The Weekly News and Visitors' Chronicle for Colwyn Bay Colwyn Llandrillo Conway Deganwy and Neighbourhood

A STUDY IN CONTRASTS. IN THESE DAYS of political turmoil, when every village school is a storm-centre round which rages a veritable cyclone of party vituperation, and when the bodies and souls of the school children are being fought for with tiger-like ferocity, the newspaper-read- ing public is becoming positively sick of the Word education. Still, there are aspects of even this subject which are full of interest, and we feel sure that our readers, even the most bored and blase amongst them, will find something quite refreshing in the comparison of two pictures which we shall endeavour to Present to their minds. Of one picture we shall have little to say, because it is so fami- liar to all. We refer to the excellent system at work in every elementary school in the 'land, and the splendid facilities given to every child to lay the foundations of a good education. The schools, for the most part, are well built, well-equipped, clean, bright and sanitary; the teachers are well-trained, Itltelligent, sympathetic school life is a Perio-d of joy and happiness for the children and of mutual affection between teachers, and taught. Yet even in comparatively recent times, the conditions were very different. We have recently followed with interest a corres- pondence in a daily contemporary on the question whether, with all the money spent On them, the schools of our country do really educate or not. It is very easy to answer. !f we confine our inquiries to North Wales, In order to keep the question within conveni- ent limits, the evidence is most convincing. And, what is more, we need not dive very dp into local history in order to find a Picture revealing a condition of affairs; corn- Pared with which the state of things to-day Presents a most dramatic contrast. We have only to g-o back half a century to find disclosed to our view a picture so dark and gloomy that we are struck with amazement when, we behold the state of efficiency to which the people's schools have been brought In. our time. The modern youth, blessed With every possible advantage, are apt to snieer at the ignorance" of the last two generations.; but their scorn would speedily urn to wondering admiration if they would take the trouble to ask what the North Wales schools were like sixty years ago. Parlia- ment, in the March of 1846, ordered an in- quiry to be made" into the state of educa- tion in the Principality of Wales, and es- pecially into the means afforded to the labour- ing classes of acquiring" a knowledge of the English language." The inquiry was con- ducted in the following year, every school being visited, and the reports of the Com- missioners make fascinating reading. Will it be believed that of the 643 teachers, then con- ducting schools in North Wales,, only 65 had been trained, and that the average time spent by these highly privileged teachers in training institutions was only six months ? There was no Colwyn Bay in existence in those days. The urban alteal which now boasts a population of over eleven thousand wa.s then a rural parish containing 1,176 in- habitants, consisting of farmers, miners, and farm-labourers. Many of these people were very poor, so poor that they were unable to pay even the penny per month charged for the education of the children. There was but one school, which has since been demol- ished; its site in Tanybryn Road is covered by a mansion. There some of the "fathers" of Colwyn Bay received the only education they could boast beyond what they were able to acquire by painful and laborious home study after they had commenced to earn their living. The Commissioner who visited the school found 68 scholars 1 present; 39 boys and 29 girls. Of these," he reported to Parliament, 17 had attended the school more than two years., 11 more than three years, and 4 more than four years; 28 were above 10 years, of age. There were 17 what could read with ease; 40 copies were shown, but only one was well written. There were 4 scholars who could with difficulty answer a few plain questions in mental arithmetic and English grammar; no one could work a plain, sum in the Rule of Three. Out of a large class who were reading the Scrip- ture, I found only 9 who could answer simple questions; and only two possessed a competent knowledge of the subject. One said that Moses was the servant of the wilderness" another said that Christ came to condemn the world and in answer to the question, Who wrote the Gospel according to St. John?" one said' Matthew; another, Mark; a third, Luke; and a fourth (as if purposely passing over the very gospel we were reading) said The Acts As only four understood English, my questions were explained in Welsh. The majority of the pupils knew exceed- ingly little of any subject, and the in- formation of the rest was desultory and uncertain. Here we have the effect; let us look for the cause: The master has kept school for 20 years, but was never trained. He appeared ex- ceedingly anxious to keep the school in order, and to prevent blunders. But he conveyed his directions in a harsh manner; and I observed a birch rod, though it was not used while I stayed. He speaks Eng- lish with a Welsh idiom and pronuncia- tion; he conducts his school upon the old- fashioned system of private adventum schools. In teaching arithmetic, he allows the children to count on their fingers. The girls are taught needlework three times a week by the master's wife. The building was in very bad repair; there was a hole through the roof; and the school furniture is in a very indifferent condition. The out-buildings are not sufficient, or in proper repair; there was a deficiency of all school apparatus, and na maps at all. The fees charged (penny per month) for repairs are spent to buy coals. This is bad enough, .but the revelations from many other schools are still worse. Our readers would naturally ask how the sister resort of Llandudno fared educationally in those dark days. Llandudno, with its 1,047 inhabitants, possessed two schools;—a Brit- ish School, established 1844, and a Church School, established 1846 (the year before the inquiry). At both schools the fee was a penny per week for each scholar. The new church school is describ- ed as having on the books 47 boys and 56 girls. Number employed as monitors, 3. Subjects taught-reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, and music; the Scriptures and the Church Catechism." When the school was visited, there were 62 scholars present 12 could read with ease, 3 repeated the Church Catechism correctly, and out of 7 who could read Scripture questions 2 excelled. 48 copies were shown me, but there was not a, good1 specimen among them,. I ex- amined 23 scholars in arithmetic, and of these 4 could just work an easy sum in simple addition, and rule of three; 5 had learned a very little English grammar and geography. There was a class of 9 children between 8 and 11 years of age, no one of whom could read simple narratives. Two boys were said to have been over the" Tutor's Assistant"; but I found them to be but indifferently acquainted with the simple rule of three. There was a class of boys from 6 to 9 years of age, all of whom,, including the monitor, were incapable of spelling monosyllables well. In a class of 5 girls, from 10 to 14 years of age, there was not one who could read simple narratives with any success.; yet, out of that class, a monitor was selected, to in- struct the next. The discipline was very indifferent. There were some English children, but of the others only about 10 could understand and answer a simple question in the English language. The master was formerly a farming man. He received for his present employment some preparation at Bangor National School in 1841; he is 25 years of age, and has been a teacher five years. His knowledge of English is insufficient. He puts such questions as this How many parts of speech there are?" &c. His questions on Scripture history were better. Turn we next to the British and Foreign School at Llandudno, where we learn there were no boys, and girls. "Number em- ployed as monitors, 16. Subjects taught- the Holy Scriptures., reading, writing, arth- metic, grammar,, geography, and.1 history." When this school was examined- Of no children only 40 were present. None could read well, or write well upon paper. Of 10 who were learning arith- metic, none could work a sum in oom- pound rules correct.lv. Two had com- menced geography, but knew next to no- thing of the subject. The first and sec- ond class were deplorably ignorant, they could not tell the number of Jesus Christ's disciples, how many gospels there are, or whether St. Matthew was a man or a woman. When examined in grammar, the first class compared good and bad thus:— Good, gooder, goodest bad, badder, baddest." The monitors were rude, un- disciplined, and ignorant, and were neither able to teach nor to maintain discipline. The master was formerly a printer. He has been trained for six months in the Borough-road. He was able to ask good questions upon the subject-matter of the lessons, but his English was, bad in gram- mar and idiom. He allowed the children to make blun- ders without correcting them. He took no notice of the rude answers which they made when he spoke to them,; but allowed them to jump about the school from place to place, and to play and chat with each other. It is difficult to conceive boys in school, and subject to a master, more rustic and offensive in their manners. The windows of the schoolroom were broken, so that it was necessary to clese the shutters in order to keep out the crld. There were no outbuildings; for want of them, the neighbourhood of the school was in a disgraceful condition. It was stated that the funds of the Com- mittee are too low to allow them to repair the windows, or to furnish books and maps for the school. So much for Colwyn Bay and Llandudno. But even these are mild examples compared with the position, of affairs, in some of the parishes which are still rural in character. At Llanddulas, for instance, the school pre- mises, such as they were, had been leased to the master, 'a. man 60 years of age who had never received any preparation for the work. The lease contained no clause to bind the master to keep the school, or to allow it to be held on the premises. During one year this master rented a field, and then used the school as a barn and as a receptacle for his agricultural implements! At T'refriw some of the children in the first class, told the Com- missioner that Moses was the husband of the Virgin Marv, and that Jesus Christ was born in the Garden of Eden. And so the story goes on. Everywhere was it found that the teachers were incompetent and sometimes even brutal, the school buildings damp and insanitary and utterly unsuitable for the purpose, and the children kept in a state of dense ignorance. The Commissioners, per- haps, were somewhat prejudiced in their views, but on the whole their account is sub- stantially correct. With what a. degree of pleasure, then,, may we all turn to the splen- did educational system, which Wales enjoys to-day, thanks in a large measure to the sacri- fices made by the quarrymen and farmers. Now Wales is able to regard with pride a perfect educational ladder up which a child may climb from the elementary school through the intermediate school to any of the great Universities. The teachers, are well paid and earn their salaries, and the instruc- tion is imparted, amid most congenial sur- roundings, in a. manner well calculated to appeal to the sympathies of the taught. All this costs money, and no, doubt the rates de- voted to education bear heavily on some sec- tions of the community. But everyone cheerfully admits, that it is money well spent, and that it is a patriotic duty to assist in the noble work of spreading enlightenment throughout the: length and breadth of the land. There is only one thing which we would wish. It is that a larger proportion of the rising generation would! appreciate what ha.s been and is being done on their behalf, and that they would evince a greater degree of eagerness to seize the educational privileges which are theirs for the asking. As to the question whether the schools do or do not educate, we would ask our readers to compare the quotations we have given with the speeches delivered at Friday's meeting of the Denbighshire Education Authority. The two pictures present a study in dramatic contrasts, and no one can gaze upon these pictures without feeling convinced that we in Wales live in an era of progress and efficiency.

BANGOR AND THE LABOUR PARTY. THERE was a time when people used to shake their heads, over the demands made on behalf of the labouring classes in this country, and to find some satisfaction in declaring that "Social- ism would be all right if it were not for the Socialists." Those, were the days of the mob orator, whose mouthings in Hyde Park and in the chief centres of industry were so obnoxious and did so much harm to the cause. By to- day, however, all that has been changed. The worlungmen have returned to Parliament thirty members belonging to, and directly representing their own class, men who are perfectly capable of stating their case in a manner so. lucid as to leave no roiom for misconception in the public mind. And among the most brilliant of these exponents is Mr. Phillip Snowden, M.P., whose speech at Bangor, on Monday night, we report fully in our columns. The able Member for Blackburn came to Bangor to address the new- ly-formed Labour Organisation in the city, and although we do not identify ourselves with all the opinion,s he expressed, we feel it our duty to give the same publicity to the meeting as we have always done to the, proceedings of the chief political parties. The demonstration was an important one, and in many respects it was a significant one also. It was a significant sign of the times to find such- meeting, and especially a meeting on such .a scale, being held at all. The ancient Cathedral City has always been re- garded as a stronghold of Conservatism, and it is not a little remarkable to observe the zeal and energy with which the citadel is being attacked by people who regard themselves as representa- tive of "advanced thought" in matters political. Another very significant feature was, the consti- tution of the "platform" which suported; Mr. Snowden, and especially to find Mr. S. H. D. Dew, who fought so hard for the Unionist Can- didate in Arfon at the last election, now throw- ing in his: lot with the "new" party. And one other circumstance is also noteworthy for its un- expectedness and significancei. This was the readiness of some of the members of the City Council to make way for Labour candidates at the approaching municipal election. This ac- quiescence, in a city of the character of Bangor, in the demands of Labour to direct representa- tiolli on t'he local governing authority marks the opening of a new era in the political and muni- cipal history of North Wales,. There was no- thing very new in Mr. Snowden's address, but the old principles were' expounded in a distinctly able and illuminating manner, and with every- thing made so plain and straightforward1 no one can have any excuse for failing to understand what it is the Labour Party want and are deter- mined tOo have. In one sense we are all Social- ists to-day. A leading plank in the Socialistic platform is the municipalisation of such mono- polies as the public supply of gas, electricity, and water. This principle has been adopted and put into practice in many towns in North Wales, and in some of them with most gratifying re- sults. If the Labour Organisation at Bangor succeed in returning representatives to the City Council next month, the policy and method of those members will be watched with eager in- terest by the inhabitants of neighbouring towns.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL. An unusual degree, of interest attaches to, the birth of a daughter to Lord and Lady Willough- by de Eresby,, as, should no son eventually be born to them, the. infant will, in the ordinary course of events, be one day a peeress in her own right. Son and heir of the Earl of Ancaster, Lord Willougbby de Eresby's marriage to Miss Eloise Breese, an American heiress, was' one of the great social events of December last. Although the Ancaster earldom only dates from 1892, the Barony of Willoughby de Eresby was created nearly 600 years ago (in 1313, to be exact), the first holder being a notable warrior of Edward1 I's. reign. This ancient barony is one of the comparatively few creations descend- ing in both the; male and female line. Lord Carrington, who succeeds to the Duke of Rutland's Garter, has a beautiful old resi- dence in North Walesi—Gwydyr Castle, which is situated near Llanrwst. The house was built in the sixteenth century, and, though not large, is very comfortable and! quaint. The property for- merly belonged to the famous Wynne family, of whom the best-known wast Sir John Wynne. The castle contains a wealth of splendid old oak carvings, and there is also some fine tapestry and lavish furnishings in seventeenth century style. Lord Carrington bought the property some ten or twelve years ago from his. cousin, the Earl of Ancaster1. S Lord Carrington, the new Knight of the Gar- ter, will receive congratulations from both ends of the earth (says the "Daily Chronicle"). He was no less popular in Australia than he is in England. His unvarying geniality, his frank and breezy style, and his simple, homely direct- ness of speech, were exactly to the taste, of the Antipodeans. His- viceregal career in New South Wales was a pronounced success, and he left behind him this reputation of the "most po- pular Governor that ever came, to Australia." One exciting experience Lord Carrington had in Australia. While, he was visiting a remote inland town called Bourke, the place was threat- ened with destruction by floods. For a day and, a night the inhabitants worked their hardest in building up embankments to keep out the invad- ing waters, and they eventually succeeded in saving the town from being swept away. Lord, Carrington, in shirt and trousers, worked as hard as any in; the ranks of the defenders. A committee is being formed to carry out the resolution passed) at the joint meeting of the Gorsedd and the National Eisteddfod, at Carnar- von to present a national testimonial to Mr. D. Emlyn Evans, the well-known composer, in re- cognition of his services to the Eisteddfod and to Welsh music and musical criticism during a period of 35 years. Lord Tredegar has accepted the presidency of the committee, and Sir Mar- cliatit Williams will act as the hon. treasurer of the fund. The secretarial duties have been un- dertaken by Mr. M. T. Morris (Carnarvon), Mr. Edward Jenkins (Llandrinidod Wells), and Mr. E. Vincent Evans. » The Duke of Westminster, who is in Barotse- land on a prolonged shooting trip, is expected back in Bloemfontein early in November. His Grace will pay another visit to his estate in the Orange River Colony before returning home for Christmas. The Marquis of Anglesey has left Plas, Newyddi, Menai Bridge, for Paris. < It was Sir Horatio Lloyd's seventy-seventh birthday on Saturday. Since his recent retire- ment from the Chester and North Walesi County Court Circuit, on account of severe illness, he has enjoyed1 complete rest in Scotland, and. has returned to Chester much improved' in health. Lord and Lady Newborough have been among the people who have lingered on at Marienhead in the pleasant closing days of September. Lord Newborough married six years ago one of the two pretty daughters of Colcfhel Carr, of Kentucky, of the United States Army. The other daughter, Mrs. Chauncey, is. a widow, with a house in Hertford-street, where she lives with her mother. The two sisters are very popular-, and (like so many smart Americans:) always dressed to perfection. Though an Irish baron, Lord Newborough is pure Welsh by connection and descent. He owns property in North Wales, and has served as High Sheriff of Denbighshire. His family seat bears the same name, Plas Newyddi, as that of Lord Anglesey in his titular island. Colonel Henry Platt, C.B., is to be the next Mayor of Bangor. He is a Conservative and Provincial Grand Master for North Wales. It is anticipated that the King or some member of the Royal Family will visit Bangor for the pur- pose of laying the foundation-stone1 of the new University Collegei buildings. Mr. Lloyd-George, President of the Board of Trade, has been invited to be the principal guest at this year's annual luncheon of the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce. < The chief inspector's gold medal for the year 1906 has been adjudged to P. W. Dodd, of the County School, Grove Park, Wrexham. This medal, given to the pupil who stands highest in the Central Welsh Board examinations, has now been awarded eight times, and pupils from Grove Park have won it four times. In the pre- sent list three out of the first six are Grove Park boys. < The Welsh Industries Association will hold an exhibition and sale at the Mansion House, London, on Monday and Tuesday, October 15th and 16th. The Lord Mayor will open the exhi- bition and sale in state on Monday, October 15th. The stallholders, who will appear in Welsh costume, are the Duchess of Beaufort (Breconshire), the Duchess of Westminster (London), the Countess of Plymouth (Glamor- ganshire), the Countess of Dundonald (Denbigh- shire), Lady Llangattock (Monmouthshire), Lady Florentia Hughes (Flintshire), Lady Magdalen Williams-Bulkeley (Anglesey), and the Hon. Gladys Rice (Carmarthenshire).

S I YINGS OF THE lVEEK. COUNCILLOR R. ROBERTS. We blame the laborer for dulness, we lament his patronage, of the public-house, we deplore his eagerness for the excitements of the town. But sirs, before we indulge in the cheap luxury of censure, let us ask, Would we ourselves be any better if we were in his place?—In the "Munici- pal Journal." MRS. HUMPHRY. Girls of twenty years ago used to speak and laugh nicely and quietly. Now their laugh occasionally resembles more or less that of a hyaena.—In "Cassell's Saturday Journal." REV. STEWART HEADLAM. It is simply men and women living and work- ing in any neighbourhood that makes land valu- able.—At Bristol. "MARMADUKE." The man in the moon is not companionable no more is thei man in the (honey)-moon.—In "Truth." MR. CLAYTON. The ignorance: of Lancashire men amd lasses on matters of health is simply appalling.—At the Chester Poor Law Conference. JUDGE EMDEN. It is extraordinary how much poor people do for each other. There is nothing like it in other ranks of life.—At Lambeth County Court.

On a Motor-Cycle FROM PENMAENMAWR TO MALLWYD. It is a dull morning, with a moderate east wind blowing. After a hurried breakfast I walk rapidly down, to vVilhams" on the Lower Con- way Road. Rain has fallen in the night, and the roads are a, trifle sticky. I am advised not to scorch, but to maintain a steady, moderate pace throughout the journey. Williams is there to give me a push off. As I don my oilskin and leggings he wheels my Ormonde, grunting with impatience to start, into mid-road. A few minutes later Penmaen- mawr is a thing of the past, and I am bowling along between, the high hedges, of Llanfairfiechan and Aber. Swinging-round a sharp corner I turn to the left for Bethesda. The streets are almost de- serted as I pass through. Work at the great slate quarries has not commenced,. Two cyclists cast envious glances at me a si my motor takes me up Nant Frangcon Pass at a rattling pace. They look on motor-cycling merely as a swift, lazy way of getting about. What should they know of accidents, to sparking plugs and accumulators and the hundred and one causes of a break down ? To-day my machine is running like a watch. To-morrow I may have to push a mass of metal weighing over a hundred and fifty pounds five miles or more to the nearest Garage. From Ogwen to Beddgelert I have the wind in my face. There is a drop or two of rain in it. The mountain tops are obscured by scudding wreaths of mist. These mighty Cambrian giants are unchanged since the days of Llewellyn ap Gryffudd, and one might almost expect to see a host of savage warriors dash out from behind the rugged boulders on their hoary slidles to avenge this desecration of their solitudes. At Capel Curig a maid waves her broom to the right inr answer to my bawled enquiry, and I start up the long climb to Pe'nygwryd Hotel. Beddgelert left behind, the country becomes more rural and less, mountainous. Something brown is struggling in the road before me. It is a young rabbit attacked by a stoat. My front wheel just misses the black tip of the little red robber's tail. As the pair slide away behind me I have the satisfaction of seeing the rabbit es- cap'e and pop down a hole in the bank. If I have failed to do justice upon the would-be mur- derer I have at least saved his victim. Near Maentwrog a grey-haired dame directs me over a ridge to Trawsfynydd. The hill I encounter is even stiffer than she, would have me believe. Halfway up the motor shows signs of stopping, and I jump off and try to run up alongside my machine and save much laborious pushing. As I stop exhausted, I see with disgust some two hundred yards of heavy work till a lofty fir tree marks the top of the ridge. Luckily, a broad- shouldered, black-haired Celt is willing to give one a shove for a consideration, and with his, able assistance I am soon on my iron steed1 once more. Trawsfynydd is the scene of a cattle fair, and: it is no easy matter even to push a motor-cycle through the, congested mass of horns and hoofs which chokes the streets. A glance at my petrol indicator tells me I must fill up at Dolgelley. Itis- not yet mid-day, and I have been scarcely four hours coming. Down these long hills I shall make up for lost time. But no! The road winds through pine woods, and last night's rain has rendered the surface greasy in the extreme. Twice when I try to put on the pace my cycle waves ominous- ly. Slimy hands- seem to grab at the back wheel, and' a sigh, of relief is not unmingled with regret as I regain my balance and resign myself to slower and wiser courses. Abundance of local information is forthcom- ing from a Dolgelley guide who, for the price of a drink, puts me well on my way to Dinas Mawddwy. Down the steep hill of Ochrybwlch the- Or- monde slides of its own weight. A solitary cy- clist is walking his machine down the declivity. He has been deterred' by two red danger-notices a mile and a quarter behind. Arrived1 at the bottom of the hill, I leave the little village of Din as Mawddwy on my left, and start on the last mile of my journey. I cross the Dyfi by an ancient bridge of solid construction, and rush a short steep bit of hill. Another bridge and an inn slidte behind me, and I run at easy speed through Mallwyd. It is a little slate-roofed hamlet nestling up against the rugged side of a great hill. It is just ten o'clock when I arrive at the Rectory door. W. S. K.