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Notes from South Wales.

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Notes from South Wales. (From our Special Correspondent). Enterprising Welshmen. A friend of mine told me that when he visited Madeira a short time ago he noticed that the Hotel Bella Vista, the best hotel in the place, was kept by a Welshman who bore the familiar name of Jones. A National Disgrace. It is a disgrace to us as a nation that there is no monument to Prince Llewelyn. Surely there is someone in our midst patriotic enough to start a fund towards the erection of a fitting monument to the last Welsh Prince. Inconsistency. In an article on Ex-President Kruger's Last Counsel in the London Standard, the other day, I came across the following:- Whatever is worth preserving in the ideal of nationality we are willing to respect. There will be no contemptuous interference with the sentiments which cling to the ancestral speech, the usages, and the creeds of the Boer house- holds." And yet when the Carnarvonshire County Council J decided to make the teaching of Welsh compulsory in the elementary schools the London Standard made a contemptuous interference by writing in a derogatory way of the action of that Council. There's consistency for you! American=Printed Welsh Bibles. At the Welsh Bible Exhibition, held at Cardiff last year, an interesting feature of the same was the collection of Welsh Bibles, printed in America, and lent by the American Bible Society. A photograph of the same was sent to the Society in question who were so pleased with it that they have now agreed to let the Bibles remain at Cardiff as a permanent memento. "A Revolution in a Week." The Rev. W. J. Dawson, writing in a religious weekly on his visit to America, states that one of the very first questions put to him when he landed in New York was, "What does this education controversy of yours mean ?" The question was constantly repeated. He (Mr. Dawson) did his best to state the plain facts of the case, but his statements were received with such aston- ishment that it bordered on incredulity. "Why," said one eminent man to him, "if such a law were enforced here, there would be a revolution in a week." "The Hopeless Stupidity of the British Government." The Rev. W. J. Dawson goes on to say that he reminded his questioner that there was something like a revolution in England, and that, in point of fact, Wales had practically seceded from the British Government." The reverend gentleman adds that it was the hopeless stupidity of the British Government that amazed his American friends." It might have been further explained to the American questioner alluded to that the British Prime Minister was a child in these matters." Welsh Water. It is stated that Birmingham water used to be very hard, but since the Welsh supply from Rhayader has been in operation it is very soft. This is so much the better for the soap bill, but it has affected the tea, and a new blend is being produced to suit such soft water. It is a pity, though, that the water does not appear to have" softened" the fiscal hard hearts of Brum. The Church Prayer Book Service. The Aberystwyth Church and Conservative weekly newspaper pleads for briefer services. It is the almost unanimous opinion of church- people that the Prayer Book service is much too long," remarks our contemporary, "and be- comes monotonous and tiresome, but no one has the courage to make a change. If the arch- bishops and bishops were compelled to sit in the pews daily, morning and evening, for twelve months, they would soon begin to pray to be released, and then we should have a variety of half-a-dozen short services." Miss Teify Davies. This charming Welsh singer had a great reception at Swansea last week on the occasion of her appearance with the Moody-Manners Opera Company. As Carmen," Miss Davies was really magnificent. South Wales Trade. South Wales, at any rate, gives the lie direct to the assertions of Mr. Chamberlain that our industries are decaying. Thanks to Free Trade the South Wales industrial districts have pro- gressed amazingly. The shipments of coal at Cardiff, Barry, Newport, and Port Talbot show a notable increase for the past year. The tin- plate industry is going ahead. Large flour mills, which will give employment to hundreds of hands, will be opened at Barry in the course of three months' time in fact the trade at this important Cardiff suburb has doubled in ten years. New industries have been opened at Newport, and, thanks to our system of Free Trade, the fruit, meat, and other produce import trades are being developed very much. Pro- tection would pretty well ruin South Wales. Long and Short Sermons. A feature of Mr. Evan Roberts' stirring Revival services is the fact that he only speaks for very brief periods. There is no doubt that the days of the long sermon are over. The future pulpit discourses will be brief. A Good Story of Mr. Ben Davies. M A. P. records an interesting story of Mr. Ben Davies, the famous Welsh tenor. Accord- ing to the weekly in question, Mr. Davies was in great form at the snug little supper party held at the conclusion of the Cardiff Musical Festival, and the story referred to was related thereat. It appeared that a week or two before Mrs. Ben Davies had told her husband in the hearing of their little son that the newspapers had stated that another really pure tenor had been discovered, and on hearing the news Mr. Davies had given a little illustration of what he imagined it might be like, a la, la, la," in a weak ethereal warble just about audible and that was all. A day or so afterwards Mr. Davies went to the piano and began practising, and after he had been there a little while his small son came and sat on a stool beside him. After remaining silent for a few minutes the young hopeful gazed up at his father and exclaimed gleefully, I'm glad you're not a pure tenor, dada." "Why do you say that?" asked the great Welsh vocalist of his son. Well," ex- claimed the youngster, "you do try to get it out, anyhow Ethical Society's Views. There is an Ethical Society at Merthyr, and it is interesting to learn its views in regard to the great Religious Revival. On Sunday week the Society held its anniversary services" when Mr. Phillip Thomas, of Battersea, gave an address. In the course of the same Mr. Thomas remarked that the Ethical Society wel- comed the Revival as it would lead people to live purer lives, and especially since it seemed to be accompanied with less appeal to the horrors of hell than used to be the case in the old days. This change being due, he be- lieved, to the improvement in public opinion created by such work as Ethical Societies. The Revival had actually been described by several ministers as an ethical movement. Death of a Welsh Consul. The Hon. D. T. Phillips, the American Consul at Cardiff, died on Tuesday at his private residence in the Walk, at that town. Mr Philips, who was between 5° and 60 years of age, was widely known and highly esteemed. He was born in Wales, and commenced life as a Baptist minister, holding pastorates at Bristol, Swansea, and other places. He subsequently went to America, being pastor of the Baptist churches at Philadelphia. He was a keen lover of the Eisteddfod and won many prizes for essays, &c. In 1897 he was appointed to succeed the Hon. Anthony Howells as American Consul at Cardiff. Up to the time of his last illnesss he continued to preach at Baptist churches in Wales, and he took the greatest interest in all matters appertaining to the welfare of his native land. He was a Cymro to the finger tips and passionately devoted to the Welsh language. The Anglican Church in Wales. The Aberystwyth Observer is not a large paper, it is true, but it is a paper that has the courage of its convictions. The editor is a Churchman and Conservative, but he frankly speaks his mind, as, for instance, in the following leading article in a recent issue Notwithstanding all that is said to the con- trary, it is evident that the Church is not making much progress in the Principality. That matters have not gone on well in one of the Aberystwyth parishes is well known, but we were not prepared to find that the Llandaff Diocesan Church Extension Society is financially in such a condi- tion that it is impossible to make any additional grants to curates. "This is a serious state of affairs for a large and wealthy diocese like Llandaff, and there must be reasons for the lack of funds. What those reasons are we have no means of knowing, but it is certain that Church people are con- vinced that the socieb, for some reason or other, is not deserving of their support. Possibly there is a widespread feeling that the great wealth of the Church is not distributed in accordance with the merits of the recipients. The Bishops are in receipt of £4,000 or £4,5°0 a year, while the curates on an average do not get more than '71 £ 120, and many of the beneficed clergy do not get much more. Large sums are also paid to the cathedral staffs, out of all proportion to the services rendered in return-a remark that also applies to some of the beneficed clergy. This is a question that will ere long have to be dealt with in a practical manner. The hardest- working clergy are not always the best paid." Echoes. Primroses just gathered at Porthcawl. Aberystwyth Town Council Meetings getting lively. Swansea Football Club's record still intact. Barry trade doubled in ten years. No "decaying industries there. Motor service suggested Cardigan to Aber- ystwyth. Good idea that. More Cardiganshire railway schemes in the air. Mr. Chamberlain will not speak at Wrexham. No loss to anybody. Aberystwyth Association Football Club going strong. Blwyddyn newydd dda!

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