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A DRESS LENCTH FOR } 3 HALF-CROWNS I Absolutely the Newest and most Stylish Production for 8 the Coming: Season. Marvellous Value. Our New Pj PLEEZORl FRIEZE-SEHOE 9 is just out from the looms and is produced in a charming variety of H colours, including Black, Navy, Peacock, Olaret, Myrtle, Fawn. Gre^ ra and a number of entirely new shades. 50 inches wide. Price only 1/3 ■ Per yard. Our New Pleezorl Mixtures-^re a finer make, lighter in weight, and B in several excellent colourings, most exquisitely blended. 42 inches 9 wide. 1/3 per yard only. Both Fabrics are Excellent Wearers. | May we forward Patterns ? We give them absolutely Free. We also jp pay carriage upm all orders, and give the following Grand Presents:— With each 7/6 Drsss Length, one patent Dress Fastener; with four & 7/6 Dress Lengths we GIVF. a length of material for CHILD'S DSBSS, J| LUTASLEATHLEY&CoMC^ral |
RURAL INDUSTRIES .
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RURAL INDUSTRIES WHAT IS BEING DONE ABROAD AND AT HOME. [BY A WELSH CORRESPONDENT.] The uxrrvoient to which we owe the exhibition which the Mayor of Cardiff opens to-day ia not a new phenomenon in the wurfafs hkhuttriai history. A similar morenusnt HJIA been set on foot in Eng- land, Scotiftod, and Ireland, and in several coantrien on the Continent, and is in- tended an a check on the constant exodus from the rural districts to the towns and other large oantna of activity. On the Continent rurai industries are encouraged to a much greater extent than in this country. In Switzerland. for instance, watchmaking is chusfly carried on in small villages. In one village certain portions of a watch are manufactured, while some n.eighbouru> £ viUago may be engaged in making otiier puruone of the timepiece. These portions are sent to some central place, where the watch is put together, and the complete article, after undergoing the necessary test as to its workmanship and trustworthiness, is ready for the market. In some Swiss cantons manu- facturers supply the peasantry with looms and materials for silk weaving and embroidery. In ether cantons the vil- lagers are engaged in straw and horsehair plaiting. Crossing to France, we find thousands of the peasantry employed in the manufacture of toilet articles—hair- brushes, tooth-brushes, and combs—which find their way into all the markets of the world. In other districts muslin, cotton velvets, and plain cottons are extensively manufactured. Electricity has for several years been introduced into the weaving industry in France. In Germany clocks and children's toys, which are exported to every civilised country, are made by the villagers. Germany has been described as the country of small work- shops, 90 per cent. of those establishments employing less than five hands. In Ger- many small manufacturers are also small farmers. Bavaria is the great basket factory of Europe. The town of Lich- tenfels has the largest basket-ware market in the world, and very beautiful some of the articles are. In Italy women of the labouring classes in every district where the mulberry grows are employed in spinning. Russia is par excellence the country of small industries. So firmly established are they in that country that, they flourish under the shadow of large manufactories. It is scarcely necessary to point out that the effect of so much industrial activity in preventing the depopulation of villages and rural districts on the Continent has been enormous, and is full of encourage- ment to those who promote similar move- ments in this country. In England the Home Arts and Indus- tries Association has done excellent work, and been most successful in imparting new life to many a languishing trade. Did space permit a brief account might be given of what is being done in the diffe- rent counties by way of conducting classes, establishing industries, and finding work for the labouring population to do. It will suffice to cite a few instances of complete success attending the well-directed efforts of enthusiastic promoters of rural employ- ments. Mr. J. L. Green, in his admirable handbook, "The Rural Industries of Eng- land," mentions three, the first being the classes started by the Rev. F. and Mrs. Brownson, of Compton Greenfield. Both the rector and his wife are well qualified by their skill in different kinds of decora- tive work. A beginning was made by classes being started in a small iron room in the village. Metal work and wood- carving were taught at them by the rector, and spinning and spinning needlework by his wife. The repousse work takes many forms, and, with the rector as their guide. the pupils, mostly young men of the village interested in the movement, produce in but a few months work of a quality which would scarcely be believed possible. Each student had a set of tools supplied by the rector, and paid for by the pupils out of their earnings at the new industry. The work was purely a pleasant and profitable addition to their ordinary occupation. This is an example of home work. At Sivesttand, on the coast of Norfolk, we have an instance of the estab- lishment of a rural industry on a larger scale, namely, the St. Michael's dye works of Mr. Henden. The neighbourhood is entirely rural, and those employed at the dye works receive about 3s. a week more than on the surrounding farms. The factory represents a bona fide village industry, created within the last few years. Another instance of a newly-established industry mav be seen at Haverhill, on the Essex and Suffolk border, in the form of a factory, owned by a Mr. Gurteen and his sons. The firm began by weaving drabbits then they added the business of manufac- turing clothiers, and afterwards started mats, mattin-making. and a department for the manufacture of horsehair material. The whole concern is a large and thriving one, giving employment to a large number of hands in the factory and in the neigh- bouring villages. These instances are typical of what is being done elsewhere, and demonstrate the practicability of the rural industries movement. Beyond question, there is a great future before the movement in England, and Lady Eva Wyndham-Quin, judging by her ladyship's article of last Monday, is equally Snguine of its success in Wales. Some scretion, no doubt, is necessary in the choice of localities for making experiments. Wales in all parts presents instances of either decayed or decaying industries, such as the great woollen manufactory estab- lished by Wyndham and Franklyn at Bridgend in the latter part of the eighteenth century, tho famous cheese which used to be made at Ewenny a hun- dred years ago of sheep's milk or a mix- ture of sheep's and cows' milk, exceed- ingly rich and high flavoured, and sold at a shilling a pound, and when of a proper age little, if at all, inferior to the boasted Parmesan, the basket-making that used lo be carried on in different parts of Car- marthenshire, the haimaking that once iourished at Carmarthen, and the knit- ting of the Cardiganshire women, who a jew generations ago could "knit a stocking while a goose was roasting or a pot foiling." These and innumerable other instances show at least that in Wales there is the material to work upon. Welshmen and Welshwomen may, with a proper train- ing, produce work every whit as artistic as any turned out in England or on the Continent. Whv not? The Welsh Industries Association, judg- ing by the number of exhibits at the Cardiff exhibition, devote their attention chiefly to the production of textile fabrics. While it is highly desirable to encourage that trade, especially in cottages and small factories, it is incumbent upon the association to enlarge its field of opera- tions as much as possible, so as to stimu- late all kinds of industries. It is only by doing so the real object of the move- ment—the retention of the people on the land—can be attained. Some means, therefore, must be devised to give employ- ment to the labourers, the artisans, and the small farmers during their leisure time. In times past farm servants and cottagers used to busy themselves with wood carving and other useful occupa- tions. One meets with nothing of the kind nowadays. It is a general complaint in rural Wales that the young men do not learn the usual trades—those of the carpenter, smith, mason, shoemaker, tailor—so that there is some danger of their eventually dying out. With a view to prevent such a disaster a remedy is provided In the Allotments Acts, which landowners and local authorities might turn to good account. The present depopulation of the rural districts is largely the result of the enclosure of common lands, a policy which destroyed the interest of thousands of the poorer classes in the land. To keep the people in the rural districts they must be given a stake in the locality, and one way to do so by giving them "three acres and a cow." Welsh landowners might do much to promote the object of the movement by encouraging industries on their estates, by erecting factories, and by encouraging dairy work, and by intro- ducing the principle of combination among their tenantry. The association, doubtless, is aware of the keen interest which the Board of Education, as evinced by the new Code, take in the subject, and it rests -with them to enlist the sympathies of Welsh educationalists, including managers and school boards and teachers, in the movement, which may, properly guided, prove a great boon to the people of Wales. It is an entirely national movement, and Welshmen of all political and religious giewg may lend it a helping hand.
ROMAN GLAMORGAN,
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ROMAN GLAMORGAN, THE RECEJNT EXCAVATIONS AT GELLIGAER. By JOISN WARD, F.S.A. [Curator of Cardiff Museum and Art Gallery.] The headinrg of this sketch carries us back to the distant time when the Roman was in the land. How did our district fare during these four centurie) of Roman rule? Since the Rev. Wm. Harris wrote his "Observations," in 1763, no one has taken up Roman Glamorgan in a comprehensive manner. John Strange followed with various papers on the Roman vestiges of Glamorgan and the neighbouring counties. Then, after a long lull, which was partially broken by an occasional allusion or small discovery, we come to the delvings of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society on a site. near Llantwit Major in 1889, which proved to be that of a Roman villa of con- siderable magnificence, and on another site on the Ely Racecourse in 1894, which seems to relate to an outpost to guard the passage of the Ely. The late Marquess of Bute's alterations at Cardiff Castle in 1890 brought to light Roman masonry, which received a notice from the pen of the late Mr. G. T. Clark, and the recent continua- tion of these alterations has given results beyond anticipation, and is the subject of a memoir now being printed by the Society of Antiquaries. It is not impro- bable that the Cardiff castrum was the most important military point in South Wales in late Roman times, and its remains will certainly be accounted as among the most notable examples of Roman military architecture in the country. The course of the great trunk road of South Wales—the Via Julia—upon which it was situated, is well known, and besides this station there were others upon it, at Loughor, Neath, and, probably, Cowbridge, but we know little of them beyond their Roman names--Lemcarum, Nidum, and Bovium. From this road two branch ways were thrown out in Glamorgan to the great.staticm near Brecon, the "Sarn Helen" from Neath, and one from Cardiff, and upon both of these was a small fort. The military post on the second of these branch ways was at Gelligaer, and its recent exploration by the Cardiff Naturalists' Society is not only a great stride forward in our knowledge of Roman Glamorgan, but is a valuable accession to ^Romano- British archaeology. It was not to be expected that a small fort perched amid the bleak hills of the Upper Rhymney was the abode of luxury. All that las been found is sternly military—no mosaic pave- ments, not even carved stones; so that those who look only for these things will be disappointed with a visit. The rare and peculiar value of the site is the perfect plan it presents of a Roman fort, being almost entirely free from buildings, trees, and other hindrances to excavation. Con- sidering how these ancient camps resemble one another, not only in Britain, but throughout the Continent, it is singular that so little should be known of their internal arrangements. This may be due to the circumstance that only a few have been fullv explored, and these have been large and somewhat intricate. That of Gelligaer, however, is small, and. its struc- tures are simple and easy to make out. The rampart, with its gates and all the internal buildings are clearly defined by the lower courses of their walls. It is true these walls are quite devoid of architec- tural details, but they are sufficient to give a fair idea of the camp in its perfect con- dition. As usual with Roman forts, this camp was square with rounded corners. The external line of defence was a V-shaped ditch the inner, a masonry-faced earthen rampart. About the middle of each side was a gate containing two passages or portals, each about 10ft. wide. These pas- sages were arched, and were flanked with guard-chambers. In one of the portals the raised sill or threshold which protected the bottoms of the doors when closed, the two sockets in which the leaves turned, and the two bolt-holes by whicln they were secured remain as fresh as om the day when the place was abandoned, Home fifteen centuries ago, and the sill has two notches worn by the passage of chariot wheels. These gates were approached by wooden bridges over the ditch, each about 18ft. wide. At the corners of the camp, and halfway between these and the gates, were tower-like structures, and, as the guard-chambers of the gates were pro- bably carried upwards to correspond, the total number of these structures would be twenty. It is hardly likely that they were high enough to merit tine name of towers; their functions were. to provide strong and elevated platforms for the ballistas and other military emgines. The rampart was low and wide, <md its outer facing was raised to form a wall, which was probably of greater height than an ordinary parapet. The lay-out of the internal space was simple and symmetrical. A wide thorough- fare- crossed the camp, and passed through the right and left gates. This was the Via Prinoipslis, and abou,t its middle, on one side, was the Pretorium, the head- quarters of the garrison, while from front to back was another read, crossing the former, but not continuous like it, being interrupted by the Pretorium. Another wide road ran within the rampart, and between the various braidings of the inte- rior were narrow alleys and passages, all covered with gravel. The cruciform arrangement of roads is usual in Roman camps, and may often be noticed in towns which have sprung from these camps, as Gloucester, for example. The Pretorium, of course, was the chief balding. It was about 70ft. square. Upon passing through its wide entrance in the Via Principalis the reader would have found himself in an 01blong gravelled court- yard, surrounded by :a. raised covered walk. The pent-roof of this walk was of low pitch, with large red tilies, resembling those common enough in Italy to-day. It was supported along its inner edge by timber pillars, the whole re-calling the peristyle of a Greek house or the cloister of a Southern monastery. On the left hand in this yard was the well. The covered walk along the fair side was double its width on the remaining three sides. This, probably, was to provide room for a con- course of men; for opening into it, and forming the back of the Pretorium, were five apartments, the middle one of which had something of the character of a shrine or temple. The ensigns and the treasure were kept in it, and probably, also, an image of the Emperor and the lares and penates of the camp. Its wide portal seems to be designed to allow of its interior being seen from the covered area in front, and one can well imagine that at times the soldiers were drawn up before it for religious and other cere- monials. On one side of the Pretorium was a building with a central court, which may have been the commandant's house, and on the other side was a large open space, which would be necessary for various pur- poses, as the rest of the camp was closely packed with buildings. These buildings were of different sizes, amd obviously had various uses, as barracks, storehouses, stables, &c. The Naturalists' Society intend to pub- lish as complete and well-illustrated a report upon the whole work as their means will admit.. The expenses incurred have fallen heavily upon the society as a whole aI1!d many of its members, but the results of their labour will be a gain to the wholo community. Is t, therefore, asking too much of the reader who does not belong to this society to help on the work by sending a contribution to Mr. J. Stuart Corbett, the president of the Archaeological Sectiom P Meanwhile, anyone who wishes to see*, the excavations should do so within the next fortnight or eo, as the re-filling must commence next month. A pIty, this re-filling! Most people have read of the recent visit of our King to the restored Bloman camp of Saalburg. To similarly restore that of Gelligaer would be a "big order," and withal too conjectural to be of archaeo- logical value; but if its foundations and walls could be treated as tlhe late marquess did those of the Black Friars, Cardiff Castle, by the erection of 'dwarf walls, the site would be of uniaue Wi berest.
WELSH EDUCATION .
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WELSH EDUCATION RECORD OF ABERYSTWITH COLLEGE. [By PROFESSOR LEVI, B.C.L.] The University College of Wales, Aber. ystwith, although the oldest of the three constituent colleges of the University of Wales, has been in existence for only about thirty years. So great has been its success as a national institution for imparting a university training, so far beyond the hopes of its founders, that it is difficult to lealise how recently it was established at Aberystwith. The history of this college is characterised by a fearless advance from the beginning. The authorities of the college have never been afraid or unwilling to extend its work. They have partaken of the courage of the two principals—the two men to whom the college is under the deepest obligation. It is owing to them that this institution has within the first thirty years of its existence ventured so far into the domain of higher education. Mainly through the efforts of the present principal the first year of the new century witnesses the inauguration of a law faculty at Aberyst- with and the institution of legal education for the first time within the Principality. The University College, Aberystwith, as an educational centre possesses some curious natural advantages. The chief of these is the advantage derived from the splendid climate of Aberystwith. Pos- sibly* the bracing climate accounts for the fact that comparatively few students consider it necessary to take as much athletic exercise as is taken at some colleges. Certainly, a greater part of the day appears to be available for work at Aberystwith than at Oxford or Cambridge, I where no one would, as a rule, dream of working in the afternoon. The college buildings are impressive, and appear to be far larger than they really are. The extension of the promenade, which has been commenced already, will have the effect of making them still more picturesque; the front of the college, now facing a precipitous cliff, will then be accessible for a main entrance. In the centre of the quadrangle is a bronue statue of Lord Aberdare, the first president of the college and the first chancellor of the university. At some future time it may be possible to remove this statue to the front of the college, when the promenade extension has been completed. The statue is some- what too large and imposing for the quad- rangle. Around the quadrangle runs a balcony, and from this balcony,* situated above the examination-hall, the principal library is reached. No one will hesitate to admit that the library is the most plea- santly-designed room in the college. As a library it might, and, doubtless, will in time, be more completely furnished, but, on account of its airy, well-lighted inte- rior and of the easy reach of the books, it I is a most attractive room to read in. This is proved by the fact that the hours between lectures are almost invariably spent by the students in this library. Very many do their work in the library alone, except, for attendance at lectures. The l'tinit of space in the large library has caused the authorities to fit up another convenient room for the constantly-grow- ingWelsh library. While dealing with the interior of the college buildings mention ought to be made of the almost lavish display of art studies and paintings on the walls of the quadrangle and the balcony, as well as in the principal library, where the paintings of the former and present president of the college and of the late principal, by Her- komer, will at once strike the visitor. It is not such a long step from the culti- vation of art to the cultivation of com- merce. Every attempt is made to supply a man with the commercial equipment which he desires without forcing him into the groove of the old grammar schools. The University College, Aberystwith, takes that modern view of a university training by which the university is made an immediate preparation for public life. It is this view of the function of a university which really caused the autho- rities at Aberystwith to venture upon the institution of a new faculty of law. It is proposed to afford some scope for the study of legislative methods in general, and in particular to encourage inquiry concerning the adapta- tion of English law to Wales. The first object, however, of the faculty is to pro- vide a thorough training for those who intend to be called to the Bar or to be admitted ?s solicitors, and to qualify students for the degrees of Bachelor of Laws and Doctor of Law granted by the university. Those who intend taking the professional examinations only, without proceeding to a degree in law, will find that the plan of the course has been designed to meet their case. Again, a student may join one of the Inns of Court and keep his terms while at the same time receiving his legal training at the Aber- ystwith College. The full course in law (excluding the work required for the doctorate) will require three years, but students who do not wish to proceed to a degree in law may take the subjects for the professional examinations for the length of time only which would enable them to be prepared in those subjects. The standard of the law degree in the university is intended to be higher than the ordinary standard of law degrees in this country hitherto. It is necessary to add that the regula- tions governing the degree of LL.B. have yet to obtain the approval of the univer- sity. The plan is to be submitted shortly for the consideration of the University Senate and the University Court, and in j the meantime can be regarded as provi- sional only. The college has been fortunate in the acceptance by Lord Justice Vaughan Wil- liams of an invitation to deliver the inau- gural lecture of the new faculty of law in October next. The lord justice has taken a personal interest in the institution of the faculty, and his influence and enthu- siasm on behalf of a bolder and broader plan of legal education have placed those who drafted the present plan under a deep obligation to him. From all this it will be gathered that Aberystwith possesses a rare degree of ambition, an ambition to attract English students as well as Welsh students, and to attract men from the public schools in England as well as from the secondary schools in Wales. It relies On the posses- sion of congenial methods of study, few distractions, and a situation which can scarcely be equalled. Admission to the college will, probably, become more diffi- cult with the constant increase in the number of students, but at present is somewhat easy, owing to the several grades among the students. The cost of educa- tion at Aberystwith is a matter of sur- prise to those who have been accustoitoed to the extravagant fees of Oxford and some of the public schools. The Aberystwitn authorities commenced by adopting the low inclusive fee of L10 for all lectures and all subjects. They could now well afford to double this fee, but they have not done so, and so for L10 a year the student may enjoy all the advantages that Aberystwith College can confer upon him. His other expenses will be a small registration fee, examination fees payable to the univer- sity, and the cost of living in the town. The latter is slightly less than one-fourth what it costs to live at Oxford. This does not apply to the Hall of Residence for women students, where the cost of living would, probably, be higher.
CRUELTY TO MAIL HORSES.
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CRUELTY TO MAIL HORSES. At Pontypool Police-court on Saturday W. Drake, Newport, and Henry Sirrell, Newport, were summoned for ill-treating mail horses at Wainyclare, and Sidney Shergold and Oliver Myall were summoned for causing the same to be ill-treated. The evidence was to the effect that the horses had sores on them. Shergold admitted to an inspector that he had sent some of the horses out. Defendants were fined 40s. each.
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THE ARMY MEDICAL1 SERVICES.…
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THE ARMY MEDICAL SERVICES. THE NEW RE-ORGANISATION SCHEME. ByWM. SHEEN, M.S., F.R.C.S., Cardiff. [Late Surgeon Yeomanry Hospital.] A letter to the "Times," dated Cape Town, May 29, 1900, was probably the first intimation to the general public that there was matter for inquiry, and— according to the writer, Mr. Burdett- Coutts—also for condemnation, in the administration of the Army Medical Ser- vices. A Commission was appointed, and the members visited the hospitals at the front, and they reported that, while imperfections existed, "taking it all in all, in no campaign have the sick and wounded been so well looked after as they have been in this." An interval of six months elapsed. Then, at the beginning of July, 1901, Mr. Brodrick announced the names of a "Committee of Experts," of which he became chairman, to draw up a scheme for the future organisation of the Army Medical Services. The report of this Committee was published three days ago —on September 30—under two heals, one referring to the medical and the other to the nursing service. Before dis- cussing the Report it is necessary to call to mind that the Committee had, not only to make recommendations with a view t6 substantive effect being given to the sug- gestions of the Royal Commission regard- ing the care of the sick and wounded in war, but also to take into account certain marked and long-standing grievances ot thtl members of the Army Medical Ser- vice. For many years the service has been undermanned, it has not at.acted the best class of men, at times there have been more vacancies at than entries for the entrance competitive examination. The question of rank has always been a burning one. At one time there was relative rank; later, no rank at all; then a series of cumbersome double titles were instituted — e.g., brigade surgeon lieu- tenant-colonel—carrying little or no executive power. Finally* in 1898, a. marked improvement took place by the service being constituted as the Royal Army Medical Corps, the officers being given the same titles as those of the fighting branch, and having substantive rank and executive powers. The Committee has not shirked the condition of things, and its recommen- dations are radical and far-reaching. It is recommended that an "advisory board" be established, four of whose members shall be civilian physicians and surgeons, the others being the Director-general of the Army Medical Staff and his deputy, two officers with special knowledge respectively of sanitation and tropical diseases, representatives of the War and India Offices, and the matron-in-chief of the Nursing Service. The board will be the directorate of the Royal Army Medical Corps. They will supervise the equipment of hospitals examine all plans for new hospitals, barracks, ,&c.; inspect hospitals, and see that modern treatment is being carried out; appoint examiners and make arrangements for the entrance examination; supervise promotion, and exercise a general control over the nursing service. The Director-General will be responsible for the administration of the Regular and Auxiliary medical services, for their distribution, and for promotion and discipline in them. Candidates for admission to the service must be under 28, and their seniority is determined by their place in the entrance examinations. Should a successful candidate hold an appointment in a civil hospital he may continue to hold it for one year, drawing, no Army pay, but counting the time towards pension or gratuity. After four years retirement is possible, but the officer must engage to serve seven years in the Reserve. If he elects to continue in the service he is given six months for civil study, at the end of which time he has to pass an examination, and is pro- moted to the rank of captain. On the results of the examination accelerations of promotion may be granted up to eighteen months. After six years as captain the officer may retire with a gratuity tf £1,000. If he remains he has special opportunities for study, with another examination, as before. By excellence in one of various specified "special" sub- jects officers can qualify themselves to receive extra "specialist" pay. After the examination any officer wishing to engage in advanced studies can have six months' special leave. After twelve years' total service an officer is promoted major. After being a major for six years he can retire on a gratuity of ;t;2,500. Otherwise he must pass a fur- ther examination, before which he is granted three months' "study leave." After twenty years' total service he becomes eligible for selection as lieu- tenant-colonel. Among general recommendations the most important are: -Officers shall he eligible for brevet promotion; officers in charge of a hospital shall receive special | "charge pay" appointments to a district shall be for two years; slight cases shall be treated in barracks; clerical work is to bo simplified; serious cases are to be concentrated for purposes of instruction and special advice; consulting civil phy- sicians and surgeons shall be appointed to military hospitals when required. The yearly rates of pay are as follows, inclu- sive of allowances —Lieutenant, £ 323; ceptain, £379-£400; major, £587- £632; lieutenant-colonel, £ 713— £ 804; colonel, £953; surgeon-general, £1,500; director-general, £2,000. "Charge pay" varies from 2s. 6d. to 10s. per diem, according to the size of the hospital. "Specialist pay" is 2s. 6d. per diem. Pen- sion remains as before. This Report embodies many great changes, and, if adopted, is sure to render- the service more popular and more effi- cient. The main features are-—The in- troduction of civilian control and the means of profiting by civilian experience, the greater facilities given for study, the opportunities of promotion for merit, and the marked increase of pay. One notes the entire absence of any details of arrangements in times of war. This is dismissed in one short paragraph, in which the Committee leaves it to its advisory board to prepare "a scheme for the expansion of the service to meet the needs of war." This, doubtless, means the employment of civilian doctors and nurses, the value of whose services has II been recognised during the present war. The board, too, is left to deal with all "questions of ambulance and transport." It is to be hoped that they will arrange that the Field Hospital and Bearer Com- pany are treated as one unit, and pro- vided with their own transport. The eligibility of officers for brevet promotion will remove a just and long-standing grievance. There will be no further hasty* moving of the medical officer from post to post. The earlier subjects of medical study are, apparently, to be omitted from the entrance examination. The wisdom of this is questionable. The scope of the examination before promo- tion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel indi- cates that when that rank is reached he will no longer be concerned directly with the sick, but his duties will be administra- tive and sanitary. Let us hope that the Report, if adopted, will bring about the change so required in the Army doctor, viz.. that he should be a doctor first' and a soldier afterwards. It is admitted that he should have a military title and execu- tive rank—these are necessary for pur- poses of discipline, &c.—but his tendency hitherto has been to be too much of a soldier and too little of a doctor. Space does not permit comment upon the Report on the re-organisation of the Nursing Service. The Army and Indian Services are to be amalgamated as the "Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service," and they are to have a board of their own. with the Queen as president. The rates of pay recom- mended are good. To touch upon one or two points, it is to be hoped that ward orderlies will be better trained, better educated men, in all respects fully-trained male nurses, and that in the administra- tion of her ward the sister shall have entire control, being responsible to the medical officer only.
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LADDERS.—Ladders for Builders. Painters, Plasterers. Farmers, Private Use, Ac., all iizes, ot Cottrell's old-established Manufactory. Barr- jtreet. Bristol* 430897
OLD-AGE PENSIONS .
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OLD-AGE PENSIONS MR. CHAMBERLAIN AND THE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES. By TOM HUGHES. [P.G.M. of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows J The problem of how best to deal with the aged and infirm of our country has occupied the attention of social reformers for many years, but we are still waiting for some workable plan and one likely to be accepted by Parliament. Unfortu- nately, we are continually having the experience of candidates for Parliamentary honours dangling the subject before the electors, and if the candidate is successful the question is immediately relegated to oblivion as being one of such magnitude as to be beyond the hope of treatment The name of Mr. Chamberlain figures more prominently in connection with this question than that of any other states- man, and many ardently believed that Mr. Chamberlain's strong position in the Government would secure the introduction of a measure on the lines which he laid down when dealing with the subject in his speeches. But Mr. Chamberlain's atti- tude to-day has undergone a change, for we are told by him that the proposal would mean such an enormous cost to the country that no Chancellor of the Exche- quer could devise the means of raising by additional taxation the necessary amount. In his "Radical days," when the present Colonial Secretary fumed at the "men who toiled not, neither did they spin," he fre- quently referred to the inequalities of taxation in this country. Ground rents are still untaxed, and the enormous amount of unearned increment derived from this source might very well be used for the benefit of the worn-out worker. A portion of the mining royalties and the additional revenue that might be obtained from a graduated income-tax could also be applied in this direction. When Mr. Chamberlain and those with him who have played with this question will boldly declare that the money required can and must be obtained, then we shall be pre- pared to believe in their earnestness. That the feeling in the country is grow- ing in favour of old-age pensions there cannot be the slightest doubt, and a step in the right direction has, undoubtedly, been taken by convening a meeting at Queen's-hall, London, on September 30 and following days. At this meeting it is hoped delegates will attend representing all the friendly and thrift societies of the country, and Mr. Chamberlain's sug- gestion that the Friendly Societies should submit a scheme to the Government will be fully considered. Unfortunately, members of Friendly Societies are divided on the question of a State subvention to their funds, and the hostility of a large section to any proposal for State-aid will have to be reckoned upon. State-aid, say the opponents of the suggestion, will mean State control and objectionable in- terference by the Government. It is quite certain that if the Government sup- plement Friendly Society funds for the purpose of providing for our aged mem- bers those societies cannot expect immu- nity from some sort of supervision over their finances, and a dual control may work out to their advantage. If all members of Friendly and thrift organisations can come to an agreement we shall not be over-sanguine in believing that the Government may consider it expe- dient to attempt legislative action. As members of Friendly Societies we must not lose sight of the fact that there would be strong opposition to any scheme that would apply only to members of Friendly and other thrift organisations. It must be admitted that any legislation favouring a particular class at the expense of other sections of the community is open to many objections, and the only logical' settlement must ultimately be on the lines of the system in operation in New Zealand, where every man, after he attains the age of sixty-five years, and satisfies the authorities that he has been a good citizen and is not possessed of any income, can claim from the Government a pension provided for the aged and worn-out toiler. The recommendation of the Select Com- mittee appointed by the English Govern- ment provides for a general solution, for, according to the report submitted to Par- liament, anyone of good character, who had not received Poor-law relief during the past twenty years, and who had endea- voured to the best of his ability, by his industry or by the exercise of reasonable providence, to make provision for himself and those immediately dependent upon him, would be entitled to a pension of from 5s to 7s. a week on reaching the age of 65. The Departmental Committee in 1900 estimated that this proposal would cost the country £ 10,300,000. To carry a scheme of this magnitude at one swoop would, I am afraid, be impossible. Would it not be better to make a beginning by applying the principle to the members of our great thrift organisations ? The bene- ficial effect of helping those who are trying to help themselves would, no doubt, be seen in a large increase in the number of members enrolled in our different socie- ties. It is true that such an arrange- ment would leave out in the cold a con- siderable number who are unable to join any society. The problem of how to deal with the thousands of our industrial nomads would still remain to be solved. We have in our large cities and towns a class who seem to be doomed to perpetual want and misery. It would not be right or just to .leave permanently out of the reckoning these helpless people, and any scheme of State-aid would not be complete unless it provided assistance to the aged and deserving poor and the most forlorn in our midst, who by reason of age and infirmity arc cast aside by the stress of competition and the struggle for existence.
MEETING OF CARDIFF SHIP OWNERS.
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MEETING OF CARDIFF SHIP OWNERS. The monthly meeting of the Cardiff Ship- owners' Association was held at the Exchange on Monday, Mr. H. Wallis presiding. The question of the revenue authorities requiring duty to be paid on bunker coal shipped on British vessels from this country for the purpose of being landed and re-shipped into the bunkers of the same or the same owners' vessels at ports other than the ports of this country was considered. It was decided that inquiries should be made as to what was being done at other ports with regard to the matter, as a number of firms land coal at their own private wharves for the use of their own fleets, and the secretary was directed to report further on, the subject. Owing to vessels with bunker coal on board having to clear at the Custom House in the same manner as ships with cargo, because of coal now being dutiable, such vessels, although going out in ballast, on arrival at United States ports become liable for tonnage dues, and it is felt that shipowners have a grievance in con- sequence. Since the meeting was convened a general order has been issued by the Customs Board to the effect that steamers calling for bunkering purposes only need not "clear outwards." This order is to be in force for a period of three months, and, pro- vided that the Customs officers have no reason to believe that it is abused- and the coal is shipped in the permanent bunkers, it is probable that the order will be extended. It was decided that the secretary should com- municate the terms of the order to all local shipowners. The Home Office having issued special amended rules, in* accordance with their powers under the Factory and Workshop Act, requiring that any person handling hides and skins at the port of London having an open cut, scratch, or sore on any exposed surface of his body, should immediately report to the foreman, and to cease work until the wound had been thoroughly washed and covered with a proper dressing, and as it was believed that such regulations would be extended to all the ports of the kingdom, the secretary was instructed to issue a circular giving the terms of the requirements to everyone interested in the trade locally. The secretary was also instructed to call a special meeting of the association for Mon- day next, at 11.30 a.m., for the purpose of considering (1) what recommendation should be made to the Cardiff Railway Company as to the kind of coal tips to be erected at the new South Dock, and (2) the question of trim- ming in regard to such new tips.
ALLEGED ATTEMPTED SUICIDE…
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ALLEGED ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT CARDIFF. A desperate attempt at suicide is alleged to have taken place on board the steamship Khio at Cardiff Docks on Saturday morning. The second engineer, a man about 30 years of age, who only joined the ship on Wednesday, is said to have rushed out of his berth at nine o'clock, and to have seized a knife and cut his throat, inflicting a gash about 2Jin. long. The Docks police conveyed him on an ambu- lance to the Hamadryad Hospital Ship. The unfortunate man was alive on Sunday, and unless unforeseen complications arise he will probably, recover, j
OUR SHORT STORY. ,.I
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OUR SHORT STORY. A MYSTERIOUS MOUSE. —*— [BY W. B. WALLACE, B.A.] "Thanks to our enterprising, if fratricidal, Emperor, M. Aurelius Entoninus—I suppose it would be high treason to call him Caracalla— we are all Romans now, from the poor fisher- man of Gyaros to the proud patrician of the Palatine." "I do not know that I specially care for the privilege. We provincials shall probably have to pay for it considerably more than it is worth both in our person and in our purses. The son of Severus wants all the men and money he can get; the former to repel-if that be possible—the advancing hordes of the bar- barians; the latter to pay for his brand-new Roman baths and for his sumptuous addi- tions to the temple of Jupiter and Baalbec. He has simply hit upon a novel expedient for raising the wind—or the whirlwind-which does credit to his ingenuity and scarcely fits in well with the prevalent theory as to his madness. As a result we shall be ground down to the very dust with taxes; we shall send our youth to the frontier to feed the vultures; and we shall have the supreme con- solation of knowing when all is done-that we are Roman citizens. "To the dogs-to the cross—to the crows with such cynical forecasts. Why, Thelephron, you are as bad as the weeping philosopher of Ephesus. Your mission in life seems to be to turn honey into gall. Your bitter speeches often make me wonder why you have not long since posed as a new Heraclitus and set up a school of lachrymose philosophy here in thes- salonica. Come, toes sorrow and sighing to the winds, which are stealing in so refresh- ingly from the broad bosom of the Thermaic gulf, and try to learn that the only true wisdom for us short-lived mortals is that of the unique Epicurus, whose humble follower I profess myself. Here are wines of Helles and Campania, and figs and pears and: grapes that Horace himself might envy; here are roses and jasmine and myrtle and libitum; here is poor, pretty, pouting little Glycera, only too ready to sing, or play, or, dance an Ionic measure-what you please; here are you, a wealthy Thessalonian banker, not yet forty, for all your grave mien; and finally, here am 1. L. Verus, merchant, of Puteoli, at your ser- vice, a gamesome Neapolitan, just past my sixth lustrum. Now, why in the name of the gods whom the Christians would fain banish from Olympus, why, I ask, should all these various elements and ingredients of happiness be wasted? Let Caracalla build and spend and frame new constitutions to his heart's content; let the outer barbarians thunder at the gates of Rome—let them wreck my native Neapolis and my factory at Puteoli, if they will; but let us, my friend, enjoy life while we may, let us seize the coy and blooming Hours by the skirts and plunge them in a bath brighter than that of Diana-the amber juices I of the Chian grape." Thelephron beckoned to the neglected Glycera and whispered in her ear, "Leave us, my pretty one, for a brief season." When the dancing-girl had quitted the ban- queting-room the Thessalonian banker turned to Verus, who was his sole guest that night, and. as he did so, removed a fillet or band of fine byssus which covered the upper part of his head. His companion regarded his action with some amaze, for he had never before seen him without this rather remarkable skull-cap. Amaze, however, was quickly changed into consternation when he perceived that the un- fortunate Thelephron was absolutely and lite- rally earless! The Greek fixed his deep, melancholy eyes upon his Italian friend. "Now, my Verus." he said-and there was a ring of touching pathos in his voice—"now you know my mise- rable secret. This frightful mutilation will sufficiently account for my eccentricities, my diffidence, my cynicism, my moroseness even to you, friend of my heart. Nobody else has known my shame—if shame, indeed, it be rather than misfortune-and you will respect my confidence, for in you there is the loyal grit of the Romans of the Republic. Already I owe you a life-a worthless one, mayhap. I have not forgotten that day when our barque turned turtle in a white squall amidst the swirling waters of the Cyclades off Deios; I have not forgotten how, at the imminent risk of your own destruction, you plucked me from the grim whirlpool of the foaming surge. We are now alone, you shall hear my story. "I am a Thessalian, a native of that valley, the fairest and noblest in all Greece, where Apollo in ancient days tended the flocks of Admetus. My father was a poor man, a des- cendant of those old Penestae, or serfs, who, fettered to the soil, toiled for the wealthy landed proprietors of Thessaly. "When I was a tall. strong lad of eighteen I determined to remain no longer an encum- brance to my parents, who had five other chil- dren, younger than I, to support, and com- municated to them my intention to fare forth into the wide world to seek my fortune. Tney were sensible enough not to oppose my choice. "Fate in unkind mood directed my steps to Larissa, and I entered that famous town one morning hungry, footsore, and travel-stained, my small stock of money quite exhausted. "My attention was arrested by a small crowd collected in the agora, and my ear was presently saluted by a stentorian voice which issued from its midst. "Elbowing my way to the foremost rank of spectators, I beheld, mounted upon a bema of white stone, an old man who might well have sat to a painter as a model for Charon. He was tall and unkempt, his cadaverous face was framed in the shaggy leonine mane of his white hair and beard, and his eyes flamed wildly with lurid fire, like those of the sullen Ferry- man of the Styx, as described by Virgil. He was one of the public slaves-a Scythian, I fancy, by nationality-and was for the nonce I discharging his office of crier. 'The noble Lady Panegyris,' so thundered the barbarian's raucous voice, 'offers a reward of ten golden pieces to any man who will watch this night the body of her late husband Astyochus. of blessed memory.' "You must remember that I was only a. raw and inexperienced youth, and, of course, knew nothing of Larissa and its ways. I turned wifti what I fear was a rather arrogant smile of superior intelligence to a venerable citizen who stood next to me, and said, 'In my part of the world the dead need no watchers.' "The old man looked at me with a grave and somewhat pitying expression. 'My son,' he rejoined, 'you are a stranger, but, nevertheless, your ignorance surprises me. Can it be that you have never heard of the witches of, Larissa?' "I shook my head. v 'Listen then, and marvel. That dread and obscene sisterhood is at once the terror and the shime of our city. Their dee(la are dark and secret as the night, and they set at naught laws human and divine. Even the sad solemnity the pathetic majesty of death is not Sacred in their eyes, and rarely does a corpse reach the funeral pyre without suffer- ing mutilation at their hands. Their accursed art makes Nature herself their slave, and they can assume what form they will. It is thus they are enabled to enter unnoticed the chamber of mourning before the rites, of sepulture and carry off thence portions of the body for use in their unhallowed mysteries.Truly, the watcher who would defeat their infernal malice and treacherous cunning needs a stout heart and a sleepless eye.' "I thanked my courteous informant, although in the wisdom of my eighteen years I deemed his words a mere idle tale. "No. I was not lacking at that time, as you will perceive, in the superb confidence which is at once the best and the most dangerous heritage,of youth; I was certainly lacking in the world's goods, for I had not a solitary drachma in my girdle. The possession of the golden pieces would, I thought, open up for me prospects as bright as the green vista that terminated in the auriferous tree of the Hes- perides. Why not, then, emulate Alcides and grasp at a splendid opportunity, even though a dragon, a lion, or a witch might bar the way? "I boldly approached the crier and requested him to direct me to the mansion of the noble Lady Panegyris. "With a horrible grin that demoniac func- tionary complied with my wish. 'Beware the witches, friend!' he hoarsely whispered in vile Greek, while his eyes dartied significant lightning into mine. His look and the words that accompanied it somehow congealed my young blood, and, although it was a, balmy morning in early spring, I had hardly recovered my natural warmth when I reached my destination. "Panegyris, a fair and stately woman, whose eyes were red with weeping and whose manner was nervous and anxious, received 10 graciously. r9 'Good youth,' she said, 'I will add five. golden pieces to the ten already offered 111 fill morning if you bring your task to a eucces issue. You are brave, I feel; (,a" guard against the insidious approaches of e to conquering sleep? For, remember, youhav deal with those who will be only too Pr0 v to take deadly advantage of even one uQc scious moment. vej 'Lady,' I replied, 'the watch of Argus 0- Io will not have been more vigilant mine-' -acH' 'Now, may the gods avert the omen,' e-rd lated Panegyris with a shudder, 'and Su you, gallant stripling, from the fate of whom you have named.' v "I spent the greater part of the day in V' eS' dering through the verdant alleys of the of tensive grounds that engirdled the house the Panegyris and in forming plans for future. & "Dusk was beginning to fall when a f slave ushered me into the death-chaO1 where I was to keep vigil. ø "Every preparation had been made for old comfort. On a table stood an amphora of wine of Thasus, a mixing-bowl, and S° flanked by roast kid and fruits and c0 tions. The lamps were trimmed and burn1 jj brightly, and the cheerful scene banished ttlø thoughts of the cold form yonder on, couch that would never quaff the ruddy of the grape nor wear rosy garland, nor/1^ into his lady's eyes again. Alas! youth i8,M a sense, unfeeling, ever arrogating to i^stj immortality, and even the presence of fails to convince it in any personal way of ( existence of the grim monster who croiic like an asp beneath the bloom and fruitage life. "The slave left me, and I fell to at ^1 viands with a will—I had not had such a :tJ1ø for many a long day-and then I smacked I. lips over the Thasian wine, which was e5 lent, but, under existing circumstances, a 9 friend and a bad foe, and, therefore, to dealt with discreetly. "When I had discussed these dainties truly Homeric zest, I threw myself back my couch and began to look matters in the face, with a result not wholly satis'^j tory. My watch would extend over at ie jI twelve hours, and twelve hours constitute8 ,0 eternity when one has nothing to do except keep awake. > "I know not how it was, but at that inolv 10 a train of the most bizarre and ridicul?^ ideas started a kind of moenad process1 f through my empty brain. I found myself' instance, moralising in quaint and abS fashion on the dead man's name. 'Ast;*°c oll —defender of the city—I suppose he is no^ gmard before the gate of Hades.' And tfe although I am by no means of a cruel perament, I took to laughing insanely immoderately at my own heartless wittic^jj "The echoes of my idiotic cachinnati"^ had already died away when I was surp'-lSt]j to see a mouse on the floor near to my co tajl It sat Urect on its hams, with its long Iji spread out behind it, and its small ir jib paws hung down in a ludicrous manner. I protruding, bead-like eyes resembled red b, ing coals, and were fixed defiantly upon II Seeing that it had captured my began to skip and dance and perform the :tJ1 y extraordinary antics on its hind legs, alvqayo facing me, and never for an instant reroov its fiery regard from my countenance. A, "The whole thing was laughable and aWj, but it was also undeniably weird and uncage and as time wore on the latter element be<^f predominant, and I fait anxious to get my novel dancing-girl in grey. I had means calculated on such an addition banquet. "I clapper my hands and cried, 'Get gone, Myidion.' The vile little beast io budged, never even winced, and capering and posturing just as if nothing happened to disturb it. -0 "This was too much. From the debrl^ jft feast I selected a tolerably larva bone ø flung it with deliberate aim at the dimiootl P6st. "vVith a dolorous squeak it promptly a peared. t of "I had got rid of one tormentor, but 11 Oit all. A whirl of bewildering thoughts pef frightful premonitions still beset me. were simply not to be banished. pd "I started from my recumbent posture began to stride up and down the chamber- "Surely the wind was rising. The ,j rattled, and there was a vague sough sighing in the garden without, as if the and sycamores had caught the first breath ,} a tempest and were swaying, creaking, groaning in anticipating fear. t4 "I looked out. The night was dark, but,for my utter surprise, perfectly still. Not long, however. As I waited a strange t*1$ happened. There was a swife, multitude rush of pinions, and I became suddenly that the house was beleaguered by a host dim forms, upborne by broad bat-like whose sable expanse shut out from view y few stars that twinkled in the gloomy ment, while from aerial heights there floaL,t: down to earth a kind of lugubrious 'The watcher-the watcher pays the ran-z tDo "In haste and alarm I withdrew from tbt window and sat down upon the side of a couch. Involuntarily I recalled to me what my neighbour in the crowd had told about the witches of Larissa. -0 "My troubled eyes sought the grottnd. m the Dioscuri! there was the detestable, a irrepressible mouse again. As before, It sitting up on its haunches, but this tilvery bad its fore paws raised in meek supplica-^ guise, as if adjuring me to refrain ,f i(t violence, although the lurid and vindlct glare of its eyes gave the lie to the humility its pose. of, "Having secured a very unwilling spect, i f it seemed determined to eclipse its feats of agility. The rapidity of its gyratJ j, would have taken away the breath of the & accomplished pantomimist in Rome, and ioe the while those tiny flashing orbs held ø I captive. ) "How long this went on I know not. deadly fascination mastered sense 00 thought, and I lost all count of time. At I must have swooned. tIo "When I came to myself dawn Bashed ot casement. I thanked the gods that the & and the ordeal were over. The next moJA it I fell into a state of abject misery. seemed only too probable that all I had through had been in vain. The fifteen g°'? i pieces on which I had set my heart woa^, feared, turn out a mirage, sweet, but mod5' like the golden dream of the poor fisher,50 in Theocritus. While I lay unconscious lØ witches, without doubt, had availed theroaebeif of the opportunity and accomplished tn nefarious purpose. ft "I stole across the room to the regting-P eo of the dead. Oh, joy! the body had not el been disturbed. There was the ruffled face, as I had seen it over-night, be3, ful with the inscrutable smile of death. ,ejr "While I stood lost in reverie the tial slave entered. He fell back a pace or when he beheld me. Then he approached t dead master, returning, however, lør immediately, apparently satisfied with his 0 sory examination. Ai 'Panegyris awaits you, poor youth.' with a touch of rough sympathy in his staring unaccountably at me the while. ff "The widow, too, started, trembled, all coiled when her eyes fell upon me. tJt' "Here are the fifteen gold pieces,' she mured 'in requital of your faithful eeTl»f, Too dearly, alas, have you earned them- ot1! less boy. May the gods pity and protect ? "The demeanour of the slave—the attl the words of Panegyris, were a riddle What could it ail mean? I was poor, tainly—and yet richer than I had day before by what seemed to be a able sum—but I had youth, health, Jp and a comely person. How had I sod" become an object of commiseration to fellows? "A Corinthian mirror in the peristyl0, which I chanced to look as I was -fit mansion of Panegyris, solved the enigma once for all. "I had been mutilated instead of tb« My ears had been shorn off with 0^ devilish ingenuity. The unsightly worl t'66 thus occasioned, together with the cl 0f blood, had been seared by the impress j hand of fire. "Such was the work of the accursed saw it all now—who, to my confusi0l?'0pj been masquerading as a mouse, and had insulted, if not injured, when I j the bone at her in my wrath, < "With the money obtained at such dis ne*L C06t I traded and prospered; but I Vh happy: I always felt myself a > the false Sinerdis of Persian 'history- 0 golden doors of love are shut in the 1 the maimed and deformed." "But not those of friendship," ae he rose and warmly grasped the n the luckless Thelenbroo,