that athlete-extraordinary Gordon.. appears to be such a woman.

has never

Because that little man

"Retiring from international athletics is never going to stop the jery Httle Scotsman of

Gordon's efforts to keep fit. And side. we both think New Zealand is healthy place to live. Gordon about the gets very tunoyed

by air we breathe here."

been

During her four years marriage she has had no home of her own, her husband has never had a regular job, her special life alowed to interfere with his stringent daily training, and she has coped with demands for the sort of food that would drive the average housewife insane.

But when Mrs Pirie tolks about her husband she's talking about her favourite subject, Sitting relaxed and happy in an elegant, borrowed sitting-room she described what she has come to accept as a normal day.

Raw porridge

A caravan

Both the Piries want to have their own home and children. "Not long ago we bought a washing machine and a sewing machine-our drst big possessions-and

the first to play with them.

"We tried living in a caravan so that Gordon could always be near a track. He enjoys it, but there are only two beds, a large one and very narrow bunk, "Gordon gets

nine And I kept falling out of the at up clock in the morning-he llocs bunk, so it wasn't such a good

we have idea after all," to sleep late, Then treakfast, Breakfast consists of

At this point Gordon Pirie Jaw porridge-you crunch it up,

a three-hour it's rather nice once you get came back from

canter. Several feet of bare used to It-sultanas, boited eggs, and rye bread. Gution only cats rye bread.

"Then he goes out on the downs for a couple of hours' training. He comes back for a rest and lunch, Lunch is

A

legs, topped by tiny. Continental shorts, a striped shirt, and the strained Pirie face, for once hat puffing, came into the room.

He sat down and proceeded to examine one precious foot. "I hear you're thinking of retiring." I said.

ssuely dish of unpolished rice, raw vegetables, and cheese,

He thought about it carefully, "Gordon is a bit erratic about "Ah, well," he said, "you his food. Sometimes he's a can't concentrate vegetarian and will only eat thing for ever-you'd turn into cheese and sometimes he an eccentric." fancies steak.

"After lunch, if he feels like

it, he goes aul to work. At the moment this means selling few cameras for commission,

а

he's

"But he doesn't go out of his

1 salesman. way as writing a book this year.

Enough!

As

"Anyway, towards the end of the afternoon he goes along to Croydon track and trains for Ho another three hours or 10. comes home for dinner, but by then he's probably so tired he goes straight to bed. We never go to parties or the theatre or anything Uke that. Gordon never relaxes. He fiddles with the car or reads. a book, bu! we're not very sociable people,"

Neither of the Piries drinks alcohol, tea, or coffee, and they don't smoke. Although Shirley bas herself held two world records for sprinting, she icels that one runner in the family is enough of a strain.

Arrogance

"kept up with my own run- ning for a couple of years and Il train with Gordon now, but it became impossible when' "we both used to come home word out and irritable. One of us had to give it up-and Gordon was the better runner,

I had the most patience."

As a personality: Gordon Pirie has been criticised for bis temper, his cockiness, and

•his arrogance, He is a hero, but not a particularly popular one, "If Gordon appears to be arrogant," says Shirley, "it is because he is a perfectionist.. If he decides to do anything you can be sure he is going to do it really well. So ho doesn't bave much patience with people who do things badly,

"Running

is the most important thing in his life. He Look it up because he happened so be good at it and he has became an extremist about it

-Sally

1963

New ideas

nt his

one

was

Refusal

in

He became a minister Northumberland. It is said that he was offered, but refused, the diocese of Rochester.

Knox might easily have become obe. of the great men of the Argi- Instead, he went can Church. off 10 Switzerland, to meet other great

Reformation leaders there. But in a few years he was

back in Scotland, where things

The sole minister for the whole of Edinburgh, he got through more work in a week than most modern clergymen do in a month.

He gave two sermons on a Sunday and three during the week. Each one was a speech of major importance.

I

You may agree with John Knox's religion.

You may disagree.

But surely, today, there is no one who will dispute that Chris tiarity needs strong men with strong spiritual values.

But where are they? They were awaited by politi

with

Certainly not in the bishops' cians and pablle alike mixed anxiety, fear, and awe, palaces, surrounded by do Although he was now suffering gooder committees and retinues

ut his of discreet secretaries. from the after-effects

Certainly not mouthing plati- slavery in the galleys, and often had to be helped into the pulpit, tudes in Trafalgar Square, he could still bring a congrega

ot all tion of 3,000 in St Giles to tears, not giving discreet, fatherly

His wife having died, he talks at off-peak hours married again-a girl of 17. He television or radio.

-London Express Service).". already had five children.

But Knox's victory was not

complete. quite

The young Queen of Scots, daughter of the

And-most certainly time. old Queen Regent, continued to

If Kennedy wins or not

ONE

NE line of attack by Senator Jack Kennedy's adversaries, in his campaign

had become easier for Pro as Democratic contender for

The early life of this extra-testants, Не moved around

ordinary man is obscure. He freely: even nobles came to the Presidency of the United

was born at Haklington, in East hear his speechos. Lothian, and educated at either Glasgow

Knox then made a

typical,

States, has been to denigrate

or St Andrews Uni- bald gesture. He wrote a note his father, Mr. Joseph Kenne versity-or

became to the Queen Regent of Soody. priest in the Roman Catholic land, mother of Mary, Queen of

both. He

remain one for long.

to

wrote a

Church, but he was not to Scots, and herself a staunch Mr Kennedy was the United Oatholic, in the hope of making States Ambassador here in the For on the Continent, and in a convert! The Queen Regent

his approach with early stages of the war. The England, reformers had been treated breaking away from the Roman

contempt. Again he had

allegation is that in his dis- Church with new and revolu- leave Scotland.

age tionary ideas. It was an In retaliation he

patches home, and in his when religion was in all men's vitriolic book. The First Blast of activities after he returned to minds. What everyone, from the Trumpet Against the beggars to kings, discussed it. Monstrous Regiment of Women. Washington, in 1940, he was

By 1540 the Reformation that This succeeded in fratrisling was sweeping the Continent had both the Scottish Queen Regent Violently anti-British.

of England, reached Scotland. It soon caught and the Queen

Elizabeth. Knox in its grip. A small group

By this time Knox was

on just one of men began preaching the new convinced that the only thing |

Vincent

-(London Expen Service).

ideas, in constant danger

of

the

Unjustified

This is a charge that the their lives. The young priest that would topple the power of Knox joined them--at Barst it Catholle Church in his record shows to be entirely un- seems as a kind of bodyguard. native land was an armed rebel-justified.

There is no record of why he Hon. He began to enlist the suddenly left the Roman Catho support of the Scottish aristoc- lic Church but he was

of them clearly racy, for even some the kind of man to be attracted were now ring of the power by any winds of change,

that Catholic France had In And it was not long before he Scotland. was actually preaching the new ideas-of * simple Christian

In the summer of returned to Scotland

THE PRIME MINISTER IS MOVING FROM NO10 WHILE REPAIRS ARE CARRIED OUT IN DOWNING STREET

1559 he and with

-let's be clear

about his father

ANTI-BRITISH? I SUGGEST A LOOK AT THE RECORD

by TUDOR JENKINS

British desires ... the chafre la false and maliciosis,” :

'The ebullient Mr Truman has But it is being made again in joined in this campaign. Dis- the hope that some Americans using Jack Kennedy's Roman will be persuaded that a vote Catholle religion, Trumman said: for Jack Kennedy for President "It's not his spiritual father will be a blow Anglo-U.S. that worries me, it's his natural advice and believed it. He was this country.

of because friendship

his father." father's anti-British reputation.

:

Some of the younger politi- clans Iris country have believed the allegation without inquiring too deeply into the truth.

To my surprise, Lord Lamb-

fan is one of these. He recently

described Joseph Kennedy as

bltberly anti-British."

to be invaded and that there was me point in sending sup- piles from America to Britain,

In 1944, Mr Kennedy's family Mr Kennedy accepted this formed a close personal tie with

His beautifu roi alone in this

pessimism, daughter Kathleen married Lord the Duke -of Other American Ambassadors Hartington

Only four shared his opinion, None of Devonshire's heir. them has been vilified in the months later she was widowed: same way.

her husband was filled Belgium.

Dark days

Many Britons believed it, too, Some of our generals were saying the same thing. One What is the truth about Joe high military authority went so Kennedy? There is no mystery far as to put his views in A about it.

written statement,

He arrived in London to take up his post in 1937. His wire brought five of their nine children

The caller

But Kennedy is not the min to allow personal consideratioðs views as in a affect his

-American

A gift

In 1948, the war over, Those were dark days. Days was asked wheiner he favoured for stout hearts.

a United States loen to Exitain, He was strongly in favour of it, "The truth is,"" he said, "financial aid to the United Kingdom should be an outright gift."

Now lock closely at the re-

cord.

In July, 1840, when the de pleted Royal Air Force was pre- pering to meet the might f He explained how he reach- The Embassy in those days the Luftwaffe, a-most, hearten- ed this decision. "Britain' is was in Princes Gate. It was a

-ing. message Çama fxm our best customer in foreign very happy household. The Washington.

children were popular.' Like their parents, they formed close The U.S. friendships.

-to

American

trade," he said. "The British Governmein had way of life forms the last ha decided

rier in Europe against, Coth Hear factories · so that they could munism, and we must hel Kennetly became fond fot England and his respect for the Produce 3,000 airplanes a month them to hold it."

for Britain. prople increased steadily,

Before the war, when Nevike Chamberlain was Prime Minis- ter, Kennedy kept calling, on him consimally at 10 Downing Street.

Denial

Joe Kennedy was one of the chief factors In actieving this

It was development.

au im

་

There spoke the voice of a renkist.

Roosevelt considered Joe Kennedy to be whole-heartedly pro-British. For this, there the evidence of Mr James Farley,, who was very. Riggs

office of Postmaster General S

His objest to give the Ger- mense service to Britain. to the President and held tik mans the impression that the United States was doing every- The campaign against Joe thing possible to sustain Britain. Kennedy began soon after he 1948, he published a book c

Farley kept a diary, Ala returned home in October 1940. ed Jim Farley's Story. It code It was said than he had been tained many disclosures

That was not the act of a man "bitterly anti-British."

on WT.

But Kennedy was no expert He was the boy who had made a spectacular rise to richer.

strategy

· He knew all about

in favour of doing a deal with

Hitler and to hell with the British.

According to Farley, Roo

velt thought Kennedy

en more pro-British then Walk The following January, Ken Hines Page, who was American

and next-to-nothing nedy went to the microphone to

refute these calumndes,

about logistics.

For guidance on these matters

he depended on this military

In a broadonat he said;

envoy here during the 1914-

Mr Kennedy will be 72 in

The prediction -- now of September, Like many others

England's defeat would be * ules 17 1 that I advoodska Hässl

he has found at the reward ei triendship is ingratitude":