The Cardiff Times

ELECTRIC YEAST All BAKERS and GROCERS who require GOOD YEAST Should apply to THE LONDON AND WEST OF ENGLAND- YEAST COMPANY, BRIDGE STREET, CARDIFF, OR 1, OLD DOCK-STREET, NEWPORT. CHIEF OFFrCES 53, BETHNAL GREEN-ROAD, LONDON, E. AND 31, STAPLETON ROAD, BRISTOL. I See Testimonials from Dr DA. VIES, lateMedicaJ Office* I nf ITO/)o1'-h -f/ir P.fiof. 1701ft

THE TWO THOUSAND EJECTED MINISTERS. '<■ By the Rev. Kilsby Jones. THE ACT OF UNIFORMITY The most productive cause of Noncon- formity in England and Wales was the passing of the Act of Uniformity," while the multitudinous and vexatious disabilities restrictions, with cruel sufferings, to which were exposed all who refused to comply its requirements proved still more pro- ductive and even prolific of what the ruling powers regarded as the bete noir, or the evil's own begotten child. If the authori- ses in high places had had only sense enough to perceive that there was a suggestive and monetary resemblance between water and the human mind in one important respect, they would i never have employed the restrictions of coercion without the safety outlet of escape from a dammed reservoir. To the confine- ment of that water will submit, provided there is a way of escape from its periodic i overfulness but in the absence of this wise provision, the merry, chattering brook, the child of the wild open highland, will make a clean sweep of all restraining embankments, to the destruction of life and substance, and to the shame and confusion of all coercionists. The bed of a brook or river may be widened or deepened, but room to run it must and will have without leave, for it has power to make a way for ltself. Suppressed convictions and gagged speech are as dangerous as dammed water 0 Wlthout an outlet. In the memorable year 1662, there were | probably no more than twenty regularly formed churches in the whole of Wales, and the members of which they consisted were scattered over a wide area, and had to travel many miles over a rough roadless country to their meeting-places. Their aggregate number was not more than from two to five hundred members. There were, however, in different parts of the country a considerable number of solitary thinkers favourable to the principles and aims of Nonconformity, but there were no congrega- tions of Nonconformists, for they were too few and too far between to meet together for worship and mutual edification. The Act of Uniformity," which was passed on the 19th of May, 1662, came into force on the 24th of the following month of August. By this Act every minister, in order to be qualified to hold a living or to conduct public religious services legally! (mark the adverb, gentle reader) if not episcopally ordained before, had to submit to be reordained to declare his unfeigned assent and consent to everything contained in the Book of Common Prayer as consistent with the Word of God to take the oath of canonical obedience to engage not to advo- cate any change in the constitution of either Church or State and to hold it unlawful, apon any pretence whatsoever, to take up irms against the King. Even the Apostle Paul himself, though personally called by Jesus Christ, the acknowledged spiritual Head of the church, ,j And ordained by Him, if he had been alive it this time would have been required to submit to what was and is still called episco- pal ordination before he could have con- ducted any public religious service, includ- 'iig the delivery of a discourse from a passage out of his published writings. This A ct. the embodiment of arrogant ^religion and ignorance of the constitution ^f the human mind, would have answered the beggarly end in view if all the clergy of the Established Church had been unconverted grovelling worldlings, who cared for nothing except the belly, the back, and the pocket, Oeing utterly unconcerned as to how they -1ot their bread, whether by serving God or 1he devil, so they got filled by such service. But in spite of constitutional surroundings atterlyunlike thoseoftheprimitiveapostolical churches, there were in the State Church »t that corrupt period two thousand men yho had a conscience, which, whatever might be the cost, they were prepared to keep, though, as none knew better, at the expense of the triad named above, in which their more numerous brother clergymen believed with a faith that knew no wavering. When a man believes Christianity, he can act the part of a Christian under forms of government, ecclesiastical and political, utterly opposed to its spirit and purpose. It was so in the days of the apostles, of martyrs, and, in latter days, of slaves, despite backs marred by scars, testifying to the devilish emphasis with which the driver's whip had boen applied, with a hard heart and a heavy hand, because the victims happened to be "tha images of God cut in ebony 1" It is said that for a purpose best known to himself, the Emperor Charles the Fifth tried to make a number of clocks keep the same time, but that he failed but from his failure he learned an invaluable lesson—the utter folly of expecting a number of people to think alike. It is also said that no person can write his name twice alike, and that even the printer's type never makes the same im- pression twice exactly the same, if examined by a glass of the greatest magnifying power. And if this representation of the most finished mechanical contrivances be correct, hew utterly useless must it be to expect so spiritual, original, progressive a thing as the Mind to be stereotyped and made uniform Multiformity, and not uniformity, seems to be the law of the ever-creating Supreme Being. There is no uniformity except in morals. Uniformity in goodness and moral "beauty would be a joy for ever." There is uniformity in central, fundamental truths, but no uniformity in the roads which lead to them, for some of them are long and tedious, others devious, hard, and uneven, and some tryingly narrow, while a select few have reached them by treading ground whereon no previous traveller had left a single footprint, just as London, if sought to be seen by a stranger, is accessible by many ways and from many direc- tions, and by no uniform means of ocomotion. A man who is a great sticker for uniformity even in e> the formation of the features, complexion, and expression of the "human face divine," would look and feel very serious if, through the resemblance he bore to a man who had been taken into custody for committing a b murder, he were to be hanged instead of the criminal. We ought to be thankful for such characteristic marks as will save us from the gallows. In the year 1665, one of the most learned 0 ^e ejected ministers in Wales, and a °Ut whom we shall write next week, was pressed hard by the then bishop and archdeacon of Llandaff to accept a hVing then offered him, when he drew up the following queries to which he desired answers before he could entertain their offer. ABOUT THE DECLARATION IN THE ACT. Whether any book whatsoever besides that which is penned by an infallible Spirit, both as to matter and expression, can justly claim to have an unfeigned assent of the understanding, and consent of the will to all and everything contained in it 1 Whether the contrary judgments of many conscientious and learned men touching the particulars books mentioned in the declara- tion, and their confident reasonings (formerly and of late) for it and against it, be not clear evidence that there is at least some ground of hesitation, for men inferior in grace and gifts, concerning the contro- verted particulars with which their unfeigned assent js required ? 2 Whether it be not damnable hypocrisy in a man to declare his unfeigned assent to all and everything in these or any other books, if but some propositions in them seem to him dubious ? 3. Whether the Liturgy, &c., contain not some propositions in themselves so dubious,a least as may obstruct the assent required- as that article Filiog, in Athanasius's creed, excluding the Greek churches from the possibility of salvation ? The passages in the rubric at the close of Public Baptism concerning the undoubted salvation of all infants baptised dying before actual sin the sure and certain hope of the salvation of every individual person buried by the Liturgy, seeming contradiction in the translation of the Psall-iis, as Psalm 105, 28 1 Compare the Liturgy Psalter with the Bible. Other queries next week.

WELSH GLEANINGS. (Bv Lloffwr.) It is full time Welshmen should protest against the wrong done to our beautiful and descriptive Welsh names of places by the imposition of foreign names on places endeared to us by their old Welsh nomenclature. Dealing with this, a North Walian paper says :—" The present Postmaster-General is gifted with eccentric originality. He has often done and said that which no one less endowed would ever dream of. Many times has he tried but failed to change the popular creed, religious and political, of the principality. Surely, there- fore, it was in a fit of spleen, in a retaliating temper, that he the other day decided upon superseding Welsh nomenclature, in the district of Pontypridd, Glamorganshire. Cilfynydd and Pwll- gwaen are two villages which had always been known to everyone, whether of Welsh or any other nationality, simply as Cilfynydd and Pwll- gwaen. The Postmaster-General, however, true to the Shakespearian dictum that what we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, has, with accommodating innovation, changed the name of the one village to Albion- town, and the other to Newtown. We are not sur- prised that the Pontypridd Guardians should regard this as an insult to Welshmen. If the Post-office authorities in London find Cilfynydd and Pwllgwaen hard to pronounce, there should be no actual necessity for obliterating the two names, for they are as open to be corrupted in pronunciation as is Penmaenmawr, commonly called by the English tourist 'Penny-an-hour. I shall call attention to this again, and mean- while invite communications from those who know of similar attempts, successful or otherwise, to spoil the native beauty of our old Welsh place names. it • As an addendum to my remarks of a week or two ago regarding the appointment of the Rev John Pryce, Trefdraeth, to the vacant arch- deaconry in the see of Bangor, I may state that his best-known literary effort, viz., "The History of the British Church," is one of the fruits of the National Eisteddfod. A prize of J350 was offered by the committee of the Wrexham Eistedd- fod ten years ago for the best essay on that subject. Mr Pryce entered the lists in earnest, and as the subject was to him congenial, one of the best productions ever sent to an eisteddfod was the result. Mr Pryce spared no effort or expense to make his essay worthy of the subject. Going up to London, lie attended daily at the library of the British Museum, where he went through the arduous process of reading, sifting, and condensing every- thing that bore on the early history of the British Church. Paying a visit afterwards to Edinburgh, he searched the different libraries there, and it will surprise Welshmen to learn that the reverend gentleman found more materials forthcoming for the history of the Welsh Church in the Scottish metropolis than even in the British Museum. Mr Pryce was awarded the first prize at the eistedd- fod, and the essay was afterwards published by Longmans, and has run through two or three editions already. The appointment has given general satisfaction in the diocese, as Archdeacon Pryce is respected by Churchmen and Nonconformists alike for his moderation and good sense. Of course there are a few dissentientsand grumblers, as the columns of the Liverpool Courier bear evidence but these, a correspondent tells me, "are confined to a few youth- ful and not overwise members of the clerical pro- fession. The effoits of these reverend hopefuls to influence public opinion are as likely to be successful as was the attempt of a certain Bangor curate to throw ridicule and contempt on one of our foremost Nonconformist ministers. The ridicule aud contempt has, unfortunately for him, come back to his own door." As an interesting proof of the growth of Non- conformity in Wales, it may be said that there are at the present time nearly 4,500 Nonconform- ing places of worship in Wales aud Monmouth- shire (the latter county is included in the Welsh diocese of Llandaff). In 1716 there were only 110; in 1775 they had grown into 171; and in 1816 to 993. When, in 1866, Dr Rees published his" History of Protestant Nonconformity in Wales," they had increased to 2,927, and the returns of the various denominations for 1887 show that now they number nearly 4,500. The whole of these are supported by the voluntary offerings of the people, A contemporary complains of the tendency to lengthen Welsh surnames by joining together two or three patronymics. He says Jones is not an aristocratic name, but I do not see that Jones- Jones is any better, and Jones-Jones-Jones is not an improvement. I dare not give any Welsh instances for fear somebody should think I was making fun of them. Here are a few Welsh names. Jones, Evans, Phillips, Pugh, Price, Williams, Edwards, Lewis, Hughes, Roberts, Morgan, Rowlands, Lloyd. Hyphen any two or three of them together and you have the modern Welsh craze Job had a good deal to answer for when be called that girl of his Keranhappueb He, however, acknowledges that even this would not be so bad as the English form of James Henry Hawthornthwaite-Phizackerley-Judkins- Brown! v As a sample of what Englishmen think of Welsh music, take the following remarks made by Mr Joseph Bennett, at the recent Dolgelly Eisteddfod on the competing choirs bailing from Aberdovey, Llangollen, and Tanygrisiau (Fes- tiniog)" When Greek met Greek then came the tug of war," and it wan the same when Welsh choir met Welsh choir. He could assure them that he had no easy task in adjudicating in Wales; in doing so it was necessary for him to have all his wits about him. Well, he congratulated them on that fact. It was a great distinction for Wales to be able to turn out at a local meeting like that such excelleut choirs; and if he was not »a English" man, and a citizen of no mean city like St Paul's, he would be a Welshman for the sake of the grand music and the fine quality; of Welsh vocalists. He hoped they would believe that he was saying nothing in the way of flattery. A judge had or ought to have no feeling this side or that, and he thought he had that day shown that he knew how to find fault honestly as well as to award praise. ♦ The vacant chair of chemistry at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, has been filled up by the election of Dr H. Lloyd Snape to the professorship. Professor Lloyd Snape is another of the old students who have passed from the Liverpool Institute to h:gh university honours, and to the occupancy of uublic appointments of distinction. He commenced his career as demon- strator of chemistry at University College, Liverpool, and during the period be held that office he graduated as B.Sc., London. He resigned the appointment in Liverpool to further prosecute his studies, first in Berlin, and then in Gottingen, and to acquaint himself with the methods of lecturing and teaching adopted at the German universities. There he won the commendation of two of the foremost chemists in Europe—Pro- fessor Hofman and Professor Victor Meyer—and the results of his researches were published m the chemical journals of London and Berlin. Returning to England, he was appointed senior lecturer on chemistry and chemical tech- nology at the Manchester Technical School, one of the largest and most successful institutions of the kind in the kingdom. Whilst there, he graduated as V.Sc. at the London University, and within the past month he graduated as Ph.D., with honours, at the University of Gottingaa. On his mother's side Dr Snape is a Welshman; and it is to be hoped his newly-formed connection with Welsh education will lead him to take a new interest in his mother's tongue. He is a strong Nonconformist, being a member of the Wesleyau Methodist connexion. His father, Mr Thomas Snape, is known as a prominent temperance lec- turer. Professor Snape has at all times been proud to acknowledge bis religious convictions. When studying in Germany, he, in connection with some fellow-students, started a mission service for the benefit of a colony of Yoikshire- men engaged in the woollen manufacture at Berlin. Subsequently, at Gottingen be did the same thing, being permitted the use of a room in the university buildings. He is only 27 years of age, and so has a bright future before him. Mr Spurgeon has added his testimony on behalf of the Welsh language. Speaking recently at his Tabernacle, he said that his sermons bad been translated to tuat most noble of human tongues —the Welsh language." "This," says a contem- porary, "is the most recent tribute to the national revival of the native language of Wales. Long may it flourish I am glad to learn that we are to have a new English magazine for Wales. Mr Edwin Poole, of Caxton House, Brecon (author of The Illus- trated History and Biography of Brecknock- shire ") announces for publication at the end of each month of the current year a new sixpenny antiquarian, historical, biographical, and bibliographical magazine for Wales. Some of the special subjects in view for treatment include :— The Books of Wales from the Year 1800 Welsh County Histories Notable Events and Gather- ings in Wales; Notes on the Lives of Eminent Welshmen and Welshwomen Notes on Parish History; Welsh Progress in the Nineteenth Oentury. If well supported, Mr Poole guarantees to publish throughout the year. There is certainly a field for such a publication.

WELSH MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. By Dr. Joseph Parry, Principal of the Musical College of Wales, Swansea. MUSIO IN WELSH CHAPELS. This subject is one of unirersal interest to all Christians, and especially so to us, as Welsh people—not to musicians only, but to all Welsh- men who have at heart the higher culture and progress of our own country. Chapel music is a subject of the greatest importance, and one which, I am glad to believe, is to have greater attention from the Welsh pulpit, the Welsh deaconate, the organ gallery, and Welsh congregations in general. In support of what I have already said in previous letters. I beg to publish the following, which I have received from Mr R. S. Hughes, Bethesda Mr dear Doctor,—I have read with great interest your series of letters in the Cardif Times, and if I recollect, you alluded lately to the ex- treme negligence of our dissenting places of worship to the introduction of the chant and the anthem. Now, I do not think there is anything more harrowing to the feelings of a musician than having to preside at the organ with the prospect of an everlasting programme before him, from Sunday to Sunday, with nothing but hymn tunes. In this advanced age, are we as musicians satisfied with the present state of thing?, and of this dogmatic musical repertoire in our places of worship ? Does it tend to any advancement or raising the standard cf sacred music in our chapels, or of im- proving the taste of the people? Doth not the Psalmist say in the ninth Psalm, I will praise Thee, 0 Lord, with my whole heart I will show forth ail Thy marvellous works'? and again in the thirty-third Psalm, 'Praise the Lord with the harp, sing unto Him with the psaltery, and an instrument of ten strings; sing unto Him a new song play skilfuliy with a loud noise." Now, in the ancient times, the appliances at hand were both crude and ill-formed, and I doubt whether four-part harmony existed under the old dispen- sation. But now, in the 19th century, civilisation has gifted humanity with the enlightenment of modern art, and when the vocal gift fs predominant in our principality, is it not an insult to our Creator that the material at our disposal is not utilised to the glory of God in the highest form of art? It must not be misunder- stood that I depreciate the ordinary congrega- tional singing of hymn tunes. On the contrary, I belive that there is nothing more gratifying than to hear a large congregation singing some ol the exquisite and heart-feeling old tunes —times that have brought many a tear to the eyes of many a good old Christian. Moreover, it has been the means of keeping up a religious fervour unprecedented in the annals of our Welsh Cym- anfaoedd. Chanting would be a welcome relief to the regulation • hymn tune '—that is to mix the chant alternately with the hymns. With regard to the antjjem, when there are so many good anthems at the disposal of our choir conductors, it is to be regretted that lethargy is shown by the leaders of chapel choirs in not selecting good, sound compositions and in substituting works of inferior merit. This tends greatly to the dete- rioration of this important branch of musical worship. In conclusion, I trust that there will be a new era in the history of our beloved country with regard to our Welsh Service of Song,' and that every true musician will endeavour to do his very best to improve a very much-neglected branch of the art.—I remain, dear Dr. Parry, yours sincerely, R. S. HUGHBS." I feel sure that both Mr Hughes and myself only echo the heartfelt sentiments of our best musicians throughout the country. The holding of chapel choirs' chant and anthem festivals would tend to bring about the desired retorm. Half-a- dozen choirs in a district could join together, and rehearse anthems and chants, and sing them at their churches, while arrangements could be made for a number of choirs to sing at a festival. THE SOCIETY OF MUSICtANS. Some may ask the object of this society. It will be a society whose members may read papers on all subjects appertaining to tho musical wants of our country. I hope to devote one of my letters to this society, and the noble work which it ought to perform.

An exchange has an article upon "Women on the Frontier," but We always understood that the "front tier was always reserved for the men- bald headed ones. Jay Gould's advice to boys is "Keep out of bad company and go to work with a will." And if you can t keep out of bad company, my boy, do as Jay doe* and wipe out the company. Women are bothersome creatures sometimes and cause us no end of trouble, but after all, what would we men do if we hadn't somebody to whom vf9 CW» attribute all one faults ? .<

I MEMORIES OF THE PAST: Being the Random Recollections of a South Wales Journalist, BY J. C. MANNING (CARL MORGANWG), Author of" Frozen Hearts," Paul Tracey's Legacy," &c. CHAPTER II. The first Welsh Eisteddfod I ever attended in my life was one held in a Nonconformist Chapel at Aberdulais, near Neath. It took place on the first Christmas day after I came to Wales, and the experience was in every respect strange to me. I bad never even heard of a Welsh eistedd- fcd before, and was not then aware that this form of enjoyment was one of the most treasured of the many ancient survivals associated with the Welsh character. The chapel in which the eisteddfod was held to which I now more particu- larly refer—I forget its name, nor do I recollect the religious community to which it belonged— stands a little way up the beautiful Vale of Neath, to the left of you as you travel by the Neath Valley Railway towards Hirwaiu, Aber- daie, and „Merthyr. I cannot recollect the uame of the pastor who presided, but I know be was a sturdy-looking, stoutish personage, kind-hearted and sympathetic, and that he put me in the way of gettiug a good dinner, when, for the first time in my life, I should certainly have had to go without one on a Christmas Day of all days in the year. The only one connected with the eisteddfod proceedings, whose name I now remember, was Mr Lloyd, the secretary, who was, I think, in business as a tailor and outfitter, at Neath, but even of this I am not quite certain. I am afraid I was a bit of a nuisance to Mr Lloyd. The eisteddfod was conducted from first to last in the Welsh language, of which I knew not a single word and as the secretary was the only official to whom I had to look in my hour of darkness and difficulty, and as be had evidently quite enough to do to attend to his own manifold duties in connection with the gathering, I am quite sure that in my terribly inquisitive state of mind, born of my utter ignorance of what was going on, he must have set me down as an awful bore. A TERRIBLE ORDEAL. I sha'1 never forget the terrible ordeal through which I had to pass at this, the first eisteddfod I ever attended. The chapel was crammed to suffocation. There was a dense fog outside, and the windows and walls of the interior literally swam with the heat and perspiration arising from the closely-packed audience. It was, to me, the old story of the boys and the frogs. That which afforded the intensest enjoyment to all, except myself, who had congregated within the building, was to me a dismal, discomforting, and inexpli- cable blank of outer darkness. Boys and girls from the adjoining tinworks mounted the plat- form one after another, and competed for prizes by the dozen, in singing and recitation. Some of them were lamentable failures, others bore traces of both musical and elocutionary ability, while not a few evidently possessed the hidden germ of superior capacity. It was a mystery to me then, and is a mystery to me now, how the best were selected from so many who were fairly good, by those whose duty it was to adjudicate as to the prizes. The results, however, were all received with vociferous acclaim that betokened apprecia- tive approval, and the course of events wrs one uninterrupted run of solo singing, recitation, duetts, trios, quartetts, lively speeches and tre- mendous cheering, with nothing to mar the keen enjoyment which everybody besides myself seemed to experience to overflowing. But notwlthstandmg THE SEA OF MENTAL DARKNESS' I' through which I had to flouuder as best I could on that, to me, memorable Christmas Day, I can very well lemember being favourably impressed with the general idea of an eisteddfod as a piece of educational machinery. I saw that it produced healthy emulation towards the higher reaches of artistic proficiency, and did so through an agency that had become absorbed into the Welsh charac- ter through a long series of years, till it had grown crystallised as something even more than a passion. I saw that the hearts and souls of men, and women, and children too, in the humblest walks of life, opened and went out towards the traditional custom of their country, as the heart of a flower opens and goes out in perfume towards the sunshine. And thus I concluded that although but dimly understood by myself, the Welsh eisteddfod was full of wholesome teaching, and that the lessons were taught in a way at once instructive and delightful to those who took part in them, however little they may be appreciated by strangers who, like myself in the days to which I refer, do not understand them. DINNER A BLESSING. I am sorry to say, so little did I appreciate the Welsh eisteddfod at Aberdulais, that it was a positive relief to me when the president came towards me and asked me if I would go with him to get some dinner. There was no adjournment of the proceedings. They don't want anything to eat while these meetings are going on," said the president. Their hearts are wrapped up in them, and they think of nothing else, and care for nothing else." But my heart was not wrapped up in them, and I wanted my dinner. Out went the president, and it was with infinite satisfaction I followed him from the suffocating atmospheA of the interior. He took me somewhere, but I can- not remember where. It was away up the mountain, through the snow, and into a small, cosy-looking cottage, where a cherry-cheeked dame came forward, and between whom and the president some conversation took place in Welsh. The result was that we were shown into a room where a bright fire blazed merrily, and where the table was laid for dinner. The president and I soon had placed before us some choice cuts from a splendid round of boiled beef, with what the Yankees would call the necessary fixings. This was followed by plum-pudding and mmce- pies, with a glass of hot wbisky-toddy at the end of it all, just to keep the festive season in coun- tenance. I was asked a shilling for the feaot, and paid it joyfully. It was the cheapest and best shilling dinner I ever had in my life, and I was never in a better frame of mind to appreciate it. TEMPERANCE V. BREWERY KISTICDDFODAU. While on the subject of eisteddfodau that took place during the early years of my journalistic experience in Wales, and before I come to the larger and more comprehensive national gather- ings of later life, about the bards and bardesses connected with which I shall have a good deal to say in its proper chronological place, I will just refer to two that may be recalled with interest by those who remember them. The first took place at Neath on Whit Monday, 1859, aud the second in September of the same year, at Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley. If my recollection serves me, I think there must have been a little spirit of rivalry in those days at Neath, between the temperance people and the brewery interests, for on the particular Whit-Monday to which I refer the South Wales Temperance Association got up an eisteddfod, presided over by Mr W. G. Jones, the then ex-mayor of the borough, while another eisteddfod was organised and carried out under the patronage of the late Mr Evan Evans,the then proprietor of the Vale of Neath Brewery, pre- sided over by the Rev G. P. Evans, Baptist minister, of Swansea. At the Temperance Eis- teddfod, the Mayor of Neath, Mr James Kenway, had offered a pnze of two guineas for the best monody on the death of Mr Edward Evans. There were six competitors for this prize, and I myself was one of the six, having by this time caught the emulative contagion which such gatherings are well calculated to inspire. It was my first attempt at anythiner of the kind in the shape of a competitive effort at verse-making although I had frequently dallied with the muse for my own enjoyment. The result was successful, and THE PRIZE WAS AWARDltD TO ME, with many flattering and encouraging remarks by the adjudicator, Mr J. Roberts (lauan Wyllt), Aberdare. I can very well remember with what a glow of pride t received the little purple silk bag, with its dainty fringe and collarette of blue ribbon, from the hands of the lady whose duty it was to invest me. I forget the lady's name. It was not that the purse contaioed two guineas that I was proud of it. It imparted a sense of superi- ority that wao inexpressibly precious to toe, far beyond the amount of money it brought, although that was a consideration Re* to &s This was nearly thirty years ago, but the little silk bag remains as one of my most valued trea- sures. It lies before me as I write these words, with the original scrap of paper pinned to it by the secretary of the eisteddfod, whoever he was, indicating the circumstances under which the prize was given, and who have it. I judge of the feelings of others by my own, and I can well understand why Welshmen are so proud of the eisteddfod, and how the feelings of competi- tive energy grows upou men, vitalising their energies till they are carried away into the higher region of inspiration of which they at one time never dreamed. I look back upon my fir3t page with a degree of pleasure which no subsequent award ever evoked, and 1 suppose it is to this principle we must look for the germ of that inexplicable weakness of human nature, which makes first Jove the sweetest, although it frequently happens not to be the best. AN UNSUCCESSFUL COMPETITOR. At the eisteddfod which took place at Ystaly- fera I was again a competitor, but the unseen influences were against me. The president of the day was Dr. James Rogers, the medical adviser for the Ystalyfera Ironworks, then in the full swing of their commercial glory. A prize, I think, of two guineas was offered for the best poem in honour of Mrs Palmer Budd, whose husband, Mr J. P. Budd, was the managing partner of tho works. Mrs Budd was idolised by the work- people, and she well deserved to be, for she was first and foremost in all charitable deeds, and her kindness was a household word in every home in that part of the Swansea Valley. It required no very great stretch of poetic imagination, therefore, to speak well of such a benefactress, and I wrote what I conceived to be a graceful tribute to her social worth. In due course the contribution was forwarded, beau- tifully written on ivory paper, and tied together with white satin ribbon. On attending the eis- teddfod in my journalistic capacity, I was some- what disconcerted, when goiugonto the platform, to observe the poem which I had taken such pains to make presentable, crumpled up and lying on the table among the rejected addresses. The adjudi- cator—I forget Ins name—awarded the prize to the writer of a poem—I forget his name, too— who claimed to have written his contribution as he came up the valley that moaning on the outside of a stage coach. It was written in pencil, on half a sheet of note paper, and for the life of me I failed to see then, as I fail to see now, in what respect it deserved the prize. I do not write this from any feeling of envy. Far from it. Experi- ence, however, has taught me that in eisteddfod matters, as in many other things kissing often goes by favour. As luck would have it, I have in my possession abundant testimony that it was so in the case to which I refer, and I make that testimony known now for the first time. Two letters lie before me as I wfite these words. One of them is from Mr James Sogers, dated the 11th of September, 1859, the president of the Eisteddfod, and the other from Mrs Palmer Budd, bearing date three days later. Ihe former asks my permission to present Mrs Budd with the poem I wrote, praising it highly, and regretting that there should have been what he calls" such a gross error in the adjudication," and Mrs Budd writes to thank me for what she terms the beautiful ode, who she and her friends concur in thinking full of exquisite poetic gems worthy of a higher prize than any she had in her power to bestow.1 I write these words IN NO EGOTISTICAL SJIRIT. I feel almost ashamed to produce them, as their production, having special reference to myself, may possibly, under the circumstances, be mis- construed into a spirit of self-glorification. I mention the circumstance now because I have always feared that the element ofdanger involved in this particular incident constitutes the hidden r6ck on which, should the Welsh Eisteddfod ever depreciate or come to grief, the national custom will be found to have split. I admit frankly and unreservedly, alld I do so with pleasure, that the incident I have named is the only onej A a similar kind that has come under my actnal notice through a long series of competitive efforts in connection with the Eisteddfodau of Walss, and 1 honestly believe that such incidence are rare. At the time to which I now refer THE TRADE OF THE SWANSEA VALLEY was in full blast. From Landere to Ystradgyn- lais was one vast hive of busy workers, all happy, prosperous, and contented. Dr Rogers was one of my earliest acquaintances in that district of never-ending industry. His father, Mr Philip Rogers, was vice-chairman of the Swansea Board of Guardians at the time, and Mr Glasbrook, father of the late Mr John Glasbrook, was chair- man. Dr Rogers subsequently went to reside in Swansea, where he practised as a phyeician for many years, and was mayor of the borough. Ho was a man of large and varied experience, fearless in the promotion of all things tending to further the interests of his native town, and was never more happy than when engaged in the prosecution of his favourite hobby of sanitary reform. His efforts to establish public baths at the old assembly rooms will be remem- bered, and I shall not readily forget when those (-fforts proved unsuccessful from want of public appreciation, the tone of infinite bitterness—and he could be very bitter indeed when be felt he was justified in being so—with which he quoted the well-known lines at a meeting of the town conncil, when the failure of his enterprise was made publicly known What cry when I wash you ? Not wish to be clean ? There go and be dirty- As always you've been. And the public baths at the old assembly-rooms became a recollection of the past. I wonder whether the history of that old building will ever be written. It would form, a very interesting chapter in the local annals of Swansea, The early meetings of the INDEFATIGABLE LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASON'S were held within its locally classic but somewhat faded walls. It was there 1 caiight sight of the first gleam of masonic light, and Father Michael's was the voice that gave orders for. the mystic veil to be lifted. Brother Morris, I think, was the great high priest of the masonic temple, and if my recollection serves me, Brother Charles Bath followed close on his heels towards the Throne of King Solomon. These masonic meetings, I should think, would form some of the happiest of the many happy gatherings of which the old assembly- rooms can boast, embellished as they were by such welcome and inspirating luxuries as it was the duty of Brother Probett, of the Adelaide Hotel, to supply, and the not less welcome con- tributions of a musical kind which Brother Jones- Hewson and his crowd of vocai friends always felt proud of adding to the bill of fare, with Brother Fricker as the indispensable accompanist. WHO WERE THE VOCALISTS ? Who that was privileged to hear it will ever forget the mellow ring of Simon the Cellarer," or cease to remembor the jovial aud kindly face of the brother who sang itj so heartily and so well ? Who was it always fetched down the house with his Daath of Nelson ?" Who was it, in those far-off days, that was in the habit of enchanting his hearers wjth "The Maid of Llangollen :Ind Never Mind the Re*t ?" Who sang The Leather Botte)," with its quaint and difficult humour, as nobody, ever sang it in Swansea before or since ? Jiet? those answer who are in the land of the living—they will all remember it, and the recollection will be a pleasing one. And may the eafth press lightly on the bosoms of those who hnv.4 passed away. (To be continf&i-)

QUESTIONS ANSWERED. Why is it impossible to choat at chess ?—Be- cause all movements must be made on the square. t Why should successful oiinpra be good boat- men ?—Because they work well.-at the oars (ores). To what part of the woilehshould a hungry population emigrate?—-To th# Sandwich Islands. Why are erood resolutiomdikê fainting ladies in company ?—Because they wap ^carrying out. Why is an Irish horse like ih| freight of a ship? —Because it makes the car-IN. X Use me well, I am everybody—scratch my back, 1 am nobody.—A looking-glass. Why is a newborn chiidlikoln donkey's tail?— Because it was never seen befar&. What is tha most percept^btV ache in a'1 large towns?—The window pane (Pp.i.p). Why are barristers religious?—Because they adhere to the law and the prafife. Why is there never any &\1ch thinar as one whole day?—Because every day beginif by breaking. Why are some people like eggs?—Because they are too full of themselves to hold anything eita.

Adam (just after getting acquainted with Eve): W 11 you go with me to-night to see the animals? ,¡ fc&Sfe nothing to weas.

Samuel's Sentiments. Samuel's Goods are Carefully removed." HIS is a moving tale, sir it is a tale about men who are generally in the van' of progress— the/furniture removal van of progress. I have been moving, sir. It perhaps is not the first time you have heard of me moving. Well, sir, my household goods have been moved during the last week by the minions of an individual who advertises that "Goods are carefully removed to Town or Country." It was Mrs Samuel who advised this removal. She said of our quondam (this is not a bad word, a swear," sir, though it looks like one; it can quite safely be placed in the hands of children) residence that she couldn't swing a cat in it," I replied, of course, that there was no necessity to swing cats, and that a much more expeditious method of disposing of such animals was by means of a pail of water, a good sized brick, and a piece of string. Furthermore Mrs Samuel asserted that she felt" cramped," whereupon I recommended but flannels. But all this badinage (badinage, by-the-way, is said to be bad in age, but much worse in youth. Kindly paste that tact in your hat, facetious sir) had no effect; on moving Mrs S. was determined, and, oh, sir, what I have suffered since such a decision was arrived at. A new house having been found (I will relate to you how it was found anon), the direful preparations began. Mrs Samuel said that she would see that everything was packed up." She began by rooting up carpets, tearing down pictures, leaving packages—which I fell over, to the damage of my bins-about the staircases, and rendering the house generally uninhabitable. I subsequently found that the good lady bad packed up with a vengeance-I found that my best silk hat had been placed in a hamper containing jam, pickles, broom heads, blacking pots and brushes, dusters and flat-irons. For safety, no doubt, my dress suit was enclosed in a covering of flour bags, and three pairs of unblacked boots had been neatly enclosed in a clean bolster. I personally interviewed the furniture removal man. I Desought him to use great care in the removal of my chattels. Care," said he); why, we shan't even brush a cobweb hoff, our men is that tender with furniture." I might possibly have believed him, had I not turned suddenly round and found him making masonic signs to one of his hirelings, who was at the time sucking a short black pipe prior to commencing operations. When he was discovered, the "gaffer" of course scratched his nose absent-mindedly. One thing I soon found out, and that was that furniture removal men have as fine and large a thirst upon them as any class of men in the community-not even excepting militia and forgemen. I went and stood outside my dismantled domicile, sir, and I watched the operations. First of all I could see that my neighbours took a lively, though semi- concealed interest in our movement. There were nine heads behind the curtains at number thirteen opposite, and old Miss Nosepoker three doors off on the same side of the road must have had a stiff neck ever since through her exertions in trying to look round a corner. I hope that my fumituie satisfied their judgment. I am afraid that it did not, for there were palpable signs (such as the violent agitation of the window curtains) of animation whenever a three-legged chair or an infirm dresser came out. The removers seemed, to do them credit, to work with one settled plan of action-they seemed, in fact, to be perfect artistes in the work of putting everything you would have immediate occasion to use in the least accessible portion of their vans. Of course it began to rain-it always does when one's drawing-room suite is being removed. Perhaps you/ve never noticed that-I have. The removal contractor was evidently short-handed (I afterwards found that he was tight-fisted also), aud, when a gigantic mangle—the gift of my aunt Screwger—was being dragged along, carrying with it in its elephantine progress parts of doors, bits of wainscotting, and whole dollops off the wooden stairs, I put my shoulder to the wheel, by which I mean to the mangle. I was told when doing the feat of strong" I have mentioned to "gee hup." I "gee'd down instead—down the kitchen stairs and right into a basket of crockery ware. But I persisted in my efforts, and I got on all right till we reached the pave- ment, and then I unfortunately let go just as Dr. Pepper, a neighbour, was passing. He danced like a delirious acro- bat, and said he'd make me smart for having injured his shin-bone. I quite inadvertently re- marked that he needn't make such a C shin-dy about his shin-bone. And then he swore more than ever, and insisted that I was adding insult to injury, which must make np a nice addition sum ifyoudo iton aslate. I know that he'll bring an action against me, for he is hard up. He has been abankrupt,and his certificate has been suspended- they ought to have "SHIN SHIN, TRA-LA-LA!" suspended him whilst they were about it-but 1 wander from the subject. Well, sir, the rain came down in torrents, and I believe that the van would have swum (what a rare mouthful that word is) if I hadn't had as much ballast ou. The bedding was in a precious state, I can tell you. And some of my goods wouldn't come out by the door, so the contractor suggested that they should be slung out of the first floor windows. They were slung out, and with a run too. A chest of drawers came down with a rush, and nothing is left of it but the drawer nobs." The front garden seemed to be planted with cups, saucers, pickle jars, cradles, stew-paus, and wringing machines, and a very nice crop it was. Several passers-by took a lively interest in the proceedings—they voluntarily assis-ted in the removal, and I have never seen the articles they removed since. Mud, straw, and broken chimney ornaments littered the ball, and my own particular "den" was tenanted exclusively by dilapidated, mouldy hampers and packing cases. At last I went to the new domicile with one of the vans. We bad no accidents by the way, save that we dropped a sibeboard or two on the road. There were two bouses, of precisely similar build, that were unlet immediately adjoining our new residence. All the furniture came in at last, that is all the furniture except the cat and the baby (I suppose that there was no room for them in the vans), and my eldest son, who rather prides himself on his gentiiity, waft sent for them. He didn't like it—he met several lady acquaintances on the road. He carried the baby on ouo arm aud the cat in a basket HI, HI, MASTER, DON'T PROP THE BABY." THE :BABY." on tne otner. Little boys on the road re- marked him- theyhavewhat is called a babbit" of doing that sort of thing. They asked him "Wiiostoletile cat, and sang i L's nice to be I a father." The baby yelled dismally in spite of my son,e, ch-ch- ir>g-" for its rmusement; in spite of his calling it a "\pity ickle sing," and the cat mewed in a way that was anything but a r amewsing. My son got so disgusted at last that he put the baby in the basket with the cat. Both suffered the baby looks as though it had been groomed down with a steel comb, and the cat has gone bald in patches. The baby must have lots o' pluck" about it, judging by the appearance of the cat's fur. It was dark when we all found ourselves in our new tenement. What a picture it was to be sure. The RARfittings had not been adjusted, and our only light was furnished by a half-penny candle stuck in the mouth cf an empty ginger-beer bottle. Mrs Samuel was cross and nasty; my eldest son used must unbecoming language, all the children howled iu deafening concert, the setvant uJrl *,at she bad been "put on shameful," and gave notice :011 the spot, and we were all desperately hungry. A meal was suggested. What a meal that was. The table cloth was a copy of your invaluable journal, sir, and we grouped ourselves in attitudes more or less picturesque-generally speaking, less picturesque -around it, but nothing in the way of provender could be found. As for cups and saucers, knives and plates, thay A NICE CUP O' TEAH." had gone astray— even the tray had gone as-tray, I might say-and I was compelled to drink a miserably weak edition of tea gravy out of a mustard pot. My eldest boywho sat gracefully on his haunches on the floor,monopolised the only cup, and Iwascompelled to tisei quill pen no. a fnrk-I do not fork-get the fact. Seated on a dis- used cocoa-box, wbichwould have been fairiv com- fortable if it hadn't been for a refractory nail, I did all the justice I could to a raw, cold muffin and some brawn, and, stirring my tea with a pipe stopper, determined to make the best of the circumstances. Just at that moment there was a bang at the door, and, the door having been "answered" (it is a thing you can safely answer back is a door), in rushed an obese man, who was, as I soon found, the landlord, Why," shouted he, "you've been and gone and moved into the wrong house! This is number seven, and you took number nine, next door." 011, sir, do you not at this juncture l'hed the tear of .sympathy. Do you not condole with your Samuel ? Through I' an unfortunate error, we had moved into the wrong house. What I have endured, to be sure. My lodging was on the cold ground that night, for nobody could find a bedkey. YAH, IT'S A BOGEY. And to make mat- ters worse, we bad no blinds, and had to fasten up sheets with two-pronged forks—which forks we, with much difficulty, found amongst a parcel cf nick-nacks — in the windows, and j my son Benjamin, i who had twisted a j blanket round him- self for warmth, happening to look out between two of < these sheets, 60 frightened a young man of the masher type who was pass- ing that he had a fit on the gravel walk. Dear, dear me, these have been "drefful" times, which they 'ave, and no error." Nothing is in its right place even and no error." Nothing is in its right place even yet, no, not even the cat, which tins just been pulled out of the oven in a state of suffocation. I have got a bill as long as your arm for moving. And all my furniture is in fragments, and I believe that I've been and gone and stuck the wrong legs on to the wrong sofas. And, as for the piano, it sounds as though it had a saw-pit in its inside. LATEST EDITION.—We've just found out the cause of the piano being out of order. My boy Theophilus bad packed his white mice and a pet hedgehog in the works. More trouble more trouble. SAMUEL: His SENTIMENTL.

A PREACHER ON SERMONS. What would you say, then, Mr Calthrop— ] should a man write his sermons, or preach extem- pore ?''—" Both. He should be able to do both, Unless he is an exceptionally gifted man, be should certainly write sermons almost as long as he can write but he should also be able to speak extemporaneously. Now, when I was select preacher at Cambridge I carefully wrote out my sermons, but when I preach in the theatres, why, a bit of paper would spoil the effect. If a man acquire a fatal facility ef language he is played 1 out in a few years. He becomes tempted to give words instead of ideas. But the writing of 1 sermons keeps a man within bounds, and improves his style. And he must not depend on memory. I could tell at once if a man were delivering a discourse jnemoviter. A preacher can de- liver a sermon from MS. in such a lively, striking way that no one could know. Public readers do so. Natural capacity will do much for a man, but the average man-I mean if he practise well—can do so also. For him, a mixture of the two styles is the right thing." And what kind of sermons do you think the most effectual?" Well, for myself, I always try to avoid what may be called the merely technical theological language as much as possible but, mind, I endeavour to speak in such a plain, straightforward way that there may be no mistake about the doctnnp. The whole secret of the difficulty of a preachsr is to be able to put himself into the place of the hearers, and to see things as they see them. People are intelligent, and up in the literature of the day, and I ask myself, How shall I put so-and-so to my people ?' Then there should be variety in pulpit ministrations—the variety there is in the Bible itseif. Descriptive sermons and doctrinal sermons both have their place. And I have found character sermons most effective."— the "Qaiver."

WHY GARRICK LAUGHED. Once, in" King Lear," when Garrick should have wept over the body of Cordelia, he burst, out laughing; so did Kent and Albany. Cordelia opened her eyes, and instantly she was giggling, while the auaieuce thought the players had lost their senses. The truth was that in the gallery opposite sat a very fat butcher, with his bulldog. The man leaned back, and the bulldog's head alone was visible over the ledge. Garrick might have stood this; but when the butcher, feeling warm, teok off his wig and placed it on the buH- dog's head, Garrick could not resist the spectacle, nor could Cordelia.

"ONLY THIS, AND NOTHING MORE." Old Gent Young man, this is preposterous You ought to know better. Why, it's ignominy." Young Man 41 Pain t neither it' nothin'but a common pup. Don't yer tink Tknows a pup when I 3ces it?"

TALK OF THE TOWN. I "STAR" OF THE EVENING—PICKING OAKUM- TRYING TO THE "SOLE"—IN THE DOCK — THE CROFTERS-BRYAN O'LYNN—MR BLUNT—TH« LATEST AMATKUR—MISS KREKK— £ 30,000 A YEAR —HEREDITY IN THE FIXE ARTS—MINNIE TERRY —INSPECTOR DENNING—THE STRAND AND THEATBKS— THE WOifAN-HATEU—JOHNNY TOOLE AND WILL. iSHAKKSPKAUK—BL'RGLAltY—MASTER O'jT-otS 6D TO PAY—A SAKE-SOLD. The bcok stalls have been busy lately meeting the demand of the new paper, THE STAR OF T. r. 0;C0NN0R. I a luminary, whose staying power has yet to be tested but it has begun well, the circulation already being 150,000 a day. The inspiring and guiding spirit has a gey gude conceit o' himael' is he poses as Vulcan hurling a thunderbolt. I hid the new luminary all hail! and hope it also may pioneer wise men, converting Loudon to Liberal principles. There are, I think, Kix M.P.'s in durance vile just now. In the Pictorial World is a sketch of Mr Wilfrid Blunt picking oakum. [ wish I dare write and tell him that the easiest nstrument for the purpose is an old shoe. The :ommittnl of KR CUNNINGHAMS GRAHAM, M.P., AND MR JOHN BURNS was a foregone conclusion, after the verdict of the jury, who had not the sense and courage to stand up for freedom of speech and meeting, M juries have done in times past. I heard an interesting story of Mr Burns. When a working sngineer in Africa, he got hold of Stuart Mill's Political Economy," the study of which made tiim a Socialist. He bad no money to buy books to enable him to continue his studies, but one day, while working by an African river, he saw a float of rushes gliding past. He intercepted it, lIoud fonud it field a book, which proved to be Smiths Wealth of Nations." This confirmed him in his Socialistic bias. His idea is that the book had belonged to a missionary, who had lost it when crossing a river. Etis father was an Ayrshire man, where the name of Burns is by no means uncommon. He is a diligent student and an able lecturer. The schoolmaster from Lewis has been brought 3ver by a Scotch club to tell the people here the moving story of the Crofters' sufferings, which, he states, infinitely exceed any that have been t Darrated or we have imagined. His narrative is touching in the extreme it is more—it is appall- ing. Fuil particulars are in the papers. The man spoke with force and simplicity. The Crofter question is a small one compared to that of the Irish, but the sufferings from poverty are as great. The refusal of Mr Wilfrid Blunt to don the prison garb was natural. j HK WRAPPED HIMSELF IN ONE OF HER MAJESTY'S BLANKETS, and ruefully contemplating the rejected breeches, sat in penance alone. There was a certain Bryan O'Lynn who had no breeches to wear, Bryan O'Lynn who had no breeches to wear, but be got a sheepskin and made him a pair, the skinny side cut, the woolly side in—how pleasant and cool, said Bryan O'Lynn. I Mr Blunt cannot follow the example of this bis- toris personage even if he were so disposed, because he has no sheepskin. How horribly cruel to keep the poor man without writing materials, and after the recommendation of the magistrates. The petty tyrannies of which Mr Balfour is capable j are past belief. The latest development of the coeroion policy is the arrest of Mr Cox in London. But, having got Mr Cunningham Graham in prison, there was no reason why a further arrest should not be made. I wonder the Government do not hit on the happy plan of imprisoning all troublesome political opponents. Things would then be so pleasant in the House of Commons. No late debates, no irritating question—all as I merry as a marriage bell. Never was a time in which the theatrical world was so busy, and constantly its ranks are intaded by the irrepressible amateur. Miss Freke, granddaughter of the eminent builder, Sir Thomas Freke, acted in her father's house, I Cromwell House, the other night, ably supported by professionals and clever amateurs. Off the stage Miss Freke is rather an awkward I young woman, but on it she is full of go and naturalnesc, and the verdict, unanimous, was, She's a born artist—she'll do." As the young lady has £ 40,000 in her own right, with the prospect of more, she does not need to adopt any calling for a livelihood but she is stage-struck, and her father says, Let her follow her bent, an' she will." The company convened to witness the performance was very distinguished—the list of guests heavy with coronets. The object of the entertainment was charity, of course, and the results were most satisfactory. The last few years of the late baronet's life his income was £ 80,000 a year. Two millions of money—as the story izoes-are accumulating in trust for his grandson. It is said that the; huge fortunes made so rapidly as rapidly melt. Fortunes made by chance always do. Heredity is always a subject of speculation. In the fine arts there are ever-recurring instances of the transmission of special gifts-music in par- ticular. Acting can fairly be called a fine art also, though not so classified; and it undoubtedly runs I in the blood. Minnie, the little daughter of Mr Charles Terry, is a charming initange. She 01 Health nn Bristol. 13210 is not yet six years old, but she is already fami- lar with the boards. S"e made quite a sensa- tion at the Haymarket, in Partners her grace and naturalness were very fetching. Her mother, who was in the Compton Comedy Com- pany, which kept the Strand going last season, is very pretty, with large, fawnlike eyes. I hope soon to give a portrait of the little artiste. It would seem as if the industries in whose cause protection is urged are themselves solving the problem. Germany and Belgium have for nearly fifteen years monopolised the bottle trade of the world—a once flourishing trade in these isles. Now, through the discovery of a new machine, lately exhibited in the North of England, the foreign price, 4s a gross, is reduced to 3d.—an astounding reduction, and its own pro- tection." The foreigner had better make tracks. Again, the finding of sixty million tons of gypsum, also in the North—Whitehaven— will probably add at least £ 250,000,000 sterling to the wealth of the country. Gypsum is the basis of plaster of Paris, and of course the build- ing trades will be sensibly affected. I went over a. large warehouse in the C ty lately-a house dealing in all miscellaneous articles, outside drapery goods, furniture, and house crockery- and I was pleased to hear from the head, who holds an important municipal post in the city, that in fancy goods, such as purses, and all sorts of leather work, the foreigner will soon be nowhere. The finish which we lacked is now perfect, and in durability and actual value of material we stand alone. Our goods in this line are largely bought for foreign markets for the quality of durability. In this house foreign and home manufactures are kept distinct, and in time the home will cover the ground alone. A notable character is retiring into private life, there to enjoy well-earned leisure after 42 years' service in the police force, and 21 in the Houses of Parliament. BtTPERINTEN DENT DKNNITTG. has long been a familiar figure to the frequenters of the Houses of Parliament, where his office as Chief Inspector of the Palace of Westminster found him daily duriug the session. Mr Denning is the oldest officer save three in the Metropolitan force. He has been a strict—some say an exacting disciplinarian, but just, kind, and genial in character. He is greatly liked by all under his command, as the many testimonials he lias received will testify. He is a strict religionist, and for many years has conducted a Bible class for young men each Sunday. The Strand is fast becoming a street of theatres and restaurants, with some newspaper offices and occasional shops. If a theatre pitches its tent outside the range of this histrionic quarter, it is ten chances to one if it succeeds, and success itself is only bought by persistence under failures, rounded off by a hit in a piece. The latest addition to these houses is Terry's Theatre, where the proprietor, lessee, manager, and chief artiste are one and the same. His house is also the safest, and therefore the best, in London. MR TERRY AS THE WOMAN-HATES, now over its bftietb year —counting the dramatic year as one day—is at his best. His art is never overdone, and no point is ever lost or slurred. Mr Toole is about to parody "A Winter's Tale." This is legitimate, but probably it will not be more comical than the usual renderings of the Immortal Will. The transformation scone which waited Mr Wilson Barrett at his own house the other day was an unrehearsed bit of comedy the melodramatic apostle could scarcely appreciate. The run is likely to be limited. The householder at present is the object of the operations of the burglarious long firm. A man called at my own residence last week,and gave the servant a brown paper and labelled parcel, saying 4s 61 to pay," at the same time presenting a book for signature. Fortunately I had desired the servants to pay nothing at the door without my orders, or in my absence. The parcel was handed back, and the servant heard the rattle of stones inside. Nothing had been ordered, and the ingenious messenger has not reappeared in person. Another day a very respectable-looking man called in the evening, also in my absence. I had ordered the chain to be kept up on the door after dark. He s&id to the girl—a very young one-that he had called in answer to an advertisement in the Times, and gave my name in full. She told him I was out—a fact be knew—and he said he was to wait; she called the cook, who, still keeping the chain up, said no advertisement had been put in the Times by her master. Go and get the paper, "be said, "and I will show it to you. Can't you let me in! Take down the chain, and I'll explain." But she mildly requested him to take his walks abroad, and to CIdl again when master was in, nanting an hour. "She then shut the door sharply, and he walked off muttering. No advertisement had been put m by me. My neighbourhood is a very quiet one, and lately several successful attempts of the same sort have been made on the unwary. I saw a safe the other day made to fit into a chalick, or slipper of metal, fixed to the ground. The lock secured it to the slipper, and so made it safe from thieves. In any case, it would take an expert burglar a considerable time to force it from its position, and longer to open it. ZINCO.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE PAST AND PRESENT. Bristol is no longer the chief seaport for English commerce yet its population is ten times what it was in its most palmy days, and the size of its docks, and the number of vessels which enter them, far exceed the measure of what was necessary for the trade of all England at the end of the seventeenth century. Gloucestershire has actually increased in all its trade and manu- factures dicing the last century and a half f it has only comparatively declined. This fact gives it its special interest among the sbIres ofEugland. None tells so well the history of the continuous growth and progress of England's industries. Gloucester- shire keeps the records of England's normal growth, and enables us to judge what England would have been without the great invention of machinery and means of transport which h:¡Vt given a new turn to modern industrial and sociai life. There are those who, nowadays, as tiiej ramble along the Cotswold hills and drop down upon the stately old towns that fringe their base linger over the memories of the lesser England of the past, and wonder if things are always great it proportion to their s ze. or if life is always usefui in proportion to its bustle,—Canon Craisjtitoa. it the Leisure Hour,

"SHE'S GOT EM OFC (Ancient Meledv.). v The young mashers are going to wear breecheB they say, at evening parties. Lucky dops It isn't always after marriage the men who- fThen there leas a row.j

A CAUTIOUS MOTHER. Young Lady (to wother)-" I would like so much to see 'She.' Mother (with a 1 oolc of surprise)—1"My daughter, what can you be thinking of to rowka such a mistake. Nominative she, possessive ber or hers, objective her. Consequently you wotil^'like to see ber." Daughter—" Yuu don't understand, Mr Rider Haggard's—— Mother (decisively)—" It doesn't make any difference to you what Mr Rider says or does. If be has been led into making an error it is bo reason you should be."