The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard

LAMPETER RAILWAY STATION. MR RODERICK EVANS, at the last meeting of the Lampeter Town Council, called attention to th3 wretched condition of the Railway Station at Lampeter, and said that it would be well to petition the manager, or directors, or whoever else was at the head of the affairs, for a station more creditable to the town. That Lampeter requires a better station will be conceded by everybody who has seen the tumble-down shed, which is like nothing on earth that we know of, and less like a railway station than anything. The Manchester and Milford Railway is in Chancery, and to get anything in the way of improvements is next to impossible. The Court, we suppose, would have to be moved, and to move the Court of Chancery is a task that will try the strength of Lam peter, well- built, prosperous, collegiate town though it is Mr J. W. SZLUMPER is often at Lampeter. What management there is, apart from the Court, he will be able to approach, but it is clear that management, however liberally inter- preted, scarcely embraces the erection of new railway stations, however urgently needed. The action it is proposed by the Lampeter Town Council to take can do no harm, and will, at uny rate, make clear that the inhabitants of the town realize the need for improvement and are ashamed of the conditions they have no power to remove or alter. Suppose the Town Council make known to the JUDGE when he comes to the Assizes at Lampeter that the Railway is managed under the Court of Chancery. The ratepayers might erect an arch of welcome and display this legend. The railway by which you have reached our town is in Chancery. May the Court be moved to make necessary Improvements." To know that the Court of Chancery is responsible for the dilapidated condition of the railway station takes the sting out of the shame. The JUDGE who comes to hold the first Assize at Lampeter is not responsible for the woe-begone railway station, but he is quite as responsible as the Lampeter Town Council, and may have more power to bring about improvements.

TORTURE FOR IRELAND. AT last the torture to which Irish priests and Irish members of Parliament are subjected by the Government has touched the heart of Eng- land, and there will be no more peace until the hideous system is at an end, and Ireland is as free as any other part of the United Kingdom. After Mr WILLIAM O'BRIEN was dragged from Man- chester to Ireland it was unwise to begin the work of torture at once. Mr BALFOUR has expended his witticisms on Mr O'BRIEN, and raised the laugh of the foolish against him. A man sitting in his shirt, after being forcibly stripped, may not appear dignified, but we think his tormentor, who makes poor jokes about him, is far less dignified. It is the strife and not the incident in it that is dignified. The four gaolers and the exhausted prisoner rolling about the prison floor were not dignified, but the struggle was as important as any that men ever engaged in, and victory was with the man in his shirt, lying unconscious on the floor of his cell. Governments have power to heap ridiculo and shame upon their prisoners. They can drew them like clowns and force upon them degrading duties. Every sense of manliness catt be outraged and all sorts of indignities can be perpetrated. Mr WILLIAM O'BRIBN has protested against the shame heaped upon him, and to-day all England feels that in manliness and dignity and thoroughness and quenchless courage he is without his peer. The moistened eyes of the people do not see the bruised and tortured body-they do not look at the grotesque effects of the brutal strife. They penetrate beyond all this and behold the indomitable man who single-handed defeats the strongest Government in the world. The time has come arhen the Conservatives will be unable to withstand the demand for an appeal to the country. They will try, of course, to argue that Treland is peaceful and prosperous owing to the policy of coercion, but it is well- known that any improvement there is must be put to the credit of the Liberal party whose promise to do justice to Ireland has been ac- cepted in good faith by the Irish people. It is Mr GLADSTONE and not Mr BALFOUR who has given to Ireland any measure of peace she enjoys. The manifestations of public feeling in reference to the outrages perpetrated upon Mr O'BRIEN have already caused the Government to restore his clothes to him and to remove him from the cells to the Infirmary. This is not enough. There are twelve or thirteen Irish members of Parliament now in prison for offences which are not offences in this country. There must be an end to the imprisonment of Priests, members of Parliament, and other leaders of the people whose only offence is detest- ration of » tyrannical Government.

THE WOMAN'S LEAGUE. TOWARDS the end of this month we understand that meetings of women will be held at Aber- ystwyth and will be addressed by some of their own sex. The object of the Women's League is to get rid of that double standard of purity which now exists. It is recognised that women must bring their inliuence to bear upon questions which hitherto have been shunned by them, and the fiction must be dispelled that women do not kno';V what is going on around them. It is not only amongst profligate men and abandoned women that reform is needed. The evil presses most in highly respectable circles of society where the moral tone is most in need of elevation. The fast man, whose whole career has been one of open vice and profanity, is respected by women against whom no breath of scandal is breathed. The pure woman, who will accept a profligate for a husband without scruple, would be horrified if asked to associate with the victims of his lust even for a moment. This is what is wrong. It is this sham purity that needs exposing. The male prostitute is honoured and honourable, but the female is shunned and outcast. The meetings about to be held will do good if in any degree what- n Z5 ever they assist in teaching that what is vice in women is vice in men, and that if a man deserves condemnation who marries a woman of known immoral character, a woman equally deserves condemnation who marries a man of known immoral character. This question is only one phase of the subjection of women. The Marriage Laws are unjust to women. The Bastardy Laws are framed throughout to save men from the consequences of their wrong- doing. During the past few years a good deal of attention has been given to this subject, but it is not dealt with thoroughly. How much better than the profligate man is the pure young lady who with the consent of her parents and friends, and with her eyes, open accepts him '? She is not a whit better, and it is amongst these innocent" creatures that reform should begin. The intemperate, profane, gambling, unchaste man is not excluded from society. He can choose almost where he pleases, and if he pretends to give up his vices when he marries he is readily forgiven and is rather admired for his wickedness. The real promoters of vice are the women in society who smile at profligates and hand over to them their daughters and are glad of the opportunity. The meetings to be held at Aberystwyth are part of a general movement which manifests itself in many ways but can never be successful until women are fully emancipated and placed on perfect equality with men in every way. The effort of men's lives begins, as a rule, with marriage. The effort of women's lives often ends with marriage.

REORGANIZATION OF DOWNIE'S TRUST. THE scheme under which Mr JOSEPH DOWNIE'S Bequest to the sick poor of Aberystwyth is administered, allows money to be distributed by district visitors. After more than ten ye<rs' experience it is the unanimous testimony of the lady visitors that the doles given out of this fund not only do more harm than good, but are ungratefully received and cause a large amount of very offensive language to be addressed to the lady visitors. This money is received not as a gift, but as a right, and woe be to the lady visitor who passes the door of a person who deems himself or herself to be more worthy of the charity than some known recipi- ent of it. The trust should be reorganised, and unless the trustees put a stop to the scandal of doles, an agitation with this end in view must be started. There would be no difficulty what- ever in providing abundant evidence of the ill effects of the system of doles which has prevailed since the scheme was settled. A por- tion of the money is absolutely wasted. Of this there can be no doubt, whatever. A further sum is used not to the best advantage. Instead of stimulating private munificence the fund is urged as an excuse for meanness. There can be little question that the tickets given to lady visitors for distribution should be withdrawn and no tickets, either for indoor or out- door patients should be given except to sub- scribers. The Infirmary is an institution whose advantages are not yet appreciated, and whose sphere of usefulness is not as wide and varied as it might be and probably will be in future. The scheme as now settled was a work of time and trouble, and if needs be the same trouble must be gone through again. Fortunately the evidence, easily procured, of the working of the present scheme is so conclusive that reform would be comparatively easy to obtain. The question of reorganizing the trust was referred to at the Infirmary meeting on Saturday last, and unless the trustees read the scheme care- fully with a view to modified action steps must be taken to secure an amended scheme. The necessary evidence has been slowly accumu- lating and can be produced whenever the time arrives for its production. The trustees have power to so modify the administration of the trust as to render the reasons for reorganization less imperative than they are at present, but whether they will so interpretet their powers is exceedingly doubtful, seeing that the distri- bution of doles has been persisted in year after year notwithstanding overwhelming evidence as to their ill effects.

THE WELSH LANGUAGE AND COUNTY COUNCILS. MR. SAMUEL POPE, Q.C., was the chairman at the first meeting of the Merionethshire County CJouncil. Two weaker* gf the Council, in some observations they made, Used the Welsh language. The chairman thereupon ruled that theprogeedings I must be conducted in English. He did not give his opinion decidedly as he had not looked up the law, but he believed that a statute of Henry VIII, enacted that all legal proceedings in the counties of England and Wales were to be con-; ducted in tbe English language. We believe; Mr POPE is right as to the law, but surely members of County Councils who do not feel able to express themselves in the English language ought to be allowed to speak in Welsh, although; the minutes and resolutions might have to be recorded in English. There is a widespread notion that somebody or other wants to suppress the Welsh language. This is a mistake. Besides it is impossible to suppress a language. The fewer Welshmen can speak English the more places in Wales will be open to Englishmen, and the fewer Welshmen will go to compete for places over the border. If there is a statute of the kind Mr POPE believes, that statute must be repealed. The advocates of Wales for the Welsh, and England too, will make great capital out of Mr POPE'S ruling. Dr EDWARD JONES'S Welsh speech at the Council would no doubt, quite accidentally suggest to those present how in some respects Dr EDWARD JONES was fitter to be chairman than Mr POPE, who not only cannot speak Welsh, but actually thinks if there is a law pro- hibiting Welsh that the law ought to be observed. We have never been able to see why Welsh should not be taught in schools and be spoken wherever and whenever anybody wants to speak it. We think Mr POPE made a I mistake. Even if there is an Act passed in the time of Henry VIII. which would make English the official language of County Councils, nothing on earth coull prevent the members from speaking Welsh. The Welsh might be defective, and very much of the cc walkio," jumnio," ,'i smokio" order, but it would be used as a protest-a very reasonable protest—against an attempt to burke the people's native tongue. Languages live or die according to laws which reach far back, and very little can be done either to kill a language or keep it alive. Whatever may ultimately be- come of Welsh there can be no question that English is spreading in the Principality, and the English spoken in Wales is more correct than that spoken in many an English county. It. is now generally admitted that although Welsh should not be abandoned English should be at- tained, and the more English is attained the better it will be for all those who profit by Wales being one of the most beautiful playgrounds England possesses. A good deal of unnecessary feeling has been worked up in Merionethshire in consequence of Mr POPE's ruling. The Welsh- speaking members of the Merionethshire County Council have the matter entirely in their own hands. They can speak in Welsh at the next meeting from beginning to end, and they can do the same at all succeeding meetings. 'There need be no angry feeling. Mr POPE cannot abolish the Welsh language. The English members of c the County Council may ask as a slight con- cession for the points of the speeches to be translated into English, as it is not yet a crime to be ignorant of Welsh. Let the Merioneth- shire County Councillors remember that they are masters of the situation and kesp calm. If Mr POPE has forfeited the honour or being chairman of the Council, perhaps the Council will lose more than he would have gained. There is ofcviously no cause for disturbance or illfeeling. The more Welsh is spoken the better it will be for some people, and anybody who has heard many speeches in English may rest assured he is not losing much when they are delivered in Welsh.

LOCAL AN]) GENERAL NOTES. The Marquis of SALISBTRY entered upon his sixtieth year on Saturday last, February 3rd. It seems almost incredible that Mr GLADSTONE who is twenty years older should still be in public life, and able to speak for two or three hours at a time. Mr SAMUEL POPE, Q.C., chairman of the first meet- ing of the Merionethshire County Council, expressed the opinion that according to law the proceedings of the Council would have to be conducted in English. If the members of the County Council wisii the business to be transacted in Welsh they ought, and will have their wish complied with. Translations will take time, but we would not for a moment put the value of a little ttme against the value of a national senti- ment. Mr WILLIAM O'BRIEN has broken what is called the law in Ireland, and is a criminal who, according to Mr BALFOUR, can have no advantages over other criminals. Mr WILLIAM O'BRIEN is not a criminal. He is in prison unjustly, and is treated as if he were a Hottentot by Lord SALISBURY. It is the possibility of arrest and not.the pr:soa treatment alonu that is wront;. The country has power to bring this tyranny to an end. Let this power be exercised. At any cost pro- test ought to be mftde, for the evil is not one that affeH.n Ireland only, and certainly does not cJaim Mr WILLIAM O'BRIEN alone as its victim. A. General BOULANGSR'S success at the polls does not mean personal popularity. There are many parties in France to whom the fall of the Republic would be good news. The success of General BOJLANGER means disaster to the Republic, and so all the opposing factions vote for him, although none of them intend him to have the power he seeks. France seems to see through the trick, and takes General BOULANGEX'S victory in Paris more as a sign that the Republic is hated than that its opponents are strong. Many opposing factions may unite to poll down the thing they hate who would fight to the death over the thing to be put up in its place. Republicans have to learn to leave General BOULANGER severely alone. Mr JOSEPg ARCH says that if he wanted to punish a man he would set him to lead working men in the country villages among the squires and parsons." Leaders everywhere are punished. It is not only labourers in villages who make life a hard and cruel thing for leaders. In every section of the community there are honour grabbers who make a business of decrying the real leaders. The blatant person has always been standing in the market places of the world gathering honours to himself while the real leader has been drinking hemlock juice, or was being pierced with spears. The real leader is always "despised and rejected of men," but the honour grabbers have never understood this fact, whichfis as true to-day as ever it was in the history of the world. The way the Education Acts are enforced is very un- satisfactory. Every now and then a poor person is summoned for nob sending a child to school under most exceptional circumstances, while thousands of children in whose circumstances there is nothing special are allowed to grow up in uninterrupted ignorance. The other day a blind man was summoned by the London School Board for not sending his daughter to school. He was led into Court by a pretty child of about seven years, the daughter referred to, and pleaded that he could not part with her, as he played au instrument about the streets, and had no other guide-' vlr Coote, who represented the School Board, said that the case was a painful one, as the child was receiving no education whatever, and was being brought up In a lodging-house. On the other hand, she was her I father's only companion, and to take her away from him seemed to be a cruel remedy. Thia case was adjourned. Of course the little girl should he educated I but the old man oughi tq be maintained, and it is hard to say which is prefeiibte, that the child should not go to school, or that the blind man and the child should starve and become paupers. • Electricity is making steady progress both an ad illu- minant and a motive power. The directors of the City of London and Southwark Subway having practieally completed their tunnels, which pass under the Thames a little to the west of London Bridge, have now accepted by negotiation with Mr WILLIAM Miiuis the scheme of his firm, which shows that electric science has so far advanced as to make competent engineers and electricians confident that trains can be worked so rapidly that at each station there shall be a three-minute service, with a maximum speed of twenty- five miles an hour, under conditions which render underground locomotion lees disagreeable than steam locomotion above ground. This large contract, which will take about six months to carry cut, has been entrusted to Mr MATHKR on the results of competition with other eminent firms. Each train will accommodate 100 passengers in three oars. There are five stations between the City terminus, near the Monument, and the Stockwell end, on the Surrey side of the river. The train mileage on Mr MATHER'S plan, will be 2,200 miles per day. All the dynamos and electrical apparatus are to be made at the Salford Ironworks. The plant consists of a permanent station for generating the cur- rent, with engines of a thousand horse-power, EDISON- HOPKINSON* dynamos and motors of a new type for the traction cars, and complete electric lighting for the stations, carriages, and signals. Gas companies do not now seem to dread the advent of electricity, but in towns like Aberystwyth and Cardigan, where gas has been dear, electricity will practically shut up the gas works. Improvements In producing and distributing electricity are made daily, and the new light is becom- ing more and more oommon. It would be interesting if some of our correspondents would make known in how many elementary school* in Cardiganshire agriculture is taught, and how Cardi- ganshire stands in that matter compared with other counties. A correspondent to the Standard says I: It is higb time to protest against the habit of some well-meaB" "ing. but ignorant people, of introducing texts of Scripture into notices of deaths, &c. In the Standard I I of February 4th I see a memoriam notice of a death, "and after it the words, The Lord had need of him.' Did the writer remember that this was said of an ass?" Not long ago in this district the words "She did what she could," were put as a memoriam notice in a case where the deceased had cut her throat. The Fruiterer's Company has discovered that some- thing might be done by that wealthy corporation to promote fruit growing in this country. Fruit growing is partly a landowner's question, but success depends on packing, markets, and carriage, as well as on growing the right sort3. Town Councils and County Councils have much to do in the way of establishing and improving markets before fruit growing can be successful. s *♦* We have frequently called attention to the playing of the Salvation Army Band at Aberystwyth on Sun- days to the great annoyance of the people and especially of congregations assembled for worship. Last Wednesday Captain SAMUEL JOHNSON was sum- moned for singing and making all sorts of noises at the top of Portland Line. Mr W. H. TKUSCOTT was the prosecutor and said his wife was ill and suffered annoyance from the noise. The defendant said that on seeing in an article in this paper thst the band was a nuisance on Sunday he stopped its playing. He only allowed cne tambourine, and expressed the opinion that the charge was nothing but a conspiracy against the Salvation Army. We are sure there is no desire to conspire against the Salvation Army, but to give them every fairplay and every possible advantage. That the band has been stopped playing on Sunday shows a reasonable regard for other people, and C/iptam SAMUEL Jo 11 X.SON will find his power increased by having regard to common rights. The case was dis- missed. Mr CHAMBERLAIN has suggested that Lord ASH BOITRNE'S Act should be applied to Great Britain as well as to Ireland. This Act authorizes Government to lend money to tenants to enable them to purchase their holdings. The Duke of ARGYLL objects to this extension of Lord ASHBOURNE'S Act, and says "he would not say that under no circumstances could it be wise for the State to assist- purchasers, but as- suredly the new purchasers who were to be favoured "and encouraged ought not to be confined to one class. Even in Great Britain the tenant class, as a class, "had barely sufficient capital for their calling. "Under all the conditions which could now be fore "seen, he should, therefore, be opposed to the applica- tion of State aid in the purchase of land to Great "Britain. Even if it were to be adopted at all, he could not conceive it being applied on the principles "of the Irish Act, which conferred an exclusive "privilege on one class, and that class the one which "was perhaps the least capable of using it to the "greatest public advantage." What the Duke of ARGYLL docs not seem to see is that in the interests of the nominal owners of land as well as in the interests of the cultivators it is necessary that facilities should be afforded to would-be purchasers. It is quite trne there is plenty of laud to be sold, but there are not plenty ot buyers, and what buyers are forthcoming are uot of tin right f-ort. In this district scores of tenants have practically raised their rents by purchasing their holdiDg, but tiiey value freedom and security at more than tin- increased payments they have to make. In other eases freeholders sell larma and are more prosper ou3 as OGe rule, however good, will not apply to all cases, The courteous treatment of Mr WIBLIAM O'BRIEN by the MAYOR of Manchester has given deep offence to th Conservatives. Mr HOWOHTH, the T,^ UPTforS South Division of Salford, has protested against the MAYOR of Manchester in extending the hospitality of the Town Hall to Mr WM. O'BRIEN, M.P., a convicted criminal. He declares that the citizens should mark their disapproval of the chief magistrate of the city who is responsible for peace and order, openly consort- ing with criminals, and in so prominently exhibiting himself as a political partisan and patron and friend of law-breakers- Let Mr HOWORTII appeal to the country and ask for the popular verdict on the MAYOR of Manchester's action. The verdict is being given, and it is one cordial and enthusiastic approval of his action. The invasion panic is growing again. Lord BRASSEY has been addressing the London Chamber of Commerce upon the expenditure required to secure the supremacy of the British Navy. He estimated it at an addition to the present Estimates of one million six hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds per annum for the next three years, and one million one hundred and twenty- five thousand pounds for a fourth year. Admiral HORNBY said in case of war we should require at least three hundred cruisers, and Lord BRASSET'S estimate would have to be largely exceeded. There seems to be no end to this folly. No wonder we have to batter our own ships to pieces when extravagance on thiB scale can be recommended without creating revolution. It should be remembered that we now spend thirty millions a year on worse than useless fighting forces. # » To be presented with a testimonial is one thing, but to pay for it oneself betrays a greed for testimonials that it is to be hoped is not common, even amongst the honour-loving inhabitants of Isliogton. Last week at Clerkenwell County Court, Mr GEORGE S. ELLIOTT, » recently-elected County Councillor, was sued witb some others for money in connection with a dinner. The claim was £ 49 10s., cost of a dinner and wine sup- plied in April, 1886. Some gentlemen in Islington* who had been concerned ia promoting testimonials to each other, suggested that it was Mr ELLIOTT'S tarn," iu consideration of hie exposure of what was known gf. the hospital scandalsM at the Asylums Board. It was suggested at first that the dinner should take place at a local public-houie, but this idea was scouted by Mr ELLIOTT, who wished it to be held at the Albion. in Aldersgate-street. Mr ELLIOTT himself called at the hotel, and told the manager it was possible a gentleman would call about a 6a. 6d. dinner, bat that this should be increased to 10s. 6d., and he (Mr ELLIOT*) debited with the balance. The dinner was held, and a portrait in ails and a gold watoh presented to Mr ELLIOTT, but it was elicited it cross-examination that Mr ELLIOTT himself ordered the watok and por- trait and paid for them, because there was only £40 altogether in the hands of the commhtee. The JUDGK asked if this latter fact waa made known at the present- ation dinner, and Mr ELLIOTT replied "No." The JVDGN It is almost inconceivable that members of a testimonial committee should lend themselves to any- thing of this kind. Several letters, it was said, passed between Mr SWAIW and Mr ELLiorr with regard to payment for the dinner, bnt Mr ELLIOTT denied liability, and referred plaintiff to Mr BoURKE (who was ckairmnn of the testimonial committee) or Mr RICHARDSOJT, secretary, and whilst the former denied liability altogether, the latter aaid there was no doubt Mr ELLIOTT had ordered the dinner. Mr ELuoTT denied suggesting the testimonial, but would not ewear that he did not saggeet the distribution of 5,000 circulars amongst the parishioners. The JCDGE said he had looked carefully at all the evidence, and could not see that Mr ELLIOTT was responsible for anything more than the difffrence between the 6s. 6d. and tb8 10s. 6d.; Indeed, with regard to the plaintiff's claim, he could not find that any of the defendant'0 were liable for more than they admitted, viz., JESS 160- 6d. By adopting the Islington method "honourg might be freely and generally distributed to the deserving,