Llangollen Advertiser Denbighshire Merionethshire and North Wales Journal

TO CORRESPONDENTS, &c. 1 To ensure insertion, letters should be in hand not later than Tuesday. WRITE on note or ordinary size letter paper, and only on one side. Foolscap and other large-sized papers are objectionable. It would be a great convenience to receive news paragraphs as early as possible in the week. ADVERTISEMENTS received up to noon on Thursday.

NOTES AND NOTIONS. THE School Board has difficulties to contend with besides the non-attendance of members. On Monday last there did happen to be a quorum, and so business could be proceeded with. The difficulties, chiefly, were as to the old grievance of parents in neglecting to send their children to school. SERGT. R. WALTHO, a diligent officer, had, we are pleased to know, a very satisfactory report to present to the Board. One complaint is that the children don't get oat of bed in time to go to school, and worse than that, that the parents themselves hug the pillow far beyond the hours usually supposed to be necessary for people who have an honest living to make. Life goes easy with some people. MR. L. LLOYD JOHN, clerk to the School Board, has presented to the Board a terra-cotta figure of a Lancashire factory lad, which has been placed on a pedestal above the mantel- piece. The thanks of the Board were accorded him. » INCREASE of salaries is still the cry on the Llangollen School Board. There were, we learn, no fewer than three applications made to the Board at its last meeting for advanced salaries. So seriously has the matter turned, that a special meeting of the Board has been deemed necessary to consider the whole question IT was a very spirited and well considered debate which was held at the Llangollen Literary Society on Wednesday night. The subject was a wide one-too wide-as it embraced the general question of whether War is justifiable." This could not bring the present trouble under strict logical discussion yet was the question argued with acumen. It was noticeable that about two- thirds of the audience were ladies, who evinced much interest in the reading of the papers and subsequent debate. They also exercised a just right to vote upon the question, and were not all against the war that is now being waged with so much severity and loss of life.

■+ ;— OUR LONDON LETTER. THE great event of the week has been the Crom- well Commemoration, and great pleasure is aroused among thePuritan party generally because Lord Rosebery .not only gave the statue when Parliament refused, but also gave an admirable speeeh in exposition of the character of the hero. Mr. Hamo Thorneycroft has prepared the statue with great care. I know he made a great study of the pictures of the Cromwell period before he began the model, and I am well aware that to a busy man like Mr. Thorneycroft time is very valuable. The part Mr. Asquith took was a little too lukewarm, but since parts of Lord Rosebery's speech gave very great satisfaction to a crowded meeting, indeed the whole was excellent. LAST WEEK THE FREE CHURCHES met in vast numbers to hear a sermon from Ian Maclaren, and greatly enjoyed his treatment of the doctrines of clerical orders from the Scotch point of view. THE ARRIVAL OF SIR BEDVERS BULLER has caused great care to be taken against the publication of news indicating where the British are next going to strike. People here are getting their views loyally settled into clearness, and it is seen more and more that the Boers are a very ignorant, self-satisfied, fatalistic sort of people, who thought that the British could be driven out of Africa. A Scotch Calvinistic divine I met yesterday seemed to have come round to the view that however wrong we were in the arguments first used, we now knew that nothing but school-boy drubbing would bring the Transvaal to reason, for they took things in an ultra-excessive Calvin- ism, and believed the Almighty was altogether on their side. THE NEW HOUSE OF LORDS JUDGE, instead of Lord Watson, is a Scotchman. This makes it clear that when Wales lost her special law courts, and lost all the exclusiveness of Welsh laws, there was a good deal taken off from the nationalism of Wales which is left still to the nation of Scotland, though we have kept our language and the bonny Scotch have lost it, but they have their distinct nation well and best preserved. SIR CHARLES WARREN is a good general to appoint for the new army corps to be sent out, and the names of Williams, Davis, Morris, &c., in the list of officers seem pleasant to the Welsh ear. THE TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD CHAPEL has been opened this week. Mr. Suttle is a very hard-working Congregational minister who has personally presided at the P. S. A. meetings con- ducted by Mr. Gaze, the great tourist, in that chapel for some years. It was pleasing to find that the Archbishop of Canterbury gave his five- pound-note to the building fund. Dr. Parker preached a characteristic opening sermon on "Now concerning the collection." THE VISIT OF THE KAISER is arousing great attention. A German lady living in London told me she was going to see him at the station and to wave her handkerchief. I am told that the Welsh choir has been asked to go to sing at Windsor Castle one day during his visit to the Queen. THE NEWSPAPER BOYS call out "war editions at all hours, and espe- cially about 10 p.m., but there is no news. People are becoming angry at the idea that some of the war-advocating papers are making money out of the war fever. I heard Dr. Clifford say the other day that while he felt sure the British must win in the end, he also felt that if people had been more patient we could have got every- thing without war which we will secure after all the bloodshed. The pride and ignorance needed Christian patience, and if we waited we would get all we wanted. Perhaps the average Londoner feels in addition to this that the Boers'were so conceited that they thought they could drive us out easily if they tried. The pride and arrogance of ignorance is always bad, but there may be some reason in war, while there is none whatever for arrogance and pride. AP VANER. London, Wednesday.

LOCAL AND DISTRICT. Mr. C. H. Everitt gave an interesting address, "A Chat on Football," in the National School on Monday evening, when Mr. E. D. Jones presided. The attendance was good, and the advice of the lecturer was highly appreciated. i The funeral took place on Friday afternoon of Mr. Richard Jones, who had for many years resided near the Penybont Terra Cotta Works, where he had been a faithful worker. He was a native of Vroncyssylltau, and after a protracted illness succumbed at the advanced age of 72 years. The funeral, which was attended by a large concourse of relatives and sympathising friends, took place at Chirk amidst every manifestation of grief. --+-- Mr. W. Morgan Jones, the popular and talented tenor of Rhos, was, through the kind instrumentality of Mr. Matthew Bowen, F.G.C.M., the organist of Rhos Parish Church, examined recently by Dr. Bridge, M.A., the illustrious organist of Cheater Cathedral. The examination in voice production was of a most searching and severe nature, yet Mr. Jones's coveted abilities proved equal to the tests. Dr. Bridge, who seemed very favourably impressed with this artiste's beautiful voice and his artistic interpretations of the test music, imparted some valuable advice to him, urging him to apply for a eathedral appoint- ment as a first stepping-stone. Praise from such a talented organist aud musician is truly creditable to this rising tenor soloist. The solo sung by Mr. Jones was Dr. Stainer's My hope is in the Ever- lasting." The numerous friends and admirers in Wales of Mr. Tom Thomas, R.C.M., of Cefn Mawr, will be pleased to hear of his further success in London, he having been selected to assist in the programme on Saturday afternoon at Queen's Hall, London, in the London Ballad Concerts, when the thirty- fourth season was successfully inaugurated. Al- though the ballad retains its hold firmly, there was noticeable a disposition to avoid the engendering of monotony by affording occasional relief through the medium of the operatic excerpt. Surely, no Welsh vocalist could wish for greater prominence than that now vouchsafed to the ever popular Tom Thomas," as the artistes included such front- rank vocalists as Mr. Edward Lloyd, Miss Kirkby Lunn, Mr. H. Lane Wilson, Miss Maud Santley, Mr. Plunkett Green, and the Westminster Glee Singers, &o. Mr. Thomas drew forth almost universal praise for his stirring rendering of a new interest- ing song by Mr. S., Liddle, Pilgrims of the Night." He was warmly welcomed and gained an undeni- able encore. It is pleasing to note that of the many engagements Mr. Themas has several im- portant ones, which will be learned with extreme pleasure by his numerous admirers in this distriet. At the Wrexham Bankruptcy Court, 011 Tuesday, before Mr. Registrar Preston, William Francis, coal filler, of Salem House,- Pentre, Broughton, came up for his public examination. The receiving order was made on the debtor's petition, and he attributed his failure to slackness of work and sickness of hit,wife. The liabilities- amount to £ 75 8s. lid., and the assets are estimated. to produce £10 1911. 2d., leaving a deficiency of ;fl.61 9s. 9d. The greater portion of the furniture is claimed by the debtor's wife. The bankrupt,. examined by the Official Receiver, said he earned about 4s. lid. a day, and had five children to maintain. He was unable to make any offer to his- creditors.—The examination was closed. i Under the direction of the Rev. Gilbert Heaton, M.A. Oxon, church affairs at Vroncyss- ylltau augur for a yet more flourishing aspect. Mr. Heaton, who was the recipient of numerous hand- some presentations from the Mothers' Guild, Boys' Brigade, and other organisations of St. Elvan's Church, Aberdare, where he spent six laborious though happy years, has recently been appointed curate of St. David's Church, Vroncyssylltau, under Ven. Archdeacon Wynne Jones, Llangollen. Besides having been a world-wide traveller and closely related to Colonel Heaton, Plas Heaton, Denbigh, one of the deputy Lord Lieutenants of Denbighshire, he possesses unusual clerical qualities, and is an eloquent extempore preacher.- Already the congregations have considerably increased, and on Sunday last special collections were taken in aid of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families' Association. The offertories morning and, evening in all amounted to the satisfactory total of £ 6 13s. Id.. A crowded meeting of the Vroneyssylltau< Literary Society was held on Wednesday night week in the Temperance Hall, when Mr. John Wright was elected to the chair. The subject for discussion Is it advisable to have the streets of Vroncyssylltau lighted by some means or other at the public expense ?" was a matter of much moment te the village.—Mr. J. Griffiths (Aqueduct Hotel), in* opening the affirmative believed that darkness in the thoroughfares was both an evil and the cause of crime. To his mind the only possible objection which could be made was the question of cost, but benefits could not be expected without expenditure. Plunging at once into tost he saggeated positions for eight proposed lights. He estimated that eight oil lamps could be purehaBed for £ 13 of sufficient power to illumine the points mentioned. The yearly cost would be covered by an extra £ 1. —Mr. J. Delaney, in the absence of Mr. J. Dickenr championed the negative. Regarding the con- tention of Mr. Griffiths that darkness conduced to crime he thought it was not artificial but rather more moral light that was required to do away with crime. He seconded the idea of having eight lamps only. If lighting were to be provided by all means have it universal. In his opinion 28 lamps would not be too many for the village, which was a. scattered one.—Mr. Ed. Jasper wanted the light to be all over Vron, but was afraid of the cost. He suggested that Mr. Graessar could possibly put one electric light near the Board Schools which would prove a great convenience.—Mr. Mark Davies took the negative, and Mr. Sampson Jones favoured the opposite view.—Mr. John Roberts, D.C., considered lighting beneficial and eontended that Vron should keep pace with other similar villages.—Mr. Morris Roberts (secretary) thought a few lights would mislead people, especially when the lights were far between.—Mr. Griffiths replying, thought the cost could be easily met. It had been done in other villages by holding entertainments to provide funds. In Vroncyssylltau an entertaiament had been held for purchasing a piano for the schools, which, was not so essential to the public benefit as lighting. Why not hold an entertainment for the provision of lights ?—Mr. Delaney also replied and remarked that the physical features of Vroncyssylltau would not oompare with low-lying villages. He was afraid lighting would not be advisable for Vron, but every man should provide his own light. On a vote being taken. 16 voted for and 16 against, but the chairman gave his easting vote against lighting, so Vronoyssylltau will probably remain in darknes- as heretofore.