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» ECCLESIASTICAL AND EDUCATIONAL.
» ECCLESIASTICAL AND EDUCATIONAL. IN his recent visitation address Archdeacon Eva.ns touched upon several topics of considerable interest and importance. The contention he advances that people who fail to act up to the full instructions of the rubrics are just as guilty of breaking the law as thos e who act in excess of provisions defined therein, is by no means new. As a matter of fact it has been the stock retort of the Ritualist to his Evangelical confrere for many a decade. Surely, however, it is something less than wise to ignore the fact that, as matters stand in this connection, the law can only provide against sins of commission; not against sins of omission. A line is drawn up to which it is legal to go, beyond which it is illegal to proceed. Where, however, is the authority, other than a court of casuistry, that makes it illegal for people to refrain from taking full advantage of their privileges; and where is the enactment that provides for the punishment of those who conduct services with a smaller degree of ritual than the prayer- book makes it legal to use? The remedy for the whole matter, as we have stated many times before, lies in a measure of Disestablish- ment-apart altogether from one of Disendow- ment—which will leave Church Synods free to regulate Church affairs in consonance with the bulk of Church opinion. Anything short of this is only tinkering with the question; and it is gratifying to know that opinion in this direction is rapidly growing within the pale of Establish- ment. It is not necessary, it is not even desirable, to introduce into a controversy of this kind any single one of the arguments that are advanced from time to time by those who draw their inspiration from the fountains of the Liberation Society. We would rather regard it from the point of view of those who desire to witness a cessation of hostilities that prove a source of weakness to the ministrations of a great spiritual agency; and that are bound to go on so long as the "unholy alliance" between temporal and spiritual authority is maintained. That in the Church in Wales ritualism is not unduly prevalent may be admitted; but it is somewhat difficult to see, as Archdeacon Evans appears to suggest, that stagnation is necessarily the alternative to conditiùnsnihat: meet with cen- sure in other directions. Stagnation may be due to many causes, but certainly not the least important of these is the enervating effect follow- ing in the train of the present relations between Church and State. Archdeacon Evans also alludes to an education problem that, at the present time, is attracting much attention in the country and admits that the National Schools are still on their trial, but urges that Church people who contribute largely to the rate-aided schools are justly entitled to a fair share of the rates in aid of their own schools. This is another specious argument. The general mass of the people have no more right to expect to share the benefits of Ecclesiastical Endowments bequeathed by bye- gone generations of Churchmen to the Establish- ment without conforming to the provisions laid down for regulating the expenditure of such endowments than" voluntaryists" have to claim to share in the benefits of funds drawn from the public purse, in accordance with Parliamentary enactments, for a specific purpose, without meeting the requirements of that pur- pose. What is the purpose? To provide education compulsory as to attAdance; free, inasmuch as no fees are charged; and un- denominational in so far as teaching the principles of any particular sect is concerned. The State has ruled that such education is necessary and that every dweller in the State benefits by its existence. To take a larger portion of funds so subscribed than is now taken, in order to assist schools that cannot by any stretch of reason be held to meet these require- ments, would be manifestly unjust, and it is high time we heard the last of such suggestions.
■'"■■■■♦ •>— NOTES AN-0 NOTIONS.
■■■■■♦ •> — NOTES AN-0 NOTIONS. Llangollen and the Volunteers. IN another place we publish partieulars of arrangements in progress to give the home- coming volunteers a hearty welcome back to their native town after their gallant service at the other side of the world. We also reproduce extracts from "exchanges" indicating the manner in which demonstrations for a similar purpose have been carried out in other parts of the kingdom. It is regrettable that the Urban Council, as officially representing the town, have not taken the lead in the matter, as in other places. That it should be left to private enter- prise and generosity, however willing or liberal, to do the needful, is very far indeed from being satisfactory; and, in the face of the letters we print to-day, we must be prepared, as a com- munity, for a good deal of adverse criticism from many quarter*. Llangollen stands almost alone in the kingdom in the official attitude it adopts towards those who have gone out as volunteers, from its pleasant vale, to serve their King and Country at the front. We do not wish to dwell unduly upon the point; but it is right I that it should be mentioned. Men who are standing out against a town demonstration imagine they show the soundness of their antagonism to the Government by so doing. They do nothing of the kind. The matter involved is not political. Are they prepared, as they must be prepared if they would be logical, to challenge the right of heroes of the campaign to the Victoria Crosses they have gained by dis- tinguished acts of bravery in the face of the enemy? The men who are returning have only done their duty as men are bound to do and God help the Empire when those who profit by the valour of its sons refuse to applaud the tale of duty nobly done, and to do their utmost to suitably reward it!
The Liberal Club.
The Liberal Club. WE desire to congratulate the authorities of the Liberal Club upon the highly satisfactory condition of things reported at their first annual meeting on Thursday evening, as recorded in another column. From small beginnings the organization has progressed by leaps and bounds; and now holds an assured position in the affections of the local party. The difficulties en- countered at the outset were very formidable, and might well have daunted less earnest workers. However, they have been successfully negotiated and it is a matter upon which the rank and file of the local party may well congratulate themselves that this has been done apart from the patronising support of wealthy partizans which, in other directions, makes broad the path and smooth the way for the organizing committees of political institutions. It is some- thing, too, to know that this vitality is manifested in an environment which, to say the least of it, is not stimulative of prolonged existence or active growth so far as organiza- tions of any kind are concerned. We must take it that the political spirit is very strong indeed that can provoke such enterprise in Llangollen and in the face of these manifestations all Liberals must be looking forward to the time when they will be able to turn, with one accord, from that broad imperial question, upon which at present there is a good deal of division of thought, to unite in furthering those matters of party policy regarding which there can be only one opinion amongst men whose desired is, ia all things, to secure the greatest good of the greatest number.
■+ A Forthcoming Musical Treat.
+ A Forthcoming Musical Treat. WE are informed that arrangements are in active progress for a grand concert, on a scale hitherto unattempted, to be held in the town early in September, the list of artistes already secured including Miss Maggie Davies, soprano Madame Juanita Jones, contralto Mr. Thomas Thomas, tenor; Mr. Emlyn Davies, A.R.C.M., baritone; Mr. Bertie Ollerhead, violinist; and Mrs. Maggie Evans-Parry, solo pianist and accom- panist. A galaxy of talent like this cannot fail to attract large audiences. The fixture is one to look forward to with anticipation; and great credit is due to the gentlemen who are engineer- ing it. At the same time it is not well to over- look the fact that a good deal of water must pass under the bridge between now and September; and it will be cheering to hear of similar engage- ments being booked to enliven the intervening period. Of course there is the lack of a public place of assembly, apart from those of religious denominations, to be overcome but this should not prove insurmountable in the face of an earnest desire to cater for the entertainment and enjoy- ment of people who visit the town during the summer months. It should be removed alto- gether when the "lordly pleasure house" which a local restaurateur is causing to be erected in Berwyn-street is completed. Here it is, we understand, that the concert alluded to above is to be held.
Local Authorities and J.Ps.:
Local Authorities and J.Ps. CONSIDERABLE interest will attach to any action taken by the newly-elected chairman of the Llangollen Rural District Council in the direction of taking advantage of legal provisions which entitle him, by virtue of his office, to take his seat on the local bench of magistrates. We believe we are correct in Writing that there is nothing to compel him to qualify by taking the prescribed oath. At the same time he must manifestly fall short of performing the duties of the office to which he has been elected if he does not do so. We wrote in a similar strain at the time Mr. John Williams was elected as chairman of the Council; and we are pleased to be able to congratulate him upon the completion of a most useful year of office, and shall be delighted to further felicitate him upon his continuance in the position, in accordance with a desire widely ex- pressed in the district. In such an event, however, Mr. Williams will be added to the Commission of the Peace from reasons altogether apart from those that, in the opinion of legislators, render it desirable that the chairman of the District Coun- cil should find a place thereon. These reasons are very real and very tangible; and we trust, therefore, that Mr. David Jones will re-consider the decision he expressed at the last meeting of the Council, not to qualify as a magistrate.
4 A Groundless Charge.
4 A Groundless Charge. THE charge of theft preferred against a farmer, residing at Llantysilio, at the Petty Sessions, was either justifiable or it was un- justifiable and the prosecution certainly appear to have adopted the latter view when they decided to withdraw it. Surely, however, a far more ample amende honourable should have been made than Mr. Hugh Jenes received. To talk about giving him the benefit of the doubt, to suggest that it was on account of his age and so forth that he was to be dealt with leniently, to prejudge his guilt as it were, is surely very much like aggravating an injustice. It is impossible to get over the fact that, rightly or wrongly, in many minds, a stigma attaches to anyone, no matter how aged or how respectable, who is brought before a bench of magistrates on a charge of this kind; and it is a duty all citizens owe to their fellows to be very sure of the ground upon which they are working. Mr. Hugh Jones might appropriately put to the prosecution the well-known query: It's all very well to dissemble your love But why did you kick me downstairs ?" What would have happened, we wonder, had Mr. Jones decided that he would not have his case dealt with summarily, but perferred to have it adjudicated upon at the sessions.
Worse than Brutes.
Worse than Brutes. A LANGUAGE fairly generous in expletives is altogether barren of a term to adequately describe conduct of the description of that of which three Wrexham drovers were convicted at the Sessions en Tuesday. We imagine that the records of the Society in Jermyn-street contain accounts of few more brutal cases of cruelty to a dumb animal. To bring a cow in the last stages of tuberculosis to the local Smithfield, to put it up for auction and knock it down to a group of Wrexham hooligans, to flog the poor brute along the' road to Trevor, all but flaying it alive en route, and, when it fell down by the wayside from exhaustion, to leave to its fate, are actions to which we hoped humanity had long been stranger. However, there is no doubt these things happened; and, what is more, one of the parties who played a leading part in the outrage had the effrontery to appear in the dock in His Majesty's uniform. God help the Empire if these be the kind of men she must look to to protect her in the hour of need In the face of mau's inhumanity to the brute creation, indicated by such a case as this, Inspector Blake Jones's very sensible suggestion as to the danger to human beings from the consumption of the flesh of infected animals sinks into insignificance. The question remains to be answered, however, who sent the cow to the market? Surely it ueed not be difficult to ascertain this.
»■ RURAL NOIES.
»■ RURAL NOIES. [BY AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.] No matter what the thermometer may have registered on previous April days, a doubt arises and a lurking unbelief remains, fearing a return to the hardships we hope to escape-frost and snow and, worse than both, the fatal lung-search- ing East wind, horrible t othink of! As I write we stand on the threshold of May, and, naturally wishing to pry into the unknown, indulge in guesses as to the probability of weather this month of uncertainties may bring us. Moisture is most desirable on this dry, porous soil; and what a delight to see cattle released from their long stall-tied imprisonment. Constantly on the move, they crop the young succulent blades of spring, a treat indeed after the dry fodder of winter, the sense of freedom and ability of exercise as welcome as the change of diet. Not one can look abroad but must acknowledge that nature does all that is possible in every season, to render this earth enjoyable and accept- able to every appreciative soul; and how exceptional that any one desires to leave it. As do the leaves and flowers adorn the land in summer, so do the bright feathers and cheery cries of our winter visitors, help to rid our bleak December shores of a sense of absolute desolation. They give life and animation to the sands, peopling as they do in myriads the heaving waves on which they settle. Wheeling in thousands o'er the sea green waters, geese, ducks, widgeon, teal, and divers other web-footed wanderers, driven south from arctic regions, prompted by an autocratic master that knpws no denial—hunger! There is a certain pleasure in the wailing cry of our home- staying sea fowl, hovering with outspread pinions ever searching for the food the waves supply. A mourning dirge these cries may be, for countless lives and ships the treacherous winter atormw destroy, Neptune's tribute, far beyond the power of man to resist or deny. It is a disappointment to read in that per' fection of illustrated magazines, Country iAfcr that though it is pleasant to say, listen to the birds singing that it is often a very Babel of sound, the notes than strike the ear are not the most musical, nor at all harmonious, in fact it is a mere din." Now, one of the most numerous choirs possible was in Derbyshire, where I lived some years, in which as evening closed about this date in spring, I may safely say many hundreds of our best performers sang, certainly a Babel of sound, but as all ought to know. without one single discordant note. One stood in silence to listen with a charmed ear as these denizens of extensive plantations that there abounded sang their evening hymn, music worth going miles to hear. And who pray can ever justly complain of want of harmony in nature, either of sound, or fotm, or colour. No one can. forget the closing scene in this natural operatic performance, or the volume of sound that rose and fell on the breeze. As the curtain of night was drawn, how the voices one by one gradually faded from the ear, until as darkness prevailed the very last note was hushed, absolute silence reigned. The absence of musical merit we grant in the squack of the peacock or the jay, the crow of the pheasant or chatter of the magpie, yet even these inharmonious sounds are not objectionable, taken in conjunction with the birds' surround- ings. With what delight as a boy did one hear the loud "potterack" of the guinea fowls at sundown, as they stood in line on a low yard wall probably a dozen or fifteen, the call said to be loudest when rain threatened. As game birds in cover they succeed well, forming a* acceptable variety to the usual occupants, a few brace soon fill the game bag. It was Sir C. Shakerly, I believe, who had not only these, but peacocks in his woods, and I was shown a stuffed specimen that was shot there. The owner naturally hesitated tb fire at such an unexpected fowl until the Cheshire baronet rebuked his hesitation in no measured terms. One hears Of many other birds now settled with us and prospering, the capercailze first introduced Taymouth Castle, and only lately flocks of American wild turkeys were announced as doing well in Argyleshire. A* attempt to reintroduce bustard in Norfolk is rather a doubtful experiment, though odd birds of the species ha*ff been killed there in recent years, the JJorwegi0,11 willow grouse or "reiper" has also beeD suggested. e What a treat to stand onee again on some upland moor with all its sporting associations, a. trespasser and profaner of a solitude sacred too grouse no doubt, but wanting dogs and gun, may perhaps for once be tolerated and excused for this last long look. The lovely colouring °* the landscape, the endless wild variety, a* invigorating as the gentle breeze that passes oo» The impressive grandeur, and complete isolation of this vast extent of unfenced heather-cl»d expanse, sweeping away for miles to the far horizon, all give a sense of untrammelled free- dom very seldom to be enjoyed elsewbere- How one longs for a pictorial skill to place thif scene before another in such a guise that he too may see it with our eyes, and feel the impression produced, as we in youth once did. The migrants are hasting to our shores, tk cuckoo, swift, and corncrake have all been and heard in Cheshire, the two first usual. The wild cherry is in blossom ana t foliage with little encouragement of weather, gradually hiding away the bare boughs of winte Our fickle spring is upon us! too often fraug with disappointment. Llangollen, 29th April, 1901. .¡¡,
Advertising
THE FIRST SPRING OF THE NEW CENTURY. NEW CREATIONS IN SPRING Sf SUMMER FASHIONS, AT E. R. PARRY, LADIES' & GENT.'S TAILOR, OUTFITTER, &c., 39, CASTLE STREET, LLANGOLLEN. By Royal Appointment. MORRIS & HUGHES WILL MAKE A SPECIAL SHOW of FASHIONABLE NOVELTIES FOR THE SPRING & SUMMER SEASON, FRIDAY, APRIL 12th, AND THE FOLLOWING DAYS. The favour of your patronage and recommen- dation are respectfully solicited. CASTLE STREET, LLANGOLLEN. VICTORIA STORES, CHAPEL STREET AND OAK STREET, LLANGOLLEN. BEST GROCERY, BEST PROVISIONS, LOWEST PRICES. ELLIS EVANS, Proprietor. E. EVANS also tabes this opportunity of thanking his numerous customers for their liberal patronage in the past, and solicits a continuance of the same in the future.
BLOTS ON THE BUDGET.-COAL…
BLOTS ON THE BUDGET.-COAL OR GOLD? THE Budget has been severely handled through- out the length and breadth of the kingdom; and, in Wales more especially, the proposal to pay a portion of the cost of the campaign still going on in South Africa by a tax upon the coal export has, not without reason, caused many adverse comments. They may be regarded from two points of view. In the first place it is quite reasonable to contend that we act foolishly and prodigally in permitting every customer that patronises us to purchase all they care to acquire at too low a figure. By doing this we are virtually placing in their hands material, of which we have a moaopoly, to store up in coaling stations or elsewhere, it may be to be used against us on the first opportunity that offers—making a whip for our own backs, as it were. On the other hand, by imposing a tax that is sure to restrict the output, we do an in- justice to the British working-man for, as of course, the less coal produced the less labour required to produce it, and the less the amount paid away in wages to those employed in its production. We fail to see in the Chancellor's proposals elements ef fairness we have a right to anticipate. Why," is it not reasonable to ask, "are not royalties paid on coal taxed in due proportion ?" Apparently, in this connection, labour is to bear the chief burden and it is not just that this should be the case. What many thoughtful people are asking themselves, in the face of Sir Michael's attempts to adjust the burden to the backs of British taxpayers, is "what portion of the huge war bill is to be drawn from the Transvaal?" So far we have no suggestions supplied as to what is to happen, in this direction. It cannot be, however, that the gold mines are to go free and that the plutocrats of Johannesburg, who are bouad to profit chiefly as a result of the operations, are to escape. It may be quite true the war was not undertaken, primarily, in the interests of capitalists; that we sought no goldfields and we sought no territory, but simply embarked upon the costly enterprise in the interests of the justice and freedom of humanity. However, our success will be worse than useless if equal rights for white men in South Africa are to be secured by imposing unequal burdens upon white men in Great Britain. This appears somewhat likely to happen if the Chancellor's proposals are carried out in their entirety. How is it that suggestions as to raising a war loan upon the income to be derived from the taxation of gold returns from the Rand have not been forthcoming from the Government Benches? Be it ever remembered that, prior to Mr. Kruger's "apple-cart" being upset, gold was won in the Transvaal under far more favourable mining laws than it is won now or ever has been won in any other part of the world. It is quite true that dynamite and other monopolies, and the coat of living necessitated by excessive tariffs, made the pay bills on the mining properties formidable documents; but, even so, the fife per cent, tax, not upon returns but upon profits, proposed immediately prior to the war, was the only suggestion from Pretoria of Sweating the Golden Calf." What do the magnates anticipate after the war? Cheaper dynamite, lower rates of living, reduced wage bills, the abolition of monopolies generally; and, of course, as a result, hugely increased profits. Is it either fair or just that they should gain all this at the expense of the British workingman as the Budget suggests they should? Were it not far fairer that they who will be the chief gainers by the outpouring of British blood and treasure in South Africa should pay the greater portion of the cost? There should only be one answer to this question. We readily admit that anyone who takes exception to proposals advanced by the Government should be prepared to submit alternative proposals and, in casting about with a view to discovering objects of taxation that might fairly be laid under contribution, that have enjoyed an immunity for a considerable period, it is surprising how many are to be found. We have alluded to the gold of the Transvaal and the pockets of the German Jews, the French adventurers and Polish Speculators who own it; may we draw attention, also, to two points accentuated by the following extract from a Manchester contemporary There is no sort of reason," says the writer, except sheer lethargic stupidity, why that system of gradu- ating incomes for taxable purpose*, begun by a Liberal, and extended later by a Conservative, Government, should not have been carried out to something like a logical conclusion. Why, in the name of all that is reasonable and political, should £2,000 a year pay at the same rate as £200,000 a year ? Of what single luxury of life would a man of £200,000 a year be shorn by an income tax of two-and-fourpence instead of one- and-twopence in the pound? His advantages would remain practically untouched. He would merely be paying a rather low rate of insurance for the security of his enormous fortune. Every scavenger who takes sugar in his tea is, in sober fact, paying (relatively) more for the advantages he enjoys as a member of the British Empire than your semi-millionaire. Take, once more, a case, common enough just now, of the owner of agricultural land on the outskirts of a growing city or town. That property yields him a rental of from Y.2 to Y.3 an acre. Thanks entirely to the increase of population, and to the energy and enterprise of his fellow-citizens, there arises a demand for more house-room. His agricultural land is required for building purposes. Lo at once, and owing to no effort or forethought whatever of his, his rental springs at a bound from 13 to 250 an acre, with a property increasing in value year by year as his leases run towards their end. With what sort of face could such a man (and there are hundreds of him) complain should the city or the State ask him to pay to them, his fellow-citizens, a just part of the wealth which their labour, and not his, had created? In our ground rents alone we have a source of taxation that might furnish forth several fleets, and no one be a penny the worse." These are sweeping assertions, yet they are true assertions; but it is hard to see how a Govern- ment constituted as the present Government is constituted is to act upon the obvious moral which they point.