The Cambria Daily Leader

THE ENTHRONED t CHILD. t In this year's Academy there is a picture typifying motherhood, which, however it may be judged from the strict artists' standpoint, is a triumph in the manner in which it points a beautiful moral. The picture enthrones motherhood, and I all its interest centres in the help- less little child. That picture illus- trates the most wonderful tendency of our age. This is the day of the child, the day of the all-conquering babe. In no period of human his- tory has that child been so import- ant. How far we have escaped from 1 the contamination of earlv Victorian (bys, the days against which ilfre. Browning sang with broken heart, and Kingsley wrote with burning anger, we can see at a glance by the ceremony which took place in Mond Buildings yesterday afternoon, when Lady Mond formally handed over the Swansea Mothers' and Babies' Welcome, and the School for Mothers, and the Creche Tv" future administration by the Cor- poration Maternity and Child Wel- fare Committee. We know that Lady Mond will not. be grateful to us for referring to her pioneer part in this great movement; neverthe- less bare justice compels us to emphasize the glorious work she has done for the helpless young of the town. Reformers everywhere are l gradually beginning to realise that, it is somewhat unproductive toil to endeavour to make changes after habits have been formed and con- ventions established. They are be- ginning to understand that the only I real reform starts at the very be- ginning of things. And to-day know that, if we are to have an At generation in this country to suc- ceed the C III. people whose miser- able lot it was to stand aside when their country was most in need, we must take steps to protect and strengthen motherhood, to see that the children, when they come into the world, are reared under the I healthiest circumstances possible; to insure that the sunlight can get into their bones, and the fresh air play upon them. In a way, we are sorry that the Welcome, the School, and the Creche pass into municipal keeping, because after all we attach profound importance to work which ha-s it; mainspring in love of the children, which never becomes stilted into formalism. The danger against which the future administration of these undertakings must guard is the tendency to forget the freshness of heart and the burning love, and the exalted optimism, with which its founder instituted it. It can, and it must be, saved by infusing j into it the spirit with which Ladyj Mond started the movement in' Swansea. We are quite sure that! those at the helm will bear thisj very essential condition in mind, and that what the Welcome h<V, hitherto ,don" in building up hop-V amongst the poor mothers of Swan- sea, it will continue to do in the future. To clay we stand at the0 parting of the ways we are between Oil, young men are slowly recovering from the strain of nearly five years' close quarters with death. There is a new atmo- sphere in the world, a, new hope, a new aspiration. Gigantic problems born of minds that are unafraid will have to bp solved, und we want for their solution in the coming years a- generation that is strong physically and mentally. The sight of a puny child is rightly regarded, a. condemnation "f the times in which that child was reared. There is something wrong with a world that tolerates in acquiesence the spectacle of palled and suffering childhood. Please heaven, with the great spirit that is abroad to-day we shall rear child ren in all our streets, and not omy in our west end, who will know what a merry laugh is, and who will feel the joy of strong limbs and healthy minds. The work to which Lady Mond set her hands years ago in Swansea, when child welfare-was very little in the public mind, is, thanks to the activity of her lady- ship and others of like disposition, to grow and grow. It is to become the supremely important work of our reformers.

A GREAT SCHOOL- fvi AS-ER. W, e would like to add our own tribute to the appreciations of regard which were yesterday paid at Bryn- mill School to the work and record of its retiring headmaster, Mr. John Williams. Mr. Williams may be regarded as one of the last of a I school of teachers established in the grand manner. He carried with him an influence which it is almost impossible to define, but which h,.>1; left as palpable a mark upon the work not only of Brynmill School but of life in Swansea generally. Mr. Williams was not only the master of a school but he was an in- structor of a neighbourhood. The influence of Brynmill School per- meated wide. t Brynmill and a few other schools in Swansea have built up a school tradition of their own. There was a time when School Board education was looked down upon in this coun- try. To-day we see the elementary schools turning out scholars wIn would not disgrace one of the fancient school establishments. They have a morale of their own. Th.,y have a pride in their records. They have an illusive esprit de cotrps which does so much to bind an or ganisat'ion together. It may b, said of Mr. Williams more than of most men in Swansea, he exalted teaching. He has never forgotten the. dignity of his craft, and he goes into retirement to our regret--for it will be hard to find his equal—but With our best wishes for a happy eventide.

BRICKLAYER'S TOTAL. Is the Ca-Canny Principle IN Operation? To the Editor. Sir,—I have noted with very gro-it pleasure the leading articles in your paper upon various economic questions and the constant way in which you ham- rner at the need for increased produc- tion. There is one matter which ought to Le ventilated, especially in view of the fact that the Corporation have recently placod a contract for the building of workmen's houses at such an enormous iigure. Present-day costs of building make it impossible that houses of this class can be erected to pay an economic rent, and have consequently to be subsidised. The cast of building cotykl be very materially reduced were the /-orkmeii in the buiid- ing trade only toÆo theT best. For ex- ample, 30 ycia,. ago a bricklayer was supposed to lay anything from 1,000 to 1,200 bricks per day. Now he satisfies his coascietice by laying about 300. The same with the carpenters, slaters, stone- masons and every otner trade connected with building. These men are all work- men, and require to live in the houses which they erect. Do you not think that some effort might be made to bring home to these men that the present jboxi- tion of the housing question necessitates their doing their utmost, not accordrig to their trade union rules but according to the requirements of the moment, and, by doing their utmost, effect a radical reduction in the cost of building, and in that way saving the State a huge amount of money ? I have recently discussed the question with builders and architects, and they assure me that if the workmen would all recognise their duty and do the;r best the present coat of building could be reduced to about half, which would I mean that the need of a subsidy would: practically cease to exist. I recognise that this is only one fea- ture of the great question of production, but it is one which intimately concerns the workmen themselves, and perhaps would have more weight than questions ftf output in other directions.—\ ours, etc., A Reader.

B LA C K PEARL STUDS. The Dowager Lady Michelham has a magnificent collection, and nioe;t of our American preeresses have one or two ropes." Lady Stafford* whosd husband's family name is Fitsh-erbert, wears the historic pearls given ti the famous Mrs. Fi'tzher- bert by Geocge tV. Mrs. lKtllard. who was formerly lAdy DIundcll Maple, has some unique black pearls in her collection. Among the wearers of black pearl?, says a writer in the London Evening News" I must include Sir Alfred Mond, who ill nmin d?ess ws:m two :arg and per- fect ?ppchnena of black ?.ir? in his shirt front

j RECOLLECTIONS. ? \A—< ?? L   -<'  -<' J L-< ? ?L ?M. '???jAt v /<?S? I II.-Days of Opposition I -V I By Mr. John Williams, Brynmill Foremost in the movements for the ad- vancement of educational facilities for the children of the working classes must j be placed the activities of the British and  Foreign School Society, which wa? instru-  mental in establishing good schools in many parts, and in taking the initiative in the important sphere of the training oj tcaciters. -British and "Luncastrinn" schools continued to do excellent work practically until the passing of the Edu- cation Act of iS70, and long after the for- mation of School Boards,—amongst the .number locally being the old Goat-st., I British School, St. Helen's British Schodl (now Butland-st., and St. Helen's, Council Schools, respectively,) and others; and some of the best of the Training Colleges for teachers—Bangor, Swansea and others i —were all established by the British and I Foreign School Society. I I WORKS AND SCHOOLS. In this connection it siioui-d be men- tioned that many of the schools wert; greatly assisted, if not actually established and maintained, through the co-operation and support of the proprietors of works in the towns in which they were placed. Contributions of a penny or two-pence per week wro deducted from the W37CS of all the workmen engaged in the works, in lien of sclrool fees payable by the children of the workmen, but all the employees— bors and single meji as well as married men—contributed weekly to this fund. ¡ So called National schools were also established, managed and supported hy the Church of England, while some of the Non-conformist Churches did the same- all these chieflv maintained by Govern- ment grants. The latter were transferred to the local School Boards when they were formed but the former continued tlioi,, operations independently. -I [ DAYS OT OPPOSITION. I I School Boards in the early years of their existence, aftpr the parsing of the Educa- tion Act of 1870, met with Considerable opposition from some quarters—opposition which was, indeed, continued, to some extent, up to the tinte when they were abolished by the Education :ct of 1%3 This was caused by a spirit of strong, and sometimes hitter, sectarianism on the one lumd. and on the other hand by the far of economists that too much public money II from the rates was being squandered in the erection of expensive school buildings, etc- while fnany thought that the trend of events was precipitating the over-edu- cation of the masses to an unnGGpssary degree. S? mnfh W-way had to b? m?dp up through lack of educational facilities and the increase of population in the town and industrial areas, that the School Board rate soon began to increase far beyond what had been anticipated when the Act b ocame law. which contributed, in n,) small measure, towards intensifying the opposition to the activities of the earlier School Boards. I EVEN THE COUNCIL. Even the Swansea Town Council joined in the opposition as the following incident j proves: The first precept on the Town Council was issued by the Board in May 1871, for £300; the following October a second precept was issued fcr .1>100. The Town Council, as rating authority, refused I to obey it ano action of Mandamus against j the Corporation was decided on, hut 111- tir.iately the Council wns compelled to honour the precept and the only result of their resistance was to waste nearly six months in time and about £1ûí) of public nlf!T)c., fn litieation. The work initiated by the S-ehobl Board was, however, successfully carried on and, ar, subsequently continued and at present oerformed by the Education Committee, had proved of incalculable benefit to the cause of popular nnd higher education in ] the town. I THE FIRST ELECTION. The first School Board election took place in Swansea in December 1870, being fhns one of the earliest in the country held after the passing of Mr. Forster's Education Art. and we learn from the first Triennial Report of the Board, issued in 1873. that it was anticipated that ere long Swansea would be stocked with schools wherp the youth of the town would bft taught elements of useful knowledge, and tint an anlidote for the heedlessness nt poverty of parents would be infallibly found in the comnulsory powers piven to School Boards hv the Act under which they Were formed." St. Helen's British School and Cn.rmnr- fhen-road British Pecfeof w-tp nfrored by their managers t(1. the Board. The former wa« on the point being closed for want of funds, but the Board took it. A children's officer was appointed, and for the work to be done a "better selection could not have been made. It was de- cided to adopt at TIm frentle means to induce parents to send their children regularlv to school. Mrs. Elizabeth Wil- liams. who Il-icl long been accustomed to teaching, trs therefore chosen. Her per- gonals and local knowledge was öf the hfrrhes-t «?rrice, and her honw-to-house visits had an immediate effect in causing greater fesrularity in the attendance of children at ell the public elemerihary sr-hords in the district. The old Bagged School, Back-street, was offered to thf Bonrd. but refur-ed at first, thon.srh afterwards accepted tewnorsnlv for the purport nf keening together a number of children who had been rweir- Tic education in the Trinity-place Infanta School whih more convenient premises were being bnilt. NEW SCHOOLS. I I Advertisements were issued in May, ) 1872, for designs for schools at Danygraig and -S^nTitiweti, and tire ■n|pinio>ns thennoii of tho most experienced schoolmasters (amongst others) was .nought for Ire the School Board. In the St. Helen's. Back- street and Carmafthen-road Board Schools 500 children Wo/e yearly being educated who, but for the Boa.rd, would be receiv- ing no instruction at all. or. if any, in- struction of a very infNior kind. I ,£1 ,¡51) were received during the period of the Board's existence from the Corpora* tion, which scarcely amounted to a single rnte of threepence in the S for/the three years, or one penny in the <■ £ per year. At the close of the first School Board, in 1S73, the general condition of the borough educationally wns in a forward state, though as yet no new building had ln comn Teted. At t7?e second School Board fcleefkm the apathy of the rate- payers resulted in only three or four per- sons heine- nominated at first-, then there was a spurt and 31 were nominated, evidently as a result <vf j-ecrtarian rivalry. SECTARIANISM. In "December, 1873, a Icttpr app?rpd in I' th? C&tfltjTian from the Clerk of the Board rating that the 6'Me was rt?d and Mplain?d ctcT? morning in t?e Bord' eehools. and it' is further su?esti?-e that t'he following words were written as an editorial:—" Would that in a question affecting the education of the pcor chil- dren, from streets and gutters, sectarian- ism in its many forms could "be sank into oblivion and one united effort made by all for the moral elevation of the de-graded children who so thickly stud our streets. We suppose, however, in the present state of society—when ism is considered far moro important than intellectual culture or moral regeneration—such will never take Dla J

TOWN TALK. When the raindrops came pitter patter When the raindrops came pitter patter 'I on the window panes Last night, many, hearts bego,n to droop m anticipation f, a wet Bank Holiday, but when the slum- berers awoko this morning and behel li brightness, hearts were light again. -:0; What beasts me is why those brewers i are allowed to charge so much for thr-ir stuff. Judging by the prices, anybody would think that the beer is brewed out; of roses and not out of common hops — Overheard in Oxford-street last uigiit. — rO An aerial wedding has taken place in cne machine and the clergyman in another itoiu which he read the service through a wireless telephone. The witnesses Olt. the ground heard the ceremony through megaphones attached to the wireless recei- vers. Are there any local couples who would like to be "hitched up" over- Swansea Bay? — -o:— Some of the peoplaj en the outskirts or the borough are already reaping too benefit of their inciusion in Greater Swansea. At Llansamlet, for instance, a bowling green is to be made this win- ter, tennis courts will be laid out, f-rul swings provided in the park for the children. Nothing like striking the iron, while it's hot. —. O-— The high price of furniture is putting the wind up lots of people these a. Among them is a local young man whai has postponed his wedding sine die. J r tor all that he has not given up the young:, iadv yet. because he is afraid that although she might not take it to heart,, it is more than likely that she would take it to the court. -:0:- there was a bye-law prohibiting ieopIa undressing in public on the Sands. Of course, you cannot force children to seeic I the cubicles, but something ought to Ve done to stop grown-ups disrobing on that) part of the beach just below Vivian Stream which is so much frequented these fine evenings." -to: A Sketty allotment-holder who has heard of a patent having been invented1 to produce rain to order wants to £ .et into touch with someone who has ften the affair in action. He'll have to pi far from home for one, for Swansea people know more about rainproofs than rain producers. The spell we are now having is not typical of Abertawe. —.<— The residents of Upper Fem-stre^t, Cvvmbwrla, are wondering what they have done or left undone that they should be without light in the street. It is very unsafe at night, one of them says, as large sitones and boulders 3.L1 lying about the place. Within a stone throw, he continues, gas and electria light are laid on, and the authorities could surely erect a lamp in the vicinity. — o:— An ancient right of approach to tiil Throne, occasionally exercised by the leaders of Nonconformity, was taken advantage of on Wednesday, when tho general body of the Congregational- is'?, Presbyterians, and Baptists drove t.:1 Buckingham Palace to congratulate. tha, Kmg on the coming of Peace. The depu* tntion attended in their robes of office, and wearing their university hoods. — O. A correspondent writes: A statemen t that was heard very often during tbtl course of the war that has just concludctS was, No more trading with the enemy. • But how soon things are forgotten. On Thursday, while walking one of the main, streets of the town, judge of my surprisa when looking in a shop window at soma; velour hats, and seeing the following words in gold letters: Real Austria;* Velour." —:«: — K The death of Alderman Andrew Wesley. Thomas, of Bath, recalls an inciden t when. in 1865. he was a fireman on tin* Brecon and Merthyr Railway. He was en owed up for two days, and 1)00 men' were employed in the task of digging out the overwhelmed train. When the worli was accomplished, hia mate on the engina was a mass of ice. and Mr. Thomas hiiii- self wai with difficulty restored to aninuw tion. -:0:- At the Carmarthen Food Committee a; local butcher complained that by buying mat by live weight and selling by dead weight, a loss of 76 lbs. was incurred in a week, amounting to £ 4 lOs. 8d. Opi5 of the committee said it was too bad that anrone should have to pay for what they) did not get. This seems to be a verifica- tion of the saying: Whosoever hath not. from him shall he taken even that which he eeemeth to have." :0:- It is wonderful the difference a drop of Tain makes, noit only to the gardens, but also to their owners. A couple or west end amateur agriculturists wh.) have been a misery to themselves and to everybody around them during tins, last couple of weeks were as happy f a' sandboys on the way to business 1hi: morning, and their conversation was the keenly anticipatory sort-lengthy, beans, bursting pea-pods, and Pyolduca that was going to lick creation. — — The other evening two young wore pushing their motor-cycles up the* top end of High-street, having either run. out of petrol or through some other cause, when a little Ind came riding up behind on a tricycle. With an impudent smile on his face, the youngster shouted to the perspiring motorists: "Say, you chaps, want any help?" Winch seemed to tiblde the passers-by, who were just like the average citizen ready to treat all motor break-downs more or less as a joke. —: 8t — There is a large sprinkling of Welsh- speaking visitors at the Mumbles at pre- sent, and the way they set about to enjoy themselves is the envy of their RngMsh friends, especially in the even- ings. Many of the Welsh families, whert it comes dusk, congregate together in their lodgings round the piano, and sing the well-known and popular Welsh hymnJ interspersed with Welsh solos. It is not long before a crowd of English visitors gather outside to listen to the impromptu concert. The vocal talent is worth going » long way to listen to. The paragraph in Town Talk re a cornfield flourishing amid the smoke and grimo of Bermondsey reminds a Swansea Vallev correspondent of the contention that the fumes from a local works wero killing all the vegetation around. Dur- ing the war the owners of the works, who had bought all the adjacent land, in con- sequence of the appeal of the Government tu put all possible kind under cultivation, decided to experiment in corn-growing fin this so-called unproductive land. The resul t of the experiment exceeded all expectations, and was the best crop for miles around, and gave the fumes- destroying theory a "ry rude shock. U Can any of your Welsh correspon- dents supply the Welsh for oyster?" a.3 the question aeked in the Town Talk column. It is Llyrnarchen." At an eisteddfod held at the Albert Hall. Swan- sea, in 1S97, a prize was offered for the best "englyn i'r Llyrnarchen (oyster). Ortt of many competitions, the following wa.s adjudged the best:— lachufi saig. o'r aig, rhwng dwy graø- rhodd "Rarl lor, yw Llyrnarchen; Hon, i wane ieuanc a hen S.V, fiasus fvw elusen. The author is Mr James Jones ("Cor- i llwyn) wb.o lives at Heol Las. Ll uiiamlet.