The London Welshman

Notes from South Wales. (From our Special Correspondent.) Up and Down the Coast. Mr. Gibson's Aberystwyth weekly says :— It is said that women are beginning to wear anklets. There was a reason why in ancient times women wore anklets." We are so glad The Milk Trade. It is a curious fact that whilst the London milk trade is principally in the hands of Welsh- men, the same trade in Cardiff and Swansea, the two largest towns in Wales, is principally run by Somerset, Gloucester, and Devonshire people. During the last year or two, however, the number of Welsh people in the trade has considerably increased in Cardiff. Weighty Words. "As a general rule, those who write Welsh well, are also those who write English well. The child's faculty of expression can be better cultivated in his own than in any other language, and to neglect it in his own is to impair it in all others."—Professor J. Morris Jones. Slump in War Lectures. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, the special cor- respondent of the Times in the Russo-Japanese war, had but a small audience at his lecture on the siege of Port Arthur, in Cardiff the other night. The fact of the matter is, the British public have heard enough about "hairbreadth escapes," "the whizz of bullets," and "the flashing of guns," for the remainder of the 20th century. Imperial Recreations. In reading a report of the annual fete of the Ogmore Habitation of the Primrose League in the Glamorgan Gazette, I noticed that the amuse- ments provided for the visitors were cocoanut alleys, see-saws, &c." Simple things please simple minds. And after having indulged in the exhilarating effects of "three shies a penny," one of the public speakers could very well be excused for stating that the Liberal Party were the most shady party one could meet." Information Wanted. Numerous paragraphs have been going the round of the press lately to the effect that a big scheme of motor communication along the Cardiganshire coast is on foot. But careful enquiries fail to elicit the slightest foundation for the statement. Like the Cardiganshire railway schemes, this latest idea will undoubtedly end in smoke. Daw'r Cywion adre i Glwydo." "Dewi Vychan," who is a regular reader of the LONDON WELSHMAN, sends me the follow- ing Gallwn hau fel y mynonpryd medi rhyw ddydd, Ddaw i'r da ac i'r drwg fel eu gilydd Cydwybod ;—ai'n cysgu, neu'n effro a fydd; Dry yn nefoedd neu'n uffern dragywydd. Pob gweithred ddaionus wobrwyir yn llwyr, Collfernir pob drwg, a cham, yno. Daw'r cyfan i'n cwrddyd ;-Pan ddelo yr hwyr Daw'r cywion i gyd adre i glwydo. Welsh Industries Association. I understand that the forthcoming Exhibition at Swansea, under the auspices of the above Association, is likely to eclipse all previous records in point of entries and general attrac- tiveness. A pleasant novelty will be the appear- ance of most of the stall holders ip the old Welsh costume. The Association is worthy of the practical support of all who are interested in the development of native industries. It has fully justified its existence in the last few years, and is likely to do even more good work in the immediate future. Curious Lines. In reading the London Daily News the other day I saw a statement to the effect that the appended lines were to be seen on the gravestone of a Southwark blacksmith buried at Sutton. I may remark, that similar lines are to be seen on a gravestone in St. Michael's Churchyard, Aberystwyth, and when I was on a visit to the latter town a short time ago, I found them the object of much curiosity by visitors My sledge and hammer lie reclined, My bellows, too, have lost their wind, My fire's extinct, my forge decayed, And in the dust my vice is laid; My coals are spent, my iron's gone, My nails are drove, my work is done." Too Flattering. Writing in Mr. George Rees' Aberystwyth journal, an anonymous correspondent states "The population of Glamorganshire and Mon- mouthshire (Gwent a Morganwg), in a great measure, consisted of the refuse of Cardigan- shire; men, who to escape the consequences of their various delinquencies, scampered over the hills and hid themselves in the coal-pits until their troubles were over then they married there and brought up families whilst they left the poor-rate of the county of their birth to take care of the women they had ruined, and the children they had unlawfully begotten." The thousands of Cardiganshire men now occupying some of the best positions as clergy, ministers, marine officers, tradesmen, clerks, and various skilful trades in Glamorganshire and Monmouth- shire, will highly appreciate the above eulogistic reference. As a Cardiganshire man, living amongst the refuse" alluded to, I shall write to the editor of the journal in question, heartily congratulating him on the remarkable veracity of his correspondents, and the high tone of their communications. Madame Patti. Madame Patti's forthcoming concert in South Wales is creating much interest. The great singer is likely to make her home in Cambria for some time to come, as she finds it difficult to dispose of her costly castle. During the summer of last year she was in Sweden, where her husband took a fine villa for her, just out- side Stockholm; but during this last summer she remained in Craig-y-Nos. By the way, according to the London Daily Mail, few people in the world get more begging letters than she does. One morning at Craig-y-Nos she tossed a letter over to a friend who was visiting her, as an example of hundreds of others. It read, Dear Madam,-You probably will not remember me, but I spread the red carpet for you at your last charity concert in Swansea, and now my wife has a new baby we shall be grateful for any contributions."