The Cardiff Times

EISTEDDFOD AWARDS MANY PRIZES WITHHELD. Carmarthen's Choral Victory. I EBBW LAD'S SUCCESS. I In opening the morning prceedings of the Eisteddfod, the Hon. Lawrence A. Brodrick, the president, made a fitting reference to the death of King Edward and the accession of King George. Mr Brodrick, who pronounced Welsh place names like a native, indulged in -an interesting survey of the history of Colwyn Bay and its neighbourhood. To-day, he said, Celt and Saxon vied with each other to do hon- our to the Eisteddfod, and to promote its success, withdrawing themselves for a Ep, from the wrangling of the world, shaking off the dust of political conflict, the turmoil of business and the pursuit of material advantage in order to devote themselves wholly to the twin sisters of Religion and Art. Atheism and Vandal- ism were plotting more insidiously and more busily against our national lifb than ever he-. fore. Let us," said the speaker, strengthen ourselves in our Eisteddfod with our high ideal of Art in all her varied forms to resist, all that is base and mean and unworthy, and with one united voice exclaim, Y gwir yn erbyn y bvd.' I Maior-General Sir Ivor Herbert, Bart., M P., the afternoon president, opened with the ques- tion. 11 A oes heddwch ?" to which there was a loud response of amity. When, he said, he heard this question put in the Gorsedd earlier in the day, he was anxious because he had heard that there was no peace in the Gorsedd, and they knew there was no use crying Peace when there was no peace. But there was peace, or ab any rate it was not war. He hoped it was not what a learned Lord Chan- cellor once called 11 a sort of war." There was an eternal conflict between the spirit of pro- gress and the inert condition that resisted all progress. He hoped this conflict would never- become acute in the Gorsedd, for the spirit of Wales was always towards progress-upward and onward. Generations followed-one another. and each generation that arose did not always see with the same eye as that which preceded it. It was for the elder and wiser to recognise that new conditions required new develop- ments. It was for the younger, with all the "eagerness and hopeful ambition of youth, to remember that it was-by adherence to tradition and precedent that past generations kept alive through the dark days the spirit of Welsh nationalism, Welsh culture. and the purity of the national language and literature. His wish. as president on this important occasion, was that all might work together in harmony and in the spirit of conciliation, maintaining and extending the work of the National Eis- teddfod for the good of their land, language, and nation. (Applause.) Sir Ivor concluded witb-a happy reference to the initiation in North Wales of the Lord Mayor of Cardiff into the Gorsedd circle.

THE, COMPETITIONS. Arts Section. Crewel work copied from an old example on union ground-Miss Elizabeth Gregson, Holy- head. Elizabethan bedspread in old English crewel work-Miss Ida M. Edwards, Upper Colwyn Bay. Baby's robe—Mrs Arthur O. Roberts, Hoy- lake. Set for blouse—Mrs Fell. Rosedeane, The Rhyddings, Gloucestershire. Shoulder. cape for old lady-Mrs T. R. Roberts, Colwyn Bay. Set of insertions for sheet shams and towels Miss A. Harris, Carmarthen. Table centre—Miss E. M. Walker, Colwyn Bay. Afternoon teacloth—Miss Margaret A. Rees, Maesteg. Design for a public clock tower, spitable for erection in stone or brick at Colwyn Bay, cost not to exceed £ 500—Mr J. D. Arfon Jones, Staverdale-road, Highbury, London. Design for group of four cottages, to be built of Talacre and Gwespyr stone (red roofs), con- taining five or six rooms—Mr J. D. Arfon Jones, Highbury, London. Ebbw Vale Lad's Success. Leaded light window, Welsh emblems to be introduced, suitable for a public building- Master Clifford Morgan, Ebbw Vale. A young boy," said Llew Tegid. who created some sensation in London last year, and is now under instruction in Bristol. Certificate for the successful competitors at Colwyn Bay Eisteddfod-I, Mr E. Lewis Evans, Rhyl. Picture in oil or water colour of any incident in Welsh history or legend—1, Julian." Landscape in oil or water colour—1, Mr Tim Evans, IJanbedr, Talycafn. Landscape in oil or water colour (amateurs)— Jack Johnson." Literature and Recitations. Following the precedents at past Eisteddfodau attractive money prizes were offered by the National Eisteddfod Association for the best county geographies (on the model of the Cambridge County Geographies ") of Merioneth, Montgomery, and Brecknock, suit- able for general use as handbooks, but- primarily for use in schools. There were four entrants in respect of the first two counties, "and seven in respect of Brecknock, t60 being the prize offered for the best set of three geographies, or E20 for any one as the adjudi- cators determined. The prize was withheld for want of merit. Handbook, containing short biographies and selections from the works of the more eminent Welsh poets from the time of Huw Morus, with a short introduction on the develop- ment of Welsh poetry during that period (one I competitor). Prize withheld for want of merit. Recitation, Ystorm ar y Mor (Islwyn), L open to males over 16 years of age, 57 com- petitors-Mr D. Rogers, Wrexham. Translation from English into Welsh, "'John Bunyan (Macaulay), for competitors under 18 years of age three entrants—Prize divided between Mr Gwilym Parry, Cwmyglo, and Teithiwr." Translation into Welsh of The Geographi- cal Evolution of Wales (the Rev. Meredith J. Hughes, F.R.Hist.S.); six competitors.—Prize withheld owing to insufficient merit. Welsh handbook on elocution, to contain from 20,OOC to 25,000 words; two competitors— Prize divided between Ivan Aureman," who did not disclose his identity,And Mr Norman McLeod, Pwllheli. Music and Poetry. Composition for male voice choirs with piano- forte accompaniment, Welsh and English words or Welsh only five competitors—Mr D. D. Parry, Llanrwst. Composition for mixed quartette, unaccom- panied, Welsh or English words; 18 competi- tors—Mr D. Cyril Jenkins, Treorky. Composition for duet, any voices, Welsh and English words; two competitors—Mr D. D. Parry, Llanrwst. Quartette (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), Sul y Blodau,' the prize composition at the Llangollen National Eisteddfod 19 parties competed-A Pontymister quartette, con- sisting of Mr and Mrs Richard Thomas, Mr Tom Williams, and Miss Mary Watkins, were the winners, the second being the Glamorgan Quartette, composed of Miss Annie Gibbon (soprano), Miss Lilly Mansel Edward-, Porth (contralto), Mr R. Watkin Owen, Pontypridd (tenor), and Mr James Hughes, Pontypridd (bass). Love si^g.not to exceed 200 lines, Deirdre (Celtic story)—The Rev. Machreth Rees. London. Composition of a piece of poetry, not exceed- ing 50 lines, suitable for a recitation test piece for children under 16 years of age 41 competi- tors—Bryfder, Festiniog. Soprano solo, 0 ha,d I Jubal's Lyre" lhandel), and Olwen 52 competitors—Miss Blodwen Hopkins, Llangennech, the adjudi- cators placing Madame Sylvia Hosgood. Cardiff, second of the three who appeared on the plat- form. Miss Blodwen Hopkins is a native of Lian- gennech.and has been very successful in local eisteddfodau and-competitive concerts. This .-year she came out in a new role, taking the part of Elsie Maynard in the performance of The Yeoman of the Guard," by the Llanelly Amateur Operatic Society, and although it was her first appearance-in opera, her acting as well as her singing were generally admired. 'Cello solo six competitors—Miss Blodwen Jones. Pontardawe, a little girl 15 years of age. Baritone solo, Song of Pan (Bach) and Glyndwr's Grave (W. O. Jones); 54 com- r petitors—Mr Llewellyn R. Bowen. Swansea. Stanza. Dawn 153 competitors—Dyfed announced that not one of the englynion. received "was equal to the National Eisteddfod standard, and the prize was withheld.

CHOIRS OF WOMEN. Carmarthen's Notable Victory. Female choirs, 35 to 45 voices, Come, sisters, come" (Mackenzie) and" Sea maidens (D. D. Parry). First prize £20. ,with gold medal to the conductor who, in the opinion of the stage director, best arranges and marshals his or her choir so as to avoid loss of-time on the platform. Six choirs com- peted, viz. Carmarthen Ladies' Choir (conducted by Miss A. M. Buckley). Armonica Ladies' Choir, Coedpoeth (con- ducted by Mr T. Carrington). Dowlais Ladies' Choir (Mr Wm. Hughes). Cor Merched yr Iwerddon, Dublin (Madams Cosslett-Heller). Bangor Ladies' Choir (MrThos. Thomas). Holyhead Harmonic Choir (Mr W. S. Owen). The Dublin Ladies' Choir sang one of the test pieces in Welsh, and were enthusiastic- ally applauded, Llifon making the happy re- mark that the Eisteddfod provided Welsh choirs that sang in English, and Irish choirs ,that sang in Welsh. Dr. Coward, Dr. Roland Rogers. Mr D. Jenkins, Mus. Bac., and Pro- fessor David Evans, Mus. Bac., were the adjudicators. It was no easy task, said Dr. Rogers, to place six female choirs of cuch excellence. The, Mackenzie test piece was one of extreme diffi- culty. It was a Spanish dance, and the singers, were supposed to excite and invite other people to join the dance. It was a beautiful. sensuous piece and needed to be given in character. Most of the choirs got hold of the right interpretation of the piece, and gave it a first class rendering. The Welsh piece was by no means easy. Adjudication in Detail. In the course of his detailed criticism of the performances Dr. Rogers said that the Carmar- then Choir, the first to sing, gave the Mackenzie piece a crisp, sharp rendering. The choir had very good voices and was well balanced. The ensemble was excellent; the tempo, if any- thing, was rather faster than the metronome marks. The spirit of the music was caught and well rendered. The second piece also was well sung, but there was a tendency slightly to in- crease the time in the accelarando. The voices once got a little before the accompanist, but this was momentary. The singing of the choir was very fine and they set a very high standard. The tone of the second choir,-Coedpoeth, was not so full or so flexible, and the rendering was not convincing. Dowlais was a well-balanced choir. The accelarando was well done, but the second treble were not always on the right note. The sopranos had a little more brilliance than the other voices, so that-at times the adjudicators fancied they could distinguish individual voices. The rendering of the second chorus was also good without calling for any-special comment. In the singing of the Dublin Choir the char- acter of the dance and the invitation to dance were not-so convincing. The attack and tone were fine, but sensuous entreaty was wanting, and occasionally liberties were taken with the time. In the second piece colour and tone were lacking. In the case of the Bangor Uhoir the tone was good and the rendering very bright. It was & capital interpretation. There was a tendency to overdo the accent in the second piece. Referring to the performance of the Hot- head Choir, Dr. Rogers said there was a lack of crispness and colour, and they were not always in tune. On the whole the competition reached a very a high standard. The first prize was awarded to the Carmarthen Choir, and the second prize to t the Bangor Choir. Mr Ellis Wynn awarded to Madame Cosslett- Heller, conductress of the Dublin Choir, the gold medal offered for the best marshalling of a choir on the platform. The Victors. The Carmarthen Ladies' Choir was estab- lished in June, 1908, and consists of 60 members, U I their ages varying from 17 to 27 years. Though the choir only competes during summer holi- days it has already won first prizes at the Eisteddfod held at Carmarthen on August Bank Holiday on three successive years, and last year it won the first prize at Ltandyssul. Miss Alice M. Buckley, the conductress, is a music teacher at Carmarthen, and many of theonem- bers of the choir are. her old pupils. Miss Jones, Florida House, is the secretary, and Miss Brockie, National Provincial Bank. the treasurer. This is the choir's first effort at a National gathering, and its successover such well-known combinations as Coedpoeth, Dow- lais, Dublin, Bangor, and Holyheald, most of' which arc old established, reflects much credit upon the able conductress as well as upon the' young ladies who have -been trained by her.

CHIEF CHORAL. ,Mortn. Sta:isChoi r's.Win j" i RHYMNEY GWENT &ECoriD. i ,|^ J PrctDPesque Scenes. | ;(From our Special Correspondent.) j. COLWYN BAY, Tuesday Night, every point of view the first day of » National.Eisteddfod has been an unquaJi- jjj? Access. The weather, if not bright and has been calm and dry. The expected poured into the town in even larger ers than had been anticipated by a of special trains from the counties t9LUlld, and, what is more to the point, they jjg^.in their thousands into the' pavilion, that vast building both at the day to^tangs and at the evening concert. Viewing foSrowds frame, South Wales standpoint, I it hard to realise that I was not in the of Glamorganshire, so numerous were familiar faces I observed, and so difficult it Qjjto get away even in the streets, from the g^ar sounds of the Glamorgan dialect, fcc? many respects this year's National fjj^ldfod at Colwyn Bay is a South Wales ^"Val held in the breezy North. In practically W? iepartment of the competitions to-day— music, and art—the principal prizes tjj^captured by South Wales candidates, and ^Northerners in the audience, to give them due, hailed these victories as their very ^sg BLOT)WEN HOPKINS, Llangennech,1 ja°/w°nthe soprano solo on Tuesday. Tbe is of her in costume as Elsie Maynard, i(^ strolling singer in the Yeomen of the —(photo, by McLucas and Co., 7; >h 4!0 deal first wi h the princinal-event of the; (V! the victory of the Nurth Staffordshire ojj r in the chief choral contest is recognised Ifu aU hands as in every way worthily won. effort of Rhymney Gwent, who came ^°^d, was truly a gallant one. In the total awarded only four points separated them the winners, while the Southport Choir only two points behind Rhymney Gwent. Walep will deplore the fact that England sij. pace again asserted its supremacy in choral k Sing over the gallant little Principal- Oj' brut there must be recognition the fact that this year Wales t }j^e no serious effort to assert its claims. Comes it thai; here, in the very centre of ^Pth Wales industries, with ample choral Serial at hand, it should have been left to JjJyianey Gwent alone to defend the honour 1 superiority of Welsh music ? Last year in §?adoii half a dozen choirs from North and ^th Wales participated in the chief contest ^hf. Albert Hall, and Carnarvon, Cardiff, Rhymney were placed higher than their <JJ?lieh ravals. Wales has on this occasion been napping. This must in no sense, how- Vw"' a^lpwpd to discount. the value of the k ory acibieved by the vocalists from Potteries, for it is not their first victory. h*er and over again at the National Eisteddfod vfy have met the best choirs that Wales can »h Uce and have repeatedly asserted their priority. o-day's event recalls the battle of giants at l90i ^ational Eisteddfod at Merthyr Tydfil in Vj J' when North Staffordshire won their first tjPWv in Wales. They have since placed four K^PPhs to their credit at the National ^tivals of Wales. Led by the late Mr J. ta5ewell they were placed first at Bangor in 19Qr' Rhy' 190^ and at Carnarvon in To-day they were led by another con- r' Whittaker, and secured their triumph. It is only three months ago jJJ^t Jir Whittaker became the conductor of jJ^North Staffordshire District Choral Society, he at once began to train the fine-body of 'raUstsfor' the festival of to-day. he other English contestants came from j'lthport. Last year a Southport choir, Ma r e leadership of Mr W. Tattersall, was first in the second choral contest at the ji t»don National. It was this choir augmented in occasion,'and led by the same con- j^ctor, tha,t to-daymade their first appearance chief choral arena, and if I am not mis- W>etl the day is not distant When they, too, t»e acclaimed victorious. j^r DAN OWEN, conductor of the Rhymney ,w Choral Society, who were placed second (tk, Tuesday in the chief choral competition.— T°to. by John Lawrence, Cardiff.) '—-————————————————————————— fyblin Choir's Welsh Rendering. contest for female choirs prdved to be, t), e words of the adjudicators, one of the; in this clas3 ever held in Wales. choirs from North Wales, two* South Wales, and one from Ire-, participated, but England was, W! ^presented. The victory of Carmarthen- hailed with great delight, and North were quite-pleased to find Bangor^ placed second, for, truth to tell, the-sing- Othe Dublin girls, especially when they in Welsh, quite captivated the audience, r the visitors from Erin have every reason gratified with the cordiality of the wel- with which they were greeted. They conducted by Madame Cosslett-Heller, a. e that is suggestive of Glamorganshire ■K^iations. ta *fear by year the international character of jwe Eisteddfod is becoming more and more c^^oiineed. To-day, as Llifon, the Eisteddfod y^ductor, wittily put it, Welsh choirs were jjr^d singing in English, and Irish girls sing- es in Welsh. ^tional Eisteddfod's Wide Appeal I,a ha.t the Eisteddfod appeals to all classes truism. This was practically exemplified b/d&y on the platform, when the morning C^'dent, the Hon. Laurence A. Brodrick—a landowner, a zealous Churchman, and a ?servative to the core, for is he not brother *Ord Midleton, formerly Tory Secretary of ir '-indulged in a glowing eulogy of Welsh ti and gave the place of honour by (V on the platform to the Lord Mayorof who in private life is a Labour leader (Jf*:a democrat. Then in the afternoon the, |r^,r Was occupied by an adherent of the b ^an Catholic faith*in the person of Sir Ivor f *^>ert, and he was surrounded by Noncon- fejjJ'st and Radical leaders such as Sir ij hert Roberts, M.P., Mr Herbert Lewis, Mr Llewelyn W illiams, M.P., and Sir E. tjjjr^nt iSvans. Nonconformist ministers, too, t^iated as Eisteddfod conductors, while at tjj concert the senior Welsh diocesan, Lord Bishop of St. Asaph, took the chair, .ve referred to the success of the South H sh competitors. To be strictly accurate, btfshouldbe emphasised that all the principal in the classes for vocalists went to. organshire and Monmouthshire. The jnbers of the successful quartette party all £ jJe<i from Pontymister (Mon.), while the party S^rf^d second to them came from Pontypridd ft0~Poith. The soprano solo winner came* Uangennech, Miss Blodwen Hopkins, Js no stranger to the national competitive an<i she must be congratulated upon her achievemcnt to-day. Mr Llewellyn R. the leader of the Swansea Male Voice is once more the victorious baritone and Mr D. Chubb, of Llahtwit, near h

LEADING FIGURES AT THE:, OPENING OF THE WELSH NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD. <, ,) .f PRESIDENTS OF TUESDAY'S PAVILION MEETINGS. THREE OF THE MUSIC ADJUDICATORS. The Hon. LAWRENCE A. BRODRICK, Sir IVOR HERBERT, Bart., M.P., who The BISHOP of' ST. ASAPH, who Mr DAVID EVANS, Mr D. JENKINS, AbeT- Dr. ROLAND ROGERS who presided in the morning.—(A. presided in the afternoon.— presided in the evening. Cardiff. ystwytn. li. 11. Davies.) Gaesqoin.) (Downey.) OFFICERS OF THE GORSEDD OF THE BAftOS. OF THE IStE OF BRITAIN. y 1. DYFED, the Archdruid (A. and- G. Taylor, Swansea). 2. EIFIONYDD, the Recorder (W. Williams). 3. GWYNEDD,- the Treasurer. 4. ARLUNYDD PENYGARN, the Herald (Chant). 5. CAD VAN, the GorseddBard. 6. EOS DAR, Peiraiilion Singer (A..and G. Taylor.) r n

THE GORSEM). I' THE AROHDRÜID"'S' DEFENOE. 1\ h «iNTEiItmWr'L'EPfrosy." i This morning's Gorsedd will be long remem- bered in bardic and eteteddfodic circles. It provided in all its essential features the most effective reply possible to the recent fp- venombed attacks-upon the Gorsedd qjid the Eisteddfod. Indeed, the outstanding feature mg of the whole day's proceedings, both at the Eisteddfod and the Gorsedd, was the univer- s sality and effectiveness, of the eisteddfodic- and, bardic retort to thvse,anoiiymous self-elected/ critics. The other arrangements at' Colwyn Bay are, so excellent that one is lotirto criticise^un-* favourably those for the-hoWiiu^ of theOor-, sedd on Flagstaff 'HiH, where theqproclamatkm.' was held twelve months ago. Itisa-sfejep1* eminence outside the town commanding^ a beautiful view of land and seascape, ajxideaf; spot for a Gorsedd under certain conditions,^ and as the Archdruid humorously putA it, placed the bards nearer heaven than ♦they^ had ever been before bUt when-it.. bered that the Gorsedd site stands at one tremity-of the town, and the Eisteddfodepav ilion at the other, with a dist-amrm-e ofctwtV miles between, and that it meant aihaliijour,3 j steady climb to the Gorsedd from where^hei; procession started, one can quite Tmderstandjj that the-sfte possesses drawbacks no less than-i merits. It was decided some weeks-agot6- construct a<temporMy circle on,a,more access- ^ible-spot nearer the Pavilion,.but for some un- explained reason this was, a few days ago, ^given up, and the original arrangement for ^Elagstaff Hill resorted to. It is too much for {human nature toexpect thecrowd who followed Ifche Gorsedd to Flagstaff Hill to be over eager |to marchito tb^ Eisteddfod Pavilion, two miles 'n. jaway. One cf the two sister institutioiis, Gor- I .sedd or"Eisteddfod, is bound to suffer before -the end of thewreek by this arrangement. L' Mr LLEWELYN R. BOWEN, Winner of the baritone solo. 1 Invasion of Philistines. It must also he admitted that the same faults of arrangement, 'so conspicuous at-the pro- clamation ceremony last year, were again apparent this year, the sacred circle being, almost without-dp position, invaded by &crowd of Philistines, having neither connection with the Gorsedd nor-rcverence for its sanctity. It may be that this was partly accountable ior an omission in to-day's ritual which should have made past generations of bards turn,in their graves. or to haunt the present Gorsedd -authorities for many months to come. The cus-. tomary gifts to the Archdruid were over- looked, and although there were present ladies prepared to hold the Hirlas horn to the Arch- druid's parchodlips and to present him with the Aberthged, symbolic of the fruits of- the earth, they were not called upon, and the. Arch- druid had to close the Gorsedd an hungered and athirst. But having said this, one has exhausted all unfavourable criticism, and there is nothing but praise-and congratulation for everything- else. At the morning's proceedings there-was the usual cr-onid lining the streets, wotchiu, the gorgeousprocession, and another crowd.on the top of staff Hill ready to welcome it, and both filled with admiration, occasionally break- ing out into open enthusiasm. j Royal Sceptre. This. waS'Specially noticeable-when the-Rev. C. E. L. Wright, ushered by Sir Vincent} t Evans, advanced to the Loganstone to present1 *fche Archdruid with a Royal sceptre, tibe out- ward symbol of his supreme-authority as the King ofthe whole bardic state. This essential part of the bardic regalia had hitherto been wanting, for while the Archdruid possessed the Royal Crown of oak leaves, and the golden, breastplate of princedom, together with the great double-handed sword of the warrior chief, the.sceptre wherewith to rule was not in evidence. Mr Wright to-day made good this want tn the truly royal gift, in presenting which he did homage to Welsh bardism. Mr Wright, speaking under deep emotion, said he presented the sceptre to be borne by the Arcbdruid as an emblem of the authority wielded by him as the presiding officer of the Gorsedd. It was a privilege to be Allowed to do this in t -:e presence of thafi^rcat bardic

The Chief Choral. A MEMORABLE COMPETITION. North Staffordshire District Choral Society (Mr H. Whittaker). Rhymney Gwent Choral Society (conductor, Mr Daniel Owen). Southport Choir (Mr W. Tattersall). The test pieces were Requiem and Kyrie," from Mozart's Requiem Mass Trip we Gaily," from David Jenkins's Dewi Sant and Elgar's 0 Wild West Wind," unac- companied. The adjudicators were Dr. Henry Coward, Dr. Roland Rogers, Mr David Jenkins, Mus. Bac., and Prof. David Evans, Mus. Bac. First. and second prizes of JE150 and JE50 were offered, together with a gold medal to the conductor who marshalled and arranged his choir the best and most expeditiously on the stage. At the close of the contest it was announced by Mr Llew Wynne that the gold medal offered to the conductor who best arranged and mar- shalled his choir so as to avoid loss of time on the platform had been awarded to Mr DanieJ Owen, of the Rhymney Gwent Choir. A few minutes later the adjudicators on the chief choral contest were ready with their award. Mr David Jenkins, Mus. Bac., speak* ing in Welsh, gave a brief resume of the judges' opinion upon each of the perform- ances. The competition, he declared, was the keenest they had had at a National Eisteddfod for many years, and it was satisfactory to be able to speak in the highest terms of the efforts of each of the three choirs. Dr. Coward, who announced the result, said the adjudicators were absolutely unanimous in the decisions they had come to. While the contest was in progress they spoke but little to one another, but at the close, when each of them produced his marks, it was curious to notice that three of the adjudicators had, without any previous consultation, given 111. marks to the best choir, 107 to the second best, and 105 to the third best, while the' figures of the fourth adjudicator were 109,104, and ros respectively. This unanimity must prove.. satisfactory to the choirs as it was to the judges, for it showed that they were not carried away by a mere caprice or impulse, but as the result of really serious consideration. Rhymney. '1 The first choir (Rhymney Gwent) showed in its performance a gradual crescendo in. efficiency. They commenced the Mozart piece not very well, but when they got to the fugue their entries were wonderfully clear, the altos especially so. The entry of the sopranos on Page 10 wasfcquite fine, but it was not in perfect tune. Ae tone and blend and balance were good. They gave a stirring rendering of 0 Wild West Wind." It was a grand out- burst, though they might have been clearer in certain places. The soothing effect on Page 36 j was most tenderly sung, and the finish was fine, except the last chord, which was not quite true. This choir gave what turned out to be the best rendering heard that afternoon of the Jenkins piece, Trip We Gailv." (Load cheers.) When this choir marched off the stage Dr. Coward said he made the mental^ note that tbey-were probably the winners, or at any rate that they would take some beat- ing. (Loud and prolonged cheers.) t North Stafford. The second choir (North Staffordy in the Mozart piece had a full tone, better than choir No. 1 at the commencement..They occa- sionally got rough and were twice out of tune, but the climax of the top G pianos was very effective. The pianos in the words *4 Thy chosen and the fugal parts were very good. The tenors were distinctly better than those of the first choir, but they were rough on Page 9 twice. The entries were very clear, and'they went on working up climax after climax with apparent ease and ended in triumph. In the second piece' (Jenkins), the Come, Nymphs," was distinctly disappointing. They fell off for several pages and were not so convincing aà, No. 1, and they did not seem to catch the spirit of the piece. Elgar's 0 Wild West Wind nbada, good start, and the de crescendo and crescendo. always difficult to do, they managed very well. etonorswereve good, and the pianissimo was fine. They rose from G flat to G natural firmly, and came out splendidly-a perform- ance which the first choir did not manage very well. The war of words was distinctly notice- able. They could hear one replying against tbs other, and the expression of the tender part" O wind was very good. Southport. The third choir (Southport) did not mimago V"

Pontypridd, was awarded a consolation prrae. j Anottier contestant who was selected to singJ on the platform was Mr Brennio Jones, of"Nar- berth, who last year was placed second in a. similar contest at the London National. These., and several others who figured in to-day's"con- tcsts have repeatedly distinguished them- selves m the national competitive arena. Mr David Evans (Mus.. Bac.), of Cardiff, voiced the opinions of thousands when !.he publicly declared on the Eisteddfod- plat- form that henceforth a rule shou -mulgated that the winner of one year should not again be 1 permitted to compete 1 in the sante class for at least 10 yeara. Mi* Evans1 i spoke as an adjudicator. The Eisteddfod, he declared, failed in the purpose it ought to have in view when it i-epea-tedlyawardeu its prizes to theisasne competitors. In one of the < contests, ha added, there were at.ieast i-wvm singers out of 2J candidates whose perform- ances were equaF-to' the National Eisteddfod standard and yi-t. crAuiBeithere was, 110 rule to t he contrary, the adj*idicators *hadffco-«etect for the final wntest foor sinjeers; who were,all Elsteddfodic veterans k and who^sanR liketpro- fessionals. Mr Evans has tonrh^d npoc a point that sorely needs consideration^ and'tlief Carmarthen Committee, who' areresponaible for the ar.-aotgemcnts of: the next-national fest". al, would do'weD.to..ponder' ovhiS' .rematkw. At. the Orjrsedd much was heard. of..the prowess of Wfsteh bards and theeuperiority of Welshbard-m. It was a-shock therefore to learn.ia few honrs later attthe Eisteddfod" from the lips of tb" Archdruid hhnself although 15i stanxaft or t-nglynion had obeenreceived • on, the selected subject—" DawP- "—there- was not. one in the bunch that.-was free from defects, andithe premtum therefore had to-bewitbheld. 'During the day many hnportant -prizes in, the! (literary sectjon? were?for lack of' merit in the,. compositions sent imheld-overfor another year. -■ r*;

circle, representing the talent-and-genius of the1 h Principality. It was his etirnest hope that the present Archdruid would continue to wield this seeptre for many years, and that his successors for many ages. to come would do the satne.in the interests and for the highest-welfare of. beautiful Wales. The Archdruid,.having accepted the Royal gift, acknowledged it in atfew courteous phrases in- Welsh and English, and then he initiated ,the donor as anlihonorary druidof the Gorsedd. Mr Wright evidently-deeply:felt the distinc- -tionthns conferred upon him, for his face jjSnshed with -plea3tire, and it was in tones, of ,.deep-<emotaoB*thab-he made his acknowledg- ements,"saying he thanked the Archdruid and ithe-Gorsedd from the bottom of his heart for '4.heiionoYir they had done him by admitting him to their sacred circle. He took., .hesaid, the deepest interest in keeping up these-ancient. Celtic customs, which might.-be traced to the earliest days of the race. He trusted he might- hereafter frequently have-the privilegeof being present among them. MissBLODWEN XONESS, of Pontardawe, who won the violoncello solo.—(World's Graphic Press.) I The crowcferecognised the-appropriateness of thetiüe," Carwr Cymru" (Lover of Wales), conferred upon Mr Wright. This was an aus- Ricious beginning to the day's Gorsedd, and •Vhen Mr Wright's initiation was followed by fthe introduction of Miss Herbert, of Uanarth, ■daughter of Sir Ivor Herbert, to be invested, enthusiasm broke out anew. Miss Herbert was'dreseed in typical Welshcostume, and was accompanied by Miss Prys, of Llanover, simi- larly garbed, 4.he two constituting a striking feature in a.remarkably picturesque Gorsedd. rtJn investing Miss Herbert with-the. title' of Seren-Gwent (Star of Gwent), the Arch- jdruid paid a highMJompliment^to the familyHif (Herbert of Llanover. Lord Mayor's Bardic Name. Then came another surprise, as the Lofd Mayor of Cardiff waa»led forward also to be invested, his gorgeous Mayoral robes and chain being in striking buttpicturesque contrastto the surroundings. Alderman Chappell will henceforth be-known as Caerydd (Keeper of the Fort-ress)-a high compliment to be paid by North Wales to Cardiff. That the people of North Wales should acknowledge Cardiff to be the key of Wales is assuredly something gained, and will afford an additional incentive 1 to Welsh nationalism to strengthen its hold upon the great fortress which, Carnarvon and Snowdonia notwithstanding, is the recognised key of' the Principality. A further surprise awaited 'the crowd, for the Countess of Dun- donald was led forward, a suppliant for Arch- druidic grace and Gorged die favour. Her ladyship. quite appreciated the distinction now conferred upon her, and had gone to a cele- bmted London costumier to design and create for her a suitable bardic robe, which consisted of soft green chiffon-over silk, with embroil Ideries of green and-in velvet, while the bardic hood in the same colouring, with the long veil as worn by ladies, completed an attire chaste in design, graceful and harmonious in appear- ance, while-at the same time almost severe in "-its simplicity. The nom de plume bestowed upon her by the Archdruid was Rhianon. Then Eos Dar, with his always happy penillion, delighted the crowd. Archd rpid's Slashing Attack. Another feature of the morning's celebration which impressed the audience and elicited unstinted applause was the really slashing attack-made by the Archdruid from the Logan- stone upon the detractors of the Gorsedd. These, he said, were few in number, but Mr*G. W. HUGHES, conductor of. the Cefn- mawr Choir, who won the Second Choral; Competition.—(Photo by Stanley Hunt.) i- _—* obviously inspired by bitterest envy, which. proverbially killed its possessor. These people, he said. were. the prodigals of the Bardic family who, while professing to seek unity, really sowed seeds of dissension. They were afflicted by an intellectual leprosy, by narrow-minded Erejodice, and sought notoriety for themselves y blackening the character and ability of' those who were serving Wales in and out of season. That was surely not the way to exalt I a nation-irltbis spirit of jealousy and tendency. to dissension. These people were resurrec- ting theJcviJ spirit and copying the mistaken, policy of Welsh chieftains in the- past, whq, consumed by mutual jealousy, sacrificed the independence of their country to satisfy their personal feelings of ill will. As a Gorsedd* they could not permit turmoil and dissension to be. manifested within the sacred circle, whose watchword was Peace. The Gorsedd recognised that the Eisteddfod was essentially the people's institu- tion, andwould at all costs oppose with'might and main any and every endeavour to pull it down from that proud pedestal to satisfy the whim of eny section of the community, how- ever privileged it might deem itself to be. It is difficult to picture the deep impression which this vigorous onslaught had upon the crowd, which broke out into vociferous ap- proving cheers. -9 Gwynedd in his address later emphasised the evils of dissension, and Gwynfe, in paying tribute to the memory of Pedr Mostyn, enume- rated the many men who, denied the advan- tage of school learning and college culture, valuable though these were, had nevertheless J rendered Wales and her literature services ^which the more cultured age of to-day might well emulate. \'J — The Rev. CRWYS WILLIAMS, of Brynmawr, h the Crowned Bard.—(A. and G. Taylor.) L Bardic Addresses. That the bards are up-to-date was made manifest by the following happy reference to the aeroplane and its heroes Pan fydd Bleriot, White, a Farman Wedi dysgu'r Beirdd i hedfan, Ni a gawn o lawa lawenydd Gadw'n gwyliau gyda'n gilydd. How deep.ahold the late King bad upon the bardic mind is shown by the following penillion sung in memory of Edward VII., by Eos Dar Iorwerth Frenin roes fawrhad Ar iaith a gwlad y Cymro; Nid yw mwy, mae wedi myn'd, A'r byd am ffrynd yn wylo I Aeth i la,wr i'r distaw fedd A mantell Hedd am dano. Sior y Pumed sydd yn awr • Ar Orsedd fawr ei dadau Boed ei wynfyd pur yn llawn Hyd hwyr brydnawn ei ddyddiau A boed fel ei Nain a'i Dad I anwyl wlad y Bryniau. Then came a memory of the recent visit to Brittany :— Fe geidw Llydaw Walia Wen A'i hawen fyth yn newydd; I fyw yn un, a chydfwynhau I gwyliau gyda'n gilydd A'r wynwyn hedd. a cenin iach Wna Fynach o Eifionydd. Tra fo Llydaw'n tyfu wynwyn, Tra fo Cymrn'n tyfu cenin, Cadwed Llydaw, iadwed Cymru Ar ddwy faner Hedd i fyny. The leading figures of the Gorsedd were happily hit off thus Croesaw fil i Dyfed Iwys A Gwynedd bwysiog berson A Cad van hoff, a Marchant fardd Hardd feibion Cymru dirion Ac i Eifionydd fawr ei fuss Gwr nervoos o Gaernar von. 'fw. I Miss GWENLLIAN DAVIES, of Barry, who won the Senior Pianoforte Solo Open Contest. Carmarthen Eisteddfod Subjects. The chief subjects for Carmarthen Eisteddfod •w ere, as usual, announced from the Logan stone, and the singing of the Welsh National | Anthem closed an unusually successful G'vs-idd. I