The North Wales Weekly News

To Our Readers. We regret 'that, owing to the exceptional pressure on. our space, several interesting articles, reports, and letters have to be left over. We should be greatly obliged if contri- butors would assist us by sending in their manuscripts at the earliest possible moment.

THE GOVERNMENTS POLICY. THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT was placed in office, backed by a majority of 124, to do three things—to pass the Lloyd George Budget, to make it impossible for the Lords to again interfere with the passage of a finance measure, and to put same check upon the Lord's veto in regard to general legislation. Between the elec- tion and the opening of Parliament there was much discussion in the country as to which matter should be dealt with first, Budget or Veto but on February 21 sit, the wording of the King's Speech diverted attention from that point of strategy to a very much larger ques- tion. To every one's surprise, the King's Speech indicated that the Government actually proposed to tackle the reform of the House of Lords—a subject never mentioned during the General Election, and upon which the voice of the country had not been. asked. Then followed protests by the Liberals, the Irish and the Labour group, talk of a crisis was heard on every hand, and it was feared that the Govern- ment's life must be a matter of only a few days. On Monday, however, Mr. Asquith and Mr. Lloyd George in the House of Commons cleared away all the confusion in a most statemanlike manner and enunciated a policy which has had the effect of uniting all sections of the Party of Progress in one compact and solid body. The way is now clear for the Government to proceed with its great task of carrying out the will of the people, and it is with a feeling of intense satisfaction that.the confidence which we ex- pressed in the Prime Minister and his colleagues last week, at a time when there was so much dissatisfaction in the Liberal ranks, has already been amply justified by events. The Premier, taking (the House into his confidence, on Mon- day outlined the plan adopted by the Cabinet. He explained that urgent finanicial business will be taken till March 24th, and on the 25th he will bring in Resolutions-" few and simple stating the need of e-xcluding the Lords alto- gether from finance, and on, general legislation securing the predominance of the House of Commons in the life of a single Parliament. These proposals are to lead up, in the following year, to proposals altering the hereditary basis of the House of Lords. A Bill is to be intro- duced embodying' the operative parts of the Resolutions; but without waiting for the Bill these Resolutions are to be submitted to the House of Lords. The Government will stake their existence upon carrying out this pro- gramme. "The House," said M.I. Lloyd George later in a magnificent soeech—" the House may depend upon it, the Government are in earnest in dealing with this matter. I do not know that a Government can giv,e a greater earnest than to say that if they find themselves not in a position to carry their proposals into law they will not hold office." In, other words, unless the Government have the support of the King in this great constitutional conflict they will re- sign. The 'Government's policy is a grand fighting policy, and it will nDC be their fault if that policy is not carried out to the letter. They have been charged with running away from their promises; but it is now plain for all to see that they have been true to their word. They have so laid their plans as to bring the main issue to a trial off conclusions at the earliest possible moment. They have been I absolutely faithful to their pledges. More than that no man can expect of them. But it must not be taken for granted that they will succeed at once. It is not ait all impossible that the not be taken for granted that they will succeed at once. It is not ait all impossible that the great forces arrayed against them may win the first round of the fight, and in that event we may expect another General Election in May or June. That is what Liberals throughout the country must be prepared for. If they lose then, either for want of preparation or for lack of unity, then the cause of progress will be put back for generations. It is therefore absolutely essential that the Liberal party, instead of rest- ing after the fatigue of their recent victory, should go on perfecting their organisation and, above all, continuing their educational work in all parts of the country. It must be a fight to a finish next time.

THE IMMORTAL MEMORY." IN TIllS DISTRICT the festival of St. David was celebrated on a Larger scale and with greater enthusiasm than ever. The practice of keeping St. David's Day as a national festival is one of the pleasantest features of the modern revival in Wales. And, happily, it is producing, amongst other good results, a closer sympathy between the Welsh people'and the English people living in Wales. The more a Welshman thinks of his own country and its glorious traditions, the higher is the Englishman's respect for him. It was not always so, but that is undoubtedly the case to-day. National sentiment is something to be proud of, and is worth preserving. The increase in the number of celebrations is in it- self a testimony to the growth of national senti- ment during the last quarter of a century. But it is an even more hopeful sign that the increas- ing respect which Welshmen show for the qualities of their own race and their desire to make the best of them, is allied with a steady widei-ving in their intellectual <),tijtlook. Wales for the Welsh is now an obsel-ete and discredited cry. Artificial pro- tection is recognised as being as bad for nation- ality as for commerce. No one whose opinion I counts would now declare, as educated Welsh- men of a generation ago did, that only a Welsh ,master could .nrooerlv teach a Welsh bov. J.. L J This kind of intellectua in-breeding is done for. The potential qualities of the Welsh people are not to be developed in isolartiion and solitude and monotony, but in active contact, and, it may be, conflict with those of other races. The freer and more varied the intercourse the richer the growth, Broadly, then, the old clannish idea is dead—the idea that loyalty to the Welsh historical spirit demanded isolation and a pettish refusal to accept the comradeship of other peoples. Welsh history, Welsh literature, and Welsh national qualities are probably studied and cherished more to-day than they ever were before, but with this sense of national person- ality and the need of preserving it has come another sense of the absolute need of liberal intercourse with the ideas and customs and qualities of other people. But if the old patri- otism is gone, its spirit is still alive, and is being adapted to the requirements of to-day. Patriotism is something more than devotion to Welsh soil. Welsh patriotism has now broken the bounds of country, language, and national- ity. Welshmen have the sentiment of Empire, and they found it in their giving up self for family, family for community, community for nation, and nation for Empire, and they stop not at the term Empire, but only at the term humanity. There is every reason to be proud of Modern Wales and of the Welshmen who are Labouring so diligently and successfully to de- velop the capacities of the people for an effec- tive share in the wider world-life. But with their wider outlook, Welshmen must remain Welshmen, and not imitations of Englishmen, if they are to continue to be a power for good in the world. They must be true to themselves. They must ever strive for the preservation of the best eLements of the Welsh character—its mystic dream, its fertile imagination, its lift- img idealism, and its trust in the eternal. And it is because they realise this that Welshmen meet every year on the patronal saint-day to honour the immortal memory of St. David."

VOTES FOR WOMEN. Miss HOVEY, B.A., spoke on Women and the State at Colwyn Bay on Friday, and her address was at once illuminating and convinc. ing. In a fairly long and by no means passive experience of the agitation for woman's rights we have rarely if ever known the case to be stated with greater clearness or greater force. The whole address, in fact, by the wide know- ledge of the subject which it revealed and the moderation of As tone, A-as a striking example of the manner in which this and every other good cause should be submitted by its advocates to the judgment of the country. We are almost tempted to say that if the women's cause were always put forward in this manner it would meet with greater sympathy and success, but we know that if we did say so Mi-s,, Hovey herself would be the first to reply that the history of the movement is conclusive proof against the assumption. However, this we will say, with- out fear of contradiction, that Miss Hovey's method is the method best suited to the time and the district. We go even further and say that if the same line had been followed at the recent great meeting at Colwyn Bay, that meet. ing would have been more fruitful of good re- sults. While on that subject we should like to take the opportunity of clearing away the erroneous impression which has somehow got abroad that we are hostile to the movement. The truth is the other way about. We are strongly in sympathy with it, and count it a privilege to have done some little work for the furtherance of its principles. We have been publicly thanked even by prominent militant Suffragettes, because while condemning certain of their tactics we have upheld the justice of their demand. But this is by the way. To return to Miss Hovey's address, we are glad that she commenced by treating the subject historically, because that aspect of the question cannot be pressed too often upon public atten- tion.. When we compare the status of woman in the past with her present positdon in the State and pass in review the causes which have produced the change, the justice of the demand for more equitable treatment stands out ini bold relief and the opponents of the movement are left without a leg to stand upon. Her appeal to history was followed up by Miss Hovey with an eloquent appeal to common sense; and com- mon fairness, and here again she struck the right note. Of course, with the time at her diisposal it was impossible for Miss Hovey to cover the whole ground but sufficient was said to enlaible those who have not studied the ques- tion for themselves to lay hold of the right prin- ciples as a sound basis for personal investi- gation of the whole question. We hope and believe that the subject will henceforward re- ceive more adequate and less prejudiced public attention in North Wales as a direct result of Miss Hovey's capable and scholarly exposition and temperate advocacy.

CURRENT TOPICS. County Council Election. AT COLWYN BAY, as we predicted, two old members and one new one have been returned without opposition. Councillors J. M. Porter and Edward Allen have thus been given that renewal of public confidence which their past services so eminently deserve, and Mr. David Lewis enters upon what we have every belief will prove a useful public career. THE COLWYN ELECTORS will be called upon to go to the poll next Monday. Councillor D. O. W illiams is again offering his services, but is faced by a very strong opponent in Mr. Robert Jones, grocer, Liverpool House, who stands as aa Independent candidate. The contest will be an interesting one for many local reasons. This is, we believe, the third occasion in which Mr. Williams has had to fight for the seat, on each occasion against a formidable foe, and the fact that he succeeded in the two previous contests is no doubt greatly in his favour at the present juncture. IT IS NOT necessary to say anything here about the merits of the rival polioies which are put forward by the two candidates for public en- dorsement, but a personal note will be of inter- est. Like his father before him, Mr. D. O. Wiiliams is a native of the district and has taken a remarkably active share in its public life. The late Mr. Owen Williams was the father of the Colwyn Bay Council, and it seems likely that his son, having entered the Council at such an early age, will attain a like distinction. His local associations have brought him into close I touch wth the requirements of the place, and it has been his good fortune to be ble-ssed with sufficient time and other means to devote him- self to the fulfilment of those requirements. A member of the old School Board, he became and still remains a member of the Colwyn Bay Education Authority. For about a dozen years he has been a member of the District Council and has passed the chair of that important authority. It is as Chairman of the Highways Committee that he has for many years rendered the most conspicuous service, and in that capacity he has been able to do good work on the Main Roads Committee of the County Council. He is also on the Finance Committee and the Old Age Pensions Committee of the County Council. Throughout his public life Mr. Willians has shown great independence of spirit and has proved a determined fighter where questions of principle were involved. Mr. ROBERT JONES, who has resided at Col- wNm Bav for about sixteen years, is personally well-known arudf greatly esteemed, but as he has not previously taken part in public affairs, he is at a disadvantage in a comparison of services rendered to the community. Whether or not he is successful on the present occasion, he is cer- tain to become prominent in the near future in local government circles. IN THE Llansantffraid division another keen contest wil be witnessed. Mr. D. Mac. Nicoll, the retiring member, who seeks re-election, is opposed by Mr. J. D. Jones, the well-known Llanrwst solicitor, whose abilities, progressive views and legal knowledge admirably qualify him for a position on the County Council. A Colwyn Bay Movement. THE Colwyn Day and District Advertising Association (we like the new name) gave re- newed evidence of vitality and usefulness at the annual meeting on Thursday evening, and we heartily congratulate all concerned upon the character of the reports submitted. They made up a record of success whilch must be gratifying alike to the members and to the public on whose behalf they have done such a vast amount at hard and self-sacrificing work. The recogni- tion at last won from the District Council is in .itself a sufficient proof of the value of the work which the Association has for five years been doing in the interest of the town and district, and might be regarded as a guarantee of the future prosperity of the excellent movement. All that is now wanted to ensure that good re- sult lis more generous financial support from those who benefit so greatly as the direct result of the Association's enterprise and enthusiasm. Rural Schools. FOR MANY YEARS there has been great neglect by school authorities of the sanitary condition of schools, and there has been constant friction between the local sanitary authorities and the school authorities in consequence of the un- willingness of the latter to do what was con- sidered to be necessary by the inspectors of nuisances. It has happened in many cases that the inspector has been unable to press his com- plaints very far, because whilst there was such a state of things as was undesirable in any school there was nothing which could actually be made the subject of complaint under the nuisances clauses of the Public Health Act, ana consequently no action could be taken. Small school boards were often great offenders in these matters, and the managers of voluntary schools were often even greater offenders. The real difficulty was, however^ that in the construction of the school no proper and adequate provision had been made for dealing with refuse and other matters. Now, however, the screw is being put on from Whitehall, and it is to be hoped that some improvement will be brought about. THERE HAVE recently been issued by the Local Government Board some stringent rules in t'he form of a memorandum on the arrangements to be made for drainage and, the disposal of waste matters at elementary schools for which loans under the Board's sanction are required, especially in these cases in country districts where sewers and water supply are not avail- able. Thais will, of course, not affect any exist. ing schools, but the standard thus set up for new schools will have the effect of levelling up the requirements in the case of existing schools. Everyone recognises that there are great diffi- culties in rural districts in dealing with such matters as the disposal of refuse and the proper cleansing of small schools, but in the interest of the health of the children who are compelled to go to school it is essential that everything that is possible to secure healthy conditions should be done. It is quite evident that the Local Government Board recognise that the time has come to enforce with greater stringency than has .been done in the past the proper construction of all schools, and thus indirectly to bring about the improvement of private dwelling accom- modation. The example set in the case of the schools must have the effect in course of time erf setting the fashion for other works.

CAKES AND PUDDINGS.—No. 16. Sweet Sauce for use with Cakeoma Puddings. 2. ozs. Butter. i dessertspoonful plain Flour. 'Half a pint of Milk. 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of Sugar. Flavouring. METHOD. Mix the butter and flour smoothly and put it into an enamel-lined saucepan with the milk and sugar and flavouring (which may be a little grated rind of a lemon, nutmeg, or powdered cinnamon, &c., according to taste). Keep stir- ring one way over a sharp fire, letting it boil for a minute or two. This makes the right quantity for one Cakecxma Pudding-see recipes in pre- vious copies of this paper. Oatmeal Parkin recipe next week. Cakeoma is sold only in 3Yzd. packets by Grocers and; Stores everywhere.

IVEEK BY WEEK. Dr. J. J. Dobbie, the new principal Govern- ment analyst, was for some years professor of chemistry at the University College, Bangor. Welsh is apparently on the increase in London. A large new Welsh Anglican church is being built in Holloway. The services will be entirely in Welsh the vicar is the Rev. W. Griffiths. A plumber in North Wales (according to the Western Mail ") has just been fined 5s. for wasting between 250,000 and 300,000 gallons of water. He went to the reservoir to bathe, and the waterworks people immediately lhad the whole of the water, to the above quantity, run out. There is nothing like care in these matters, but it was no compliment to the plumber! Whistler once undertook to get a fellow- painter's work into the autumn salon. He succeeded, and the picture was hung. But the painter, going to see his masterpiece with Whistler on varnishing day, uttered a terrible oath when he beheld it. Good gracious," he groaned, you're exhibiting my picture upside down." li Hush," said Whistler. The com. mittee refused it the other way." Kaledvwlch, the Grand Druid of the Gorsedd of Brittany, has published in the Indepen- dence Bretorane a series of translations into Breton from Mr. 0 M. Edwards's duoglot Stories from Welsh History." Such has been their popularity that M. Lajat (Mab ar Aogoed), the editor, has received nearly a thousand post- cards and letters asking for a continuance of the series. When that brilliant Welsh scholar, Dr. Alfred Daniell, lectured before the London Cymmro- dorion on "Vocal Tradition in Wales" he gave his audience some examples of a certain class of tunes as obtained from his mother, who was able to re-call accurately how Dic Dywyll used to sing them in the streets of Carnarvon in the thirties and forties. Mrs. Daniell, the vener- able lady referred to, still resides at Llanelly in perfect vigour of body and mind. An exact definition of a gentleman has been tried many times, never, perhaps, with entirely satisfactory results but this, reported by the Woman's Home Companion," betrays its source. Little Sadie had never heard of any of the definitions, but she managed' to throw a gleam of light on the subject. The word was in the spelling lesson, and the teacher said: "Sadie, what is a gentleman ?" "Please, ma'am," she answered, a gentleman's a man vou don't know very well." < Wales seems to have compared well with England in the matter of sobriety in the eight. teenth century. When Mrs. Thrale was visiting near Bangor in 1774 she says of the Welsh, whom she met, The men were not drunk, nor, the women inclined to disgrace themselves." At another place she records that none were drunk when they came to tea; and after an entertainment we all returned home in very good time as could be, the servants sober, and the mistress, too. I wonder!" Mrs. Thrale was not accustomed to such decorum in her own neighbourhood, hence the astonishment, Trefriw readers, who are justly proud of their ancient and successful flaraned industry, will be fhterested in the following from the Western Mail :-The derivation of the word flannel is an etymological puzzle. Shakespeare mentions AN-elsb flannel." In Welsh, flannel is g-wlanen, from gwlan—wool." As fl is often an English form of the Welsh 11 (e.g., Fluellen for Llewellyn), flannel may be a cor- ruption of the name of a Welsh town where the fabric is, or was, extensively made, and Llan- elly is suggested. There are plenty of cases of fabrics thus named, e.g., Worsted, Cambric, Calico, &c. Second-class carriages are gradually disap. pearing from the railway systems. For this reason a good story about the distinction be- tween the three classes of. travellers will have to be revised. A gentleman travelling second- class had a little misunderstanding with a bad. tempered lady about an open window. You don't know the difference between second and third class, my good man," declared the Lady in a freezing tone. Paxdon me, madam," re- torted the other, I am a very old traveller, and know all the class distinctions. In the first- class the passengers behave rudely to the guards in the third the guards behave rudely to the passengers while in the second "—with a bow to the lady—" the passengers behave rudely to each other." In the days of public executions the culprit was allowed the privilege of sinking a psalm at the gallows, and to that circumstance at least one life owed prolongation. One of the famous Montrose's chaplains had been condemned to death for attending his master in some of his glorious exploits, and, being upon the ladder, ordered to set out a psalm, he, expecting a re- prieve, named the iigth, a request with which the Scotch Presbyterian officer attending the ex- ecution complied. Barely had the first half of the psalm been sung before a courier, in hot haSlte., brought the expected reprieve, and so the chaplain, by choosing the longest psalm, enjoyed life for some time longer. The recent high winds played peculiar tiicks with hats. A gentleman coming out of Carnar- von Post-office the other day felt his bowler hat lifted off his head, but, to his astonishment, when he looked round to see in what direction it had gone the hat was nowhere to be seen. It had vanished as utterly las if some imsftn magician had spirited it away. Aft.e.r another look round the bereaved owner starred to walk heane, when a shout from a man who stood some distance farther off directed his attention to the flat roof of a high building close by. There was the errant hat, snugly ensconced- in the shelter of a large chimney stack. It took a long time and a great deal of skill and patience before the headgear was recovered. One of the finest examples of choral ucity in the kingdom is the Idris Choral Society at Dolgelly. It was established about forty years ago, and has been conducted since its forma- tion by Mr. O. O. Roberts, headmaster of the council school in that town. Through deaith and removals, many members have gone, but the choir has been kept alive and vigorous throughout the many years of its existence with- out a break, and has about 150 members. It is undenominational, and perfect harmony has prevailed. They only contested at an eistedd- fod once, when they carried off the first prize at Machynlleth in 1879, but they have performed most of the great oratorios by Handel, Mendels- sohn, Haydn, Mozart, &c., while the secular choruses they have learnt are legion. Can any other choral society in Wales boast of having been in existence without a break for forty years ? Mark Twain tells a story about the little town of Fargo, North Dakota, which once boast- ed a postmaster and coroner rolled into one person. This official was called one day to give his verdict upon the case of a stranger who had been the victim of a fit in the main street. As the man was known to nobody, he was hurried to the much-prized new City Hospital." There the case was diagnosed as appendicitis, but when the operation took place the attending surgeon discovered that the patient had been previously relieved of his appendix. The doctor endeavoured to make amends, but the strange man died from the effects of the operation. The postmaster-coroner, in rendering his ver- dict, filled in the space after Cause of death with a rubber stamp, which read, Opened by mistake."