The London Welshman

.> Welshmen Known in London.-VI. Mr. John Hinds. ONE of the most pleasing and hopeful features of Welsh life in London is the fact that there are so many Welshmen who are still young, or, at all events, in the early prime of life, taking leading positions and making themselves known and their influence so widely felt. During late years a number of those who for many years were looked upon by the Welsh community as towers of refuge and pillars of every movement that had for its object the elevation of their country and fellow-country- men, have passed away. Others are getting on in years, their lifelong labours have weakened their energies, so that they are not able to take the part they once took in the affairs of men. The services of those men are beyond praise, and their names will be kept in loving remembrance for many a day. And not the least of the tributes paid to the fathers is that there are men in possession of all the energy and vigour of early manhood taking up the work to which they devoted themselves, and carrying it further on towards the desired goal. It is of one of these men that we give our readers a portrait and a sketch this week. Among the younger Welsh- men known in London Mr. John-Hinds, of Blackheath, occupies a foremost position. The well- known couplet of Goronwy :— Pwy a rif dywod LIifon ? Pwy a rydd i lawr wyr mawr Mon ? —" Who can count the sands of Llifon ? Who can put down the great men of Anglesea?"—might, with quite as much reason, be applied to another Welsh county, viz., the county of Carmarthen. Carmar- thenshire worthies they. are a legion, and men that any nation may justly be proud of. The subject of our last week's sketch 'was one of them, the subject of the present sketch, is another. Mr. John Hinds, like the majority of Welshmen who have suc- ceeded in life, is A Son of the Farm. He was born in July, 1862, at Cwnin Farm, not far from the town of Carmarthen. His parents were of that class known as respectable farmers, and respected also were they by all their acquaintances. They lived at Cwnin for fully forty years, bringing up a numerous family of sons, who are a credit to any hearth. About eight years ago they retired, giving over the farm to one of their younger sons but the father did not live long to enjoy his well-earned leisure. The mother, who was a daughter of the Jones of Penronw, is still alive. Young John Hinds was only fourteen years of age when he entered upon a business career, being apprenticed as a draper to an uncle in Carmarthen town. There he spent five years, but when nineteen be left the quiet and some- what old-fashioned city of Myrddin for London. For six years he sought further experience and a more complete mastery of the methods of trade as an assistant in well-known houses, such as that of C. Meeking and C I. (now T. Wallis and Co.) of Holborn Circus; Hitchcock, Williams, and Co., of St. Paul's Churchyard; MR. JOHN HINDS. and" D. H. Evans and Co., of Oxford Street. At the early age of twenty-five he had sufficient confidence in himself to start business on his own account. He decided upon Blackheath, a populous and growing suburb, and his foresight has been amply justified. Fortune smiled upon him, so that the concern known as that of Hinds and Company is now one of the best known concerns in south- east London, and it is still progressing year after year. In addition, Mr. Hinds is also at present the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the large concern of T. J. Harries and Co., of Oxford Street. To most men the headship of one firm such as these would be sufficient, but the energy and capacity of John Hinds seems unbounded. Great as are his business responsibilities, this energetic Welshman finds time to serve his generation in many other spheres. He was one of the founders of the Drapers' Chamber of Trade, and this year occup es the position of Chairman of its council. He was one of the founders of the London Welsh Lodge of Free- masons, and was also its third Master. His good work in connection with Freemasonry is very great, having served five steward- ships for Masonic institutions, and his list of subscriptions last year was over £3°0. This year he is Master of the Mizpah Lodge—a tD lodge that has become famous by the support it gives to charity. Politics also know him as an ardent worker, and in 1904 he was President of the Blackheath Liberal Associa- tion. We have neither the power nor the space to adequately describe Mr. Hinds' manifold Services to the Welsh Community in London. He has not turned a deaf ear to the cries of his own people in the day of success. Let any institution or movement aim to do something for his fellow-countrymen, to brighten the lives of those less favoured than himself, or to wield them together on behalf of the homeland, and it is enough. He throws himself into it heart and soul, and spares neither time nor money to ensure its success. On the Committee of the Welsh Charitable Aid he is always ready to assist those in distress. For years he acted as treasurer of the Cymru Fydd" Society, and at present is one of its vice-presidents. He worked most energetically to form the Welsh Club recently opened in Whitehall Court, being long ago of opinion that one of the greatest needs of London Welsh life was a place for social intercourse on common ground. Notwithstanding all that he does in connec- tion with the various movements mentioned, Mr. Hinds Reserves his Best for Religious Work. Brought up under religious influences, and having made a profession of Christ in early life, on coming to London he joined the Welsh Baptist Church in Castle Street, one of the most progressive among the Welsh churches in the metropolis. For many years he has been a deacon, treasurer, and trustee of that church. All its members look to him as a safe and trust- worthy leader, and his ardent and aggressive spirit inspires to good works all who come in contact with him. The young people have in